Wind Effects

[JamesinAsheville]

Ok I just shot a match with the winds right to left all across the range and my bullets were going into the wind. I stopped shooting and put my glasses on and checked every windflag on the range that showed the same condition...my bullets were going into the wind....why what was I missing ???? HELP Me

 

[mikecr]

High RPM, long range, right hand twist (spin drift)?

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Tune? Diagonal up and to the right can't be strictly wind induced from a rh twist bbl. I look hard at tune if that's what I'm seeing.

 

[Eagle Six]

What is the distance your bullets are traveling to the target? Sounds like maybe 100/200 yard, please correct me if I'm wrong. What was the wind speed and direction? How much was your shots going right? Caliber and bullet also please? More information may make it easier to find a solution, or maybe just confuse the issue, but I would like to know more.

 

[Tim Singleton]

Was this at a match in Asheville ?

 

[Fairchaser]

Did you have a good no wind zero?

 

[K22]

For me, wind is the most difficult to read and adjust for compared to mirage, but both can have dire consequences on performance.

Spring is always bad for wind here but usually by June is settles. Not so this year, it has been windy almost every day. The problem I have with wind is the changing of directions, swirling, and sometimes different blowing in a different direction from that at the muzzle.

It's especially difficult for me, a varmint hunter since I move to other locations and my targets vary in distance and often move.

I'll be reading the responses here since any enlightenment is welcomed.

 

[chkunz]

There are physical conditions that could explain this but just let me say if you get sighters then believe the sighters and adjust accordingly and figure out the confusing discrepancy later.

 

[JMayo]

Several of us shooting ibs vfs talk of that allot. All flags showing orange then a switch to green and bullets still go the same way.
The only thing i come up with is a bounce off the trees or something like that.
It's been a tough half of season for me.

 

[ckaberna]

Tell you what I learned, I finally bought a set of flags and set up 5 at 100 yards here in Ga. WoW, I didn’t know the wind could blow so many different directions within 300’. !
This may be an unusual spring day but without flags I would have thought all wind was the same.
Probably wouldn’t have mattered much if wanting 3/4” but makes you think when looking for that .010” hole

 

[HuntClub]

Ok I just shot a match with the winds right to left all across the range and my bullets were going into the wind. I stopped shooting and put my glasses on and checked every windflag on the range that showed the same condition...my bullets were going into the wind....why what was I missing ???? HELP Me

Well, just to be the devil's advocate... Did you check your scope? Or, maybe it was just the shooter. :>

I mean, I wouldn't know the feeling of missing a target but, I did stay in a holiday Inn last night.

 

[rjtfroggy]

If you get it figured out please let me know.
On the range I shoot it happens all the time, wind right to left bullets go right, left to right bullets go left, tails up bullet drops. It gets to the point where flags don't matter.

 

[LHSmith]

I learned a long time ago that those wind charts we all have pasted to our loading box were just a rough generalization of wind effects. Sighters trump everything. If you really want to get totally mistified -set off some smoke bombs at your favorite range. Another eye opener for those that compete in SR BR is when you are fully setup to shoot, zero in on the bull, then without touching anything including rifle and bench and usually you will notice the aim point changes-often with-in a few minutes and it can shift into the 9 ring on a bad day. Another obstacle that score shooters have to deal with.

 

[Dave M.]

Three words….NO WIND ZERO.
My bet is this rifle setup likely always shoots a hair right, but the effect is magnified at greater distances. Also, flag direction at 15-20ft in the air, often times doesn’t agree with the air level your bullet has to travel through to get the target. For instance, my .284win has 255” of drop at 1000 yards (over 21’) but the flags at our 1000 yard range certainly don’t extend 21+ feet above the level line between the shooting line and the target.
Dave

 

[Todd Earhart]

There are physical conditions that could explain this but just let me say if you get sighters then believe the sighters and adjust accordingly and figure out the confusing discrepancy later

Agree.
Todd

 

[JamesinAsheville]

Was this at a match in Asheville ?

yes

 

[Tim Singleton]

yes

If at the 200yd match, that creek coming across the range at 90 degrees just past 100yd line causes some crazy stuff to happen. A lot of us shooting 200yds there see what you did all the time
it’s also hard unless you have really tall poles to get your flags up close enough to bullet path for them to tell the truth
Along with leaning on/into the wooden benches can really cause problems

Bring enough ammo to shoot a lot of sighters

 

[jackieschmidt]

Years ago, I learned that what we are seeing in our flags has already happened. In a sense, you are veering into the past.

That being said, if I am pretty sure that I did not make a miscue in analyzing the wind, bullets that go into the condition generally mean the tune is a little off.

 

[JamesinAsheville]

If at the 200yd match, that creek coming across the range at 90 degrees just past 100yd line causes some crazy stuff to happen. A lot of us shooting 200yds there see what you did all the time
it’s also hard unless you have really tall poles to get your flags up close enough to bullet path for them to tell the truth
Along with leaning on/into the wooden benches can really cause problems

Bring enough ammo to shoot a lot of sighters

Yes it was a 200yd match. Even the weeds on top of the berm was showing right to left wind...yeah I was on bench 16. a lot of other shooters were saying the same thing.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Yes it was a 200yd match. Even the weeds on top of the berm was showing right to left wind...yeah I was on bench 16. a lot of other shooters were saying the same thing.

I see this a lot at Dry Branch in Tn, too. It's the worst I can remember...by a lot. Lol! I do think it's something I'm just not able to see down range but if I knew what it was I'd sure be a happy camper!