Wind ?

[Steve Anderson]

In truth I've been reluctant to crank on the knobs. Never mind I've been coached, "you paid for em, use em!" My experience is limited to my own range and at the Quigley. Neither has flags, course I could have flags but have wanted to be more or less in step with the Q. So all that to say, I've been looking thru the spotting scope at the grass and bullet strikes at the target. I more or less knew that the wind was most important at the gun rather than the target. Still, I was confused by no wind at the gun and perhaps 10mph at the target. So was hoping to glean something here. And I believe I have. I'll try the feather idea as well. Got a couple owl feathers I've picked up and they should serve me well enough. Appreciate what you have offered and gladly would I take any other help. Steve

[Semtav]

After our dsimal showing saturday, Dave and I were discussing the possibility of sending up a tethered balloon and hanging a flag about 100 feet up halfway to the target at the 1000. I think it would be interesting to see what it really does up there.

[Kurt]

Those gumbo dirt hills and draws create their own wind currents. Just look at the dust kicking up and drifting in different directions at once.

[Kurt]

Just pay attention to the hotline flag and watch the dirt drift when a miss hits. They don't match many times.

[Gunlaker]

Mike, I think not being afraid to crank the knobs is a big help. And knowing exactly how much windage is on the sight at any time. Lots of people seem to just add or subtract without knowing where they really are.

Chris.

Keep on that program and you'll be able to hit those tiny 2x4s that Don talks about...real regular like!!

I'm trying. I've been paying attention to the tips you've posted on shooting over the years. I've recently started using a data book which turns out to be a great way to learn faster. I was shooting with a guy who uses his own data sheets even for silhouette. I'm going to start that too.

Chris.

[bruce moulds]

mirage can tell lies.
sighter shots can tell you what is going on there.
more than once I have seen mirage going left to right, and bullets deflect right to left.
it helps to change focus on the scope and look at the mirage over the whole range.
winding the sight is necessary.
it is not unusual to have to make a 14 or so point change if direction and strength alter together.
much wind at all and minimum 3 point changes are often required.
always knowing what is on the sight is a must.
this helps you go back to a condition previously proven to be correct.
keep safe,
bruce.

[Rick Mulhern]

Mike, I think not being afraid to crank the knobs is a big help. And knowing exactly how much windage is on the sight at any time. Lots of people seem to just add or subtract without knowing where they really are.

Chris.

Keep on that program and you'll be able to hit those tiny 2x4s that Don talks about...real regular like!!

I'm trying. I've been paying attention to the tips you've posted on shooting over the years. I've recently started using a data book which turns out to be a great way to learn faster. I was shooting with a guy who uses his own data sheets even for silhouette. I'm going to start that too.

Chris.

Chris

A data or plotting book may be OK for a 'newbie'......for a certain learning phase but I never used one....nor did I ever see any of my friends whom were all top shooters use one when shooting long range! I always plotted my rapid fire strings but NEVER on long range. IMO that is time lost from keeping the eye glued in the spotting scope...watching both mirage and the flags. Once I got a certain condition of mirage locked in....I shot just as fast as my pit service allowed and I have been known to cease firing for eight minutes until the mirage returned to the condition I wanted...which it usually did. One of my score keepers told me "I thought you'd died"! I put my head down on my ammo box and took a short nap!! If a flowing mirage comes to a boil....one of two things is going to happen; there will be a 180 degree change in direction....or it will pick back up and continue to run as previous prior to the boil!

[bruce moulds]

rick,
a third thing could happen.
but only if you fire a shot when it goes to a boil.
an experienced shooter can almost plot in their head subconsciously.
a newer shooter can learn a lot from it.
a windcoach should plot, or have a plotter do it for him/her
some plotsheets are better than others, and ones that have a call on them are better.
I have found that staying glued to flags and scope can have pitfalls when it is changing gradually.
when this happens, a mental snapshot of flag and mirage at time of shot is handy.
when you come back to it, a slow change has not had the chance to creep up on you.
the mental snapshot is very handy for those who wipe.
relating the snapshot to the wind setting on the sight is also handy.
keep safe,
bruce.

[Don McDowell]

Depending on how much time you have , but most of the time if mirage goes to a boil, wait a short bit, it's going to roll over.

[Rick Mulhern]

rick,
a third thing could happen.
but only if you fire a shot when it goes to a boil.
an experienced shooter can almost plot in their head subconsciously.
a newer shooter can learn a lot from it.
a windcoach should plot, or have a plotter do it for him/her
some plotsheets are better than others, and ones that have a call on them are better.
I have found that staying glued to flags and scope can have pitfalls when it is changing gradually.
when this happens, a mental snapshot of flag and mirage at time of shot is handy.
when you come back to it, a slow change has not had the chance to creep up on you.
the mental snapshot is very handy for those who wipe.
relating the snapshot to the wind setting on the sight is also handy.
keep safe,
bruce.

Depending upon the accuracy of the rifle, experience of the shooter, and the shooters' call, the process of an insidious change denotes WHERE the shooter should want the POI to be! Such as....if the condition denotes say 4 MOA right windage which is on the sight setting and a gradual let off is in process...the shooter should be OK with the POI being toward the nine o/clock side of the ten ring such that while the shooter is 'in the rifle' the next shot is still in the ten ring (but having moved farther toward the middle or toward the 3 o/clock side of the ten right) and at this point, if observation shows, based upon the shooters' call that the mirage is still slowing along with a decreased flag condition, a reduction in the sight setting could possibly be warranted!

As to the 'pitfalls'.....I don't ever recall an instance whereby having an eye glued to the scope watching the mirage....if visible, ever got me in trouble but there were times when I had my head up me Irish arse (it's bad dark up in there) that shots appeared where I didn't want them to be!

As an aside....one of the biggest factors in folks shooting up those narrow 2x4s is the fact that THEY do not know or have a positive NO WIND ZERO!!