Shooting in the rain

[7br]

Got to the range yesterday. I needed to do some berm work for today's match and I have been needing to test my hornet ammo since I beagled the RCBS mold. First group was with 4.2 gr iof 231 and Rem 7 1/2 primers. I shot the first five rounds and noticed that one of the cases was considerably shorter than the other four. I walked out to the 100yard target. Four of the five were clustered in a 3/4in wide by 1 3/4in high cluster with the fifth 2 inches right and 1 1/2 in high of the center of the group. Walking back in to the covered line, it started to sprinkle. The next group had 2 in a 2in group with a fifth 3 1/2 inches to the right of the center of the group. The third group was the same load, but with federal small pistol primers. Four of the five were in a 1 1/2group with the fifth 3inches high and 1 inch to the right. T/C contender, 2x7 burris set on 7x, using JoeB's super pistol rest.

Just how much does rain affect group size?

By the way, we had too much standing water to hold the match this am.

[Willbird]

I have seen BR shooters talk about it, and they all think that once in a great while a bullet will hit a raindrop, but I got the impression from listening that it was not a common "alibi" used on their part, so the bullets must almost always still go where they should.


Bill

[Ron]

Some 30 odd years ago I shot in an inter services match at a Navy base here in Victoria. The rain was so heavy that at 25 metres you could follow the bullet right into the target by the swaith it cut in the rain. We hardly needed to go to the targets to score them.

[joeb33050]

Loring Hall told me ~25 years ago that a light rain is the best condition to shoot in. From the bench, I have found that those still, no-mirage, cooler, quiet conditions can't be beat.
I have read that the probability of a bullet hitting a raindrop is miniscule, but don't know. I think-think that if one raindrop was between the eye and the target, that the target would be blurred. If the target ain't blurred, then maybe there isn't a raindrop between the eye and the target for much of the area in question. Or, maybe more clearly, if the target isn't obscured by the rain, maybe it means that there aren't many raindrops per square inch at any given moment.
Anyhow, I've always shot very well to the best in light rain from the bench.
joe brennan

[Uncle Grinch]

Rain.... what is that?

We haven't had any here in so many weeks that we are on water restrictions.