Windage for shotgun

[matt_l]

Please forgive me if this is a stupid question. Was out the other day for my first go at crows/pigeons, was very windy and only got 2 shots off which both missed. The crow in question was virtually stationary in the wind and I aimed straight at it, should I allow for windage? Crow 30yds away, strong right to left wind (guessing 20-25mph?), No6 30g. Can't find any ballistic charts showing windage so a rough figure would help.

[SSS]

Shouldn't worry about windage mate, it gets too complicated when you start worrying about things like that.

Truth be told, the wind probably does blow the shot about a bit, but the ranges are only short so it isn't really something you need to keep in mind

[libs]

Its often easy to aim very differently with a shotgun in the field than on the clays, when the clays are coming you have time to think about your mount but as you mentioned it was your first time, you may have rushed when you saw the bird and been pointing the gun in an entirly different place to where you were looking! I've done this my self and still do it if something breaks very fast.

 

Just a suggestion

[MattSoanes]

Please forgive me if this is a stupid question. Was out the other day for my first go at crows/pigeons, was very windy and only got 2 shots off which both missed. The crow in question was virtually stationary in the wind and I aimed straight at it, should I allow for windage? Crow 30yds away, strong right to left wind (guessing 20-25mph?), No6 30g. Can't find any ballistic charts showing windage so a rough figure would help.

 

 

Crows can be very deceiving, they look huge like a dustbin lid just hanging there, like their hardly moving. These are the easiest ones to miss, like you said you aim straight at it, and miss behind, at 30yrds you still need some lead if only a small amount.

[Heladoxa]

Try hanging something from a tree, say a plastic milk bottle, go back about 20 yards and have a mate with you, He will load the gun, sometimes with a cartridge and sometimes without. It's when you pull the trigger and there is no cartridge you will be able to tell very easily if you are flinching, anticipating the shot. Could be the cause.

 

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[humperdingle]

If it was your first shots at live birds, I wouldn't be worrying about windage, mate. Get some practice in on clays during windy conditions.

[SSS]

If it was your first shots at live birds, I wouldn't be worrying about windage, mate. Get some practice in on clays during windy conditions. :look:

You should charge for things like that

[Colster]

Try hanging something from a tree, say a plastic milk bottle, go back about 20 yards and have a mate with you, He will load the gun, sometimes with a cartridge and sometimes without. It's when you pull the trigger and there is no cartridge you will be able to tell very easily if you are flinching, anticipating the shot. Could be the cause.

 

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...and whoop with joy when one of your firing pins goes sailing down the barrel... it might even hit the bottle!

 

 

...might I suggest the addition of a snap cap before trying this?

[Heladoxa]

...and whoop with joy when one of your firing pins goes sailing down the barrel... it might even hit the bottle!

 

 

...might I suggest the addition of a snap cap before trying this?

 

 

Yeah in the excitement of it all I forgot the snap cap. But the idea is still sound. When I was a kid I had a shot at a flock of feeding pigeons. Forgot about the safety catch, found I was`anticipating the shot and I was jerking the barrel 2 feet high with nothing happening.