Wind Flags
Winds flags are something to be used by any accuracy shooter. You are fooling yourself that you can consistently shoot well on paper by chance. Most obvious situation happened to me at a San Gabriel BR shoot a couple months ago. I run the Shoots and was filling my truck with all that I carry. I had all my shooting gear already in my truck from the night before. I had 4 flags set aside for the day. But they didn't make to the range. I had stands but no flags. I shot the morning agg with no flags except the ones around me. I always have a hot gun but my agg suffered from missed shots, ended up in a .4 agg. One of my shooters saw my targets and offered me a spare set of flags for the afternoon agg. Since I had the stands everything matched. The afternoon is always a larger challenge than the morning. I really liked the flags. I shot 3 1's, a .200, and a .440. The 4 was partly because I was going for a Range record and threw a shoot when we had the only major wind gust of the day. Normally I can shoot well in any wind but this one caught me by surprise and most everybody else in that relay. Still I finished with a .2148 agg good for 4th. A pair of 1 aggs ahead of me and a .2026 agg. Went from 1st to 4th with 1 lost shot.
By now you can see that wind usually determine who shoots well and who looks stupid at an accuracy shoot. I used to take it personal when a shooter usually a Savage shooter would claim 1/4" groups all day long on another Board. I offered some money for any of these wonder shooters if they would come to San Gabriel and shoot one of our aggs. Two conditions they had to a shoot a .25 agg or less, that's 5 groups and pay me $100 for my time and $20 of competitor fees. What's in it for them $500. Just call me the same week so I can have the money on hand. This was about 5 years ago, never got anybody from any factory rifle marksman not even a Savage shooter. Don't see any claims of 1/4" all day anymore on the other Forum. No guts No glory.
Yes I do think a set of wind flags should be a part of any accuracy shooters kit, especially BR shooters. There are many price ranges of flags and poles. I don't recommend any style over the other. But I do feel new shooters should not start with propellers. Straight blades work fine. Lester Bruno yesterdays Super Shoot winner used large straight blades, Smiley Flag design. I have 83 wind flags all straight blade. I have 83 flags only because my flag maker sometimes had throw away prices on certain models. All good flags though. They all completely fill up a milk crate. Pick some colors you like. Paint different colors on the 2 sides. Spray paint from a outdoor supply company works good, try satin colors. Poles or stands are needed. I have both. Stands are easier to set. Poles stand up better. For tail material I almost always use surveyor tape. Since I used to be a surveyor this come natural. Any color works fine. The tape comes thin or beefy I like the beefy but thin is fine for calm days.
In setting flags I shoot with some of the best. Most of us use the surveyor tape. Two of these guys add up to about 75 HOF points. I use to tail around one these guys as he explained the art of wind flag setting. After a couple times I caught on. Sail type tails are popular also, ANYTHING THAT FLYS CAN BE USED AS TAIL MATERIAL. So keep what I am going to tell you guys secret about setting flags, wouldn't want your have your lunch handed to you by your best friend. First find out if you are going to share a bench with other shooters. You might get lucky and have none on your bench or maybe one. If I am sharing bench I want to feel the guy out. If he recognizes you are a regular he might put his flags away and shoot off yours. If he wants to use his flags let him set his first. A lot of shooters keep the same pattern. For 4 flags at 100 yd they set 1 at 15yds 1 at 30, 1 at 50 and 1 at 70. Sounds about right but Mother Nature doesn't work in convenient patterns. What I have learned and follow is to walk your flags out looking for holes, side berms, trees, swails, grass concentrations or any other thing that is different from the rest of the range. You might find that a steady wind doesn't start till 20 yds. If you set you flag at 15 you will not see that wind. Have a reason where you set all your flags. For 200 yd I leave my 100 yd flags alone, if on the same bench and target frames ace close to 100 yd frames, and add 1 or 2 flags behind the 100 yd line. I most always set my own flags. I do it the easy way. If shooting from the left set your first flag to the left of center line. I then set this flag NBRSA style for height. Get on 1 knee the flag must be at or below a line sight connecting the front of the bench with the bottom of the target card on the target frame. After you set the first aim all the rest at the target so that your last flag swings left or right on the target. I turn the blades so that I can aim exactly at the previous pole in front. Set flag height by getting down and being able to see the top of each blade skimming the top of the others.
I'm getting tired. I will come back before I go the Raton Nats and talk about setting flags at the Nats where you rotate benches after every Match. One pointer, a Group is a Match a Shoot is a Shoot. Don't mix the two.
