Wind Flags 2015

[Ian_Owen]

At the Visalia range, which is basically a bathtub with near vertical sides that are right next to shooting lanes, a shooter's flags often disagree with each other and switch rapidly. For me, having vanes with different colors on each side makes it easier to remember the condition that a group starting shot was fired in. I understand that there are ranges where the prevailing conditions generally have all the flags blowing in the same direction. Wouldn't that be nice!

One thing that recommend to shooters who are in the process of choosing which flags to buy, is that they spend some time studying them at a match, to see which ones are the easiest for them to keep track of. Looking at what is out there, this may vary from person to person.

Boyd I can think of many open ranges where that doesn't happen, I was starting to think it was a myth started by someone to confuse us.
I've quite often seen flags about 4' apart with their props spinning and pointing at each other and the tails straight up in the air......all that does is tell me not to shoot.

My flags are quite twitchy in some conditions but occasionally I've seen a flag switch direction 180 deg just after I've pulled the trigger, if I'm real lucky the bullet went in the group but mostly its gone where that flag twitched too and usually by quite a way as I was holding that way too.

 

[Chism G]

Wind Flags

I wish there was a way to give my Wind Flags a Lie Detector Test. Some of my groups give me pause


Glenn

 

[Ian_Owen]

I wish there was a way to give my Wind Flags a Lie Detector Test. Some of my groups give me pause


Glenn

Glenn no lie detector test needed.........find the one/s that are acting suspiciously and threaten to shoot them

I've seen a few flags that have been shot and can only think they must've lied to someone

 

[CubCouper]

Billings (Yellowstone RIfle Club) can be like shooting in a bowl too. A couple weeks ago there I had 5 flags and two probes set for the 100Yd HV. The target frames are only 3 feet in front of a short berm. At one point all the flag tails and probe pointers were pointing 15mph-hard to the *right* , but the dust clouds from the berm impacts were 15mph-hard to the *left* -- a 20-30mph wind shear was shifting in and out of the last 10 yards before the target. That was one time I wished I had set flags behind the target frame!

 

[Wilbur]

It gets worse.....

A long time ago I sold wind flags, and similar to others, kept trying to figure an improvement. One day I was working on the "propellor on top" thing and decided to make several spinners, each with different numbers of "cups" on them. The purpose of doing that was to see how few cups I could have - and the spinner work well. So that I would have a decent "test bed" I placed several versions, from three to seven cups, on a single shaft about 5 inches apart vertically. I glued bearings on the shaft one by one and placed the spinner on the bearing. It looked pretty good so I took it outside, placed it near a window, made me a pot of coffee and sat down to watch. It was the dead of winter so being inside was good. I remember to this day how proud I was that I had made that test device. Now, onto the test results!

When I first began to watch, the only spinners that were spinning were two that were together, vertically, 5 inches apart. I thought that strange and when I finished that cup of coffee I would go out and try to figure why the others weren't turning. Then, without warning, another began to spin and then another and finally three were spinning while the two that were spinning stopped!!! I tell you with confidence, that the spinners were about 5 inches apart and that the spinners spun differently for the long duration that I watched. Soooo..., I concluded that the wind blew differently at different levels. I also concluded that the spinners were too much trouble to make.

I did, however, figure out how to easily get half a ping pong ball to use as a spinner cup! I've posted that several times so if anybody doesn't know and needs half a ping pong ball - I'll tell you how to do it.

As far as knowing what the wind is doing along the line of bullet travel, I don't have a clue since flags have to be set below that line. That brings to mind what Ed Watson was doing using those small flags I mentioned a few days ago. I didn't tell you where he set them....they were very small and didn't bother anyone!!!

 

[Hillman]

Howard Wickham's Dual Vane

One of the best flags ever designed are the Wicks Dual Vane. Recent IR 50/50 records were shot using this model.

 

[SWASHBUCKLER1]

Thanks Wilbur

Well now you have our attention! LOL I printed off the link you posted of the small wind flag, similar to what Ed used, Thank you.
I plan on building a few of my own, not to sell but to get the full idea / effect of what it takes and how they are constructed. From what I've gathered, there are certain flags better suited for certain conditions.

Delimma I'm a test type of guy and have to see if for myself, so I guess I'm going to buy a couple three sets and see which one's fit my conditions / preference best.

Thanks for all the information, and hopefully this will help someone else who may be in he market for new wind flags.

It would be nice to see some pictures of different flags in use, if you guys have any pictures you don't mind sharing.

Have a great day, and thanks again.

