Shooting in the wind

[Raydee]

This weekend is our second to last club .22 benchrest match and so far the forecast is showing some pretty high winds. Being that it is just a club match I am sure that many of the guys will probably skip the match and not want to waste the ammo. I am curious if this is common these days and if so what would you consider to be too windy to shoot a rimfire match?

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Wind separates the men from the boys and the better shooters almost always come to the top. Especially so in rf. This is where your practice pays off most.

 

[MUP]

I've shot local club matches with hail coming down before, wind, rain and freezing temps. The only way our club will cancel a match is for lightning. If nothing else it'll be a learning experience!

 

[okie]

LOL--closest to me is indoors!

 

[orkan]

Not shoot? ... because it's windy? Refusing to shoot because of conditions is the sign of a poor rifleman and a weak man.

 

[1Merlin]

Wind blows on the next guy the same as you....Harden the **** up.

 

[Kerry Spurgin]

This is a good video 2017 Robert's Match at Bisley.

it was the worst conditions I have shot in during my 50yrs of competitive shooting.
But it was a great match

 

[K22]

You should run towards a challenge, not from it. You can learn a lot from adversity.

Back in the day when I competed in Hunter Small Bore Pistol Silhouette, the most prominent match of the year was in Uniontown, PA where all the clubs got together for a combine clubs match.

The weather was awful, windy and rainy. To add to my handicap, I was shooting an S&W Model 17, revolver with a 2X Burris Pistol scope. I was a AAA shooter but not a Master Class shooter. I was competing against guys shooting Thomspon Contenders with match barrels and rifle scopes.

I won the match I think because I didn't let the weather stress me out and probably because I was so relaxed since I didn't believe I had a chance in hell of winning. But probably the deciding factor was that a few of the top Master Class shooters didn't show up for the match because of the weather. I guess they were afraid they would shoot poorly affecting their classification.

I learned a vital lesson in the Army, our platoon Sargent would often say, "we fight wars in all-weathers, so we train in all weather". Of course, at the time I merely groaned but later in life I came to appreciate the lesson.

 

[Raydee]

You guys might have taken this the wrong way, I have no intention to stay home because of the weather. I have invested way too much money to sit home. I was just curious if other clubs have "Fairweather shooters"?
In all honesty we have had a great season here with low winds and only a couple days with rain. There are a lot of high averages this year and I am sure guys would rather stay home then risk dropping points on the real windy days.

 

[dusterdave173]

Go get em Raydee
We usually have very calm shoots but this morning at local club match we had wind and rain after first two cards--It is shocking how much effect it can have--But..it evens the playing field--you could tell the guys that watched the flags--flags drop bang bang bang bang--flags pick up--crickets Hahaha

 

[tmwinds]

The wind is your friend!!!

 

[sacre]

45-70 in a high wind, over 30 minutes windage to hit a 4x8 ft target at 800 yds. (Soule sights). This wasn't over flat land which also affected vertical.

Just saying you have to learn the wind. Practice in windy conditions.

 

[dutch14]

In the clubs I've been in, the shooters were fair weather shooters. It had to be 70 degrees on a clear day with no wind before they would go outside and shoot.

 

[JMayo]

I've had to take my poa off the target to hit the ring. Practice went great..... Then the wind changed !
Flags, flags & flags !

 

[CharlieNC]

A waste of ammo only happens if one allows it to be so.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

A waste of ammo only happens if one allows it to be so.

Like...not using flags. Lol!

 

[Dimner]

There should be a system that gives more weight to an average that has shot more matches. Those fair weather shooters should be penalized and in my opinion publicly mocked.

 

[Todd Earhart]

In ARA a persons aggregate plays a part in the final standing at year end. Its just one part of the system that can effect collected points. I can understand being choosy on matches that will effect year outcome. A person has dedicated a lot of time and money to reach a goal and a tough match could cause a lose. With that said, I enjoy a match with difficult conditions. If I happen to win I feel like I won twice. I beat competitors and the difficulty. We don't worry about the A-line anymore and its been like freedom to go where ever we want with no regard to the points.
Todd

 

[J.D.Erwin]

You take a guy that shoots only 22 lr indoors 50 and 100 yds and he wins a lot take him outdoors with the condition its not going to be pretty jmo

 

[rwj]

Take every opportunity to learn!