Wind Reading for the Precision rifle shooter

[Evan338]

There are many ways to read the wind flags, grass, and trees. Some ranges are more challenging then other Ottawa Connaught for example is crazy for the flags go in every direction. It is a true skill... good luck

Shoot indicators and compensation works well

 

[Jordan Smith]

Wait, I don't get something. If the wind pushes a bullet an inch at 100 yards, then the wind dies. The bullet's trajectory changes, doesn't it? So, after the wind drops dead, the original path of the bullet and the new trajectory diverge, right? What you're describing seems like the original and new path of the bullet are offset but parallel.

I haven't actually shot at long ranges, so I don't know. I'm just trying to understand what's going on.

Correct, the two paths diverge at a consistent angle after the wind dies. They don't travel parallel to each other.

 

[saskcanshooter]

Method from Accuracy 1st:
1. Convert range to tenths, e.g. 300m = .3, 500m = .5, etc. up to 600m. For ranges 700 and up, add .1, e.g. 700m = .8, 1000m = 1.1, etc.

2. For 308, formula is Range (in meters) x (wind value mph/4). Looks like this: 600m(.6) x (12mph/4) = 1.8 mil hold into wind.

3. 300wm is same formula, just divide wind by 5 instead of 4.

To get MOA just multiply your answer by 3.438

Also here is a link for helping you read Mirage. h ttp://southtexasshooting.org/multimedia/text/mirage.html

 

[peacefrog]

I've been doing a fair bit of reading lately. What I've read suggests the wind towards the target affects the bullet more. The reasoning was say the target is 1,000 yards out. The bullet will slow as it travels and be exposed to the wind longer in the second half of the distance.

That's not to say the wind at the shooter isn't important .. It's all important. So why do you say the wind at the shooter is more important?

It's about the angles. Near wind hits the bullet early, as the force (wind) pushes the bullet the angle increases from a point of zero. Just for kicks draw a straight line and then a line at an angle from the same starting point... Ah, It just is.

Get the Wind Book for Rifle Shooters... Linda and Keith explain it all in perfect detail, and make it understandable.

 

[rnbra-shooter]

A few comments:

- "The Wind Book for Rifle Shooters" is one of the better books out there; it is worth reading.

- I'm a math and numbers guy, but I don't typically use math when I shoot. I do everything visually in my head.

- for what it's worth, "near wind" (the wind near the rifle) has a much greater effect on the bullet than "far wind" (the wind near the target). There are a number of different ways to explain/understand/derive this. If you're a programming type, you can do some numerical experimentation/simulation with ballistics programs to really get a good handle on this.

- having a Parker Hale "wind wheel", or a standard printed table of deflections, is useful during your first year or two of shooting, to calibrate your "mental catalog" of what various winds look like

- by "mental catalog" I mean, when I see a certain amount of flag deflection at a certain angle at 600 yards, or I see a certain amount of mirage in my scope at 1000 yards, I basically know from experience that "that's a two-minute wind", or "that's worth about five minutes". That's what I'll use for my sighter, or (if it is a large wind change during a match) use to choose a wind adjustment.

- @skypilot if you are old enough to know what an E3B flight computer is, you'd probably easily understand my method of looking at a wind flag and visually interpreting the crossrange component of the wind

 

[skypilot]

A few comments:

- "The Wind Book for Rifle Shooters" is one of the better books out there; it is worth reading.

- I'm a math and numbers guy, but I don't typically use math when I shoot. I do everything visually in my head.

- for what it's worth, "near wind" (the wind near the rifle) has a much greater effect on the bullet than "far wind" (the wind near the target). There are a number of different ways to explain/understand/derive this. If you're a programming type, you can do some numerical experimentation/simulation with ballistics programs to really get a good handle on this.

- having a Parker Hale "wind wheel", or a standard printed table of deflections, is useful during your first year or two of shooting, to calibrate your "mental catalog" of what various winds look like

- by "mental catalog" I mean, when I see a certain amount of flag deflection at a certain angle at 600 yards, or I see a certain amount of mirage in my scope at 1000 yards, I basically know from experience that "that's a two-minute wind", or "that's worth about five minutes". That's what I'll use for my sighter, or (if it is a large wind change during a match) use to choose a wind adjustment.

- @skypilot if you are old enough to know what an E3B flight computer is, you'd probably easily understand my method of looking at a wind flag and visually interpreting the crossrange component of the wind

I can certainly understand. When on short final approach my eyes move constantly from the windsock near the threshold to the windsock at my "wheels down" point, balanced with what ATC tells me on my landing clearance. The wind sock is a real accurate wind meter to about 20mph.
And as in shooting Im very much more interested in the "near" wind on the approach end of the R/W.

Also recently when shooting yotes I use the wind and angle @ muzzle and have memorized a 10MPH wind in inches, MOA and also mil/yd out to 700 yds. To get my mils hold into the wind I can multiply MOA * yds/mil@yds.

This is pretty close to what you are using.

So far my setup and ammo it works like this:
A 10mph 90 deg wind is 7MOA@600yds = 42 inches/mils at yardage(21.6)=2 mil hold into wind at 600yds.

But let me say this. When I setup to hunt yotes I pick my spot based on the wind. If I have to fight wind I move to a different hide. If I can't do that I hunt elswhere.

You long range target guys can't move and have to figure out the wind constantly and adjust accordingly.

Cheers