P1ZombieKiller
Silver $$ Contributor
Guys,
I have been revamping my web site, and decided to start writing some observations. These are my own words and are my experiences. I understand that others have different opinions, and you are more than welcomed to post them here if you like. The write up below is found on my webpage located at the link below.
http://p1zk.com/Wind_Flags.php
I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
To be great at Benchrest shooting, you most certainly need an exceptional rifle, a good rest setup, and of course a great bullet/powder combination. Even if you have the perfect combination of all of that, there is still one more item you will need to even begin to compete seriously. You need a good set of wind flags. This is usually the difference maker. Missing a wind condition usually takes you completely out of contention of any match no matter what format you are shooting. If you are shooting score, it can cause you to hit the 9 ring instead of the 10 ring. If you are shooting group, it can cause that one shot to fly out, and take that .150 group to a .750 group. You need to be able to read the wind in many different combinations because in Benchrest, you usually have a restricted amount of time to shoot your shots.
Since you cannot actually see the wind, Benchrest shooters use wind flags to aid them in reading the direction and speed of the wind. There are many different styles and types of wind flags. One of the simplest forms of a wind flag is a wooden stake hammered in the ground with surveyors tape stapled to the top. The most conventional style wind flags are those that are placed on a rotating pivot that has colored vanes on each side so you can easily distinguish which way the wind is blowing. This pivoting system must be very sensitive to air movement. Just the slightest movement of air and the flag must pivot in that direction. In order to do this, the flag must be perfectly balanced. There also must be a “vane†on one side of the pivot that acts as the wind catcher. These vanes can be made out of almost any material. Some use sheet metal, cardboard or even polycarbonate board.
Whatever material you use, it must be counter balanced with a weight on the other side of the pivot. Weighting systems can vary as much as the style of windflags themselves. Weighting systems can be as simple as lead weight, poly coated lead weight, or even a daisy wheel. The daisy wheel can also serve as a type of speedometer for the wind. If you paint one of the pedals of the daisy a different color, you can easily see it turn round and round thus gauging the speed of the wind at that moment.
Of the conventional style windflags, there are single vane and double vane flags. I prefer the double vane flags that not only have different colors on the outside of each vane, but have black and white stripes on the inside. Seeing the number of stripes on the inside of the vane allows me to see the angle the windflag is pointing much better than a single vane flag. When you are shooting over 4-5 flags, you have to be able to process what each flag is doing and combine that information into when you should pull the trigger. This can be simplified by saying you have to be able to wait till your flags line up where you want them, and then be able to pull the trigger at that exact moment.
It’s not always easy to “wait till they line up†when you are shooting. Most of the time the wind does not blow in a single direction, it swirls. Your wind flags are designed to tell you exactly that. If you look at the picture posted below, you will see that my closest flag (let’s call this flag #1) shows a slight breeze blowing in from 12:00. Looking at flag #2, it indicates that the wind is coming in at about the same speed from the 10:00 direction. If these were the only two flags you had out, you would assume that the shot will move very slightly up and to the right. However, look at flag #3. It is facing the totally opposite direction. While the speed may not be as strong as the others (look at the tails) it is still coming in from the 4:00 position. We top this off with looking at the last flag. The last flag is again coming in from the 12:00 position but with much more velocity as the others. With the flags in this setting, this is an example of when you SHOULD NOT shoot unless you know this condition and the results it can take on your bullet.
This next target is an example of what just a little change of the wind can do to a bullet. This is a 200 yard target I was shooting. I purposely shot 4 shots with a left to right wind (orange flag). I then waited till I had the flags lined up right to left (green flag). As you can see by the pics above, the wind was not blowing hard (I estimate it to be a 3-5 mph gust), but it was just enough to push my bullet a full bullet hole the wrong direction. One thing to remember is that an orange wind was blowing it a full bullet left, and a green flag will be pushing it a full bullet right. This is actually a 2 bullet difference on the paper. This is why it is so important to know and understand what the wind can do to a bullet, and to pay attention to which wind condition is the most prevalent and to shoot with that condition as it will be the most of what you see.
