Vortex Ace Wind Meter
- Thread starter Shooting Centre
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I have been tempted to add a wind meter to my ling range rig but im curious.
From those that use them, how useful do you find them to be at distances over 5-700yards?
Where I live and shoot, there are no ranges that long and all my shooting is done on public land. Broken, mountainous, cross valley, and often windy.
I find that wind values are not at all consistent along the trajectory so i am curious about the real world value of a meter that only tells u about wind at the point of launch?
From those that use them, how useful do you find them to be at distances over 5-700yards?
Where I live and shoot, there are no ranges that long and all my shooting is done on public land. Broken, mountainous, cross valley, and often windy.
I find that wind values are not at all consistent along the trajectory so i am curious about the real world value of a meter that only tells u about wind at the point of launch?
I never used a Kestrel either and am not a long range expert.
High wind can induce a meaningfull drift from less than 300m away.
Yes wind reading require to guess some average direction and speed. But the wind at launch site matters exponantially more than at landing site.
If I ever buy one, I'd expect to learn to differentiate between 5 and 15km/h wind more than to get a definitive value. A tool that allows me to initiate myself to this complex art of wind-reading.
High wind can induce a meaningfull drift from less than 300m away.
Yes wind reading require to guess some average direction and speed. But the wind at launch site matters exponantially more than at landing site.
If I ever buy one, I'd expect to learn to differentiate between 5 and 15km/h wind more than to get a definitive value. A tool that allows me to initiate myself to this complex art of wind-reading.
I believe you have this backward.
The wind matters much more down range than at the launch site.
As a projectile passes through each 100 yards of its trajectory, it does so with less and less velocity. Therefore it spends more time between 700 and 800 yards than it does between 0 and 100 yards for example. A LOT more. Its not exponential but it is a large difference.
Assuming a steady wind, the wind drift curve is then parabolic, just like the drop curve. Assuming consistent velocities and projectile BC’s, the drop curve is highly predictable. The wind drift curve is much harder and much more variable. It is always a guess and at best is an “educated“ guess. It can be reasonably predicted with good data but remains much more variable than vertical drop.
If u are really reaching out, u can start adding the highly variable impact of the coreolus effect. But lets not go there.
You made me doubt but AI says I'm right.
Your reasoning of the slower (farther) bullet being pushed/blown longer is interesting.
However the wind drift is not just a lateral bump but a directional shift. So the earlier steer will have greater effect on destination.
You can trust AI or u can trust real world experience such as that accumulated over time by many many real humans. Which, by the way, is rei forced by the science of physics.
Do you consult AI after your ballistic calculator gives you a solution?
I would suggest you asked AI the wrong question or in the wrong way.
You can always try it in the real world.
I use my logic beyond 1000 yards routinely.
Admittedly I have never asked AI if maybe the ring of steal I am hearing is imaginary.
In this case, all things being equal, which they rarely are AI is correct. Linda Miller and Keith Cunningham, 2 excellent Canadian shooters discuss it extensively in their book The Wind Book for Rifle Shooters. Worth a read.
