So looking to take my learning to the next step. Shooting here in NH i'm plagued with a constant variable which is wind. I'm currently shooting 200 meters and wind definitely plays a role in my accuracy. I'm shooting .308 and .223 . I purchased an inexpensive wind meter to get an idea of velocities and I was also thinking of setting up some wind flags at my 200m range. Would like your inputs on the step by step methods for attempting to read wind and translate to moa. This will help me in the future attempting to qualify for my 600 yd ! Thanks in advance !
Newer shooter needs wind reading advice
- Thread starter Road_Clam
- Start date
Wind is something of a learn as you go thing......... The exact science of wind reading is a never ending quest even for the most experienced(of which I am NOT) The best advice I can give is try to figure out a condition and try to shoot in that condition. be patient and take notes...... Here in North Central Wyoming Wind is the nemesis of many! Good Luck .............
Never have found a range where wind is not a factor! Try a couple of books:
Nancy Thompkins Long Range and Prone shooting book is available on her web site
James Owens books are always helpful - www.jarheadtop.com
There are more but wyoming.260 is right - you need to start reading mirage, flags, tree tops, what ever indicators there are. If you have access to competitions, take a stool and spotting scope and watch the competitors deal with the wind as you see it. It takes some time but you will get there.
Nancy Thompkins Long Range and Prone shooting book is available on her web site
James Owens books are always helpful - www.jarheadtop.com
There are more but wyoming.260 is right - you need to start reading mirage, flags, tree tops, what ever indicators there are. If you have access to competitions, take a stool and spotting scope and watch the competitors deal with the wind as you see it. It takes some time but you will get there.
WyleWD
Silver $$ Contributor
Good idea for you to set up wind flags at your range.... then shoot (practice) in the wind a lot and keep records and targets for future reference. JMHO, but the wind meters that people put on their benches are of little use as what is right by your face is of relatively small value compared to what the wind is doing down range. ???
Lastly, if you are allowed to use smoke bombs in your area or at your range, light a few of those at various distances and watch what happens to the smoke, especially the affect of a row of trees or a small hill has on it.
WD
Lastly, if you are allowed to use smoke bombs in your area or at your range, light a few of those at various distances and watch what happens to the smoke, especially the affect of a row of trees or a small hill has on it.
WDMy intent with purchasing a wind meter is to simply gain knowledge about estimating wind speeds. If I can compare a wind meter reading to a wind flag's behavior then i'm thinking I can use this data to calc MOA adjustments. Right now I have NO idea about actual MPH other than "the wind is coming from my left pretty badly". LOL this isnt much help when guessing how much to hold over. Thanks for the tips !
"Road -Clam" I am also learning to read wind.
The first advise I got down here Is Aussie land was get some "Surveyor Tape" the type I see in your movies around a crime sean. Get some 4 foot steel poles. We call them Steel Star Posts used in rural fencing and to 200 metres put out about a half dozen starting 25 metres in front of the firing line. Attach the tape (4 foot lengths) to the top and watch what happens. Crude but it works and cheap.
The next advice I received was at that range, 200 metres, was get out the old faithful Brno .22LR with Sub Velocity bullets and practice in the wind.
Cheap training.
I now have a set of BRT Wind Flags valued at near a grand, yes they are better than the survey tape but I'm still learning and so are a huge number of very good shooters. In my book Wind Reading is exerience and an art. A wind speed meter will tell you very little.
I'm just a learner and so far I only shoot out to 500m (550 Yards).
You can't put a Wind Speed Meter at every position you have a flag down range but you can learn by what is happening to the flags what all the readings mean.
The first advise I got down here Is Aussie land was get some "Surveyor Tape" the type I see in your movies around a crime sean. Get some 4 foot steel poles. We call them Steel Star Posts used in rural fencing and to 200 metres put out about a half dozen starting 25 metres in front of the firing line. Attach the tape (4 foot lengths) to the top and watch what happens. Crude but it works and cheap.
The next advice I received was at that range, 200 metres, was get out the old faithful Brno .22LR with Sub Velocity bullets and practice in the wind.
Cheap training.
I now have a set of BRT Wind Flags valued at near a grand, yes they are better than the survey tape but I'm still learning and so are a huge number of very good shooters. In my book Wind Reading is exerience and an art. A wind speed meter will tell you very little.
I'm just a learner and so far I only shoot out to 500m (550 Yards).
You can't put a Wind Speed Meter at every position you have a flag down range but you can learn by what is happening to the flags what all the readings mean.
