Holding windage for practice

[Erussell01]

Over the last couple years I have shot more 223 and 308 than I had the entirety of my life prior. I'm not a crazy high round count shooter but I've been really committed to weekly practice where I have been shooting at least a few rounds every week. It has been paying off in my ability to control varmints and predators around the farm nicely.


However

I STILL SUCK

specifically at windage holds and it's making me think I may need a different solution.

Currently the two rifles I shoot the most are savage axis, 223 and 308 both topped with burris optics that feature a bdc reticle since I'm not a good enough shooter yet to utilize something at a higher level. I have succesffuly made shots this year on coyotes and woodchucks out to 400 yards and I'm incredibly happy with the performance of my little 223 with a 73 eldm.

But this week I missed a coyote during a morning call session. I was super stable, prone shooting off my pack. Got a good yardage, the coyote came out at 187 yards and sat down to bark at me on the other treeline. I ranged him, got steady, checked the wind and held what I thought was enough. We had a 15 mph crossing wind coming from right to left. Not quite 90 degrees. I held on his right shoulder and watched my bullet impact the dirt behind him inches from his left side.

He scooted out of there and stopped at a little over 400. Quick range on him told me 405, I used my appropriate bdc mark to set elevation and doubled my windage hold and sent another one and this time hit the coyote, but unfortunately hit him in the back ham as he had turned broadside with his head to the righ.

Now I'm happy I got lead into that coyote. But had it been a game animal and not a maurauding coyote trying to steal chickens, I would have been very upset at myself. Is there an easier way to learn wind and or have it on a dope card?

The situation has me looking at another reticle option for burris- the e3. It appears to have roughly a 10-12 mph wind dot for the 223 73 eldm. Would this be a decent option?


Otherwise how can I practice and get a good "gauge" for wind calls with this rifle?

I intend to shoot a deer with it this fall. It will likely be 100 yards or less just due to the dentisty of trees and cover where I typically hunt so not likely going to need a wind call.

But I'm working on being a more proficient shooter and I hope you guys can help me.

 

[dieselchessy]

So at 200 yards. 15mph full value wind you held maybe 3-5 inches off center? Assuming a coyote is 7-10” wide facing you.
So you believe your bullet drifts -4” in that wind at 200 yards?

You said you were doing a call session, but then describe the coyote as “trying to steel chickens”. Were you using a chicken call sound?

 

[LongWayAround]

Get a scope that is subtended in mils.

The bc for a 73gr eld-m is .4, so you will hold 0.1 mil for every 4mph of cross wind per 100yd.

Your hold on that coyote at almost 200yd would have been about 0.8mil.

edit: made some assumptions about the shot conditions and punched it into 4dof. I got a wind hold of 0.6mil (4.3").

A mil at 200yd is 7.2" and 0.8 of that is 5.76", so you probably missed just off the edge. A rushed shot at 400, holding out in empty space in the scope was probably a fairly lucky hit.

I love my 6x swfa on my .223. It's a perfect match for me.

 

[LongWayAround]

So at 200 yards. 15mph full value wind you held maybe 3-5 inches off center? Assuming a coyote is 7-10” wide facing you.
So you believe your bullet drifts -4” in that wind at 200 yards?

You said you were doing a call session, but then describe the coyote as “trying to steel chickens”. Were you using a chicken call sound?

I think you may have mis-read.

He said the wind was right to left, he held right side and missed left.

From what I got out of 4dof, the wind drift would be about 4" at 0.6mil.

Edit: thought about it some more... If he was already holding ~4", it wouldn't make sense to drift another 4". Or his wind call was just wrong.

 

[EastHumboldt]

4” seems like a lot at 200 to me.? But I’m also an idiot about wind. Would it have been less with a 150 grain 7 mm out of a 7-08? Meaning, would a heavier bullet have less drift?

 

[LongWayAround]

4” seems like a lot at 200 to me.? But I’m also an idiot about wind. Would it have been less with a 150 grain 7 mm out of a 7-08? Meaning, would a heavier bullet have less drift?

Yes.

I entered 5000' 60° 2800fps.

If I only change the bullet to 150gr eld-x, the drift becomes 0.4mil. If I change the muzzle velocity to 2600fps, drift becomes 0.5mil.

 

[Ramem7mm]

If you get a new scope get it in first focal plane as well so you can use the reticle subtentions consistently.

 

[dieselchessy]

I think you may have mis-read.

He said the wind was right to left, he held right side and missed left.

From what I got out of 4dof, the wind drift would be about 4" at 0.6mil.

Edit: thought about it some more... If he was already holding ~4", it wouldn't make sense to drift another 4". Or his wind call was just wrong.

I think I read it correctly, and seem to have come to a similar conclusion as you. Im just wondering what the OP’s numbers were. We dont know launch speed ect…

I left the 400 part alone. They said they “doubled the hold”. So does that mean 8” or 16” to the OP?

 

[LongWayAround]

I left the 400 part alone. They said they “doubled the hold”. So does that mean 8” or 16” to the OP?

Minute-of-yote?