How does wind affect .22 bullet trajectory, when head on?

I was plinking/target shooting with my 10/22 this morning. Beautiful morning. Sunny, low 70s probably. Normally I'd be in church at this time, but I just stayed home. (Maybe that will explain what I'm going to ask about.. ).

It was pretty breezy. Maybe 10 mph? I don't know.

To make a long story short, my shots were variable. I'd get some pretty tight around a 1-inch circle at 50 yards, and then a wide/scattered group maybe 3" wide and 5 inches or more vertically!

I went out to 100 yards, and had to make a 17-click adjustment to get some shots on paper. After that, I still only got 3 of 5 on the paper.

So, how much does a head-on wind affect bullet trajectory? is it wind, me, or the gun? (well, I know it's at least "me", then the "gun", but how much could be the wind?)

Thanks.

A wind coming head on, or a tail wind behind you, should not effect your groups.

I shoot my M1s out to 500 yards. A 20 mph cross wind (90 degrees) starts to have a noticeable effect at around 300 yards.

Winds from 1:00 to 2:00, 4:00 to 5:00, 7:00 to 8:00, 10:00 to 11:00, have about 1/2 value.

Winds at 2:00 to 4:00, 8:00 to 10:00, have full effect.

If you want to improve your shooting, find a Project Appleseed event near you and go. We provide marksmanship training that will give you the skill set needed to make consistent hits out to 500 yards. Not with a 22, but the skills are the same. Go to www.rwva.org to learn more.

ruggedruger... Your 10/22 indeed is accurate, if it records 5-shot groups around 1-inch at 50 yds. Not all 10/22 barrels are created equal. Wind bends a .22 bullet. The M1 shooter is giving you good dope. A varying wind drifts bullets at 50 yards and throws them at 100 yards. Figure that a wind that bends a bullet's path an inch at 50 yds bends its path 3-inches at 100 yards. The effect over the second 50 yds is 2x the first 50. My figure is less arithmetic than to convey the exterior ballistic fact that, as the bullet sheds velocity, the wind has more time to push it.

.22s are much more whippy in wind than centerfire rounds shooting heavier bullets faster. The .22 Long Rifle remains the all time great marksmanship instruction cartridge. The more you shoot it at long range, the more you learn. You will trust yourself to "hold off" when necessary to make a hit.

A fellow handgun silhouette champion switched some years ago to .22 rimfire benchrest. He was frustrated that many bench competitors quit the 100 yard game in favor of 50 yards only because of the severe challenge of wind drift at 100 yds.

I cannot over emphasize the advantage of fitting your rifle with an excellent scope. Why? For one thing, when shooting off the bags, you will be able to watch the bullet arc into the target at 100 yards. That is fun! And you will see to your horror how a little puff of wind can bend your bullet.

A headwind slows your bullet faster by increasing wind resistance and drag. A tailwind has the effect of lowering wind resistance and drag. A wind that alternately switches from headwind to tailwind strings shots vertically.

A full value wind comes from 9 o'clock or 3 o'clock to shift point-of-impact horizontally, more than the same wind closer to your bore axis.
David Bradshaw

I concur. To answer your original question, a headwind will lower velocity, thus increasing drop. Variable wind=variable groups.
You mention needing 17 clicks of elevation change to get on @ 100 yds. from 50. That implies that you're using a scope, probably with 1/4 MOA adjustments. That amount of adjustment is not surprising to me, but the large size of your groups can almost certainly be improved. You don't mention what ammo you're using, but I suggest you try at least half a dozen others, and not necessarily match ammo. I always test WW HP's and Federal in several configurations.

I'm not even close to an expert.... but out at 100 yards a 22lr has lost a good bit of its momentum and stability and so any wind will have a greater effect on accuracy. Just my opinion.

Years ago I bought a 77/22 VBZ, Ruger's top-of-the-line .22 bolt rifle. Target style 24-inch hammer forged barrel, match chamber to seat bullet into leade. The Bill Ruger 10-shot rotary magazine, the best magazine ever put on a .22 LR. Laminated stock. Urethaned inside of stock but did not bed or otherwise free-float.

