NO--do you have a reference to it? Love to read about it sir.

Steve,
I was looking for it now and can't find it. Askins and Keith had a little feud for a few years. This involved Elmer's claim that he shot a buck at 600 yds with his 4" Smith. Askins did the ballistic calculation and determined if Elmer was off his range estimation by twenty yds he would have been over or under his target by 2 FEET. I was guiding Askins and a fellow named Duke Savora in northern B.C in 1977.
Duke brought me the article in one of the gun magazine, but it now seems to be lost.
Jim

Wow fascinating to know you guided them sir. Be interesting to see that article. I know at those ranges the bullet has quite the downward angle to it, and the Danger Zone would probably be +/- 10 yds. but I have seen some pretty amazing things happen in the field before myself. Can't remember exactly how that story went. Of course if he knew the back to brisket measurement of the deer by using the front sight and sight radius to the eye he could've ranged it by applying the mil-ranging formula to some degree of accuracy that might have been more accurate than just guessing. I wonder how much of the math Elmer applied for his system?

Actually that wouldn't have worked since the target back to brisket of maybe 17" would subtend such a small area of a front sight unit that it would be about .1 or even smaller. So the target size relative to the "subtension unit" is too small at that range for rangefinding applications.

I thought he used all of the front sight and then some for those shots, and then walked them in. If he placed the deer at the top of the sight that would only allow for about 1/3 the elevation than if he lined all 3 up. He was supposed to have hit it more than once.

Here in the UK the late Gillie Howe was a promoter of long range pistol shooting. From necessity. Unless we subscribe to this newspaper we can't read all of the item...but it gives the flavour of the man. I knew him for maybe twenty plus years.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/ob...illie-howe-obituary/

If I recall correctly I read in "Hell I was there" that Elmer learned long distance pistol shooting lobbing lead in front of sheep (his father bought ??) in order to turn them back and keep them on his place.

People who have never tried shooting at a long distance target (rock, stump, anthill) will regularly tell you it can't be done. But you "can't be hitten at em if you ain't shooting at em".

I recall shooting IPSC on the range after the Metallic Silhouette shooters and there was always a Ram or two left on the 200 metre racks. Shooting at them with an IPSC specced and loaded .45 Auto offhand wasn't a difficult shot and it surprised me how "flat" it shot.

Flat being a very relative term.

I recall a full sight picture, held high on the ram, but never holding over the ram..........but that was 30+ years ago.

............and yes guys there were plenty of witnesses trying to get prone and shoot them, with very similar gear, while I shot offhand.

It's a case of a well aimed shot. Fire for effect. Adjust and repeat.

Elmer's 600 yard Mule deer shot was at a deer wounded by another fella who had run out of bullets for his rifle so Elmer "chimed in".

I read, at one stage, (Askins or Jordan ???) it said that if Elmer said he did it then he had done it.

Good enough for me.

Back 20+ years ago I was absolutely fascinated by long range handgunning and, fortunately, owned a farm where 500+ yard, safe shooting was easily doable...and my oldest son and I did a lot of it!!! Mostly I shot a Ruger Blackhawk in 45 Colt with a 3rd Gen Colt...crap, the one with the adjustable sights, in 44 Spl. and both revolvers with 7 1/2 in. barrel. Neither was loaded hot with standard 255 and 240 gr. bullets at approx. 1000 fps. One CAN identify and mark positions on their front sight to have shots be on at a specific distance. First shot hits at big enough targets are fairly easily doable at those specific distances. Anything much different and we had to "walk them on" BUT...it didn't take but very few shots to be on at in between distances. Obviously when shooting open sights on a 7 1/2 in. barreled revolver groups at distance will not be measured in a few inches. However, off a rest and, given how often we shot, an 18 in. X 24 in. steel target at 500 yards was hit with almost boring regularity.

My oldest son and I shot those revolvers at distance for several years. Long enough to prove wrong everyone who was calling us a liar. Interests changed and we moved on. Today I do good to hit that same 18 X 24 target at 100 yards with the same revolvers when shooting off a bench.

Years ago after reading too much Elmer I took my FA .454 out. Set up a large piece of cardboard up at the base of a hill and backed away about 500 yards. No way could I have hit a stationary animal (never mind a wounded and running animal) but I was able to put rounds into that cardboard before the cylinder was empty. I think I fired a box or two total with most of them ending up somewhere on the target. Haven't tried it since but that experience told me with time and practice it's not only possible but doable.

I loved reading Elmers articles and his book, Hell I was There..but Elmer scribed some real dandy quotes, that were simply without substance, just BS...I can quote quite a few of them, but to what difference..I liked his writing.