When you guys are shooting your tiny groups out at 300 meters how do you deal with mirage?? I was shooting today at 300 and found the mirage imposible to do any precise shooting. I just wondering if you guys have any tricks in dealing with mirage.
Question For Bench Rest Shooters???
- Thread starter muzzle flash
- Start date
I am not good at it but those who are, practice, practice, practice... in the bad conditions and observe what happens with the changes... some get very good at it... and it requires a very accurate rifle.
some shooters don't even know what we are referring to...
some shooters don't know the heat waves off your barrel affect your point of impact either...
some shooters don't even know what we are referring to...
some shooters don't know the heat waves off your barrel affect your point of impact either...
Mystic Precision
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Summerland, BC
When the conditions are clear, zero your rifle dead on at 300m.
Now when the conditions are filled with mirage, take a look at the mirage and what pattern it presents. Aim dead center and shoot a few rds. You will quickly find that the POI has now shifted.
With practise, you will learn what the mirage is telling you about wind and air currents vs change in POI. Think of them as the atmospheres wind flags.
Cause and effect. With careful observations and practise, it is actually a wonderful aid to shoot at extended distances.
Jerry
Now when the conditions are filled with mirage, take a look at the mirage and what pattern it presents. Aim dead center and shoot a few rds. You will quickly find that the POI has now shifted.
With practise, you will learn what the mirage is telling you about wind and air currents vs change in POI. Think of them as the atmospheres wind flags.
Cause and effect. With careful observations and practise, it is actually a wonderful aid to shoot at extended distances.
Jerry
In my first competition a few weeks ago I was given some advice about mirage. First off....forget about what the wind flags are doing, the mirage will tell you which way things are moving. If you have a spotting scope you can use for a wider Field of View you can get a better idea of which way the mirage is going.
Second....if the mirage is moving left shoot right, if the mirage is moving right shoot left, if the mirage is boiling still......wait till it moves left or right.
Check between each shot to see if the conditions have changed, I made the mistake a few times taking for granted that the conditions were staying the same and the mirage changed from left to right on me and I dropped a 9 because of it, part of the learning curve as far as I am concerned. The next string I shot I saved an X because I noticed the mirage had changed direction between shots.
Second....if the mirage is moving left shoot right, if the mirage is moving right shoot left, if the mirage is boiling still......wait till it moves left or right.
Check between each shot to see if the conditions have changed, I made the mistake a few times taking for granted that the conditions were staying the same and the mirage changed from left to right on me and I dropped a 9 because of it, part of the learning curve as far as I am concerned. The next string I shot I saved an X because I noticed the mirage had changed direction between shots.
I have never shot
mirage yet as I just started shooting my benchrest gun. But what Cyanide says is what I have heard. You NEVER shoot a boil. Wait till it is moving left or right.
Mirage boards are also supposed to help in reading it. The target is placed between the boards which are on either side.
Here is a pic of a mirage board.
mirage yet as I just started shooting my benchrest gun. But what Cyanide says is what I have heard. You NEVER shoot a boil. Wait till it is moving left or right.
Mirage boards are also supposed to help in reading it. The target is placed between the boards which are on either side.
Here is a pic of a mirage board.
Not necessarily up, just not left or right. I think it just kind of hangs there not really moving. If you shoot in a boil your shot will be low, or so I was told.
From my limited knowledge of shooting mirage it seems that if I treat the mirage like wind then if I can see it rising up to the left I will hold off low and right, if it's not rising alot but going right at a decent pace I will hold off straight left. Make sense?
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Mirage, by itself, will usually dsplace the target imageno more than 1/4 to 3/8 moa. However, the flow ofthe mirage also indicates air movement and this is where it is of benefit to the shooter.
A heavy boiling mirage with no real wind currents, is of no benefit and is simply a pain in the butt. The target image is displaced upwards and then bounces up and down and back and forth. The trick is to establish just where the target really is.
At long range, mirage has the same effect but is not quite as useful as a wind indicator for a couple of reasons. First, you can only see the mirage within the depth of field of your scope. If you are focused at 800 meters, you only see the mirage between 750 and 800 meters so, as a wind indicator, it's not quite so useful. Secondly, at long range, your bullet may be passing significantly above the wind you are watching.
I have had days where I was plugged right in and mirage was my friend. I knew where every shot was going. A couple weeks later, on the same range, I was totally mystified and neither mirage or wind flags told anything of any value.
Ultimately, practice is the answer. However, before you practice in the wind and mirage, verify your rifle's accuracy in calm, clear conditions. You can't learn to read wind and mirage to within 1/4 moa (and a good BR shooter has to do much better than this!) if you are shooting a 1 moa rifle. Regards, Bill.
A heavy boiling mirage with no real wind currents, is of no benefit and is simply a pain in the butt. The target image is displaced upwards and then bounces up and down and back and forth. The trick is to establish just where the target really is.
At long range, mirage has the same effect but is not quite as useful as a wind indicator for a couple of reasons. First, you can only see the mirage within the depth of field of your scope. If you are focused at 800 meters, you only see the mirage between 750 and 800 meters so, as a wind indicator, it's not quite so useful. Secondly, at long range, your bullet may be passing significantly above the wind you are watching.
I have had days where I was plugged right in and mirage was my friend. I knew where every shot was going. A couple weeks later, on the same range, I was totally mystified and neither mirage or wind flags told anything of any value.
Ultimately, practice is the answer. However, before you practice in the wind and mirage, verify your rifle's accuracy in calm, clear conditions. You can't learn to read wind and mirage to within 1/4 moa (and a good BR shooter has to do much better than this!) if you are shooting a 1 moa rifle. Regards, Bill.
However, before you practice in the wind and mirage, verify your rifle's accuracy in calm, clear conditions. You can't learn to read wind and mirage to within 1/4 moa (and a good BR shooter has to do much better than this!) if you are shooting a 1 moa rifle. Regards, Bill.[/QUOTE]
Gee, Calvin, where have I heard this before, EH!
Gee, Calvin, where have I heard this before, EH!
