external ballistics question

[NikonRon]

gun)A few days ago I was shooting ground squirrels with a .22 rim fire. I was shooting INTO a heavy wind, about 25-30 mph gusts. I was on a road at berm top level, in the wind. I was shooting at a squirrel that was at the base of the berm, out of the wind. He was only about 25 yards away. I took 5 shots before I hit him. I held under, right on and over and then held right on twice before getting a hit. SO, my QUESTION is this; what happens to a bullet when it starts out in the wind and then travels DOWN into a dead air space.
I usually don't have much trouble doping a cross wind and getting hits out to a hundred yards, which I had been doing all morning. Put on your thinking caps ballistics experts so I will know what to do next time. Cheers, Ron

 

[rscott5028]

The bullet is affected by a given wind vector and magnitude for the portion of flight that it's exposed to that wind.

When shooting long range, there are frequently multiple wind vectors at varying magnitudes. By the time you run your ballistics software for each portion of flight to calculate the net result, the wind will have changed and your estimates wouldn't have been smack on anyways.

Hence, it's often easiest to swag an average, choose what you feel to be the predominant wind, or simply shoot/spot and walk it in depending on the circumstances.

Shooting sharply down a berm, the "head wind" may have created an up draft or down draft relative to your line of sight depending on several factors. If it was truly head on, then it would be zero value.

-- richard

 

[rscott5028]

Incline/decline angle shooting also becomes significant at sufficient distance, steep enough angle, and somewhat depending on your sighting system.

But, 25 yds isn't very far.

-- richard

 

[NikonRon]

You are so right, 25 yards isn't very far. I was about 8' above the squirrel but in a very heavy wind. He was in calm conditions. I thought at first it was me, and it may have been. I went back to shooting in a cross wind from the right, at longer ranges and went right back to hitting them as usual.
Hey, I'm getting old and shaky, what can I say. Cheers, Ron

 

[Max Heat]

You say the wind was gusting, up to 25- 30mph?

I'd think that alone could be enough to spread out your shots.

P.S. For all intents and purposes, your question does fall considerably short, of even qualifying to be posted on this site, at the range that you specified.

 

[rscott5028]

Any amount of wind in any direction moves every bullet some distance.

So, the question as pertains to exterior ballistics in general is relevant.

It just gets to be increasingly significant at long range.

Strong gusting wind will easily blow a person around whether on a rest, or especially when unsupported. So, that's also a possiblilty here.

-- richard

 

[NikonRon]

Well Max, a person has to start somewhere. This was a specific situation but would still apply to center fire calibers at longer ranges. I will be working on my shooting platform, a Rem 700, .22-250 and reloads. I have a 4-16x scope on it. It would be nice someday to have a factory varmint rifle or even a custom but being retired the money just isn't there for such things anymore. But I still like to read articles and posts from others to see if I can apply it to my situation. Cheers, Ron

 

[Greyfox]

At your angle and distance I would expect your bullet to have a downward drift is roughly a half inch, not meaningful enough to miss your ground squirrel. Your bullet is subjected to a 25-30 mph wind a 5-7 degree angle for maybe 20 yards. A full value 30 mph wind at 25 yards would be an inch and a half of drift. I do a ton of chipmunk/red squirrel shooting and have played with this.

 

[NikonRon]

Thanks to everyone for your comments. I knew that bullet did something, I just wasn't sure which direction it did it in.
Now, on to bullets of the high velocity kind. Cheers, Ron