Rain vs Accuracy

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stubblejumper

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How many of you have shot groups in the rain? I was testing a new rifle this morning, and I started shooting before the rain began, and continued to shoot during the rain. I managed to shoot three five shot groups out of my new to me 6mmbr with the 90gr scenar, which measured .340",.400", and .420". Then it started to rain, and I decided to shoot my groups anyway. The first group with the 95gr Matchking went into .260" in the light drizzle. The rain picked up, and the next group measured .440", with the following group also in the rain at .450". I should mention that since I was working up loads, I was using three different powder charges for each bullet, so that could also be a factor.

Another interesting observation, was that with each 1/2 grain increase in powder charge, the point of impact with the 90gr Scenar rose about 1/2". However, with the 95gr Matchking, the point of impact remained constant, with all 15 shots going into about .550".
 
I have often wondered the same thing. There is some super slow mention footage out there of bullets hitting water droplets. They take a chunk out of the bullet and that would no doubt affect accuracy.

Maybe the air was just more still when it first started to rain for you. I've always found that a nice gentle rain brings with it some very calm air.
 
Even if the rain didn't effect the bullet path, it certainly may have effected my shooting ability.I will shoot the 95gr Matchking loads again, but even if they don't improve, I will likely choose them over the Scenars, just because the point of impact is so stable when the powder charge is changed. For my next testing, I will likely work the powder charge up in .2 grain increments, just to see if it does effect the group size.
 
I would think that the bullets shockwave keeps any rain drops clear of the trajectory so it must be you, or the consistent shooting conditions that may make the difference.

You must be an amazing shooter to be able to credit the rain with 0.1" plus minus group variation at 100 yrds! And in 0.2 gr powder increments, my DPS wouldnt be good enough for your testings.

What is your secret to your shooting ability? Do you compete in BR or F class events? You should.
 
You must be an amazing shooter to be able to credit the rain with 0.1" plus minus group variation at 100 yrds!
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Could you please point out where I posted that I attributed the rain to the difference in group size? I plainly posted that I was also using different powder charges that could have been the cause. As well, The .260" group may have been a fluke, or I could have been rushing when shooting the larger groups, due to the rain.

And in 0.2 gr powder increments, my DPS wouldnt be good enough for your testings.
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As I plainly posted in my original post, I was using 1/2 grain increments. I am however considering finer .2 increments for my final testing just to see what the results are.
 
Maybe it was in your title " rain vs accuracy" that made me consider that.

So if it was a fluke, what are you trying to say? Im not sure what I can say that wont be taken as confrontational. Having 15 shots into half of an inch is quite the credit to the shooter, and in my world, load development is done.As i mentioned, your shooting skills are extraordinary, congrats.

So, do you shoot competitively?
 
The 95gr Matchking groups. I laid each one on a clean target, and marked the holes on that same target, as best as I could. The end result measured .580". The black ink covered the edges of the holes, so they aren't as easy to make out now.

6mmbrgroups.jpg


And the 90gr Scenar groups. The change in point of impact with powder charge is easy to see.

6mmbrgroups2.jpg
 
And no, I don't compete formally, in fact, I no longer own any rifles that most people would consider worthy to compete with. All of my current rifles except the 6mmbr, are factory rifles, and I just bought the 6mmBR off of the EE for $900, so it isn't a big dollar rig.
 
I did not see it in your post, but I assume you are shooting at 100 yards. Lots of things affect accuracy in the rain, but most will have a minimal effect at 100 yards.

If you are not under cover then you have to deal with the effect getting wet has on your patience and concentration, also how much water gets on your scope affecting clarity. Keeping water off your cartridge cases and out of your action.

Depending on how your bedding was done you can get water between your action and bedding that will affect the resonance of your system

Even if you are under cover the rain will decrease your resolution of the target, this gets worse with distance and how hard it rains. There are also changes in barometric pressure, temperature, variable wind gusts and downbursts.
 
Even if you are under cover the rain will decrease your resolution of the target, this gets worse with distance and how hard it rains. There are also changes in barometric pressure, temperature, variable wind gusts and downbursts.
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I was under cover. The resolution did suffer some, due to the rain, and overcast, and even the targets changed color, and became dull. as they got wet. Those things could have effected my ability to place the crosshairs quite as accurately.
 
I've often wondered how rain might also affect accuracy but the shockwave theory makes sense. Rain probably had no effect on bullet flight I guess?
 
roberti11 said:
I did not see it in your post, but I assume you are shooting at 100 yards. Lots of things affect accuracy in the rain, but most will have a minimal effect at 100 yards.

If you are not under cover then you have to deal with the effect getting wet has on your patience and concentration, also how much water gets on your scope affecting clarity. Keeping water off your cartridge cases and out of your action.

Depending on how your bedding was done you can get water between your action and bedding that will affect the resonance of your system

Even if you are under cover the rain will decrease your resolution of the target, this gets worse with distance and how hard it rains. There are also changes in barometric pressure, temperature, variable wind gusts and downbursts.
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SO EXACTLY what I was looking for when I clicked this thread. Thanks!
 
I shoot better in the rain. It's a mental thing. A "little white lie" I began telling myself to get into my "bubble" during competitions in downpours. In reality - I don't actually shoot any better in the rain than I do when it is dry. I can't attest to any changes in accuracy that my rifle(s) or ammo experience -- I only know that rain poses challenges to you as a shooter. But if you dress for it, and protect your gear, keep your scorecards under plastic, etc. etc. you can mitigate that difference. Eventually, the "I shot better in the rain" statement isn't so much of a lie.

That "lie" became tuth for me, in a way. First - shooting in the UK against the Sultans Armed Forces of Oman, I found that I can shoot better in the rain than THEY do. (They don't get much opportunity to train in the rain, it seems....) So my lie became reality for me. We might have been evenly matched on nice days, but when the rain started, Canada's shooters always had an edge.

Also - I vividly remember a precision match darn near 20 years ago in a COLD November rain. I shot a match or two like garbage. Then I had an epiphany -- even though we couldn't see the targets - the "bullseye" was still in the MIDDLE of that blurry mass down there. it freed us up to focus on what we ought to have been focusing on in the first place - the sights! Also- looking through the scope at 800m, we could see waves of rain washing across the range - and even the most subtle wind changes were visible to us. Everybody else on the range was moping and whining about the rain and the cold. My partner and I were loving it!

Looking back at that day - our rifles and ammo were doing pretty much what we expected them to do - so offhand I would have to say that (to answer the technical aspect of this question) the rain had little or no effect on our rifles and ammo. Or if it did, it was so minimal as to be "lost in the noise" of long distance shooting.
 
From what I have seen first hand over the years is that rain does nothing to improve accuracy , it only opens up groups as the rain increases.

We were at the range a few years ago and one of my friends rifle had opened up quite a bit at 100 yds in a good downpour under a covered firing point.

Once the thunder storm passed he shot another group that was normal size for the rifle ,I forget the actual sizes but it seems to me almost 1/2.

Shooting in drizzle doesn't seem to do much but as the rain starts coming down harder it does.

The conclusion I have come to after having shot in in the rain many times is it affects accuracy more as it rains harder.
 
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