When is the wind blowing too hard to target practice

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ThomasT

ThomasT

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Apr 25, 2021
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Deep East Texas on Sam Rayburn Lake, United States
www.uncletomsplace.net
Hello everyone,

It has been over a week since I was able to do any target shooting and I just had to shoot a little today. Wind was blowing 12mph with guts to 25mph and variable direction. At one point the wind got under one of the paper targets and blew it off the cardboard backing :oops: , even though I had tape on all four corners. Even with these conditions I was able to shoot one of my new targets with a perfect score of 90. Using the FX Crown MK II .177 cal and some JSB MRD 13.43 that I had re-sized using a .451 Pellet Sizer. One thing that I found out real quick with the Sizer was, not all pellets are created equal 😉. Some pellets pushed through with little effort, but some required a whole lot more effort than I had expected. The shooting conditions too bad to pass a final judgment on using the Pellet Sizer, but it appears to be worth the time and effort. My scope was set to shoot the JSB MRD 13.43 right out of the Tin and I noticed that the Re-sized pellets shot very close to dead center but just a tad higher. I re-sized a whole Tin so I have plenty to test when conditions are a lot better.

ThomasT
4-Card Challenge~One-1.jpg
Plug Sizer 451A.jpg
 
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Pretty much never with high power 30 cal

I switched scopes on my G2 30 yesterday and it was a pretty easy sight in at 40 and then 75 yards even with the trees bending in the wind behind the targets

Light pellets like 22 caliber I avoid shooting when it's gusty. I shoot 33.95 grain .25 from my G2 25 so that's somewhere in the middle. If the wind is strong and changes direction, I'll notice it.
 
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Subjective, depends on shooter's ability, gun's precision, distance one is trying for, how badly one wants to hone "wind" skills, WHAT target, etc. Common sense dictates that hunting in near hurricane force winds shouldn't be attempted but on paper, why not? But you knew that, I'm pretty sure. The stronger the winds, the more apt I am to go with my .30 also, however, I DO like to see what my other guns are capable of in all conditions.
 
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@ThomasT Looks like a decent card to me considering the caliber and wind speed. Did you enjoy shooting in those conditions? I haven’t used a sizing die and I’m interested in what type of results you get using yours (concerning consistency).

I’ve shot .25 and .30 pellets from rifles in wind gusts up to 16 mph from 50 -65 yards frequently enough. 25 mph is pretty challenging the farther out I shoot, but I can only recall gusts that high on maybe two occasions. In my case there are obstructions along the path of the pellets at various points that break the wind which makes it a bit more challenging, especially when the wind changes direction. These are 34-45 grain diabolo pellets. I think it’s fun to do recreationally just to kind of play with reading wind and applying holds based on DOPE. I’m hardly skilled enough to compete, but I do enjoy target shooting in wind thanks to a few members prodding me to try it. I say go for it when you have the chance. I use 8 pieces of tape on my targets, one piece on each corner and one piece on each side. That way the wind can’t catch the target like a sail so easily on really gusty days.
 
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silvershooter589 said:
If you're not too busy you should shoot a few cards to show us your wind shootin skills. ;)
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Just saw the 5PM update they have moved the tract from Sarasota/Bradenton down to almost Ft Myers. Hate it for those folks, almost identical the Harvey's path. We lost power here for 2 weeks when that happened. I'll be a little busy to do any target practice!:ROFLMAO:
 
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Everyone needs a recreation break after boarding up the windows and filling up the jerry cans with a line of 100 cars.

But in all seriousness wishing you all the best down there. If we can seed clouds to make rain and snow it seems like we could dry up a system that threatens a populated coastal area on the main land using similar methods. Anyway, good luck to you all.
 
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Ezana4CE said:
@ThomasT Looks like a decent card to me considering the caliber and wind speed. Did you enjoy shooting in those conditions? I haven’t used a sizing die and I’m interested in what type of results you get using yours (concerning consistency).

I’ve shot .25 and .30 pellets from rifles in wind gusts up to 16 mph from 50 -65 yards frequently enough. 25 mph is pretty challenging the farther out I shoot, but I can only recall gusts that high on maybe two occasions. In my case there are obstructions along the path of the pellets at various points that break the wind which makes it a bit more challenging, especially when the wind changes direction. These are 34-45 grain diabolo pellets. I think it’s fun to do recreationally just to kind of play with reading wind and applying holds based on DOPE. I’m hardly skilled enough to compete, but I do enjoy target shooting in wind thanks to a few members prodding me to try it. I say go for it when you have the chance. I use 8 pieces of tape on my targets, one piece on each corner and one piece on each side. That way the wind can’t catch the target like a sail so easily on really gusty days.
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Hello @Ezana4CE,

I actually shot 5 cards today and four looked just like the one that I posted here, all 90 score. The fifth card was a 70 score but one miss was all my fault. And yes, I enjoyed shooting even with the high winds and was pleased that I shot as well as I did in the conditions.

OK so the 5 cards at 8 shots each, plus another different target with 25 shots and about 10 warm up shots gives me a total of 75 shots using the "Sized" pellets. Surely not enough to draw a final conclusion about any improvement of accuracy but from what I have experienced so far I would say yes, the Sized Pellets do seem to shoot better. I will shoot both Sized and "out of the tin" pellets at targets that are side by side to get a much better comparison and will post my findings.

I have shot paper targets ever since I was in my early 20's and still today at 81 years old enjoy every target that I shoot ( well maybe not everyone...:rolleyes: ).

ThomasT
 
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Ranchibi said:
Wonderful shooting in the wind with your .177 Crown! I have a pellet sizer similar to yours....they do work making ammo all the same diameter making for a more consistent fit....
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@Ranchibi and @ThomasT can either of you provide a link to where you get these pellet sizers that have been working for y’all?
 
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