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Why you need flags to be successful at 50y

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Here’s a nice card to round out the testing of a HPX upgrade. Clearly this was shot with flags. Would be utterly impossible to do this without flags as you could never perceive the light changes switching left to right.

Mike 



 
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I know a lot of folks here will disagree, but the fist flag at no more than 20 yds. gives the best read. Seems strange, but it's a fact. Once the pellet or bullet leaves the muzzle, it is deflected by the wind no matter what direction it is blowing. Wind speed only increases the deflection. Then there is the mirage to contend with which is another story. To me, mirage is the best indicator there is unless the mirage runs against the wind then believe the mirage over the wind. Which does happen! You also have to contend with quartering winds as well as mirage. Only way to learn how to read conditions is shoot many, many , many rounds in different conditions. The best shooters excel at wind reading. Also make use of your sighters. That is why they are on the target in the first pace. Most important of all, BE PATIENT!!. Wait for your condition. If your lose your patience, you are done for. Either that or go back to your sighter for the prevailing condition.
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This is spot on.



About three years ago I started shooting some 50 yard .22 rimfire benchrest fun matches. Nothing serious, most of us use cheaper ammo and older rifles like Winchester 52's and Remington 37's and 40X's. My buddy that got me started has been a bechrest shooter for years. He was giving me some tips (few and far between, LOL) and told me to watch the mirage and if it was going against the wind to believe the mirage. Sometime later I was practicing, it was hot and breezy but my shots weren't agreeing with what the flags. Then I remembered what I'd been told about mirage. I just sat and watched the target through the scope, sure enough the mirage was moving opposite of the flags. After making an adjustment to my holds for the mirage my shots started falling in.

Honestly when my buddy told me this I was kinda skeptical and had to see it for myself. Now I just need to make a mirage board.
 
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I’m just gonna throw this out there...certainly not going to argue about it. I know some (most) of the best Rimfire and air rifle BR shooters in the world. Not one uses mirage as a shot indicator of wind. Every one relies on the flags and the tails of the flags for their information. For mirage to be effective you must have your scope parallax adjusted to a point between you and the target. If you do that in 25m or 50y br you will not be able to see the target clearly enough to make a good shot, and you cannot keep going back and forth. Mirage is quite useful in ft because you can roll the scope back to see the mirage in between you and the target and still make your shot with the target being out of focus because it’s a 1.5” hole. Good Rimfire and air shooters are hitting a .030” dot far more often than not at 50y. If your parallax is not adjusted perfectly you are disadvantaging yourself significantly. If you have the scope focused on the target...you are seeing the mirage at the target which doesn’t mean much if the mirage before the target is going the other way. It’s kind of like putting a flag at the target. Knowing what the wind is doing at a point where it’s too late to matter is not helpful.

Mirage between you and the target will ALWAYS agree with your flags. The problem people have with flags in switchy conditions is that there is a bit of time delay for the flag vane to physically react to the wind and guys often get fooled into thinking their shot went right, when the flags indicated left. If you watch the end of the flag tail and it tucks under or curls....the wind changed direction even if it was not for long enough to turn the vane.

Just to sum up....NO outdoor high level 50y BR shooter in Rimfire or air relies on mirage for his hold information.

Mike
 
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I’m just gonna throw this out there...certainly not going to argue about it. I know some (most) of the best Rimfire and air rifle BR shooters in the world. Not one uses mirage as a shot indicator of wind. Every one relies on the flags and the tails of the flags for their information. For mirage to be effective you must have your scope parallax adjusted to a point between you and the target. If you do that in 25m or 50y br you will not be able to see the target clearly enough to make a good shot, and you cannot keep going back and forth. Mirage is quite useful in ft because you can roll the scope back to see the mirage in between you and the target and still make your shot with the target being out of focus because it’s a 1.5” hole. Good Rimfire and air shooters are hitting a .030” dot far more often than not at 50y. If your parallax is not adjusted perfectly you are disadvantaging yourself significantly. If you have the scope focused on the target...you are seeing the mirage at the target which doesn’t mean much if the mirage before the target is going the other way. It’s kind of like putting a flag at the target. Knowing what the wind is doing at a point where it’s too late to matter is not helpful.

Mirage between you and the target will ALWAYS agree with your flags. The problem people have with flags in switchy conditions is that there is a bit of time delay for the flag vane to physically react to the wind and guys often get fooled into thinking their shot went right, when the flags indicated left. If you watch the end of the flag tail and it tucks under or curls....the wind changed direction even if it was not for long enough to turn the vane.

Just to sum up....NO outdoor high level 50y BR shooter in Rimfire or air relies on mirage for his hold information.

Mike
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Just an observation about using flags and how to read them.

It would be nice if there were a couple of YouTube instructional videos that we could watch and learn from in real world outdoor 50 and/or 100 yard BR environments. I have looked but could not find anything particularly useful. There is a fair amount of information to process using multiple flags that a shooter needs to assess and apply, before squeezing the trigger.

