Terrorized by wind

[Questor]

The evil pattern continues. I simply can't get out of the wind at my shooting range for bullseye shooting. We seldom used to get west winds, now they are quite common and the buffeting  makes it useless for precision shooting one-handed and standing. The only course of action is to take two sets of targets and two guns: one set for bullseye, and if the wind is too bad, the other for silhouette. At least with silhouette I can shoot from a low position with some support.

Yesterday I turned around just in time to see four big dust devils coming at me. The dust would have been deposited in my gun because I had the action open at the time. Got it closed up just in time.

Have you seen any plans for a good, reliable, portable wind screen for shooting? I think I'll be building something like that so I can erect it just up-wind of me. It would have to be something cheap I can easily move around and leave at the range. For shooting at the sandy range, I'm thinking along the lines of a seven foot target stand with rebar spikes to thrust into the sand, and a four tent pegs and and ropes to hold it up against the wind. Not sure yet what I'd do for shooting at the concrete range yet.

[Questor]

I think I've got  it (Eureka!)

I think hog wire will be a good basis for it. The wire is thick enough to drive into the ground, and heavy enough to support the tent ropes. Cardboard can be clamped to it to provide the wind screening. Simple nylon rope and tent pegs can hold it up. The hog wire is about 3 feet high, but I can cut it to length, so the sections are 3 feet wide but as tall as I want. Then wire the sections together so the screen folds up. Maybe some firring strips will be needed to add rigidity. Should cost about $10 to $15 to make. I think six feet wide should be about right, so two 3 foot wide sections about 7 feet tall should do it.

[Chilachuck]

Well, there's those pop up blinds, and there's several for less than $100, and are a lot easier to put up, stow, etc.

They might even keep the empties from flying all over the place, but I'd think of sewing a patch where the brass hits to keep the wear down.

[Chilachuck]

I was expecting a comment about beans or green beer.

[Heather]

Your post reminded my of the other day at my grandmother's house.  We were all playing outside on Memorial Day having a cookout and a grand ol time.  The kids were playing with the hose pipe on the trampoline.  There is a huge net around it so it wasn't that dangerous.  The baby who is now 22 months old kept attempting to climb the ladder to the trampoline.  We had 12 kids there counting Matt, and the bigger kids kept trying to come down the ladder and he would back down and let them down.  He tried patiently for over half an hour.  I didn't attempt to help him because I really didn't want him up there with the big boys. 

 All of the kids got off to go play a game of baseball and he finally made it to his destination.  He jumped for maybe two minutes before the wind started blowing so hard he couldn't remain upright on the unstable surface.  He screamed bloody murder at this unseen force causing him problems.  I got him off and he clung to me in fright.  A huge thunderstorm was brewing so we all made our way inside.  That kid isn't scared of anything, but wind got the best of him that day.

Heather

[Questor]

When my son was tiny we learned really fast to never go outside in sub-zero weather with his face uncovered. The cold air would hit him and he would start gasping. It's apparently a natural reaction in babies.

[Questor]

Perhaps the mere threat of a wind screen got the elements to cooperate with me. Yesterday I went shooting after work and conditions could not have been better. Woo hoo!

[Heather]

Perhaps the mere threat of a wind screen got the elements to cooperate with me. Yesterday I went shooting after work and conditions could not have been better. Woo hoo!

That's great!

Heather

[billy_56081]

I dunno Questor, I'm thinking the wind is pretty common here judging from the hundreds of wind turbines in MN.

[Questor]

My area generally isn't terribly windy, largely because it's got a lot of woods. In the farm country farther south and west, it does get really windy, especially around Marshall.

[gypsyman]

When I joined the club I'm still with, almost 35 years ago, we were pretty much in the country. We have 200 yds., and a 30 ft. high dirt hill on the back of the property. So I would pull my truck up on one side or the other of the shooting benchs, to block the wind. The pick ups I had, always had a cap on them, so sometime's if it started to rain, and I was practicing for a silhouette match, I would lay down in the back of the truck. (make sure if you do this, ear plugs AND ear muffs are essential!)
We had house's built up over the years around the club, so we civilized and built bunkers and a shooting platform. So now if the wind is blowing all you can do is hunker down as close to one of the baffles between shooing positions. 'Course, if your shooting bullseye, your screwed.  gypsyman

[bilmac]

I think I would just hinge a couple of the thinner sheets of OSB together. Maybe cut them down to six feet. Open them up to form a V and many days you wouldn't even have to guy them.