Another ? on Windflags

[mwezell]

Well, we all like pics

After shooting over and testing just about every commercially available flags imaginable, I decided that there were pro's and con's to all of them. I like daisies for the potential info feedback...but not garden daisies. As Butch said, they tend to be slow to start and stop, as well as not doing a very good job at showing velocity or angles. Big angle changes are evident with the vanes, but the subtle ones are harder to see with most flags. A multi colored pinwheel or daisy works well here. Another thing about garden daisies is that they tend to get broken pretty often.

Also, while using bearings sounds like a good idea, in testing, they actually proved to slow a good flag down but are a big improvement over some of the designs out there. Bearings actually create friction area and increase drag over a well thought out flag design.

Coroplast, or plastic cardboard, is cheap and easy to work with, and is what most flags are made of. It works great for target backers but breaks down over time and takes on water when it rains on them. So, I wanted something better.

I decided to build and sell what I believe to be a better flag that is very sensitive, yet durable...and uses a daisy that shows angles and velocity. I went with an all fiberglass construction..even the daisy. I opted for teflon over bearings, derin or aluminum...etc. at the pivot points.

There's more to a good flag than good materials, such as size and proportion. It must be sensitive, stable and readable. Then come practicality issues, such as transport and assembly/disassembly.

This is what I came up with. If you click on this link http://s196.photobucket.com/user/mwezell/library/Neon%20Windflags?sort=3&page=1 it'll take you to an album with more pics. It is IMHO the best flag I've ever seen or tested. The Australian flags that Butch sells is also a very good flag. I have an ad in the classifieds on this site. --Mike Ezell www.ezellcustomrifles.com

 

[James M.]

I have used Mike Ezell's flags for the last year and they are as good as he claims. There are many great flags available and we are blessed to have so many. James Mock

 

[SGJennings]

IMHO, the real trick to Mike's flags is using them in conjuction with a sail tail. I use Dave Halblom's.

The spinner on Mike's flag is so light and quick that it replaces the surveyor's tape on normal flags.

So, you watch the spinner for pick up, let off and, once you get used to them, angle. Then, you treat the sail tails like an inverted Beggs wind probe.

YMMV.

 

[Boyd Allen]

I believe that the preference for daisies varies by region. At the Visalia, CA matches, they have almost totally disappeared. One thing that I noticed years ago about some daisies that had ball bearings, was that they had so little friction that they would continue spinning for some time after the wind that started them had decreased significantly. I think that the nature of the wind in an area will have a lot of influence on what shooters find most advantageous to use. I use a set of Hood flags for all of my practice, and have a full set of daisies that I fitted with brass bushings, sitting with the other optional parts in a box. Some time back, I tested all of the different possible configurations against each other for responsiveness, and based on those results put my daisies away.

 

[mwezell]

I believe that the preference for daisies varies by region. At the Visalia, CA matches, they have almost totally disappeared. One thing that I noticed years ago about some daisies that had ball bearings, was that they had so little friction that they would continue spinning for some time after the wind that started them had decreased significantly. I think that the nature of the wind in an area will have a lot of influence on what shooters find most advantageous to use. I use a set of Hood flags for all of my practice, and have a full set of daisies that I fitted with brass bushings, sitting with the other optional parts in a box. Some time back, I tested all of the different possible configurations against each other for responsiveness, and based on those results put my daisies away.

That's typical of garden daisies. Not because of the bearings, but too much mass. If they are light enough, and gather wind well, they'll start and stop on a dime. Too much weight makes them act like a flywheel...slow to start AND stop.

 

[mwezell]

IMHO, the real trick to Mike's flags is using them in conjuction with a sail tail. I use Dave Halblom's.

The spinner on Mike's flag is so light and quick that it replaces the surveyor's tape on normal flags.

So, you watch the spinner for pick up, let off and, once you get used to them, angle. Then, you treat the sail tails like an inverted Beggs wind probe.

YMMV.

I consider my flags to be a system of parts, not a cobbled together bunch of pieces. My flags will work with surveyor tape, but I highly recommend sail tails as a functional part of the system. It's amount of area to weight ratio is better than just about anything that a vane might be made of and it effectively is a part of the vane's area and overall mass. It has a lot of area for it's weight and hence has an amount of drag relative to that area. Keep in mind that we're talking about wind drag, which makes a flag move in the wind, not drag like friction.

 

[LW Moore]

I got a chance to shoot over Mikes flags at last years UBR National.. As the fine gent I was sharing a bench with was using them. I been at this for a long number of years and have fired over numerous brands and types of flags , "mostly because I'm to lazy to set my own" At any rate there are none no finer then Mikes.........

 

[Pete Wass]

I have lately been recommending the Ausie flags

I , for the past couple of years, have become convinced they are the most visible flag out there. I wish I had the money for a set f them . I have not seen any of Mike's flags yet.

Pete

 

[mwezell]

I got a chance to shoot over Mikes flags at last years UBR National.. As the fine gent I was sharing a bench with was using them. I been at this for a long number of years and have fired over numerous brands and types of flags , "mostly because I'm to lazy to set my own" At any rate there are none no finer then Mikes.........

Thank you, LW. That means a lot to me, my friend.

Pete, I hope you see them soon. The Aussies are good, too. Honestly, I think these two are the best currently offered...JMHO. Of course I'm partial to mine. I think you'll see them up there pretty soon. The rimfire guys buy lots of them and Killough stocks them., but they are big enough to see and shoot centerfire with.

 

[Jefferson]

graham wind flags are very popular as well, Rick makes a nice case for them, sorry no know how to post pics and do not want to learn,

so I have 5 sets of graham flags but also liked the aussie flags in austria at the 2007 worlds, they reacted nicer than the ones the canadians brought to use,

sometimes whatever you started with becomes the familiar set you use over time,

you can use a combination of daiseys and balls i.e. use 2 daiseys out to 100 with a mix of balls depending on the contour of the range,

mark walker uses ball flags to line up for his rail gun and shoots it quite well, when all the balls line up (moveable setting fixture for his flag scope) then just pull the trigger, simple enough)

have fun it is indeed a journey



Jefferson

 

[CharlieH]

Wilbur once told me he had some really loose fitting flags, the pivots were about worn out, the daisy bearing were about worn out, they were ready to be trashed.----But then, one day the wind blew so hard, the daisies were in a blur, tails were sticking straight, everyone's sensitive flags were spinning in circles, but his was pretty much not moving, BUT he was able to shoot by the daisies noise and it's flopping around. There's a lesson there, some where.

 

[mwezell]

Wilbur once told me he had some really loose fitting flags, the pivots were about worn out, the daisy bearing were about worn out, they were ready to be trashed.----But then, one day the wind blew so hard, the daisies were in a blur, tails were sticking straight, everyone's sensitive flags were spinning in circles, but his was pretty much not moving, BUT he was able to shoot by the daisies noise and it's flopping around. There's a lesson there, some where.

I can relate to that.
I was shooting a match today, in some pretty bad wind at times. Admittedly, my golf ball retriever based poles are a bit flimsy when extended to about 15ft in the air, such as one was today. But it could't have screamed "don't shoot" any louder than it did, whipping back and forth like it was at times. I had no trouble reading what that flag was trying to tell me when it was doing that.. It was almost like someone was down range waving their arms, screaming WHOA!!! STOP, DUMMY!!

 

[Gary Walters]

Jackie's Flag

Can you post a picture of your flag????