How does head on wind affect round balls?

[Oregononeshot]

I went shooting yesterday and had a steady head wind of probably 15-20 mph. I was wondering what affect does head on wind Jane on a round ball? I ask because my groups at 100 yards were considerably larger than normal. I hadn't changed anything in my load. I myself felt very steady, though there was a couple shots where the wind obviously affected my aim when the gun went off. What's your experiences?

 

[Sun City]

Same way it affects an airplane.....slows it down!!

 

[Rifleman1776]

Interesting question. If the wind was exactly head on it might take one of our scientific types here to answer that. But, I suspect you were being buffeted about more than you realize. If shooting offhand at 100 yards it wouldn't take much to affect your groups and 15-20 mph is a fairly stiff wind. 'reading' the wind and shooting between gusts will improve groups. That is a practiced skill.

 

[tenngun]

Also, as any sailor will tell you, the wind is never blowing I just one direction. The wind that feels dead O’Neill infact over the distance of 100 yards have multiple angles and speeds.

 

[BrownBear]

Unless the ground and surrounding terrain are really flat and the wind steady, you can have a lot of turbulence and "ground effect." Our informal range has tussocks, and a headwind is just as bad as a crosswind is just as bad as a tailwind. At 100 yards you can easily double group size no matter which way the wind blows.

 

[Griz44Mag]

ANY wind from ANY direction will affect the flight of the ball (or anything else)
I experienced the same drifting and scatter groups 2 days ago shooting at 100 meters at our club.4-5" groups, 25-35 mph gusting.
Yesterday the same gun, the same distance and the load, 1-2" groups.
That's what makes it FUN! If every outing produced the same exact results every time there would not be a reason to go shooting for the fun of going shooting! (Hunting is a different story where the goal is putting next years meat in the freezer)

 

[Oregononeshot]

A little more info. I was shooting off a bench so I was very solid with the exception of those couple shots I mentioned. I was on a downward slope of a mountain, in a large gravel pit on the side of the mountain. The wind was coming down off the mountain into the gravel pit. The target was on one side of the pit (the side where the wind was blowing down into the pit) and I was on the other side of the pit. Where I was sitting the wind was blowing into my face, but I don't know what the wind was doing between me and the target.

 

[rdlowe]

Did someone summon a mathematician? Kidding of course. As others have noted the wind is never coming from a single direction at a constant speed unless under controlled conditions. However, if you want to tinker with the problem from a purely academic perspective you can. Sun City pretty much hit the nail on the head!

Assuming your wind is strictly head-on and blowing at a constant speed you can subtract that wind speed from the velocity of your ball (assuming you know it) and figure your new trajectory using any of a number of online ballistic calculators. If you're not averse to some math you can work out the trajectory yourself (and have better control over the variables involved) using the formula in the link below. Just remember tho that ideal conditions never happen in the real world where the slightest twitch in the wind will produce unexpected results...maybe even giving the ball lift and causing it to strike higher despite the reduced velocity! Have fun geeking out
http://www.softschools.com/formulas/physics/trajectory_formula/162/

 

[Carbon 6]

A head wind has two main affects on any projectile, it creates more drag and causes a deflection.

One thing it also does that people don't realize is that wind can create areas of extreme low pressure (burbles) too. all of this translates on your target as shots going high, low, and left or right.