How Much Does Wind Really Affect Grouping

[El Tel]

If I was zeroing today at our club ( Weymouth ) should be OK for thumbnail groups on East Devons lane 4.

[lensman57]

Yesterday at the out door range I was getting up to an inch of drift due to the swirling and variable wind. I was using a BAS r10 .22 firing JSB Exact Express 14.35grs @ 600ft/s. The grouping was acceptable up to 30 Yards but from there on it was anyone's guess. The wind was also lifting the pellets high from 40 Yards with up to a 2" elevation @ 75 Yards. This was the first time that I experienced the effects of such swirling wind. The met office had predicted gusting of around 20+ miles an hour which I believe was correct. I guess if this happens in a real shooting situation, one might as well pack up and go home as there is no way a sub 12 rifle could cope with this kind of wind. The guys using .177 were also affected but not to the same degree.

A.G

[Funnybucker]

The met office had predicted gusting of around 20+ miles an hour which I believe was correct. I guess if this happens in a real shooting situation, one might as well pack up and go home as there is no way a sub 12 rifle could cope with this kind of wind. The guys using .177 were also affected but not to the same degree.

A.G

I was chatting to my nephew the other day that shoot full bore in the UK team and he was saying at 1000 mtrs you can easily get 12 ft drift in s strong cross wind so it's not just sub 12 ft/lb that it has a considerable effect on.

I must try getting some wool on sticks and putting them around the garden to see ho much effect it has, today would be a good day to do it

[Zomboid]

At the range (Bisley) yesterday afternoon and my guns are all zeroed at 30m... they were affected by an inch to the right. When the wind died again... bang on.

Then the week before I was shooting at 50m aiming for a knock down. The one next to it got hit. That was about 4 inches I reckon.

[xbow]

I must try getting some wool on sticks and putting them around the garden

Gosh, do you Knit as well then?

[oliver13]

The wind maybe nominally horizontal, but as with the firework smoke mentioned above, it will actually be quite turbulent at ground level especially around fences & such, it could easily reverse direction, or have a significant vertical component.
No question it will widen a group & not necessarily just horizontally, I noticed this years back when I set up ranging targets around some Gorse bushes where I'd usually be shooting rabbits, the groups were simply bigger in the wind than they were inside.

If anyone wants to try the tracer filming idea, do it at night with a lamp & a pellet with a flat shiny base inside like a Crosman, that gives a quite good tracer effect. I don't know if it will actually work to show turbulence, but there won't be any hassle associated with getting hold of Pyrotechnics, & a stray shot won't start a fire somewhere either.

[RobF]

One winter day at Weymouth we were having to mag down to 20x to see shots land at just under 55yds. That's roughly 24". We were using a paving slab under the target to spot where our pellets were going.

There wasn't any vertical displacement.

[Rickenbacker]

I was chatting to my nephew the other day that shoot full bore in the UK team and he was saying at 1000 mtrs you can easily get 12 ft drift in s strong cross wind so it's not just sub 12 ft/lb that it has a considerable effect on.
[...]

It's all relative, but having done a bit of fullbore rifle at Rogiet Moor (on the Severn estuary, where it's always windy!), at 300, 500, and 600 yards. The wind is a lot more predictable over longer ranges. You can get an idea of how many minutes to dial on from the flags and range cards, that should get you somewhere on the target. And fine-tune from there.

Rogiet Moor. (That's not me, mind. It's a Bristol shooter. Who should stay on his own side of the river! )

I've tried dialing for wind at FT, and it was a total disaster...

[Blackrider]

It's all relative, but having done a bit of fullbore rifle at Rogiet Moor (on the Severn estuary, where it's always windy!), at 300, 500, and 600 yards. The wind is a lot more predictable over longer ranges. You can get an idea of how many minutes to dial on from the flags and range cards, that should get you somewhere on the target. And fine-tune from there.

Rogiet Moor. (That's not me, mind. It's a Bristol shooter. Who should stay on his own side of the river! )

I've tried dialing for wind at FT, and it was a total disaster...

Was out "on the Gongs" with the .270, out to 400m a while back in a strong right to left and was compensating between 200 amd 350mm for allowence.
Elevation unaffected of course.

Back to Air Phil, it was pretty "breezy" down at the last Spring Bash wasn't it !

[Funnybucker]

There's me starting the thread saying how garden is so enclosed by fencing Not any more after yesterdays wind, now have a few "Vented" areas