Horizontal Stringing
A group spread that runs side to side on the target, usually driven by changing wind, spin drift, or an inconsistent rifle cant.
Horizontal stringing is a group that spreads left and right rather than forming a tight cluster. The usual driver is the wind, because any shift in speed or direction between shots moves the impact sideways, and an unread switch will smear a group across the target. Bullets fired in different conditions land at different windage values, so a string that walks horizontally often tells you the condition changed while you were shooting.
Mechanical and shooter errors also string a group sideways. A steady cant of the rifle tips the scope’s adjustment plane and shifts impact laterally, while spin drift adds a consistent push that becomes visible at long range. When you read a wide group, the task is to separate the changing wind from the constant errors so you can correct the right one rather than chasing all of them at once.