Didn't know where to post this but here goes. I am looking for any video or book on how to read/ estimate wind in the field without using a kestrel etc. I am sure practice is the cure all here but with the cost of ammo these days I need a little help to at least get me close. Any other help or advice from the upstanding gentleman on this forum would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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Fieldcraft Wind call with no tech
- Thread starter meathunter1
- Start date
After watching videos or reading about wind/mirage you still need to practice. Lots of practice. That does not mean shooting, but practice reading wind.
Get a wind meter and a spotting scope. Go out in the field, use the meter to read the wind, then check the scope, looking at mirage, wind in the trees, blowing grass. etc. etc.
After a bit, use the spotting scope first and make an estimate of the wind speeds watching the indicators mentioned above. Check you estimates with the wind meter.
Stick the wind meter in your pocket, as you walk around on your daily activities, look at flags, look at trees, grass, blowing dust, anything moving because of wind. Make a guess and pull you wind meter out of your pocket and compare you estimation to the wind meter.
It doesn't cost a thing, assuming you have a spotting scope and wind meter. The wind meter doesn't have to be a high priced gismo that comes with everything. You're just learning to read wind.
Like anything else, the more practice the better you'll be.
But you're not spending a fortune on ammo. Eventually you'll have to apply what you learned in shooting, but you can learn a lot with firing a round.
Get a wind meter and a spotting scope. Go out in the field, use the meter to read the wind, then check the scope, looking at mirage, wind in the trees, blowing grass. etc. etc.
After a bit, use the spotting scope first and make an estimate of the wind speeds watching the indicators mentioned above. Check you estimates with the wind meter.
Stick the wind meter in your pocket, as you walk around on your daily activities, look at flags, look at trees, grass, blowing dust, anything moving because of wind. Make a guess and pull you wind meter out of your pocket and compare you estimation to the wind meter.
It doesn't cost a thing, assuming you have a spotting scope and wind meter. The wind meter doesn't have to be a high priced gismo that comes with everything. You're just learning to read wind.
Like anything else, the more practice the better you'll be.
But you're not spending a fortune on ammo. Eventually you'll have to apply what you learned in shooting, but you can learn a lot with firing a round.
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WSxDistance in Hundreds/Constant=FV MOA lead
exp.
5mph L to R wind x 4 (for 400y)/10 = 2 MOA left windage needed.... (for 308 with 175gr SMK at 2,580fps)
BAM no elektrniks needed, not the MOST accurate but good enough for practical hits on the "fly"
exp.
5mph L to R wind x 4 (for 400y)/10 = 2 MOA left windage needed.... (for 308 with 175gr SMK at 2,580fps)
BAM no elektrniks needed, not the MOST accurate but good enough for practical hits on the "fly"
Thanks for the help guys. I am going to look for a used kestrel and practice with it. Seems to be the best way to get "good" practice.
Shoot in it.....a lot. The more you do it, the better you'll get at it. Reading the terrain is more productive for making wind calls, than reading a wind meter.
get a 25$ caldwell wind wizard... go stand in the wind.. feel it on you face.... guess it... now look at the meter... after a week, should be be +-2mph
and allway dope high... if wind is 5 to 7, always dope 7....
and allway dope high... if wind is 5 to 7, always dope 7....
"Reading the wind" by M/Sgt James R. Owen Usmc Ret. good quick little read. I very it around for reference.
+1. Very good pub that covers pretty much all the fundamentals of wind reading, rest needs to be built from experience. And it fits in the big pocket in the Triad large data book cover!
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Get a friend to go downrange with a Kestrel and a com device. Read the wind through a spotting scope and radio your friend with feedback for estimating effective wind with your mirage.
The vids are great and all but they don't cover the other big factor in the equation - terrain. Visualize the terrain as a stream bed and the wind as water flowing through it. Depending on the terrain features you may see the effects on the winds from a mile or so out from your position / the target position. Think of how water moves around both large and small rocks in a steam, how when the channel narrows the velocity increases, think of the conditions that allow for eddys.
In mountainous areas, draws (esp) act like funnels, however if there is a vertical rise above the top of the draw, at lower velocity conditions you will often see the wind boil back toward the top of the draw. The other funny one is a plateau at the bottom of a draw - winds rushing down the draw enjoy the most velocity where the plateau meets the draw, as it spreads out across the plateau the velocity dissipates / completing winds start to take effect. End of the day, charts / formulas / watching mirage (on anything other than a flat range) are great - but they are still an untested guess. Only when you make a hold and fire a round do you get confirmation.
In mountainous areas, draws (esp) act like funnels, however if there is a vertical rise above the top of the draw, at lower velocity conditions you will often see the wind boil back toward the top of the draw. The other funny one is a plateau at the bottom of a draw - winds rushing down the draw enjoy the most velocity where the plateau meets the draw, as it spreads out across the plateau the velocity dissipates / completing winds start to take effect. End of the day, charts / formulas / watching mirage (on anything other than a flat range) are great - but they are still an untested guess. Only when you make a hold and fire a round do you get confirmation.
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+ 1 on Ring's advice of too much wind on the gun. Remember that the wind you may feel at your location probably is not what is going on at the target. I didn't see any mention about reading the mirage. It will look like water when viewed thru the scope and it doesn't lie. It does take practice, no doubt. Try to keep a good log book and refer back to it as needed. Good luck and good shooting!
Doug
Doug
