22 LR benchrest question

[ADKTIM]

Being very new to 22 LR benchrest I have some question for people who have been playing the game. My newly acquired rifle has been shooting very well. But WIND is the element that dictates if i'm having a good day or bad. Reading the wind flags has been more time consuming than any other aspect of the game for me so far. The rifle is great, i seem to be lucky with ammo at the moment. So while educating myself on wind reading would it be a good idea to use cheaper ammo, say....CCI standard velocity? For the most part it's accurate, throws flyers now and then. But it sure moves when the wind blows just as good as eley Match, and costs a lot less. Any thoughts?
Second question. i was wondering if getting the bullet to the target faster, (less time to be affected by wind) would work. But is there an accurate high speed ammo available. This morning i took a box of federal auto match and weighed every bullet i got weights from 50.9 to 51.8 grains i seperated all bullets by there same weight 51.2 and 51.3 being the most prevalent. On my next visit to the range will give it a try.
Am i heading in the right direction? or would you suggest a course correction.

 

[VLNBYR]

If the wind is the same every time the bullet will go in the same hole every time. If it doesn't then your rifle and ammo aren't as good as you think or you aren't doing a good job of reading the wind. It's that simple.

Wind reading is mental discipline and paying attention to small details. For whatever the reasons most shooters can't do a good job shooting in any kind of wind. Probably because they don't have mental discipline and don't pay attention to the small details.

 

[MarkS]

Being very new to 22 LR benchrest I have some question for people who have been playing the game. My newly acquired rifle has been shooting very well. But WIND is the element that dictates if i'm having a good day or bad. Reading the wind flags has been more time consuming than any other aspect of the game for me so far. The rifle is great, i seem to be lucky with ammo at the moment. So while educating myself on wind reading would it be a good idea to use cheaper ammo, say....CCI standard velocity? For the most part it's accurate, throws flyers now and then. But it sure moves when the wind blows just as good as eley Match, and costs a lot less. Any thoughts?
Second question. i was wondering if getting the bullet to the target faster, (less time to be affected by wind) would work. But is there an accurate high speed ammo available. This morning i took a box of federal auto match and weighed every bullet i got weights from 50.9 to 51.8 grains i seperated all bullets by there same weight 51.2 and 51.3 being the most prevalent. On my next visit to the range will give it a try.
Am i heading in the right direction? or would you suggest a course correction.

I shoot long range 22 LR out to 400yds. The wind is the beast we fight. We hold all the time for wind. Yes I use cheaper ammo, to keep from shooting up my good ammo. You find out what the cheaper will do, and shoot from there. I shot a friend Eley Contact, and it shoots very well. I have some coming, I will see how it shoots. https://www.killoughshootingsports.com has it for $5 a box.

 

[Todd Earhart]

One of the biggest things dealing with conditions is time management. Before you set down and they say(time starts now) have a few conditions in your mind that look good to try. With unlimited sighters you have the opportunity to find some condition you can shoot. Think about using your flags for when not to shoot than when to. Its tough to learn to wait on the condition to return. Use a timer. Not to tell yourself your running out of time but to tell yourself you have time to wait. Know how long it takes you to shoot a card as fast as you can. If you get to this time you just have to shoot to finish the card. Several hard line 50s is better that several zeros. The shots you waited on earlier in card will outweigh the few you have to hurry.
As far as shooting cheaper, not as accurate ammo for conditions practice. I do and think its a good idea. You just need to know composite group size of match ammo compared to practice ammo so that difference can be figured in while practicing.
Todd

 

[68Hoyt]

This helped me understand the wind , I don’t shoot benchrest comps but it helped

 

[68Hoyt]

Or if one of theses makes sense ,

 

[68Hoyt]

 

[Hi-NV Shooter]

Being very new to 22 LR benchrest I have some question for people who have been playing the game. My newly acquired rifle has been shooting very well. But WIND is the element that dictates if i'm having a good day or bad. Reading the wind flags has been more time consuming than any other aspect of the game for me so far. The rifle is great, i seem to be lucky with ammo at the moment. So while educating myself on wind reading would it be a good idea to use cheaper ammo, say....CCI standard velocity? For the most part it's accurate, throws flyers now and then. But it sure moves when the wind blows just as good as eley Match, and costs a lot less. Any thoughts?
Second question. i was wondering if getting the bullet to the target faster, (less time to be affected by wind) would work. But is there an accurate high speed ammo available. This morning i took a box of federal auto match and weighed every bullet i got weights from 50.9 to 51.8 grains i seperated all bullets by there same weight 51.2 and 51.3 being the most prevalent. On my next visit to the range will give it a try.
Am i heading in the right direction? or would you suggest a course correction.

I have been shooting off a bench for a number of years which is different from shooting benchrest. but what I have learned is there is nothing out there that can cheat the wind. having a good shooting rifle and ammo is only like having the correct tool in learning to shoot in conditions.
the only way to get better in shooting in conditions is to shoot every time and any time you can. shooting in favorable conditions is not going to help you. no matter how bad the wind is when you get to the range use it to learn never think I am going to be wasting ammo maybe shoot less for that day but shoot and learn.
also, if you are not using flags, it will be a long and frustrating road on learning to shoot in conditions!

