Been out of pocket for awhile helping teach a couple of LR shooting schools. Took my 7mm SAUM center-grip XP and my 7mm Rem Mag Improved MOA--Can't let the rifle guys have all the fun.
Worked very long days, but it was great.
Darrell has opened the school to specialty pistol shooters when I am there, but we had none this year.
When I had some free time when the students were on solo mode I was able to do some shooting between 400 to just under 900 yards.
Lady luck was on my side, because I never missed steel one time. I wish I could say this is always the case, but it is not so.
So yes, I am sharing the joy

Also, about 20 rifle guys got introduced to specialty handguns at long range.
None of this shooting was from the bench and there was no wind flags.
One of the students who watched me shoot beyond 800 yards in a 14mph wind on Friday, told me that if he read or heard someone talk about such a shot with a specialty handgun he would say that person is full of cow manure (I edited his actual words). I asked him what thought about it now, and he said with a smile, I witnessed it myself and I still can't believe it."

For many people 800+ yards with a handgun and the resurection of Jesus can be put in the same catagory.A great tale but even if they see it they still are not sure they believe it's real.For me I believe both have happened.

Any pics of that SAUM center grip??

Here is a pic:

Keith,
Hopefully, more people believe in the resurrection than in my shooting ability.

Thats a sweet look'in piece!

Thats the most important decision anyone will ever make(acceptance of Christ,not Ernies shooting ability-sorry Ernie)

I knew no one meant it that way-I just wanted to clarify my position.

162 A-Max at 2759 fps @ the muzzle.
H-1000 powder.
This is about 200 fps slower than what the 7mm Dakota XP does with the very same bullet.

Two one-shot attempts at 775 yards (one shot per person).
This was Jody's first shot from a SP.
He was one of the assistant instructors.

Awesome rig!!

Great looking gun and cool story. I am proud when I hit bowling pins at 300 so I think what you have done is awsome.

What is it coated with?

I believe it is cerakote, but I need to check to be sure.
What is the MV of Lil Monster with the 162's?

Awesome stuff Ern. Hey did you run turrets or just use the reticle for the shots?

Used the turret, very rarely.
There are 3 way to use the ART Reticle.
I was using a First Focal Plane Leupold Mark 4 6.5-20 with ART Reticle on my 7 SAUM XP.



The numbers 3-30 (center crosshair on down) are all in MOA.

The 4 Mil line is used when milling larger targets that MIL more than 5Mils--Basically, forget it for all that the majority of us do.

One, is you can forget you have the reticle and just dial-Waste of money if you use it this way.
Two, you can use the reticle all on its own without dialing.

Three, you can use the reticle with very little dialing. So less that you never have to worry about rotational problems.
The ART Reticle is in 1.5 MOA lines with every three MOA being listed internally within the scope so you do not have to get confused with remembering which line is the correct one.
For hunting in short to medium ranges, just use the reticle and it will be so fast a dialer can't begin to keep up with you.
For longer distances if you want/need to be precise you can use the reticle this way:
Lets say I am shooting at 825 yards. I need 20.5 MOA to make that shot.
I have a 18 MOA line listed and 21 MOA line listed with a line in between the two which is 19.5 MOA.
During the shooting school to be precise I would use the 19.5 MOA line as my aiming point and dial 1 MOA up.
Still a whole lot faster than just dialing and more accurate than trying to estimate the correct point between 19.5 MOA and the 21 MOA lines.
If, I dialed alone, I would have to go one full revolution of the turret (15MOA) and then another 5.5 MOA. When doing this all kind of mistakes can happen. You don't have to worry about this with the ART.

Thks. Good info.!!

She pumps them out at 2825fps from 17" of rifling w/ 63.5gr H4831SC. Over 2850fps leaves clearly defined extrator marks on the case head.

Maybe I need to try H1000.

How much holdover do you have at that range Ernie?Some very impressive shoot'in!!

Are you asking how much MOA (minutes of angle) it takes for me to connect at a certain distance?
In my example above I gave the direct read-out from Exbal for my Gillette/elev. for the distance mentioned.
I had higher humidity and 1500 feet elevation when I was at Holland's.

