Mirage.
- Thread starter sako6br
- Start date
.if you want to verify how much the target appears to be moving, all you need is a second rifle scope setup on a tripod next to you when you are shooting.
Make sure you adjust out any parallax and point the scope at your target so you can see the target moving about. The trick is keeping up with the changes.
You don’t need to do it at first light because where the target was then is not relevant. All you need to see is how much it moved since you last shot.
I welded up a tripod for this with spikes on the feet so it could be stabbed into the ground with a Manfrotto camera swivel head on it with an old 24x lupy and I set it up so that its just to my left when shooting so I could tilt my head just to the left and see where the target was before the shot. It was sort of a left eye to check mirage and a right eye to aim the rifle.
In reality it gets confusing to process the changes, but it’s an interesting experience when mirage is heavy. Most people would probably be surprised how much is going on out there.
Make sure you adjust out any parallax and point the scope at your target so you can see the target moving about. The trick is keeping up with the changes.
You don’t need to do it at first light because where the target was then is not relevant. All you need to see is how much it moved since you last shot.
I welded up a tripod for this with spikes on the feet so it could be stabbed into the ground with a Manfrotto camera swivel head on it with an old 24x lupy and I set it up so that its just to my left when shooting so I could tilt my head just to the left and see where the target was before the shot. It was sort of a left eye to check mirage and a right eye to aim the rifle.
In reality it gets confusing to process the changes, but it’s an interesting experience when mirage is heavy. Most people would probably be surprised how much is going on out there.
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Ok just getting started into the long range game got a Remington 700p and have shot out to 500 with decent results would like to push ranges and my abilities even further. Glad to see this thread as I have been trying to learn how to read mirage however have to admit a lot of what you guys are saying went right over my newbie head. Any tips on references and where to start learning this stuff would be appreciated.
Mirage will haunt you at even 100 yards. In order to best understand what is happening, all you need is a high power scope 20x is good enough. Point it at your target and look through the eye piece with the gun resting naturally so you are not holding it.
While moving your head up and down and side to side a bit, adjust the paralax knob until the target and cross hairs remain static with eachother. If when you move your head the target moves in ralationship to the crosshairs you have paralax and you will not be able to reliably assess any movement. You have to get it just right.
If your scope does not have enough magnification you will not be able to notice the target image movement.
Anyway, once you are all set up, dont move anything, just watch. You will see mirage best on a hot summer day and best at long range. But it is there to some degree most of the time.
To use mirage to judge wind speed just takes practice.
While moving your head up and down and side to side a bit, adjust the paralax knob until the target and cross hairs remain static with eachother. If when you move your head the target moves in ralationship to the crosshairs you have paralax and you will not be able to reliably assess any movement. You have to get it just right.
If your scope does not have enough magnification you will not be able to notice the target image movement.
Anyway, once you are all set up, dont move anything, just watch. You will see mirage best on a hot summer day and best at long range. But it is there to some degree most of the time.
To use mirage to judge wind speed just takes practice.
I am new and learning all of this stuff but saw what I think was wicked mirage the other evening.
It was around 1 deg C, no wind, high humidity and sunset was 1/2 hour away. We were shooting fairly quick so the barrel did not have a lot of time to cool.
The scope was a 32, fixed power B&L and we had the gun on a benchrest rig with rear bag. We eliminated the paralax and things were going well. Then, all of a sudden, the target would start to shift. It was most prominent in left to right shifts but 1 second you were on target and getting ready to squeeze, next, it was like someone physically moved the target left or right. Then, every now and then the target would almost appear to be in motion or blurry.
Is that mirage?
At first I thought something had come loose in the scope but it has worked 100% before and after that.
It was around 1 deg C, no wind, high humidity and sunset was 1/2 hour away. We were shooting fairly quick so the barrel did not have a lot of time to cool.
The scope was a 32, fixed power B&L and we had the gun on a benchrest rig with rear bag. We eliminated the paralax and things were going well. Then, all of a sudden, the target would start to shift. It was most prominent in left to right shifts but 1 second you were on target and getting ready to squeeze, next, it was like someone physically moved the target left or right. Then, every now and then the target would almost appear to be in motion or blurry.
Is that mirage?
At first I thought something had come loose in the scope but it has worked 100% before and after that.
