Al, Excellent illustration of the effect of wind on bullets!
One thing I have noticed for many years is that many--if not most--rifles shooters apparently believe that heavier bullets are deflected less in wind than lighter bullets, regardless of other factors. I mentioned this in an article on .17-caliber rifle cartridges I recently submitted to the Gun Digest annual: Back when the .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire was first introduced, many local varmint-shooter "theorists" proclaimed that its little bullets would drift "too much" in the wind--certainly more than a .22 Rimfire Magnum's. Which was not true, because the .17's bullets not only started out faster but had higher ballistic coefficients--the two factors that affect wind-drift--than any .22 Magnum ammo.
Thank you, John....appreciate it.
The big case .17's I was using for pelt hunting fox in the early '90's are the very cartridges that caused me to question and dig into the truth of things. What I was seeing on target and in the field just didn't jive with the commonly circulated 'truths' that had just been regurgitated over the years.
Once I figured out that exterior ballistics is really simple (B.C. and velocity), everything got a lot easier.
It's unfortunate than many of the 'regurg'd' stuff hasn't had the proverbial stake driven through the heart.
I'm still waiting for those modern bullets (whatever those are) that come with a little slip of paper in the box saying 'Notice: These bullets are exempt from the laws of Quantum Physics'.
That the thing that should be the
first to consider is the
last thing to accept is a peek into the strange world of the human psyche.
Good shootin' -Al
