Basics on playing wind?

[WEATHERBY460]

Typically at how many yards do you start compensating for wind? At at what wind mph? thanks

[rscott5028]

Someone wisely pointed out that "any wind moves any bullet at any distance."

The key is to keep matters in perspective.

If you're trying to hit a 4 MOA target in a 3 gun competition where the number of shots fired doesn't even count, Forget about wnid and start shooting.

If there's a pack of feral hogs crossing the sendero, swag the wind and start shooting.

If you're shooting a 100 yd benchrest competition where group size is measured to the nearest thousandth of an inch, you'd better pay attention to the wind on every shot.

My son initially had a 5 shot 1.5" group this weekend at 500yds. Later, the wind picked up and he shot a much larger 10 shot group. Vertical was good. But, a 3-4 mph wind change got the best of him.

Also, the competition he's practicing for is a clay shoot where it's not just about group size. You actually have to hit the very small targets. So, a precise rifle/load is important. But, he's qucikly learning that wind is make or break (pun intended).

-- richard

[WEATHERBY460]

so a 5mph wind at 500yards...would definitaly push a 300 grain bullet?

[Broz]

Originally Posted by WEATHERBY460

so a 5mph wind at 500yards...would definitaly push a 300 grain bullet?

Yes, Definatly. a 5 mph 3:00 (full value) wind will move a 300 Berger almost 1 moa (5") at 500 yards . This is at 4100 ft and a MV of 2800 fps.

Jeff

[LouBoyd]

Range cards are very handy. Make them up for each rifle/cartridge pair you use in a scale you can read and plastic laminate them. Keep the cards with the rifle. Multiple cards can be made up for different air density where you may shoot. Keep it sensible for ranges and the information you need.
This is just an example of useful information on a range card with info you might want. Lots of other parameters can be included like bullet velocity and energy but it's mostly clutter for taking a shot. Many ballistic calculators provided more precise information, but they're much more expensive and slower to use.



This site has some range card calcualators which will print drop and wind cards for just about any rifle/cartridge/bullet combination. They're free to use.
JBM - Calculations