Which Wind to use?

tracker12ga · #1 08-10-2009, 11:14 AM

I'm leraning about the wind through trial and error. I am getting a pretty good idea when it comes to constant winds from muzzle to target. However, I'm getting a little confused when wind speeds and/ or directions change one or more times down range. Which, at greater ranges, this seems to be the norm. So, which wind do I go by? At the muzzle, Mid range, or near the target? All three? LOL. Thanks for any help.

nevada · #2 08-10-2009, 11:20 AM

with the little experience i have, id say the wind at the muzzle is least important. as that is when the bullet is traveling the fastest, and least affected.

midrange, and close to the target would have the most affect....

i know on saturday, i was shooting, and it was VERY(20+) windy at the muzzle. very little wind on target. we did not have to compensate for the wind at all.

bigbuck · #3 08-10-2009, 11:35 AM

I'm glad you asked this question. I thought that it wouldn't matter at the muzzle ,until I seen carlocks video and I noticed what I thought to be a wind flag or a piece of ribben about 4 feet from his gun . maybe it does matter at the muzzle maybe not.

ss7mm · #4 08-10-2009, 11:39 AM

Any movement of a bullet close to the muzzle as opposed to farther downrange, causes the bullet to be off line by a certain degree/angle. This angle is there permanently and unless you get a wind from a different direction way out there, the bullet will only be farther off line the farther the target is from the muzzle. It doesn't come back to the original line of sight, it only continues off on the angle caused originally and the farther out you get the more off line from the target you will be.

tracker12ga · #5 08-10-2009, 12:25 PM

Thanks for the replies so far.

Quote:

Any movement of a bullet close to the muzzle as opposed to farther downrange, causes the bullet to be off line by a certain degree/angle.

I was also under the assumption, that the bullet was traveing fast enough out of the muzzle that it wouldnt matter what the wind was doing there. Only when the bullet started to loose velocity would the wind start to effect it.

SS7mm, has it been your experience that even moderate wind at the muzzle can push the bullet immediatly after leaving the pipe?

ss7mm · #6 08-10-2009, 12:39 PM

It's rare to only have wind "right at the muzzle". What I'm saying is that if you are shooting at say, 1000 yards and have a wind condition in the first 300-500 yards then it will effect the flight of the bullet from the muzzle to the target.

If you only had wind "right at the muzzle" then the effect would be minimal as the velocity vs. the short distance of wind effecting the bullet would probably be something you could ignore.

In canyon country of the west it's highly unusual to only have wind "right at the muzzle" so the point I'm making is that if you have wind effecting the bullet in the first part of a 1000 yard shot then the distance off line will be greater at 1000 yards than if you only had wind acting on the bullet in the last 200-300 yards.

tracker12ga · #7 08-10-2009, 12:51 PM

Alright, I think I just had a eureka moment hear. From what you guys are saying and from another archived post that I read, if you have a wind that pushes the bullet 1" at 100yds, then you will have a 10" drift at 1000yds. Compared to having the wind push at closer ranges to the target, the drift will be less.