Wind angle

T3N Rural

Private
Minuteman
Dec 18, 2018
22
9
45
Australia
Hey guys, this is probably a stupid question but I’ve just got a weather flow meter and was wondering about wind direction. If I point the meter straight at the target and use this value as 100% wind will it be a close enough reading or are these meters not that sensitive? Just thought this may be easier than working out wind direction and allocating a value. Thanks.
 
I would not do that.

Point it in the direction of the wind, then either use the value from direction or let your calculator tell you.

This and remember, that’s only a starting point. There’s still wind between the target and at the target. You’ll need to practice reading those conditions without a meter obviously.

Unfortunately, there are no real shortcuts to wind.
 
Thanks, I kind of answered my own question yesterday when I took my wind meter out to work and started playing around with it. My wind calls were pretty close but I need to work on factoring in the direction. Up until now I’ve been guesstimating the wind, firing and if needed correcting from the bullets impact. I guess there’s really no substitute for practice and keeping notes.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ShtrRdy
I'm bad at telling exact wind direction too. it all feels the same to me.

i carry a little bottle of wind chalk and spritz it and see where it blows.

then you aim your phone at your targets - set that direction.

then face into the wind and set the wind direction.

(i use ballistic arc - atleast that's how it works on that app) it pairs with that weatherflow meter
 
dont forget to look for clues of wind at your position, about halfway to your target and at your target. My range we shoot from a ridgeside down into a low lying marshy area (flat and no trees)... wind at the target can be say 15mph full 90% value, but the way the wind climbs the ridge and gets redirected by trees and such I can usually get a 10-12mph at say 45-60 degrees where I stand, which would be a wrong reading to impact... take your time and look through binos for wind at your target.
 
Thanks for the replies, I guess its all a bit of guess work, given we only know for sure what’s happening at the shooter. I think as far as I’m concerned, the wind is changing quite a bit from shooter to target. I’m shooting from a shaded position in a fair bit of timber, through a clearing and across an open clay pan, about 400m across, and into more timber for my 850m target, and then beyond the timber again to my 1200m target, so a lot of things are happening with the wind. It all comes down to observation and practice I guess.
 
I'm bad at telling exact wind direction too. it all feels the same to me.

i carry a little bottle of wind chalk and spritz it and see where it blows.

then you aim your phone at your targets - set that direction.

then face into the wind and set the wind direction.

(i use ballistic arc - atleast that's how it works on that app) it pairs with that weatherflow meter


I use this exact same process, but I just use the Frank and Mike MPH method.

What screen do you go into to point the phone at the target?
 
I shoot at Youngs in Northern Indiana. Targets are steel set every 100 yards from southeast to northwest, 100 yards to 1k yards. We shoot from covered benches or out of a building at the south end of the range. The prevailing wind shows on the screen shot. The arrows are trying to show the primary effects. When the wind is from the right instead of the left, we get other effects especially a burble in the slot between the benches and 500. There are proper wind flags at 3, 5, 7, and 9. When the corn is up, the bullets see between 1/4 and 1/3 of the wind shown on the flags. Corn is hard to read. When they plant soy, it is easier to read the veg. When the fields are harvested, we get about half of the indicated speed. At Youngs with an east wind and no crops, I have shot between 4 and 5 mils of right to get on the steel at 900.

The wind where you are is important because a little effect at the muzzle has a big effect downrange. Note, we may feel a wind in our face but as the bullet moves downrange the wind seen by the bullet changes from 12 o'clock to 10 o'clock. My terrible "curly-qs" indicate turbulent air. When it is turbulent its effect is not much but sometimes it is flowing and that matters. As the bullet goes downrange, it slows down so the wind has more time to work on it. As the bullet moves away from the ground, the wind speed increases. About 2/3 of the way down the range, the bullet is as high above the ground as it is going to get and the wind has its greatest strength. At this range, there is a low area between 400 and 700 so we get extra high above the ground so extra wind effect.

When the wind is from the west and blowing more than 12 knots on the flags, I can make a cold bore hit at 1k on a 1 mil target about 2/3 of the time. When it is blowing more than 12 knots from the east, it is more like half of the time. At this range it is difficult to spot impacts at 1k, the nature of the berm is to absorb the impact and not throw any dirt. If the impact is visible, second shots usually connect and I can move to a 2/3 mil or 1/3 mil target. At this range, the most difficult target for a reliable cold bore shot is the 2/3 mil steel at 900 - the wind is really weird there. I have never made a cold bore hit on the 1/3 mil target at 900.

This is not an especially difficult range to shoot. Some of you guys have really terrible situations while others have these infinite high-prairie ranges with a nice steady 15 knots from a single direction. Oh well.

simple wind from the west.jpg
 
You need the meter to accurately measure the wind at the angle it is blowing. Calculating angle value is a separate exercise.

Soon you will learn just how meaningless that one reading is - standing in one place, not in the flight path of the bullet, at about 5 feet off the ground, holding a wind meter.