What is too much wind for 1000 to 1 mile? It's always windy here. I farm and we consider 20 mph the cutoff for spraying chemicals. I have found that to be a good guide for shooting as well. what have others found?
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Too much wind?
- Thread starter CJS-6.5
- Start date
Aside caliber and target size, IMHO it is about how predictable is the wind cycle? It sounds like you're probably shooting across, and near predominately flat ground (non mountainous terrain). In that sense the wind is simplified, speed and direction are your only issues. Contemplate the value of a margin in wind speed at that distance - at what point are you going to be off of your target? If you are off of the target, what is the background look like - can you spot your misses? Shooting by yourself, or do you have a spotter that can read trace?
300 win mag 24" barrel. Flat terrain. Trying for hits on 24" steel at 1000 and hitting a 55 gallon oil drum full of water at 1 mile. Farm all the land around and its worked up so going off of dust puffs. I realize the drum should be easy as far as elevation but its the wind that is messing with me. 32 power scope and prone with bipod. I adjust the windage and its always right or left. should I be firing more shots at a set windage to determine wind consistency?
Don't chase your misses, fire more than one with same POA, by adj all the time you are banking you are doing it perfect, plus that your gun-load is super accurate, play the odds more.
It's very simple, if you miss more than you hit then you either need to move closer or get bigger steel. There are times when the wind varies in intensity enough so that you'll hit left, next shot right, and luck one in there once in awhile, which can be extremely frustrating! There are also times when the wind switches or lets off with bullet mid air which gets confusing. The farther away the bullet gets away from the muzzle all this is compounded. Also the vertical component is affected depending which direction the wind is coming from.
I had a 375CT which is a cartridge having few rivals when it comes to wind. On one windy occasion a friend with his 6BR had a hard time hitting a 1 foot wide plate at 600Y. I was shooting that 375 at 1000Y and getting good groups on a slightly larger steel. Good for me but he might as well have left. Another windy day, one of those days that started with little wind and was blowing 25-30 MPH a few hours later. What was relatively easy to hit earlier with the 375 at ELR distances became a total waste of ammo by the time we threw in the towel, we should have left a good half hour earlier.
With a 6.5 creed I'd pack up when it gets to 15mph or so and the reason is mostly because you won't be learning much by that point.
I had a 375CT which is a cartridge having few rivals when it comes to wind. On one windy occasion a friend with his 6BR had a hard time hitting a 1 foot wide plate at 600Y. I was shooting that 375 at 1000Y and getting good groups on a slightly larger steel. Good for me but he might as well have left. Another windy day, one of those days that started with little wind and was blowing 25-30 MPH a few hours later. What was relatively easy to hit earlier with the 375 at ELR distances became a total waste of ammo by the time we threw in the towel, we should have left a good half hour earlier.
With a 6.5 creed I'd pack up when it gets to 15mph or so and the reason is mostly because you won't be learning much by that point.
Generally speaking I don't care how fast it is blowing, I care about how fast it is cycling. I also care about direction. I find the hardest conditions to be head/tall winds that can switch +/- 11 - 2 on a clock face very quickly. Terrain induced eddy action or denial of wind over portions of the flight path due to wind angle and nearby elevations are unique, but generally predictable; but I definitely hate a fast & switchy head or tail winds.
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About a year ago, the forecast was for ~50F and 10 mph winds. We got high 30s and winds that made it hard to walk a straight line. It would gust out of the west then recoil with a hard blast from the east. We were shooting at 1000 yards and it was a humbling experience. But hey, a tough day out shooting is better than listening to your boss bitch.
