DigitalDan and gnoahhh,
Thanks--I think!
Perhaps the two biggest "accuracy factors" I've found when testing rifles are (1) making sure bullets are seated straight, and (2) using wind-flags AT the range.
"Discovered" both about the same time three decades ago. The guy who started me with wind flags was the late Mickey Coleman, a very good benchrest gunsmith, who at a get-together at a West Virginia hunting club where Melvin Forbes was a member, had me shoot one of his superbly accurate rifles (a 6mm PPC) at 100 yards, with several wind flags between the bench and target. This demonstrated exactly how much even tiny wind variations (even on just one flag) can matter when shooting a rifle capable of putting 5 shots into one hole.
This was also confirmed about the same time by reading by Dick Wright's articles in Precision Shooter magazine. Dick is also a noted benchrest gunsmith, shooter, loading-tool maker, and long-time experimenter. He joined the Campfire a few years ago, but quit logging on a couple years back. His articles on shooting in PS always included "TAKE THE DAMN WIND FLAGS."
In the 30 years since have seen ONE other shooter put out wind-flags on a local public range--another Campfire member who knows who he is.