I lapped the action and lugs, and performed my own trigger job. Mounted a Nikon Monarch 5.5-15.5x44mm AO (Adjustable Objective) scope.

I believe in dry fire. Rugers are immune to dry fire. Even so, with a .22, I like to rotate the rim and dry fire on a fired case. This duplicates the the actual feel of "hammer fall" when firing live. I do the same with high power rifles and centerfire handguns. With the Ruger MK II pistol, I dry fire 'em empty.

Shooting of sandbags, I recorded 5-shot groups of 0.6-1.3-inches at 100 yards. Several 10-shot groups of 0.7-inches at 100 yards, recorded in front of witnesses at the Fusilier Complex in Louisiana. The Nikon at 15.5x with parallax adjusted out gave me a view of the bullet arcing into the target. That is a sensation and an education which anyone with an accurate .22 should live to enjoy. Part of this education is in watching the wind on your neck bend your bullet as it sails down range. And realizing that, as far as wind is concerned, your bullet is a sail.

The accuracy of the VBZ is remarkable. Won't match an Anschutz, neither barrel nor the fantastic light trigger and firing pin of the match rifle. Benchrest .22 shooter may laugh at these groups. A major difference between various bulk ammunition and high-dollar target is seen in flyers with the low-priced spread. Flyers which you won't even notice with a crummy .22.
David Bradshaw

If there is a berm behind your target then I think it would be impossible to have a true head wind. It may be blowing into your face but I bet it is coming over the berm and down onto the bullet at some point.

All depends on terrain and wind. The point is valid, but must be taken in context of reading conditions. Marksmanship is all about reading: reading light, reading wind, reading "natural point of aim," reading sights.

The .22 Long Rifle is an intrinsically accurate round. On a still day, the 77/22 VBZ is murder on clay pigeons at 200 yards. Even in a light breeze, and being able to watch your bullet sail to the target, good hits come with marksmanship.

A whipping wind----all bets are off. While you may want to wait for identical "conditions" to squeeze each shot, it is good to shoot under whippy conditions as well, just to watch the wind work on your bullet. In a whipping wind you just about have to wait for a lull. Besides the trees and brush and grass and water, your neck and face and the back of your hands are there to help you read the wind, and to thereby time your squeeze.

Rimfire .17s also suffer in a wind. Quite erratic. Big heavy bullets, even with relatively low ballistic coefficients, tend to ride windrift with better consistency than small, light bullets. Shoot across a valley, into a wind blowing in two directions, and see how a .224 or 6mm does against a .338 or .375.
David Bradshaw

You can get a good idea of how wind affects POI by playing with this ballistics calculator: http://gundata.org/ballistic-calculator/

I'd suggest just picking a 22LR bullet and clicking "Calculate" to get an idea of the data provided (don't forget to scroll down to see the table). Then go back and select "Advanced Options" where you can set wind speed and direction to compare the impact points. Note that it won't remember the bullet you last used - you have to re-enter it each time otherwise you'll be comparing your first try with a .17 Aguila lol.

The big problem is that the wind isn't likely to have been constant in either direction or speed . . . especially if its direction is twisted as it passes over and around berms.

The basic answer to your question is "Yes, a windy day even with the wind (seemingly) in your face is likely to scatter your group."

Very informative string, fellows. I like to learn something good every day.

Thanks!

My first real experience with target shooting 22lr was at an inside range a long time ago...35 years. The guy spotting for me told me to stop trying to use 'Kentucky Windage' which is what you are all talking about. Out in the wild with the wind blowing and such one would use 'Kentucky Windage' which is another way of saying.. guessing at where the bullet is going to end up if you aim off a little...

I'm taking this all in myself, and thankful for everyone's responses.

There is no berm behind my shooting area. I'm at one end of a 1 mile-long field, recently harvested with corn stalks mowed down. The woods at the other end are Weyerhauser land, with no roads or right of ways in the area beyond the field I'm in. however, I'm also aiming from a point 5.5' high to a target 3' high 100 yards away.

I suspect in a perfect world a wind directly head on at the range you describe would have very little effect..... but still, who's to really know. I prefer to shoot 22lr targets at 50 yards myself.. It sounds to me like you have the perfect shooting environment to find out how wind will effect this.