I realize there is no substitute for practice, but like Jack Nicklaus once said, “practice with a PURPOSE.’ I’m a visual learner and as much as I can read about the many conditions presented by wind, it can be daunting trying to assimilate all of this especially if you mostly shoot by yourself and cannot get to matches where you can benefit from face to face learnings. 

Not complaining but merely acknowledging that unless you know you are doing something right or wrong, you may be unintentionally not reading the wind correctly.

Good thread....



 
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Tommy...you will know if you are doing it right because your scores will improve. The best visual is just you watching what happens when you shoot in a certain condition.


Mike
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True.. I have noticed that my scores have improved, but I thought that was because I figured out how to “correctly” use those big ole’ scoring plugs you sent to me. 🤣

You have given me an idea that may help me and potentially others. Perhaps taking some notes after I miss or correctly read a wind call, will reenforce the results for given bulls. As an Illustration, let’s say I have a right to left 2-4 mph wind condition and I shoot a sighter and find out I need to adjust POA to the outer right ring. I manage to hit a “10” reading that condition. I shoot 3 more bulls with that same condition and manage to hit the 10 ring. Wind now switches to a head wind, and I document where my POA is relative to POI with a sighter. Use that information to adjust my hold based on pellet drop. Next example; winds shift from 8am to 2pm left to right, shoot a sighter and take note of POI. Now I have windage and vertical drifts to consider. Figure out my hold and shoot only while that condition prevails.

What I am suggesting for me is to use a structured regimen which is embellished with notes, such that when I review the card later I can actually see what worked and what didn’t. It’s a lot more work and will take longer, but maybe this will add some process / rigor to my outings. I think this will be a short term exercise ( taking notes and documenting results) until/if I can do this automatically and from memory vs. notes. 

Tom 



 
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So I shot my first ever benchrest competition yesterday. We started an Airrifle Unlimited series here in South Africa broadly modeled on the RMAC format. This was only the second event and the wind was very erratic changing direction constantly or more snapping from side to side. A cold front had come in over the country. 


It stuffed me up at 100m but I managed to shoot a 232 score at 50m. With the first card I got a 216 and when the second round came up, I really focused, and only shot when my chosen repeatable condition showed on the flags. Hein Frommann and I were the only participants with flags out, and it made all the difference. I shot an FX Impact in .22 with JSB slugs at 920fps which Hein had done some amazing work on. My flags are also his invention which makes it so much easier to read the speed and direction of the wind than other flags I have seen. 
 
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So I shot my first ever benchrest competition yesterday. We started an Airrifle Unlimited series here in South Africa broadly modeled on the RMAC format. This was only the second event and the wind was very erratic changing direction constantly or more snapping from side to side. A cold front had come in over the country. 


It stuffed me up at 100m but I managed to shoot a 232 score at 50m. With the first card I got a 216 and when the second round came up, I really focused, and only shot when my chosen repeatable condition showed on the flags. Hein Frommann and I were the only participants with flags out, and it made all the difference. I shot an FX Impact in .22 with JSB slugs at 920fps which Hein had done some amazing work on. My flags are also his invention which makes it so much easier to read the speed and direction of the wind than other flags I have seen.
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Way to go Kurt!

” only shot when my chosen repeatable condition showed on the flags.” 

This is what I need to work on too next time out. When it comes together and you shoot a few consecutive 10’s holding for the right condition, it’s a very rewarding feeling.

 
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First day back at the range today since April 9th after knee replacement surgery. Boy, was this ever a treat today for me.

It was Memorial Day and although I got there early, it was going to get busy. I got there at 8:45 am this morning. Soon after I got set up, two CF and RF guys showed up and we started talking, and talking.....and talking.

I had the RW Safari .22 HP shooting JSB 25g KO's, and shot 2 N50 cards, scored with .035" plugs. Wind was light ( 2 mph ) and weather was great. Had the Wicks flags deployed at 8 and 33 yards. 

I was a bit rusty, but also pleased just to be outside and out of my recliner, which has been my home for almost 2 months. I shot a 240 and 244, but this was my first time using these flags. Yes, I did not always know ( read ) what they were telling me, so I did miss some wind calls. I tried to wait on a condition I knew how to shoot, but the wind was switching all the time. Head wind, tail wind, left to right, right to left. Very strange with a very mild wind, to me anyway. Perhaps, that is normal. The higher score was shot with flags, and the 240 was shot partially with flags. I shot about half the targets without flags, waited for the range to go COLD, then I deployed them.

I need a calmer, less busy day when I may be able to really focus and concentrate on the flags, the various conditions, when to shoot and not to shoot, etc. I hit more 10's with the 244 card, and almost had four 50's vs. two 50's. The two 9's were close, but they were not 10's.

Good to be back, and my heart felt thanks and appreciation to all those ( and their families) who served this great country!

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