Shooting in a gusting wind

[DernHumpus]

Some friends have a shooting golf course set up with shots varying from 100y to 600yards. Wind is usually gusting. But when it is steady I do pretty well even if it is a 15mph crosswind.

We shot our course today and my new 178 AMAX load performed very well but I ended up chasing it a lot in gusting wind. I'd over judge wind and miss upwind. Then hold closer and still miss upwind. Or the windspeed would increase and I'd hold the same and still miss upwind. The wind around here gusts a lot and we shoot over a little valley. I think the wind swirls in it quite a bit and the wind that affects the bullet is difficult to feel from where we shoot.

One of the most frustrating shots was around 330y across the valley with a sidewind. Wind was gusting between 5-18 mph, guessing. I couldn't hit a 4 inch wide target. I could hit a 8" wide target at the same location, but not ever time.

Do you have any advice? I have been thinking of upgrading to the 12LRP in 260 rem. I ran the numbers and a 140AMAX at 2900fps has about 2/3 the wind drift of my current load. I believe that this difference would cause most of my near misses to be hits.

Current setup is SPS Tactical 20" 178AMAX, shoots well under MOA. Ran the OCW test and all groups around this one had very near POI.

 

[DernHumpus]

Re: Shooting in a gusting wind

I made my wind call based on the fastest it was going. At the fastest it was around 1 mil of wind. I ended up shooting in the low areas with .5mil or less.

I felt like I was doing a good job walking it in, but after shot 4 or 5 I realized that my efforts were getting blown around in a way that I couldn't predict.

 

[Topstrap]

Re: Shooting in a gusting wind

Sounds like our local 1000 yard range. Welcome to Rayners Range, that is pretty typical at Rayners and it'll drive you nuts. In conditions like that, make you best educated guess or listen and watch previous shooters for most common misses. We shoot 3 shots at each distance so be ready to get the other shots off as quick as possible based on your hit/miss before conditions change which can be seconds.

Some days you just have to be patient and go for larger targets and hits with lower values. Save the high value smaller targets for days with better conditions. Days like you're describing the guys with the faster heavier bullets sometimes have an advantage but even with the bigger 30s and even the 338 the wind plays havoc and leaves them with lots of goose eggs on the score sheet.

Not much you can so if you can't have flags spaced to your target and come up with an educated guess. We have similiar conditions with valleys/tree lines/fields/stream to shoot thru, over and sometimes even under overhanging tree limbs and no flags or indicators to give an indication of what's happening between us and the target. I'd much rather shoot in a heavy steady wind than a somewhat calm day with changing winds.

Good luck

Topstrap

 

[Sterling Shooter]

Re: Shooting in a gusting wind

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DernHumpus</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Some friends have a shooting golf course set up with shots varying from 100y to 600yards. Wind is usually gusting. But when it is steady I do pretty well even if it is a 15mph crosswind.

We shot our course today and my new 178 AMAX load performed very well but I ended up chasing it a lot in gusting wind. I'd over judge wind and miss upwind. Then hold closer and still miss upwind. Or the windspeed would increase and I'd hold the same and still miss upwind. The wind around here gusts a lot and we shoot over a little valley. I think the wind swirls in it quite a bit and the wind that affects the bullet is difficult to feel from where we shoot.

One of the most frustrating shots was around 330y across the valley with a sidewind. Wind was gusting between 5-18 mph, guessing. I couldn't hit a 4 inch wide target. I could hit a 8" wide target at the same location, but not ever time.

Do you have any advice? I have been thinking of upgrading to the 12LRP in 260 rem. I ran the numbers and a 140AMAX at 2900fps has about 2/3 the wind drift of my current load. I believe that this difference would cause most of my near misses to be hits.

Current setup is SPS Tactical 20" 178AMAX, shoots well under MOA. Ran the OCW test and all groups around this one had very near POI.</div></div>

You can get better results with the equipment you are already using by working on your picture memory, or you can get better results with your existing skill set by shooting something like a 6.5/284 at a very high velocity. You can also get better results by shooting a more relevant target such as an NRA HP target. These targets will allow you to create a record of your shooting which will serve shooter/target analysis better than what you are shooting at now. That's to say you will be able to literally see your progress with marksmanship and wind counters.

From what you say, it appears you are chasing shots, setting your sights for a wind that no longer exists. A solution is to initially set a no wind zero on the rifle and appraise prevailing wind through the spotting scope. Make a mental picture of this and then adjust sight. Shoot, check spotting scope to assure condition has not changed and make sure bullet strike is on call. Then hold subsequent shots for the prevailing wind which you have memorized.

As I recall I have only participated in a handful of mid range (500-600) yard prone sling supported matches using a scope sight; but, I cleaned them all using the technique I described. Even for 1000 yard match rifle events I use the technique and I am satisfied with the results. All it demands is patience.

 

[Helter]

Re: Shooting in a gusting wind

I have nothing to add about wind calls, but I think the idea of a shooting golf course is fucking brilliant. I don't have enough land to do that full size, but I do have enough to maybe do a .22 cal back 9. I'm picturing a small target, like 2 inches) fairly far away (the hole), with an array of targets getting progessively closer/easier. You can pick whatever target you want, and your next shot is taken from whatever target you hit. The fewest shots to hit the hole wins.
Is that how your friends do it?
(ps, I googled this to see if it was something that I just hadn't heard of before, but all the results were about shooting golfers. I'm less enthused about that sport, but keeping an open mind.)

 

[sinister]

Re: Shooting in a gusting wind

I whole-heartedly agree with Helter. No better way of staying on top of your wind call game than shooting from all angles in all winds, adjusting for slope, atmospherics, terrain and trees, and light as you go.

Same as golf, lowest score bests the course.

No fair taking mulligans or padding a handicap. A hole-in-one ace gets the beer.

The only thing better might be to shoot golfers, but that might not get a whole lot of support outside our circles. I think it might make for interesting TV, though.