As you likely know, the biggest factor that affects a bullet’s path when it leaves your barrel is gravity. Thankfully, it’s also the easiest variable to account for.
The second biggest effect on your bullets path is wind. Unfortunately, it’s the most difficult to account for.
Sure, having a hand-held wind-meter is handy, but it only tells you the wind at your position and it is necessary to know what the wind is doing all the way to the target.
How can you tell wind speed and direction at distance when you’re shooting long range? Easy: you can use your optics!
By adjusting the focus at different distances, you can see the direction and quality of the heat waves (yes, even in the snow) to determine what the wind is doing.
Check out the most recent NSSF video in their long range shooting series where I teach you how to use your spotting scope to compensate for wind when shooting.
If you’d like to learn about this topic and more, please check out my Long Range Shooting Handbook.