You should test in the winds your going to shoot in. Here in Florida our winter winds 11- 12- 1- Then we can get storms the wind 5-6--7. Summer winds are 5-6-7. I tune one gun for winter winds . But I can with a tuner adjust for both. Winter wind can blow as much as 35 MPH Fairly calm when you first start shooting they can change to 35 MPH. Glad I have a tuner.For my money, the ideal wind for load development is no wind. Failing that, whatever wind you work with should ideally be a steady wind from a consistent direction. You've also got to factor in the caliber of the load you're working with. A .204 vs a .308 will make a very big difference - regardless of the wind.
The terrain is another important element. Undulating plains can generate wind eddies (look up laws of fluid dynamics) that will drive you nuts trying to read winds at any given moment.
With all of the shooting ranges around, and empty buildings that use to house US manufacturing, that there are not more buildings used for shooting out of the elements. I read an article in precision shooting of a building that was vacant used in this manner.Here is what Mike Ratigan wrote in his book "Extreme Rifle Accuracy" in the "wind flag use" chapter describing "Fundamentals": I left calm or what looks like calm for last. Most top competitors hate this; an absence of flag movement will often cause stupid shoots that go places for no apparent reason ....(It) can be one of the trickiest conditions to shoot because of slow moving mirage. Mirage causes apparent displacement of the target- the target is not where you see it through your scope. The mirage effect can be so slow the target will appear to be stable when it is actually moving. Don't be fooled, when the flag tails are hanging, air is in motion, you just can't see it."
Tony Boyer, he best SR BR shooter on the planet regards shooting in dead calm as an absolute waste of time, barrel life and components.
Once I began shooting SR BR competition 15 years ago, I began to realize there are many things in shooting for accuracy that are counter-intuitive and why I was never able to repeat shooting small groups with regularity prior to BR.
It is easy to see slow moving mirage with a high magnification scope (36x and up) by setting your rifle in a solid rest, sighted on a bull and without touching the set-up noting the POA shifting with-in a few moments.
A lot of rimfire comp is shot in buildings....but shooting inside buildings has it's own nuances to overcome. There are still air currents due to temp. differentials. Even shooting tunnels need fans to address mirage issues.With all of the shooting ranges around, and empty buildings that use to house US manufacturing, that there are not more buildings used for shooting out of the elements. I read an article in precision shooting of a building that was vacant used in this manner.
Imagine, no wind, no mirage, no unpleasant direction from the sun, etc. The components saved in load developing would be astounding, let alone time saving. It sounds simple. I guess it isn't.
Shot some of my worst groups at Dublin (MGGOA) years ago on 1st relay in the "calm". I absolutely hate "calm" conditions. Shot some of my best targets in moderate conditions and made some real ear to ear grin shots in some terrible conditions. I prefer to see some wind, otherwise it's all a big lie![]()