Stephen Perry
Winds flags are something to be used by any accuracy shooter. You are fooling yourself that you can consistently shoot well on paper by chance. Most obvious situation happened to me at a San Gabriel BR shoot a couple months ago. I run the Shoots and was filling my truck with all that I carry. I had all my shooting gear already in my truck from the night before. I had 4 flags set aside for the day. But they didn't make to the range. I had stands but no flags. I shot the morning agg with no flags except the ones around me. I always have a hot gun but my agg suffered from missed shots, ended up in a .4 agg. One of my shooters saw my targets and offered me a spare set of flags for the afternoon agg. Since I had the stands everything matched. The afternoon is always a larger challenge than the morning. I really liked the flags. I shot 3 1's, a .200, and a .440. The 4 was partly because I was going for a Range record and threw a shoot when we had the only major wind gust of the day. Normally I can shoot well in any wind but this one caught me by surprise and most everybody else in that relay. Still I finished with a .2148 agg good for 4th. A pair of 1 aggs ahead of me and a .2026 agg. Went from 1st to 4th with 1 lost shot.
By now you can see that wind usually determine who shoots well and who looks stupid at an accuracy shoot. I used to take it personal when a shooter usually a Savage shooter would claim 1/4" groups all day long on another Board. I offered some money for any of these wonder shooters if they would come to San Gabriel and shoot one of our aggs. Two conditions they had to a shoot a .25 agg or less, that's 5 groups and pay me $100 for my time and $20 of competitor fees. What's in it for them $500. Just call me the same week so I can have the money on hand. This was about 5 years ago, never got anybody from any factory rifle marksman not even a Savage shooter. Don't see any claims of 1/4" all day anymore on the other Forum. No guts No glory.
Yes I do think a set of wind flags should be a part of any accuracy shooters kit, especially BR shooters. There are many price ranges of flags and poles. I don't recommend any style over the other. But I do feel new shooters should not start with propellers. Straight blades work fine. Lester Bruno yesterdays Super Shoot winner used large straight blades, Smiley Flag design. I have 83 wind flags all straight blade. I have 83 flags only because my flag maker sometimes had throw away prices on certain models. All good flags though. They all completely fill up a milk crate. Pick some colors you like. Paint different colors on the 2 sides. Spray paint from a outdoor supply company works good, try satin colors. Poles or stands are needed. I have both. Stands are easier to set. Poles stand up better. For tail material I almost always use surveyor tape. Since I used to be a surveyor this come natural. Any color works fine. The tape comes thin or beefy I like the beefy but thin is fine for calm days.
In setting flags I shoot with some of the best. Most of us use the surveyor tape. Two of these guys add up to about 75 HOF points. I use to tail around one these guys as he explained the art of wind flag setting. After a couple times I caught on. Sail type tails are popular also, ANYTHING THAT FLYS CAN BE USED AS TAIL MATERIAL. So keep what I am going to tell you guys secret about setting flags, wouldn't want your have your lunch handed to you by your best friend. First find out if you are going to share a bench with other shooters. You might get lucky and have none on your bench or maybe one. If I am sharing bench I want to feel the guy out. If he recognizes you are a regular he might put his flags away and shoot off yours. If he wants to use his flags let him set his first. A lot of shooters keep the same pattern. For 4 flags at 100 yd they set 1 at 15yds 1 at 30, 1 at 50 and 1 at 70. Sounds about right but Mother Nature doesn't work in convenient patterns. What I have learned and follow is to walk your flags out looking for holes, side berms, trees, swails, grass concentrations or any other thing that is different from the rest of the range. You might find that a steady wind doesn't start till 20 yds. If you set you flag at 15 you will not see that wind. Have a reason where you set all your flags. For 200 yd I leave my 100 yd flags alone, if on the same bench and target frames ace close to 100 yd frames, and add 1 or 2 flags behind the 100 yd line. I most always set my own flags. I do it the easy way. If shooting from the left set your first flag to the left of center line. I then set this flag NBRSA style for height. Get on 1 knee the flag must be at or below a line sight connecting the front of the bench with the bottom of the target card on the target frame. After you set the first aim all the rest at the target so that your last flag swings left or right on the target. I turn the blades so that I can aim exactly at the previous pole in front. Set flag height by getting down and being able to see the top of each blade skimming the top of the others.
I'm getting tired. I will come back before I go the Raton Nats and talk about setting flags at the Nats where you rotate benches after every Match. One pointer, a Group is a Match a Shoot is a Shoot. Don't mix the two.
Stephen Perry
