Dialing vs. Holdover For Long Range Hunting
But what if the wind is variable? Looking at an animal, I am going to want to try to get closer if at all possible. If it isn't possible, I may have to pass on the shot. Meat is still available at the store. For target practice, the more wind the better. The more time I get to shoot in the wind the more confidence I'll have to make the shot. Or call it off. If the windage is more than 5moa, because I don't like to get too far to the side of the reticle I dial in for the average speed, then use the reticle to fine-tune for gusts or let-offs.
1170 yards, wind averaging 16.5mph, from 2 o'clock, gusting to 22 mph.
This method has been okay during practice when I am alone, but I have found some potential communication difficulty when someone is spotting for me or I for them, when we are not a regular team. It is easy to lose track of left/right or up-/down-wind if both shooter and spotter aren't used to each other and have a stylized dialog method. When I spot for someone for the first time, I clearly explain that I will call the correction, not the impact. If, at 500 yards the shot is 7.5 inches low and 5 to the left, my call will be simply, "up 1.5moa, right 1." Or mils or inches if the shooter is using that measure. I read somewhere that military snipers will always refer to left windage as "pushing" and right windage as "pulling". As the spotter is doping the final wind call before the shot he might say something like "push 3 clicks". To the shooter this can only have one meaning, so there is no confusion. I intend to experiment with dialing 2 to 4 moa less than the average speed, so the final adjustment stays on the same side of the reticle.
One situation where holding over beats dialing is multiple targets at moderate but different ranges, with a time limit. A fun game at my local range is to pick 3 or 4 different targets, and shoot them in a designated order, or have the spotter call the next target after each shot. Knowing how many moa to shift from one target to the next and using the reticle is very fast, as long as the shooter can keep all the data in mind. Consider the following shots: The wind is in your face, targets at 207, 441 and 693 yards.
Tactical match shooters will often plan out the dope shifts and write them on a wrist pad on the non-shooting arm instead of risking it to memory. Of course this is likely to work better if the distance is known for certain in advance. The more you run a game like this, the better idea you will have of the practical limits to using holdover. The details of your particular reticle will determine how far you can effectively shoot using holdover alone, and only repeated practice will bring proficiency. Put yourself and your rig to the test often and rigorously, and you will know which way to choose when that monster bull is standing way out there.
1170 yards, wind averaging 16.5mph, from 2 o'clock, gusting to 22 mph.
This method has been okay during practice when I am alone, but I have found some potential communication difficulty when someone is spotting for me or I for them, when we are not a regular team. It is easy to lose track of left/right or up-/down-wind if both shooter and spotter aren't used to each other and have a stylized dialog method. When I spot for someone for the first time, I clearly explain that I will call the correction, not the impact. If, at 500 yards the shot is 7.5 inches low and 5 to the left, my call will be simply, "up 1.5moa, right 1." Or mils or inches if the shooter is using that measure. I read somewhere that military snipers will always refer to left windage as "pushing" and right windage as "pulling". As the spotter is doping the final wind call before the shot he might say something like "push 3 clicks". To the shooter this can only have one meaning, so there is no confusion. I intend to experiment with dialing 2 to 4 moa less than the average speed, so the final adjustment stays on the same side of the reticle.
One situation where holding over beats dialing is multiple targets at moderate but different ranges, with a time limit. A fun game at my local range is to pick 3 or 4 different targets, and shoot them in a designated order, or have the spotter call the next target after each shot. Knowing how many moa to shift from one target to the next and using the reticle is very fast, as long as the shooter can keep all the data in mind. Consider the following shots: The wind is in your face, targets at 207, 441 and 693 yards.
Tactical match shooters will often plan out the dope shifts and write them on a wrist pad on the non-shooting arm instead of risking it to memory. Of course this is likely to work better if the distance is known for certain in advance. The more you run a game like this, the better idea you will have of the practical limits to using holdover. The details of your particular reticle will determine how far you can effectively shoot using holdover alone, and only repeated practice will bring proficiency. Put yourself and your rig to the test often and rigorously, and you will know which way to choose when that monster bull is standing way out there.
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