Rich

 

[Mr.T]

This is the axle assembly sketch. This kind of a setup works quite well for me

 

[idaho bruce]

Wind Flags

I started in the benchrest game back in 92 and grew up with Smiley flags. Shot on them for a long time. Then i was introduced to Graham flags. i switched immediately. The reason was because of the quick response time that the Graham flags had over the Smiley flags. Any change on the range was noticed immediately with the Graham flags. The Smiley flags was just as accurate but a little slow on the uptake.
Bruce

 

[Jerry H]

Wilbur are you talking about anemometers like in this video? I feel they are superior in reading wind speed changes versus propellers.

 

[zippy06]

wind flags are indicators. They are NOT animate objects. They don't lie or die.
The Idiot behind the trigger is the one making decisions.......Those wind flags are not going to win you the Super Shoot.

 

[Ian_Owen]

It gets worse.....

A long time ago I sold wind flags, and similar to others, kept trying to figure an improvement. One day I was working on the "propellor on top" thing and decided to make several spinners, each with different numbers of "cups" on them. The purpose of doing that was to see how few cups I could have - and the spinner work well. So that I would have a decent "test bed" I placed several versions, from three to seven cups, on a single shaft about 5 inches apart vertically. I glued bearings on the shaft one by one and placed the spinner on the bearing. It looked pretty good so I took it outside, placed it near a window, made me a pot of coffee and sat down to watch. It was the dead of winter so being inside was good. I remember to this day how proud I was that I had made that test device. Now, onto the test results!

When I first began to watch, the only spinners that were spinning were two that were together, vertically, 5 inches apart. I thought that strange and when I finished that cup of coffee I would go out and try to figure why the others weren't turning. Then, without warning, another began to spin and then another and finally three were spinning while the two that were spinning stopped!!! I tell you with confidence, that the spinners were about 5 inches apart and that the spinners spun differently for the long duration that I watched. Soooo..., I concluded that the wind blew differently at different levels. I also concluded that the spinners were too much trouble to make.

I did, however, figure out how to easily get half a ping pong ball to use as a spinner cup! I've posted that several times so if anybody doesn't know and needs half a ping pong ball - I'll tell you how to do it.

As far as knowing what the wind is doing along the line of bullet travel, I don't have a clue since flags have to be set below that line. That brings to mind what Ed Watson was doing using those small flags I mentioned a few days ago. I didn't tell you where he set them....they were very small and didn't bother anyone!!!

Wilbur I have to ask the question where did he set them?

 

[mks]

I did, however, figure out how to easily get half a ping pong ball to use as a spinner cup! I've posted that several times so if anybody doesn't know and needs half a ping pong ball - I'll tell you how to do it.

Just gotta know, how do you split a ping pong ball without ruining half of it? Or am I reading too much into this??

 

[Wilbur]

Wilbur I have to ask the question where did he set them?

Ed set those flags a little bit high! As I said, they were small and nobody thought much about it.

 

[Wilbur]

Just gotta know, how do you split a ping pong ball without ruining half of it? Or am I reading too much into this??

I don't know how to get half a ping pong ball without ruining the other half. I do know how to get several halves in a minute or so.

 

[Wilbur]

Jerry - yes, that's what I was talking about.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Id like to try some of mr ezells flags. They look real good to me. And the aussie flags butch sells are real good. I have a set of those. I did have to modify them for my smiley style poles but im sure i just ordered the wrong thing

 

[amamnn]

Did I miss the post where someone answered the two sides two colors question? I don't know about the questioner's eyesight, but I can't tell the difference between a same color flag pointing at 30 degrees and one pointing at 70 degrees out at 150 + yards, especially on a field of flags and there are 30 seconds or less left to make the last shot.........................BTW, I have Rick Graham's flags and like them a lot, especially the uppity flag for terraced ranges. Certainly you can put out your flags making sure you have one at the top of the intervening berm and sorta tell that there is or is not an updraft off it, but the uppity flag tells you right now--you have enough to think about without the extra distraction of that berm and etc...the uppity flag really works. Also his (new since a couple of years) sawed off flag is good for placement as the last flag before the target at a lot of places where target stands may be short......some rimfire guys I know really like them too.

 

[Boyd Allen]

Since you like Rick's flags, you should call him and order a couple of his small ones, that are designed to be small enough to be placed so that you can see them through your scope when they are posted at longer distances. A friend has built an idea of mine that makes viewing flags easier when shooting at 200 yards. He mounted an inexpensive low power variable rifle scope on a mount that clamps onto the edge of a shooting bench, and aims it so that all of the flags are in its field of view...at 4x. Since he primarily shoots head up, and always free recoil, he aims, and then switches to the flag scope.

 

[amamnn]

I think we are talking about the same flag, which is really one of Rick's normal sized vanes--not the extra large which so many people use, I think a lot of us think it is the normal size--anyway he turned the normal sized vane upside down which allows for more clearance between flag and target and may allow one to place the further flags in the scope's field of view. Not really an issue for me, but some of the rimfire guys I know love those. No impellers are mounted on those flags that I have seen since that would defeat the purpose...............