Wind

This post is more for the folks who are just getting into the craft and have yet to shoot beyond a couple of hundred yards, haven't finished the Sniper 101 series, and perhaps have been on FakeBook and gotten conflicting info on wind. I won't profess to have enough experience that I feel I can offer advice, but I spend quite a bit of my time working on my wind estimation skills. I quit counting the number of times I've watched the Sniper 101 series, but suffice it to say that it's been more than twice for some videos. I was also a participant in the Live Fire-now known as RX1000- in Lewistown, PA last year. Bear with me, I'll get to the point shortly! :-D Last fall, I took a one day "Shooter/Spotter" class, and part of the class was walking the 500 yard range, to see and feel the wind, due to the lay of the land. Very enlightening, as the wind varied greatly depending on where we stood. OK, we're almost there! Many folks have apps on their smartphone where they can pull the weather at the closest airport. I have The Weather Channel app and BallisticArc. BallisticArc will give you the true barometric pressure at the airport, and both seem to be accurate for wind speed, AT THE AIRPORT! Using BallisticARC, this morning I found the wind speed to be reported as 4.6 mph, whereas the wind speed via The Weather Channel was 6 mph. The airport used by BallisticArc is about 2,000 yards from where I stood, while the one used by The Weather Channel is several miles away. Checking a couple of places, it seems that the wind speed is commonly measured at 10 meters above the ground. So, with all that, I finally get to the point. Imagine relying on an app for wind speed-4-6 mph, in this case, but seeing this where you are! So, long story slightly longer, don't rely on apps to get reliable atmospherics if you want to hit small targets at long range with the first or second shot! ;-) Pay no attention to the mumbling. It's just me talking to myself!