Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters You guys always talking about shooting in the wind and it fu cking up your groups

Shooting in the wind. Ha ha..

I missed it. Who's always talking about the wind messing up their groups?

Once there was a silly old ram
Thought he'd punch a hole in a dam
No one could make that ram scram
He kept buttin' that dam

'Cause he had high hopes

👍

If the wind is consistent it does nothing to the group.

I've shot enough days where you couldn't do that group even with luck.

I've shot on days when the 2x4s holding the targets up snapped off in the wind.

My motto when in competition was the wind is your friend. more than half your competitors have mentally given up.

Now getting a first round pinwheel at longer distances can be challenging. Especially if mirage is involved because there is no firm formula for the amount of correction needed just due to the mirage and how much and fast mirage can vary.

I also don't recall anybody complaining about wind ruining groups.

Do remember several people recently pointing out that "developing" rifle handloads without using wind-flags is pretty useless--unless you're one of those who keeps shooting 3-shot groups until one is tighter than the others. I have friend like that--who's a good example of what Jim Carmichel wrote about years ago, if I recall correctly in his Book of the Rifle--about how many "pet loads" are based on a single 3-shot group.

When I had my 100 indoor range, I could shoot tiny groups. Then go outside on a gusty windy day, the groups looked like s#!t ! When using wind flags, a steady wind can be dealt with without too much trouble. But that gusty, swirling, change directions every 30 seconds, that kind of wind is tough.
Charlie

Once a few years back at Red Castle in Tulsa Oklahoma the wind blew a rack of rifles over. this was at a silhouette match standing trying to hold still in that kind of wind is let's just say very challenging at the least.

if one wants great practice at reading wind get into the 22 rimfire bench rest game.

Because of the shape and location of berms and a tree line my range can have difficult wind conditions. If the overall wind direction in the general area is just right (wrong more like) there will be differing conditions from zero to 100 yards, then 100 to 200 yards, and then 200 to 300 yards.

My lack of concentration on the basics and uniformity of technique...or hold, is what kills my scores...the wind? Not so much, but it makes a dandy excuse.

It’s my shooting that ruins my groups.

The last ARA match I went to there were so many wind flags in 50 yards you couldn’t see the ground. A wind flag every 10 yards plus an up/downer and a speed indicator.

50 yards, Compass Lake AR22, through the irons. I think I missed a reversal...

I laughed to much at this.
Best answer yet.

Excellent example, Chris.

Good shootin' -Al

+1, a hard truth right there. lol

This 8"X30" wind sock is outside my sod hut on the Northern Plains today. Around 30-32 mph, it will fill completely and snap out 90 degrees:



Apparently, he laws of Physics have been repealed because ".......the wind has very little affect on modern bullets at short range."

I must have missed that article in last months 'Physics World' magazine.......

Good shootin' -Al

Al, will say that at times wind flags may actually affect group size.

First 3 so so, #4 goes left looking real bad. #5 keyholes. What the hey?




Then comes light bulb moment as scratching your head while packing up, you hit the 50 yard flag prop twice in a good wind.



😁😁😁

I shoot in the windiest place in North America. Literally. I shoot where your hat needs to be held on while setting up targets. Those days are great. Wind is consistent and everyone else stays home.