Wind flags

C

chriswillis87

Guest
Wanting to buy a set of wind flags. Was looking at the BRT flags but they are pretty dear at Au$650. What other flags are out there and what seem to be the best?
 
I looked at the BRT flags too. But shipping to the UK and import duties made them way to expensive.

I went for 14 of the Danny Keeney wind flags from Dan Killough. http://www.killoughshootingsports.com/Webs/wind_flags.html

They look pretty simple, but after checking around found some good comments about them. Light and easy to stow away is an advantage on long trips.

Also went for an “Uppy/Downy” from Rick Graham http://www.brflags.com/flags.html
Very helpful guy and full of useful information.

Brian
 
Wind flags are most important. I wouldn't shoot without them. I started with a homemade set with triangle shaped coroplast and a ribbon as suggested by Wilbur. My holders are a single fiberglass electric fence post each from Tractor and Supply and they cost me a buck seventy five. My set of four cost me a total of less than ten bucks and they are so easy to make I have made a few for friends. I carry these around in a discarded golf bag I found. I have never seen any that I like better.

I take great pride in beating the system now and then. What were we given our brains for anyway?

Concho Bill
 
Wind flags are most important. I wouldn't shoot without them. I started with a homemade set with triangle shaped coroplast and a ribbon as suggested by Wilbur. My holders are a single fiberglass electric fence post each from Tractor and Supply and they cost me a buck seventy five. My set of four cost me a total of less than ten bucks and they are so easy to make I have made a few for friends. I carry these around in a discarded golf bag I found. I have never seen any that I like better.

I take great pride in beating the system now and then. What were we given our brains for anyway?

Concho Bill

Bill, It’s guy’s like you that are wrecking the world’s economy :)
 
I had the idea for opposing magnet flags about 5 years ago and then quit shooting.
I just got around to building them.
Only needed a saw and a drill press.
Bought the stands from radio shack for $15 dollars each
Just used parts from the hardware store for $40.
Ordered the rare earth magnets with 1/4" holes in them from ebay for about $12.
Used them last weekend and they work fantastic.
Used coroplast and vinyl for the vains and the standard surveyors tape for the tails cost $60
Got the round ball ends from ebay for $5. and lead from the tire shop for free.

So about $132 for 6 top notch flags AND/including stands and a couple of hours work.
 
The very best Wind Flags are the ones you make!
The process of making & testing is the key.
Thoughts:
Balance them !!
Do not worry about Weight to Start.
Forget fancy Balls & Props for your 1st test.
Magnets are a gimick - a well designed pivot points works just as well.
Coraplast works great - single or dual Vane
Surveryors Tape Tails works great.
Test them in your front yard - watch & learn what they are telling you long before you take them to the range!!
Make them big enough that you can tell at a glance wind direction.
 
Doug, balanced flags aren't best and surveryours tape may work for you, but a bunch of fluttering tape is just a mess to me.
Butch
 
A “Fluttering Tail” has a Tale to tell. They will pick up a ‘Switch’ or a rapidly changing condition before any flag or indicator.
I have tried ‘Sail Tails’ & other assorted tail material & always come back to simple surveyors tape. I monitor my tails as a quick ‘Conditions’ indicator rather than a velocity indication.
For velocity I rely on my Indicators & my 60 deg Props.
http://www.thewindisnotyourfriend.com/
 
Chris,
Some things in bench rest are pretty set and accepted some not so much.
You can go to matches and shoot next to others flags and see how they work for you and which type vanes you can actually
see before spending hard earned money for something that does not work for you.
When it comes to flags, the only accepted thing in real benchrest shooting rim fire or center fire is that they are needed otherwise
Benchrest flag styles are like party politics,
An individual persons own idea is better than anyone elses,
Other ideas are declared worthless or invalid without any realistic thought or evidence simply because it wasnt their idea.
As you will see when you are here long enough just like the old addage opinions are like posterior orifices every one has one and some people R 1
 
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Doug I really like the 360 degree idea.
For me my only concern would be that I shoot 100-200 yds and they would be kind of hard to see.
I have thought for a long time about trying to do something like that on my regular flags instead of tails but never could figure anything out that could be seen that far away.
 
My 360 deg Indicator is too hard to read beyond 50 Yds. However the 180 deg is fairly visible out to 100 Yds. One shooter I know puts one out at 250 yds because he said it is now clear in his sight picture. If I remember right I built the one he has with a 20 in radius.
 
Doug,
A slight tail heavy flag will get rid of unneccessary windshield wiper effect in your flags. If you want to see the fastest wind velocity change indicator watch the propeller on a BRT wind flag.
I know flags are a personal thing, kinda like barrels and other pieces of equip.
Butch
 
I would just like to inject a word (or two :D) here… what Butch is suggesting does NOT apply to Graham flags. Graham flags already come with the “windshield wiper effect” already eliminated through design. Keep your Graham flags well balanced with the tail you are using and they will work the way they are supposed to.

Rick Graham
 
What I noticed recently:

I shot in a IR 50/50 match recently and set my CF flags. The guy on my bench on the next relay set his beside mine. His were very small flags made of Coroplast and had quite heavy tails on them, so heavy that they made the flags tail heavy.

Conditions were very light but I noticed that his flags read when mine didn't. My flags area good quality, commercialy made flag. This got me to "Finkin", am I missing something in my CF shooting, and shooting in general by using the heavier flags?
 
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