Man Magnum

Pistol Packing Preacher

SOMEWHERE ON THE seemingly endless stretch of per-f straight road between Bloemfontein and Jagersfontein, Ernie remarked that one of the termite mounds dotting the grassla would make a perfect rest for a handgun hunter. The problem with that, I informed him, was finding both a termite mound and a shootable animal within range of it.

An hour earlier, at the Bloemfontein airport, I had met Ernie Bishop of Gilette, Wyoming – preacher, handgun hunter and speciality pistol fundi. Our hunting destination was a 33 000 hectare game reserve straddling the Gariep River. On the backseat, in a hard case, lay Ernie’s custom handguns; an XP100 and a Ruger GP100, affectionately known as the Franken-Ruger.

The XP100 is a speciality pistol on a Remington XP action with an 18ˡ ˡ barrel in 7mm Dakota, a muzzle-brake and a Leupold 4.5-14x40 rifle-scope with an ARM reticle. He loads 180gr Berger VLD hunting bullets at 2 900fps.

The Franken-Ruger(originally 15 barrel is free-floating with a partial barrel shroud and wears a Leupold 2.5-8x handgun (LER) scope. Ernie’s hunting load was a 158gr Swift A-Frame bullet at 1 400fps. With the original 15'' barrel Ernie shot a 3'' group at 500 yards.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Man Magnum

Man Magnum5 min read
Op Jag Met ’n Legende
“DRUK met jou regter-elmboog hier op my skouer,” het die professionele jagter vir my seun, Chris, gesê. Die stel selfgemaakte skietstokke uit elastiese kerriebos-latte (Salvadora persica) was stabiel genoeg, maar die ram het op 230 treë afstand gesta
Man Magnum4 min read
Swarovski 8x32 EL Range TA
COMPACT laser range-finding binoculars offer a considerable advantage over their larger counterparts. These lightweight instruments are particularly suitable for hunts that require a lot of walking and climbing, especially in challenging terrain. Mou
Man Magnum6 min read
The Evergreen .22lr Cartridge
ACCORDING to Cartridges of theWorld the best information available indicates that the 22 Long Rifle was developed by the J Stevens Arms & Tool Company in 1887. It started out as a 22 Long case with a 5gr black powder charge and a 40gr bullet instead

Related Books & Audiobooks