Four Shooters, One Stage: 500-Yard Blackjack Tests Rifles and Nerves

Erik Cortina's latest Blackjack Challenge video puts four shooters on the clock at 500 yards, facing six shrinking targets, 12 rounds, and a two-minute timer. Mirage, hot conditions, and that brutal two-inch final target do most of the damage, but the rifle builds and load data on display are worth the price of admission alone.

Key points

• Drake's composure: running a 6GT with a Proof Tech barrel and Berger 109s at 2,930 fps, he struggled to read shifting mirage but kept his pace instead of rushing, earning praise from Cortina for discipline even without a clean run.
• Brad's mulligan backfires: his dad Brad banked a strong Blackjack score on a near-identical 6GT rig, then chose to re-shoot and dropped from a 21 to a 15 as rising density altitude pushed his hits high.
• John's pawn-shop rifle delivers: an 800-dollar Remington 700 Ross action rebuilt into a 6 Creedmoor with a Krieger barrel went five-for-five, scoring 105, before John narrowly missed tying the sub-one-minute Randy Barrett Challenge.
• Tommy fights his glasses and the wind: shooting a custom Wood Precision 6.5 Creedmoor pushing 140-grain ELD-Ms at 2,780 fps, he battled slipping glasses and shifting mirage, coming away without a Blackjack but calling it a good time anyway.

Quick take

This one's less about a single hero run and more about watching different rifles, loads, and mental approaches get tested under the same brutal conditions. If you're chasing long-range precision gear ideas or just want to see how experienced shooters talk themselves through a miss, it's worth the watch.

Watch the full video: Erik Cortina