The Book of Rifle Accuracy: Tony Boyer

[Terry]

I'm reading The Book of Rifle Accuracy, by Tony Boyer.
This is a great read with many interesting concepts.
I'm fascinated with the concept of creating a wind resistant load.

Have you done this?

Does it work at 600 or 1,000 yards?

This is in the tuning section of the book.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

I believe you can do it. How many times have you shot a straight up and down vertical group at long range? They never seem to show windage.

 

[Erik Cortina]

They work to a certain degree, but at those ranges wind will move the bullet anyway.

 

[Erik Cortina]

Yep. It's called the Kentucky windage loading method. When the wind blows one way...hold to the crosshairs the other way

No but seriously. I think the only way that would work is if a person was shooting at a place that had a consistent wind direction and speed and they tuned the impact with spin drift to compensate. Your best bet is to learn how to "aim" in the wind, not how to tune a load for it.

This is not what the OP was talking about. What he is asking about is loads that handle wind deflection better than others. For example, a bullet gets blown 10" in the wind at 1,000 yards with a certain load, but the same bullet gets blown 7" with a different tune (load, seating depth, neck tension, etc).

Like I said, it works, but they still get blown around.

 

[johara1]

With a hummer barrel the wind doesn't seem to matter to a point, but when you reach that point.Things get crazy. I have a different ranges held opposite the wind direction due to a rolling effect of a tree line will cause this or a hill that makes the wind roll. Down the line they may have windage on the other way. Tony only shots hummer barrels so you may be using a half a dozen and good or average while from his side he sells them and keeps the best. If you have never experienced a hummer barrel it's a different world that most of use never see….You will know one when you hold into a pick up and thats where the bullet goes, it makes you look good and you don't know why. After you figure out what you have it's worn out…….. jim

 

[Laurie]

This is not what the OP was talking about. What he is asking about is loads that handle wind deflection better than others. For example, a bullet gets blown 10" in the wind at 1,000 yards with a certain load, but the same bullet gets blown 7" with a different tune (load, seating depth, neck tension, etc).

I'm not convinced! If a bullet with a certain BC has a certain velocity and is shot in a particular wind condition, it'll move a certain distance. That assumes the load is tuned to produce the smallest possible group size at all ranges and I accept that a bullet design may also behave optimally within a range of terminal velocities, or maybe above a particular terminal velocity floor.

I often think that far too much attention is given to tuning elevation alone out of loads. I have many rifles and tried many load combinations in them where fliers are entirely lateral. Shoot them at 1,000 yards and not only will some points be lost by this effect, but crucially one's estimate of the wind will be thrown - you cannot distinguish between a poor wind call and a load induced flier when this happens. This is even more crucial for us in the UK than for F etc in the US as 'two on a mound' shooting requires an accurate wind plot to be maintained.

 

[Erik Cortina]

A shooter I know had a hummer barrel. It was his first F-Open gun ever and he was new to F-Open so I doubt he knew he had a hummer, but we all knew it. He beat us at long range, he beat us at midrange, and beat us at just about anything else. We would sit around after the matches wondering when his barrel would give out. When he re-barreled his gun, we all started taking turns at winning. He is a good shooter, but his barrel made him a great shooter.

 

[Immike]

I had a hummer in the spring of 2010. At the first bench match I realized what I had and immediately took it off to save for the natls. It's hard to do but you must. When you have a medal winner then save it for the medals.

 

[Cigarcop]

He beat us at long range, he beat us at midrange, and beat us at just about anything else. We would sit around after the matches wondering when his barrel would give out. When he re-barreled his gun, we all started taking turns at winning. He is a good shooter, but his barrel made him a great shooter.

Lol!!!

 

[johara1]

Donovan,I know you know about that…….. LOL…… jim

 

[M14AMU]

Fantastic barrels are FOUND.....not bought!!

 

[Erik Cortina]

Fantastic barrels are FOUND.....not bought!!

Where do you find them? I've always had to buy mine! :-\

 

[johara1]

Eric, I just won one…….. jim

 

[Erik Cortina]

Erik, I just won one…….. jim

We don't win barrels in F-Class unless it's a door prize. Maybe because we don't do equipment lists.

I filled out my registration for the Berger SW Nationals and I had to fill out an equipment list, maybe things will change in the future.

 

[Medic505]

Erik,
You HAD to fill out an equipment list? Who's to say shooters are going to bring what they list? I don't think it's anybody's business what equipment I use.
Guess I need to get mine filled out and sent in. The registration that is.

 

[Erik Cortina]

Erik,
You HAD to fill out an equipment list? Who's to say shooters are going to bring what they list? I don't think it's anybody's business what equipment I use.
Guess I need to get mine filled out and sent in. The registration that is.

Ok, let me rephrase that, I did not "have" to fill it out, it was optional. But that's my point, shooters in F-Class are very secretive about what they shoot, and therefore sponsors are not very willing to support our sport because there is nothing in it for them.

 

[338 Mollett]

Sorry to step on toes but don't wear sandals.Terry wind resistant load, no such thing.All you can hope for is to keep your vertical to a minimum. Laurie is correct a given bc and a given wind will produce given results.Eric brought up a point about hummer barrels,the top bench guys change barrels like socks and not because they wear them out.I fear the f classers are doing the same thing hence buying points,hard for the average fella to keep up.Even though I'm neck deep in f class I've lost some respect for that game.Gotta love sling shooting!

 

[Medic505]

I agree with you Erik. I will fill out the list, like anybody cares what I use. We need all the sponsors we can get. I felt really bad for the good folks at Surgeon Rifles who had to ask what became of the rifle the donated for the F-TR winner at worlds. Geeze, is a thank you note that hard to write?

 

[johara1]

338,It's about barrels and good bullets and you being able to read the wind and make the proper adjustment, and not getting caught in a change. The less the mistakes wins, I had 2 barrels on my one gun this year and the first wouldn't shoot and last one was average and the other gun was a average barrel also but both were frozen and it did help. I'm not Tony and get as high as 80 barrels a year to pick a good one. So we have to do the best we can with what you have and spend a little on freezing,to keep them in the middle…..jim

 

[timeout]

I read Tony's book about 3 years ago. Lot's of good info, but I am a little doubtful that a hummer barrel will beat a great job of reading the wind when it comes to shooting at 600 & 1000 yards. As I've stated in the past, I have very little competition experience, so my take may be all wet. It would seem to me that the fattest wallet may often times win out in short range BR, but at 1000 yards, hummer barrels won't make up for a lack of wind reading skills. Terry, I know you shoot 600 yards at your range. I think that you would gain knowledge from reading The Wind Book for Rifle Shooters by Linda Miller and Keith Cunningham. As a shooter that purely enjoys shooting for pleasure, I try to develop loads with as little vertical as possible. I understand that having groups maintan waterline is key. I am probably too old at this point to ever master wind reading skills. I do however, admire shooters that are accomplished at the long range game.