Dialing wind Question

[OREGUN]

If you need an unexpected quip about pulling out, Buschman is your man.

 

[jthor]

If you need an unexpected quip about pulling out, Buschman is your man.

That was hilarious

 

[ToddKS]

I will say it is much easier to forget how much your holding than what you have dialed, as what you have dialed is what you have dialed and you can look at it your windage if you forget, but with holding wind you can get lost in the sauce and forget what you just held. That being said dialing the wrong way between shots can happen if you aren’t careful.

Interesting that this is different for different people. On a troop line I am more likely to get lost dialing than I do holding, particularly if I have a miss and have to adjust. Holding forces me to have a number in my head for each hold. That number seems to stick better (I think this is because I have both the number in my head and a picture in my mind of what that looks like) when I hold vs when I dial. An added risk for me is that I cannot read my windage turret without coming way off the gun due to my eyesight.

 

[jthor]

Interesting that this is different for different people. On a troop line I am more likely to get lost dialing than I do holding, particularly if I have a miss and have to adjust. Holding forces me to have a number in my head for each hold. That number seems to stick better (I think this is because I have both the number in my head and a picture in my mind of what that looks like) when I hold vs when I dial. An added risk for me is that I cannot read my windage turret without coming way off the gun due to my eyesight.

The only benefit to being left handed is scopes are better built for me in a way
For trooplines I build my wind columns and note/memorize the offset from each target going forward.

So if target 1 called for .4 left and target 2 called for .5 left I would note between T1 and T2 +.1 and then build this out for the rest of the troopline. Regardless if the wind is 2/4/6 mph L-R wind that offset will be the same. If I need to center up on target 1 due to being strong or weak on the wind call I will then dial to center up and then continue the troop line with the noted/memorized offsets between each target. It might be better if I post a picture of this later.

 

[spife7980]

I dial to the lowest consistent wind. Something that is an established base line.

Ex: if the wind is a constant 10 with gusts up to 15, I’ll dial the 10 and hold any extra that I need to for the 15 gusts. Sometimes it drops to 7mph, I can hold the other way, but I’m trying to stay centered in the reticle. I put what recent history has shown being needed into it.
If it’s left or right or dead and then a gale I’ll keep it zeroed and hold off everything that’s needed.

 

[Rob01]

You dont know Austin Bushman?
- consider yourself lucky

Sorry I don’t.

 

[bbyars]

@Mordamer tell them the ways to greatness

 

[Rob01]

Fair enough. I don’t hold over or under for anything, elevation or wind, except in a few very limited circumstances. When I have tried it, in practice, I’m less accurate and slower. Having a reticle full of marks/hash/Christmas trees blocks my view of downrange conditions and effects, forces me to run a higher magnification than I’d like, and is way slower (imagine needing to hold 3.7 mils up and 1.3 left, welcome to the west) as I try to sort my way in to the dots. In the same vein, holding the center dot on the target is far more precise for me than trying to hold the 1.3 “space” in the middle.

New shooters should learn a useful technique, from the start. If they did, there would be fewer training scars, fewer midpack shooters timing out in a 2 minute troop line, less frustration, fewer people coming off a stage with no idea what the wind was actually doing, etc.

For my own practice, I go into a stage with each target’s elevation “dope” and the wind “difference” between targets memorized. I dial everything and know without looking what the windage knob is dialed to. It takes practice and I wear a dope card in case I get lost or see something very unexpected downrange. Just not needing to reference a dope chart between every shot makes a 2 minute stage feel like it’s twice as long.

As for when I’ll hold: on the modern skills stage, I usually dial the far target elevation and the near target wind. Hold under in center for the near and hold the reticle dot on the far and the wind additive as a hold. Call me a JTAC disciple.

Likewise if the wind is “on plate” but back and forth. I’ll look at mirage and hold the side of the plate as needed.

You just need to practice it more. The more you do it the more used to it you will be. I have shot all over the country so I know wind. I remember holding 5 mils of wind down at Rifles Only on the 1000 yard target with my .308. You could watch the trace roll out to the side and get pushed right back on to the target. Was pretty cool. But in the end you have to use what works for you.

Also comes down to the reticle as you mentioned the reticle. Some work better for holds but I can get down to about 12x pretty easy and still do holds.

I wear an arm band also with my elevation and windage for each range I will be shooting so I have all my data. If I am using hold overs/unders that will be in a separate line. Easy reference for when needed for either the elevation or windage. If I have time I will always dial elevation but hold wind 99% of the time in matches. Have done it that way over 20 years in matches so it’s pretty embedded in my shooting.