Man, windflags are so important! I mean...I'd pretty much guarantee everyone gets better because of them, if they will just use them. I'd love to see one of your middle of the pack shooters take up using flags and start kicking tail. Different subject so, lets not make this a wind flag thread but dang...It's as simple as this...You can't consistently shoot better than the conditions and if you can't see the conditions...well, there ya have it. I honestly consider flags THE MOST IMPORTANT TOOL TO SHOOTING REALLY SMALL, consistently. Yes, more important than the rifle itself. I'd take the same shooter and an average rifle with flags over the same shooter and the best rifle money has ever bought but without flags...every single time. There might be great days, where their value is minimized but their vallue is virtually always more than the difference in equipment/rifle..assuming a solid tune. I'll add, that this is based on short range, but the biggest difference there is still(LR) wind. Even more so.Maybe that's why we're on opposite ends of the spectrum here. I do a couple of different monthly fun shoots in my area, there are no wind flags. The only flags are ones they might put up on a target frame, downrange, which is just a construction tape. Honestly, I haven't seen a user-installed wind flag in probably 10 years.
Your "fun shoot"s are BR matches with no rule enforcement, mine are more "run what you brung". A few guys shoot on benches at the end of the line, but most don't use them.