Windy!

[throdgrain]

Since going back to .177 a couple of years ago I have of course been very impressed by the lack of pellet drop compared to .22. However it does seem that even a bit of wind can put a 8 and a bit grain pellet one mildot out at 30 yards. Does anyone have any answers for this? I normally use Superdomes but they seem to be very effected at 30 yards, H&N Field Target Trophy slightly less so. Anyone have any other suggestions? Heavier pellets?

My air rifles are an HW100 and an HW97K (well, the ones I use anyway )

[English]

Restricting shooting to completely windless days proves to be highly effective for this problem

Alternatively practice and use some cheat data you can fix inside the butler creek scope covers as an instant guide?

[gsxrman]

So firstly you need your power level up to 11.5, and then use short pellets.
Anything with a long skirt in any calibre is affected more than a short variant of the same weight and FPS.
I use premiers at 7.9 for target and 10.3 for quarry.

[ballisticboy]

The pellet with the highest value of BC multiplied by muzzle velocity will be the one which will be the least affected by a cross wind. Forget about the length of a pellet, it is irrelevant as the cross wind does not blow on the side of the pellet or any other projectile. How wind really affects pellets was explained by Jim Tyler in the July 2019 Airgun World.

If you have Chairgun, you can model trajectories on there to see the relative performance of different pellets.

[throdgrain]

To be honest I'd sooner try a few that people have had success with.

[the growler]

Now this is strange. We were out trying my 30cal wolverine last week. Firing at a large steel plate at 50yards. The 30cal were not bad in the wind. But it does 100ft/lbs. So my mate brought out his two daystate mk3 rifles. One in .22 and one in .177. The 177 had easy half less drop and half less windage as the .22. So at the legal limit. 177 is far better.

[Sallyannsnow]

I have problems with wind myself but that's a whole other topic.

[TonyL]

To be honest I'd sooner try a few that people have had success with.

Give the JSB Exact Heavy and the H&N Baracuda FT a try.

[BTDT]

How wind really affects pellets was explained by Jim Tyler in the July 2019 Airgun World.

Only after you'd explained it to me, several times, Miles

[gsxrman]

R&D is one thing and using mathematical algorithims is another thing.
You cant beat being out in the real world and watching the results for yourself.
For me, longer skirted pellets like JSB have always moved more than a shorter pellet like premiers.
Although Bisley mags were really good too.

[ballisticboy]

You cant beat being out in the real world and watching the results for yourself.

Only if you know how to carry out a fully instrumented trial with careful control of all variables and a full understanding of how things work. Otherwise you are just jumping to false conclusions based on flawed assumptions of what is causing the observed effects. How wind effects projectiles has been studied for well over a hundred years and is fully understood.

[ballisticboy]

So my mate brought out his two daystate mk3 rifles. One in .22 and one in .177. The 177 had easy half less drop and half less windage as the .22. So at the legal limit. 177 is far better.

It is more of a function of pellet design and range than calibre. For example a .22 dome will be better than a .177 wadcutter and the same the other way round, a .177 dome will be better than a .22 wadcutter.

[Born Again]

The 177 had easy half less drop and half less windage as the .22. So at the legal limit. 177 is far better.

Exactly, but people still keep spouting the old myth that "those little pellets get blown around.....".

It's not intuitive is it, it seems to make sense that bigger heavier pellets stay straighter in the wind, so I guess that people automatically fit their own shooting experiences to that myth, despite all the evidence to the contrary. People do the same with .20 calibre, probably because of a misprint years ago claiming incredible ( but impossible ) performance between 50 and 100yds.

Does anyone have a link to BTDT's article ?

[Shedder]

It seems to me from observations at work (in another sector) that substantial natural variations in wind speed are a factor which confounds any simple comparison of pellets and/or measurements of the effects of wind. Good luck and patience to those who try to put some objectivity into the effects of wind.

[gsxrman]

Only if you know how to carry out a fully instrumented trial with careful control of all variables and a full understanding of how things work. Otherwise you are just jumping to false conclusions based on flawed assumptions of what is causing the observed effects. How wind effects projectiles has been studied for well over a hundred years and is fully understood.

So do it the scientific way, cos I obviously got it wrong spending hours and hours on a range time after time getting the same results, and prove me wrong.
Results are results, and when most people are aiming out of the kill zone on an FT course and Im still aiming inside it, Ill believe my results over a theory that I may be wrong.
My rifle, my cosen pellets for comparison, my results....works for me.
JSB variant actually group very slightly tighter groups in very still conditions or inside rather than outside but they move too much in the wind compared to shorter premiers in both weights.