Shooting groups in the wind

NM_HighPlains

NM_HighPlains

New member
What do you think about shooting 100 yard groups in a 15-25 mph rear quartering wind? Assuming I can hold steady on the bull, are those groups a decent indication of loads or not?

Gun is a .223 shooting 50 gr V-Max. I have some loads I want to try and it's windy and I'm impatient. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
It doesn't take much wind pressure to deflect a bullet.

If your winds are somewhat variable, 2-3mph fluctuation, your groups will be erratic and not really reliable for load testing.

Your best bet, if you can, would be to locate your shooting position so you are shooting with the wind.
 
Don't do it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif If I had to I would rather have a steady 9:00 crosswind, than a rear wind that switches direction a lot. When you have a rear wind it is harder to tell when it goes from 5:00 to 6:00, and it has a bigger difference in where your bullet goes, than a 9:00 wind going to a 10:00 or an 8:00 wind.
 
Alright, alright... I'll wait until it dies down. I can shoot off my back porch, so it's not like I have a long drive to the range. Blowing 25-30 mph right now. Oops... there just went 36 according to my Weather Wizard... back down to 23... 27... well, you get the idea. Hang on a sec and I'll check the maximum recorded wind speed for the past year...

68 mph at 3 pm on 2/4/08.

Gun is a Savage Predator Hunter and I'm trying to work up some load for V-max 50 gr using BL-C2 (of which I have several pounds). I've got a great load for 52 gr HP and a good load for 55 gr SP, but I tried 26.5 gr yesterday and got a 1.25" group- not good enough considering the 52 HP's are a ragged hole and the 55 gr are a nice cloverleaf.

When I tested COAL by putting a bullet in an empty case and chambering it, I came up with a whopping 2.380", fully .120" over specified COAL. The 55 gr SP came out at 2.300" which is closer, but 2.380"? I tried it several times, all came out very similar. Yesterday's loads were done by feel and spec'd at 2.360. I have 2 loads ready to try when the wind quits that are 2.900" and another that has 1 gr more powder (27.5 gr), also at 2.900". I'll shoot the lower load first, obviously.

So, yawn... wait for the wind to settle down...
 
As OldTurtle said, it's not so much the wind (within reason), it's the inconsistencies in the wind. If you ever have used an old fashioned wind gauge, like a U-tube with a little ball inside, you'll quickly discover that a "steady" wind is a very, very rare occurance. Once the wind speed is at 10 mph or so, it can vary up or down (sometimes both) 4-5 mph in the blink of an eye.

Mike
 
Quote:
Trying to shoot group's in windy condition's is pretty much a waste of time.

JMO.


Not true. BR competitors routinely shoot in the wind. You just have to learn how to dope it.

Jack
 
I just don't think testing handload's should be done in windy condition's.

Perhap's i could have been more specific in my 1st post.

I'll stand by my original statement.
 
Quote:
I just don't think testing handload's should be done in windy condition's.



Agree.
You don't learn anything about the loads you're testing by shooting in the wind.
 
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