Lapua40X
California Hunter Education Instructor
Inasmuch as, IMO, the wind at the muzzle is the most important wind element to consider, the wind meter is a good first step. But winds are so tricky that I can't imagine any "stepRoad_Clam said:
by step" process that would fit every situation. Step one, of course, is to recognize the fact that there is a wind. You might be surprised how many times a slight breeze is ignored as "inconsequential". Perhaps a good next step would be to determine wind direction and how it shifts. Learning to read mirage and understanding why it doesn't always agree with the wind flags, how terrain influences wind currents, calculating the influences of wind speeds as they often change over the range to the intended target, how much magnus effect combines with the wind influences over the target distance, MOA hold off to accommodate all of that - depending on the distance to target.
I personally like watercam's idea of visiting a long range competition practice session as a spectator, having a note book handy and scoping the targets of some of the better shooters. Listen to the chatter between shooters as they compare mental calculations of their hold off.
Here's some stuff to digest in the interim:
https://www.google.com/search?q=mirage+wind+reading&client=ubuntu&hs=mb6&channel=fs&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=lf2mU9CCB8jJ8wHPlYHoBg&ved=0CDcQsAQ&biw=1229&bih=917
stool
mil snipers operate as teams for a reason....one concentrates on CONDITIONS, one concentrates on the TARGET. the spotter calls conditions,the shooter dials them in based on lots of training.
what do you do with a 10 mph left wind at 700yds and a 5mph right wind at 1200 yds ??
you are lucky when the wind is a single component in one direction
what do you do with a 10 mph left wind at 700yds and a 5mph right wind at 1200 yds ??
you are lucky when the wind is a single component in one direction
Wind meters only record data at their place of employment. I've seen 5 flags do 5 different things within 100 yards. Can you imagine what's happening over a 600 yard range?
Purchase a good set of wind flags, the more the better, and place them at a variety of locations over your field of fire. Then, practice, practice, practice, practice, and practice some more.
One great source for flags and flag tails: http://www.brflags.com/flags.html Look at the “Uppy/Downy†vertical indicator too.
Purchase a good set of wind flags, the more the better, and place them at a variety of locations over your field of fire. Then, practice, practice, practice, practice, and practice some more.
One great source for flags and flag tails: http://www.brflags.com/flags.html Look at the “Uppy/Downy†vertical indicator too.
I agree with a previous post, your first flag is the most important. Also you can try training with a 22lr. At 100 yrds. And learn alot.
Road_Clam said:
IMO you are on the right track. When I started out, one of the first things I built was a wind tool kit. It consisted of a chair - binoculars (now a spotting scope), books and a yes a wind meter. I read the books and went and applied the theory.
A lot of times wind meters are knocked because they are viewed like a better BC bullet - immediate pay off. A wind meter won't do that - use it to look at the wind strength, the way the wind builds, how quickly it drops off, what is the shrubbery like around you when the wind builds etc etc. IMO this builds an inherent understanding faster than just watching flags and shooting lots. I carry mine with me when I walk to work and look at bushes and tress close by and make a prediction on the wind, same thing as I feel the wind build on my face.
Go to the 600 yard matches - sit in the chair look at the flags - try to predict the cycles, is the wind building or dropping off, is it a constant angle or is the angle changing, when would you start shooting and when would you stop shooting. Look at the flags and mirage - whats happening are they in unison or not? If not what happened to those shooting?
If you can sit next to some one shooting and watch them shoot - see if you can predict where the bullet will go based on the wind - did they correct for the changes or not?
The best book I have read is "the wind book for rifle shooters". Get it from Amazon via this site.
Finally - create a chart for each yardage you are going to shoot.
Good luck - wind reading is a lifetime journey but patience and a little practice and you will have your 600 yrd qual in no time.
Attachments
I am always the one who gets wind flag duty before a match / practice . I get to look at directions and feel what the wind is doing . Wind reading is much more an art than a science . Watch the flags way before you get to the firing line , wind conditions have a way of repeating themselves over and over again . Set dope to the reoccuring wind paterns and be patient ....... When competitors are BSing about the latest gadgets , champions are watching the flags . 10 - 20 k rounds down range helps a lot .
My club is hosting a regional high power match on 6/29 so I volunteered to help. I've never seen how a high power match is conducted, and it will be great experience for me to observe and ask questions from the experts. I'm bringing my chair and my spotting scope and hopefully gain some knowledge about how those shooters deal with wind.
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