Lee

 

[ADKTIM]

One of the biggest things dealing with conditions is time management. Before you set down and they say(time starts now) have a few conditions in your mind that look good to try. With unlimited sighters you have the opportunity to find some condition you can shoot. Think about using your flags for when not to shoot than when to. Its tough to learn to wait on the condition to return. Use a timer. Not to tell yourself your running out of time but to tell yourself you have time to wait. Know how long it takes you to shoot a card as fast as you can. If you get to this time you just have to shoot to finish the card. Several hard line 50s is better that several zeros. The shots you waited on earlier in card will outweigh the few you have to hurry.
As far as shooting cheaper, not as accurate ammo for conditions practice. I do and think its a good idea. You just need to know composite group size of match ammo compared to practice ammo so that difference can be figured in while practicing.
Todd

 

[dickn52]

A small book called "Reading the Wind" by M/SGT James R Owens USMC, retired (Copyright 1966). It simplified everything talked about in the above comments...for me anyway. I was Army, but those Marines know shooting.

 

[ADKTIM]

Thanks all, for the feedback. Those wind charts are awesome.
I'm no stranger to wind. I have shot high power and small bore palma but this benchrest stuff is a whole nother ball game. First, everything everything is on a small scale your looking at a small target through a 36 power scope where your can literally shoot a fly that lands on the target (now that fun) I use 50 foot small bore targets at 50 yards and score them as they were meant to be scored. but i do give myself an X if i blow the center completely out. But this game seems a lot less forgiving of the wind. last week i was shooting, the flags were both in the same position as my zero, put the dot in the middle of the target circle, broke the shot, 10 almost dead center. Reload, the conditions looked to me to be exactly the same as the previous shot 10 seconds before, center the dot.....BANG.....7 "crap" where did that come from? Reload BANG center X. Reload, wind has shifted, put the dot where i think the correction is needed BANG, 8 windage was good but it went high!!!! AHHHHH
Now i know why people are building 50 yd indoor ranges.
Seriously, I'm sure i will eventually figure it out.
But back to my other question. Has anyone tried high speed ammo?

Thanks again all Tim

 

[Todd Earhart]

The quality of the higher speed ammo is so bad that its impossible to shoot for score, so trying to test it for a advantage is a wash. Try not to chase conditions. Find a condition you can shoot and wait on it. The shot you lost out the top was probably condition change that was late to show up on flags. Predicting a condition change and stopping early is a problem I've had a hard time with. I used to always felt like I could get one more before condition was gone. Most of the time it doesn't work out.
Todd

 

[ADKTIM]

I figured that high speed ammo was not up to the task, but i had to ask.
Chasing condition, that's exactly what i'm doing. At this stage of the game i'm not shooting under any time constraints so rushing is not the problem i'm just not observing the flags properly. After looking over those wind charts i was amazed that a 22 degree change in wind direction made that much difference. I have to educate my visual memory to notice the those small changes. Should be easy : )

 

[thebeav]

I'm fairly new to the benchrest discipline. Looking at the first wind chart, am I to understand that a direct headwind or direct tailwind, has no effect on POI ?

 

[dickn52]

The quality of the higher speed ammo is so bad that its impossible to shoot for score, so trying to test it for a advantage is a wash. Try not to chase conditions. Find a condition you can shoot and wait on it. The shot you lost out the top was probably condition change that was late to show up on flags. Predicting a condition change and stopping early is a problem I've had a hard time with. I used to always felt like I could get one more before condition was gone. Most of the time it doesn't work out.
Todd

Your first sentence was so right I had to stop reading the rest. Well done.

 

[js2013]

I'm fairly new to the benchrest discipline. Looking at the first wind chart, am I to understand that a direct headwind or direct tailwind, has no effect on POI ?

In my experience it has an effect

 

[dickn52]

I'm fairly new to the benchrest discipline. Looking at the first wind chart, am I to understand that a direct headwind or direct tailwind, has no effect on POI ?

NOPE, they change the POI either up or down. Headwind is down (?) and tail wind is up(?). Or the other way round.

 

[js2013]

NOPE, they change the POI either up or down. Headwind is down (?) and tail wind is up(?). Or the other way round.

Headwind is down in my experience

 

[Williwaw]

There is a significant difference between the first posted wind chart and the two that follow. Landy's chart is a lot 'flatter', ie. less vertical (aerodynamic jump) induced by the crosswinds. As much as I respect anything he puts out I think I see more than he indicates.

Comments?

 

[Todd Earhart]

Williwaw, I agree. I would see more vertical in those conditions if I'm shooting my ratchet over shooting the 8 groove. The wind charts are good to see a general effect of a condition but the best thing for me is to trust sighters.
I shoot a lot of sighters. On a 25 bull target ill typically shoot a box.
Todd