With the Holland reticle I was holding directly on a line each time I made a LR connection.

I was curious as to how many feet/inches at that distance.I realize you are using the increments on the scope but just curious what the actual feet/inches holdover is.

Got it.
1 MOA is 1.047 Inches at 100 yards or approximately 1" at 100 yards. MOA is an angular like a pie piece so as you go further out it is further in distance.
Example: 1 MOA at 100 yard is 1", 1 MOA at 500 yards is approximately 5", and 1 MOA at 1000 yards is approximately 10".

So, at 825 yards, a 1 MOA correction for wind would move the reticle to the right or left approximately 8.25".

Since it takes 20.5 MOA of elevation to hit the target at 825, I am basically elevating the crosshair 20.5 inches high from my 100 yard zero bulls-eye to hit the target at 825 yards.

I use the reticle like a yardstick, but it is in MOA instead of inches-Simply shooting by the numbers. It takes the guesswork out of LR shooting.

Bullet drop from the bore to 825 yards is 208.2 inches.

This is a good question which may shooters both rifle and handgun alike do not fully understand. Once you take the mystery out of it, and add some true info, what seemed impossible is very possible.

Thanks Ernie for explaining,comes out to 17.35 feet.

Isn't gravity amazing?

Sounds like a really good time and some great shooting
Way to go Ernie

Thanks guys!
More than anything, the message I want to get out to specialty handgun shooters is that you do not let the gun rags, the long-time hunter, or even your own preconceived ideas/beliefs hold you back to what is possible.
Steve/sscoyote and I have been doubted, disbelieved, and called liars over the years. We have also been told, "That can't be done," or "It won't be accurate, etc."
What I am emphasizing is let your own experiences, prove what you are capable of not, some long standing tradition.
Then, if something doesn't work, find out what is not working, and fix it or get rid of it.

I have said all of this, to say this:
You can make the very same type of shots yourself if you so desire!!!
The point of the post is, NOT about what a handful of guys can do.
But rather, what many can do given the desire, some education and practice.

Ernie,
Wish I could have made it but to much going on. Glad to see rifle guys arnt. the only ones that can reach out there. Looks like fun im going to try to make next years.

Look forward to meeting you.
I got picked on because everyone wanted to see the 338AX shoot.

ME to. I told Kirby he has given me to much time to think. Asking about a 338 MAG(chytech) pistol. I think he is still laughing. Crazy boys in KY. Oh well havent had time to shoot anyway. Work keeps getting in the way. Not to mention the floods.

A different action would be needed for sure if you went the Chey-Tac route.
I do not think you will get enough performance advantage over the 338AX to go that route with a 18" tube-IMO.
I could be wrong though, and that is how new ground is broken, but I am not going to break that ground

Im getting all I want and then some probably. just cant wait to get it. I was just messing with him. Seeing what he would come up with.

An ornery one huh?
Well, I hope Kirby doesn't do to you what he did to the last jokster who caused him undue think time....Imagine what that recoil will FEEL like with no recoil lug...

I have heard he has other tricks up his sleeve too.

Pull the trigger and duck. Hope he doesnt send it to me in parts.
The gun you took to Hollands was that your switch barrell. Thats a good looking gun. Chuck done that one right.

Yes it is the switch barrel switch bolt rig that Chuck is working on. Chuck has done very nice work on this as you can tell by the pics and the shooting.
This is the first of four barrels to be fitted:
7mm SAUM
6.5 Leopard (WSM)
6.5x47 Lapua
6mm-284

Is that a XP or custom action?

XP

Well done Ernie!!! That is one fine looking rig, have you tried any of the 168 gr Bergers in it? your explanation on the ART is tremendous, gotta be the best scope/reticle combination I have ever used.
again well done.
nmhunter

Thanks Tom.
So far I have only used 162 A-Max's.
This XP wasn't ready to go with barrel broke in and loaded until 11:30PM the night before before I left to fly out early the next morning.

Man isnt shooting fun. Things we do for fun.

It was a group effort.