LRNut
Well-Known Member
As is typical of my day, I started out shooting at my 910 yard gong. I often wait for the wind to blow to make it a bit challenging, but got the itch to pull the trigger. Got out my Savage Lapua. Wind was nearly calm at my shooting site (a lighter flame was bending both way but mostly to the right). No vegetation was moving downrange, not even grass. No mirage drift through my spotter at various magnifications up to 70X. Figured I would hold 1/2 MOA left for spin. Checked for any mirage using my parallax (NF scope), held 1/2 MOA left, and pulled the trigger. Saw dirt fly but no "dong." MV (I shoot with a LabRadar since I am shooting next to the house) was right there. Figured it might have been the rifle. Switched to a Stiller Predator in .338 Lapua. Same conditions, same hold, missed the 24" gong. Decided to shoot my Edge, but this time make a video using my spotter iPhone adapter. Same conditions, same hold. MV was right where I have it in my SIG ABS. Missed gong. I honestly expected to see a wind from the right but the video clearly showed it missing the gong just to the right. A wind hold of 2 MOA would have resulted in a center hit. FWIW, a 2 MOA wind has always been pretty obvious at this location: my anemometer shows it, my wind flag stuck in front of my position shows it (typically a 45 deg angle), and the trees and grass downrange are moving due to wind. None of these were true today. And to reiterate, I get to shoot EVERY single day, in all kinds of conditions.
Before you say I simply missed three times, my hit rate on the gong itself has been 100%, with 92% of my shots hitting within 5" of center if my wind hold is 1 MOA or less (first shot only; no follow-ups). My bullet is traveling over a small valley/draw to impact on the mountain behind my house, which means the actual wind is always greater than at my position. I can only conclude there was a weird wind blowing to the right through the center of the valley that wasn't present at my location or at the gong.
It might not be 1000 yards, but 910 is close. This lesson taught me no matter how confident you feel about the conditions, at long range, weird stuff can happen. If that was an elk instead of a gong, it would have been gut shot.
Before you say I simply missed three times, my hit rate on the gong itself has been 100%, with 92% of my shots hitting within 5" of center if my wind hold is 1 MOA or less (first shot only; no follow-ups). My bullet is traveling over a small valley/draw to impact on the mountain behind my house, which means the actual wind is always greater than at my position. I can only conclude there was a weird wind blowing to the right through the center of the valley that wasn't present at my location or at the gong.
It might not be 1000 yards, but 910 is close. This lesson taught me no matter how confident you feel about the conditions, at long range, weird stuff can happen. If that was an elk instead of a gong, it would have been gut shot.
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