Kentucky Windage

[Duy12B]

Hello everyone,

I went shooting at Sunnyvale Rod and Gun this past weekend and was having quite a bit of trouble dealing with the wind. I will admit, this is the first time I've ever decided to actually try and get a better understanding to deal with it. There were wind flags (pink ribbons) ties to the trees at 25, 50, 75, and 100 yards respectively, but I was noticing that in some instances there was huge crosswind. Wind would blow right according to the first two ribbons, however the wind and dust would blow left at the distance of my target.

I shot a lot trying to compensate for what I thought would give me the best result and that is judging wind using the first two ribbons.. However, I got the most consistent results when I simply ignored the first two ribbons and read the wind at my target.

With CCI Blazer, in some cases I had to hold to the right a good 2 to 4 inches in order to hit the bull of my 2" target at 100 yards.

In regards to Rimfire, what have been some of your experiences? Is there a good "go to" formula or concept I can apply?

[trob]

i've always been a kentucky windage kind of guy. i just hold where i think is good, and it's rarely off. no mil-dots or target turrets, etc.
Even when hunting rock chucks with centerfire (250-300y typically), i just guesstimate. Chucks are similar to a 4" gong most of the time.

it's not pretty, and Im not saying it's the "right" way, but its always done what I needed so i havent changed my ways. I guess my best advice would be to just shoot a lot and know what your bullet is going to do in the wind. Shooting rimfire in wind isn't easy.

[CSACANNONEER]

Reading wind is an art. Every range and even every position on each range will be slightly different. Wind flags may or may not help. It takes years of quality trigger time and a good eye to read mirage before most shooters are able to read what is really happening. Holding 2-4 moa off isn't that bad at 100 yards. I've heard of 50BMG matches where the wind was so bad people had to hold +20 moa off just to hit the 6'x6' target at 1000 yards. BTW, most 50 shooters feel that shooting a .22lr at 100 yards is very similar to shooting a 50BMG at 1000 yards.

Now, remember that the wind is not always going to be blowing consistently the entire length of your bullet's flight path but, here's a great little chart to give you something to think about:



I don't know what's going on but, I can't see the chart right now. If anyone else is having trouble with it, let me know and I'll try to repost it later.

[ElvenSoul]

Heavy bulletts laugh at the wind.

[CSACANNONEER]

Heavy bulletts laugh at the wind.

LOL. Every mile an hour of cross wind typically blows an 800 grain bullet about 1" at 1000 yards. So, a 10mph light breeze will blow an 800 grain (I hope that's heavy enough for you) about 10" or 1 moa. That's a lot to me. I sure don't laugh at the slight difference between a 10 mph breeze and a 16 mph breeze even with "heavy" bullets. However, I do prefer to shoot in a 2-5mph cross wind over perfectly still conditions. Those boils will get you every time in still conditions.

[ElvenSoul]

LOL. Every mile an hour of cross wind typically blows an 800 grain bullet about 1" at 1000 yards. So, a 10mph light breeze will blow an 800 grain (I hope that's heavy enough for you) about 10" or 1 moa. That's a lot to me. I sure don't laugh at the slight difference between a 10 mph breeze and a 16 mph breeze even with "heavy" bullets. However, I do prefer to shoot in a 2-5mph cross wind over perfectly still conditions. Those boils will get you every time in still conditions.

Yup but if you had one shot and 3 bullets to chose from
.280AI 26" barrel 1:9 twist
130gr 145gr 160gr
There is 10mph cross wind
Which do you chose to shoot 400yds?

[ElvenSoul]

No Spinal Tap Fans here...the anniversary was the other day!

[as_rocketman]

Basic formulas for estimating wind speed and your correction are part of the skill set we teach at advanced KD Appleseeds.

A good rule of thumb is that for 10 MPH wind at full value (at 3 or 9 o'clock), the wind correction is 1 MOA per 100 meters for .30 caliber, 1 MOA per 25 meters for .22 LR. But you can work out more precise estimates using a ballistic calculator specific to your load. I like the Winchester app for a quick-and-dirty estimate and the Hornady calculator for more precise numbers.

Humans tend to overestimate windspeeds. Since you had blowing dust you were probably in the 13-18 MPH range. But you have to average the windspeed between you and your target. It's very common for wind to change or even reverse itself somewhere downrange. Your average was probably lower, call it 10 MPH.

Wherever possible, pick an "Average" set of wind conditions and wait to take your shot until those winds return. Don't try to dope each bullet differently if you can help it. And adjust your sights instead of holding off if you have time to do so. Wind effects are VERY repeatable, the only problem is that it's hard for us to sense what it's doing.


Knowing the theory is a start, but there's no other way to dope the wind for real than to get practice. Holding 2 to 4 inches off the edge of your 2" bull (that's 3" to 5" total at 100 meters, or 3 to 5 MOA) is just about right for an expected 10 MPH average full-value wind for .22 LR, so you're doing it right. Get more practice.

[Occams Rasor]

here is a little bit better picture of the chart above. As others stated, it just takes a lot of practice.

[Rosebud22]

Shooting the wind is definitely an art form, one I have yet to master.
I use the targets below to practice. You can down load them for free at

http://borelsport.com/product/download-targets/

[michaelthetrojan]

This is really good information especially in Wyoming, where there are no indoor ranges, and the wind as I'm typing this 50 mph

[Duy12B]

Thank you everyone for your help/tips thus far. Last night I went to Home Depot and purchased some PVC and some joints to make wind stands to drop down my firing lane. Hopefully they don't get shot up.

Those charts are awesome help. I didn't know bullet trajectory would drop or raise depending on a head or tail wind. I will start putting up larger paper to get better readings.

I read up a bit on full and half wind values and they are aligned with what as_rocketman mentioned "1 moa per ~25 meters for .22LR" based on my experience this past weekend. I will be sure to take note of that
tip and see if I can get a better feel for it. Also, waiting for the wind to come back sounds like very sound advice. I'll be sure to give that a try instead of re-checking the flags and making another guesstimate of wind hold.

I looked into the Appleseed Known Distance event and noticed there's one in San Jose on the 29th and 30th of this month. Unfortunately, there's a per-requisite that attendees must have already joined an Appleseed event.. and looking at the schedule there isn't a non-KD event located in San Jose on that list. Would love to join though.

[CSACANNONEER]

Yup but if you had one shot and 3 bullets to chose from
.280AI 26" barrel 1:9 twist
130gr 145gr 160gr
There is 10mph cross wind
Which do you chose to shoot 400yds?

Now you are introducing a bunch of other factors. In the end, yes, a heavier bullet (shot from a barrel with the right twist rate for that bullet) will be less affected by winds. But, your initial claim that "heavier bullets laugh at wind" is still a bit of a stretch. Isn't it? Hell, wind even affects heavy aircraft, missles, etc.

[Occams Rasor]

I didn't know bullet trajectory would drop or raise depending on a head or tail wind.

Yep, that was a surprise to me also. One important issue. If you are using a scope, need to make sure it is zeroed at No wind. That means getting to the range early in the morning to zero in dead calm. Otherwise you start chasing your tail. I then either use mil dots or offset on the target to correct for the wind. . I do not move the scope turrets once I have a good zero (left/right).
Have fun.

[NorCalNative]

Are there any good references that will teach you how to read wind speed?