Below is a picture from the vantage point of the shooter during a match (courtesy of Conley Bullets). As you look down range, you can see that each shooter has his flags set up between him and the target at which he is shooting. The shooter places his windflags in a straight line between his bench (where his rifles sits) and the exact location that his target is. There are certain rules about the placement of windflags, and each association has different rules, but the basic gist is that the flags need to be in a straight line from your bench to the target frame, and cannot be above the height of the bench top. Just as the pic above shows you the difference between my flags 1-4, this picture can show you the difference in wind from bench 1-4. Each bench will have a little different result from wind than the next. Not only does wind vary between you and the target, it varies between the bench you are on, and one 7 places over.
As you can see from the pic above, most shooters prefer the single vane flags. There are all sorts of colors, designs, and styles of wind flags. One of the advantages the single vane flags have over the double vane flags is the time is takes to assemble the flag itself before each match. The David Halblom double vane flags have a cross bracing design that creates a strong skeleton that is perfectly balanced. Each flag has stainless steel bolts that attach the vanes to the skeleton as well as a pivoting point built into the skeleton. This pivoting point is crucial to the balance of the flag. If this point is not is the correct place, the flag will always lean to one side, and thus not react to the wind correctly.
Since the double vane flag has such a complicated design, I prefer to leave them assembled and transport them this way. Because the size of the flags while assembled takes up so much room, I had to build a box that would hold all 6 of my flags. This box not only needed to hold the assembled flags, but I wanted all of the other items associated with my flags to be in this box also. I designed it so that the stands and stakes would have a walled off section, and the counter weights could be stored securely in their own section. The skeleton braces would need to be placed on a mount so that the weight of the flag would rest on the brace, and not on the vanes itself. I took 1x2 pieces of redwood, and made a small slot for the brace to ride in. I placed those mounts in a row that would allow the vanes to stagger each other so that they could be contained in a smaller space. The box is built out of 3/4" plywood. It is approx 22" in height, 29" in length, and 18" in width. I designed the top to have 2" foam glued into the top so that when the lid closed, the vanes would actually indent approximately 1/2" into the foam in the lid. The foam secures the flags in place and keeps them from rubbing against each other and scratching them.
To see more pics of the box, click this link. http://p1zk.com/Wind_Flags.php
I have been revamping my web site, and decided to start writing some observations. These are my own words and are my experiences. I understand that others have different opinions, and you are more than welcomed to post them here if you like. The write up below is found on my webpage located at the link below.
http://p1zk.com/Wind_Flags.php
I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
To be great at Benchrest shooting, you most certainly need an exceptional rifle, a good rest setup, and of course a great bullet/powder combination. Even if you have the perfect combination of all of that, there is still one more item you will need to even begin to compete seriously. You need a good set of wind flags. This is usually the difference maker. Missing a wind condition usually takes you completely out of contention of any match no matter what format you are shooting. If you are shooting score, it can cause you to hit the 9 ring instead of the 10 ring. If you are shooting group, it can cause that one shot to fly out, and take that .150 group to a .750 group. You need to be able to read the wind in many different combinations because in Benchrest, you usually have a restricted amount of time to shoot your shots.
Since you cannot actually see the wind, Benchrest shooters use wind flags to aid them in reading the direction and speed of the wind. There are many different styles and types of wind flags. One of the simplest forms of a wind flag is a wooden stake hammered in the ground with surveyors tape stapled to the top. The most conventional style wind flags are those that are placed on a rotating pivot that has colored vanes on each side so you can easily distinguish which way the wind is blowing. This pivoting system must be very sensitive to air movement. Just the slightest movement of air and the flag must pivot in that direction. In order to do this, the flag must be perfectly balanced. There also must be a “vane†on one side of the pivot that acts as the wind catcher. These vanes can be made out of almost any material. Some use sheet metal, cardboard or even polycarbonate board.
Whatever material you use, it must be counter balanced with a weight on the other side of the pivot. Weighting systems can vary as much as the style of windflags themselves. Weighting systems can be as simple as lead weight, poly coated lead weight, or even a daisy wheel. The daisy wheel can also serve as a type of speedometer for the wind. If you paint one of the pedals of the daisy a different color, you can easily see it turn round and round thus gauging the speed of the wind at that moment.
