.17HMR and Wind

762Russian

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Well, I just came back from my third trip to the range to sight in my Marlin 917 with the Center Point scope stapled on.
Took awhile to get used to it, and a third trip was needed because I discovered that the goon who put the scope on the first time didn't actually tighten the thing down properly. After I fixed my mistake, I had hoped to get something a bit better.

I have to say, wind has a real noticeable effect on accuracy, even given my own ham-handed approach to distance shooting (read: spray and pray.) I tuned in as best I could for 100 yards, but the thing was haywire with just a mild breeze blowing over my shoulder.

My best firings of the day 100 yards downrange was this salvo of six rounds fired at the centerpoint of the cross:
Marlin100yrds.jpg


It was frustrating.

Then to see if it really was just the mild wind, I stapled in a target at 50 yards, and fired a 5-round salvo, one shot to each point, plus one to the center:
Marlin50yrds.jpg


Half an inch at worst, and more caused by my own ham-fistedness than the wind.

It's surprised me just how easily these little rounds get knocked about by a breeze. Mind, even at 100 yards that grouping is still perfectly suitable for popping gophers, but I had expected something a bit better. I'll wait for a day with hardly any wind and give it another shot, but I have to say I am a bit irritated. I'll hunt down some 20grain rounds too; maybe the extra weight will help out.
 
Yeah that is a problem with the tiny 17 grain bullet but when the wind is kicking up the gophers usually go down as well.

When I go shooting gophers in the Pincher Creek area of southern AB the wind can really wreak havoc with gopher excursions. I had my .204 drifting 18" at 275 yards, I hate wind.:mad:
 
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