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It's been a really long time since I last qualified on the range, but if I recall correctly, a .308 or a .30-06 will lose over half its velocity at 900 yards. Given a muzzle velocity of, say, 2700 feet per second, the round should take something over two seconds to reach the target. 56 feet would seem to be the correction necessary for a 17mph wind.

"It's been a really long time since I last qualified on the range, but if I recall correctly, a .308 or a .30-06 will lose over half its velocity at 900 yards. Given a muzzle velocity of, say, 2700 feet per second, the round should take something over two seconds to reach the target. 56 feet would seem to be the correction necessary for a 17mph wind."

OK, 17mph = 5280ft *17m/hr = 89760 ft/hr = 25 ft/sec. So, if the bullet came out of the barrel moving at 17 mph to the left (in this case) and maintained that speed for your 2 seconds, then yes, 50 ft is close enough to 56 that I'll give it to you.

However, the bullet isn't moving left when it exits the barrel. The wind has to accelerate that bullet from zero to 34 (ish) in order to average 17. That is going to take a very strong wind to do that, much more than 34 mph. Also, that bullet is riping through the air at ~3000 ft/sec and making its own air-shock wave as it goes, not to mention rotating very quickly. But, OK, even though that seems like extreme winds to be shooting in, these guys are really good so let's let that go too.

I'm guessing here and I'm sure I'll be set right soon, but don't sniper rifles shoot bullets with very high ballistic coefficients specifically so that can better maintain their velocity down range? And don't they typically spit those bullets out at very high rates of speed? I'm really asking here I don't know for a fact. I'm guessing a muzzle velocity in the 3500 ft/sec range if not more. If some one REALLY knows, share the wealth. All of which is to say that I think 2 seconds for the bullet to travel that 2700 ft is too long, which of course makes that wind requirement all the more extreme

OK, I'll sit tight and get fried by a true Freeper-shooter.