Of the conventional style windflags, there are single vane and double vane flags. I prefer the double vane flags that not only have different colors on the outside of each vane, but have black and white stripes on the inside. Seeing the number of stripes on the inside of the vane allows me to see the angle the windflag is pointing much better than a single vane flag. When you are shooting over 4-5 flags, you have to be able to process what each flag is doing and combine that information into when you should pull the trigger. This can be simplified by saying you have to be able to wait till your flags line up where you want them, and then be able to pull the trigger at that exact moment.
It’s not always easy to “wait till they line up†when you are shooting. Most of the time the wind does not blow in a single direction, it swirls. Your wind flags are designed to tell you exactly that. If you look at the picture posted below, you will see that my closest flag (let’s call this flag #1) shows a slight breeze blowing in from 12:00. Looking at flag #2, it indicates that the wind is coming in at about the same speed from the 10:00 direction. If these were the only two flags you had out, you would assume that the shot will move very slightly up and to the right. However, look at flag #3. It is facing the totally opposite direction. While the speed may not be as strong as the others (look at the tails) it is still coming in from the 4:00 position. We top this off with looking at the last flag. The last flag is again coming in from the 12:00 position but with much more velocity as the others. With the flags in this setting, this is an example of when you SHOULD NOT shoot unless you know this condition and the results it can take on your bullet.
This next target is an example of what just a little change of the wind can do to a bullet. This is a 200 yard target I was shooting. I purposely shot 4 shots with a left to right wind (orange flag). I then waited till I had the flags lined up right to left (green flag). As you can see by the pics above, the wind was not blowing hard (I estimate it to be a 3-5 mph gust), but it was just enough to push my bullet a full bullet hole the wrong direction. One thing to remember is that an orange wind was blowing it a full bullet left, and a green flag will be pushing it a full bullet right. This is actually a 2 bullet difference on the paper. This is why it is so important to know and understand what the wind can do to a bullet, and to pay attention to which wind condition is the most prevalent and to shoot with that condition as it will be the most of what you see.
Below is a picture from the vantage point of the shooter during a match (courtesy of Conley Bullets). As you look down range, you can see that each shooter has his flags set up between him and the target at which he is shooting. The shooter places his windflags in a straight line between his bench (where his rifles sits) and the exact location that his target is. There are certain rules about the placement of windflags, and each association has different rules, but the basic gist is that the flags need to be in a straight line from your bench to the target frame, and cannot be above the height of the bench top. Just as the pic above shows you the difference between my flags 1-4, this picture can show you the difference in wind from bench 1-4. Each bench will have a little different result from wind than the next. Not only does wind vary between you and the target, it varies between the bench you are on, and one 7 places over.
As you can see from the pic above, most shooters prefer the single vane flags. There are all sorts of colors, designs, and styles of wind flags. One of the advantages the single vane flags have over the double vane flags is the time is takes to assemble the flag itself before each match. The David Halblom double vane flags have a cross bracing design that creates a strong skeleton that is perfectly balanced. Each flag has stainless steel bolts that attach the vanes to the skeleton as well as a pivoting point built into the skeleton. This pivoting point is crucial to the balance of the flag. If this point is not is the correct place, the flag will always lean to one side, and thus not react to the wind correctly.
Since the double vane flag has such a complicated design, I prefer to leave them assembled and transport them this way. Because the size of the flags while assembled takes up so much room, I had to build a box that would hold all 6 of my flags. This box not only needed to hold the assembled flags, but I wanted all of the other items associated with my flags to be in this box also. I designed it so that the stands and stakes would have a walled off section, and the counter weights could be stored securely in their own section. The skeleton braces would need to be placed on a mount so that the weight of the flag would rest on the brace, and not on the vanes itself. I took 1x2 pieces of redwood, and made a small slot for the brace to ride in. I placed those mounts in a row that would allow the vanes to stagger each other so that they could be contained in a smaller space. The box is built out of 3/4" plywood. It is approx 22" in height, 29" in length, and 18" in width. I designed the top to have 2" foam glued into the top so that when the lid closed, the vanes would actually indent approximately 1/2" into the foam in the lid. The foam secures the flags in place and keeps them from rubbing against each other and scratching them.
To see more pics of the box, click this link. http://p1zk.com/Wind_Flags.php
