I live in the desert s/w and it's still in the 100s. I'm usually home by 10am but got a late start and shot till noon. Working prone at 500 yards only, 5 min cool between shots. Started shooting at 70 deg and finished at 100. Over that time I ended up 2.5 moa down. Lite wind 2-5 and yes, heavy mirage but 2.5 moa. (Really)!!!
2.5 moa of mirage @500 really!
- Thread starter mike a
- Start date
When shooting at 500 meters at steel rams ,I can see that happening .When mirage is running left to right and your sighted in on them and the mirage turns to a boil ,you will shoot over the back as the picture looks higher than it actually is . The ram is about 2 1/2 minutes top to bottom so maybe air temp was part of your 2.5 moa .
Very normal where I shoot. Larry
Never shoot in a boil!
I feel like that is bad practice, when shooting a timed event and conditions change. It's good to know how to shoot in a boil. By knowing how does it affect target perception and how to compensate for it will better your abilities to counter the environment.
Are you saying that because you read it somewhere. I read it too. Just had to do the trust but verify thing. I've been shooting for decades and I guess I've never shot in this extreme of mirage. I'll be honest, I thought I broke something. I'm accually glad I did shoot in a boil. I never though it could be that much. So I guess I can now give some advice to other shooters. If you've read to never shoot in a boil. Do it anyway. It will make you a believer.
Last time i tried to shoot in a boil, with what i thought was the correct dope.. cost me 4 points.. It is just like the old man standing behind that 50 cal shooter that got his headphones knocked off by the returning bullet.. "We won't ever do that again!"
I had no idea their was this many fair weather shooters here . Larry
Ok friend, how about some advise on reading mirage, not for wind, but elevation. Forget about the boil. Let's say the mirage is moving up at a 45. I'm not trying to be a smartass.
2.5 moa at 500 is way more than it should be, did you back the scopes power off out of the mirage, or run it on it's highest setting?
Target placement will play hard here too, a target on a slight knoll with no discernable backstop on the same level as yourself would be the worst case scenario. Shooting slightly downhill here would be a big help if possible.
I would have to say that you had a cumulative of factors here and not total mirage.
Target placement will play hard here too, a target on a slight knoll with no discernable backstop on the same level as yourself would be the worst case scenario. Shooting slightly downhill here would be a big help if possible.
I would have to say that you had a cumulative of factors here and not total mirage.
Wind has effect on mirage it two different things that is happing but one results. Mirage your not aiming wher you are seeing wind is blowing your bullet because of the different pressure on the bullet . Actually the wind doesn't push the bullet. The pressure difference pulls the bullet same as a wing on a air plane . Mirage the best place to see it is directly under the target . Larry
Shoot over wet grass or water with the sun above . I have seen 5 foot of conditions at 1000 yards . Then you can have 18" that you can't see . That we call voodoo .
Shooting in condition is a way of life where I shoot . Larry
I haven had that pleasure . But when someone think 2.5 MOA change is wrong all I can say they haven't shot much. Larry
Be nice Larry
Sorry Mike I was just stateing what I have seen . Never have I had the pleasure of river bottom bean field . ? Could that be gas problem . Smile Larry
Well finally someone that thinks it was a lot. So here's the deal. This is my cheap howa, lite barrel 308 with a 3x9 Leupold and a LR reticle. I have been able to hit a 10" paper plate at least 80% of the time. At 500 prone. And the 20% misses are almost always wind. I've spent a lot of time perfecting my prone technique and reading the wind to get this 80%. Now honestly most of my shooting is done early when the wind is fairly lite. Say around 5 and not over 10. And of course mirage is lite also. With that said this is why I was so surprised to miss so bad. And not horizontal but vertical. Seems I have a new problem to overcome. Also for my 500 hash to work I'm on around 6 power. Lately I've been a little proud of myself. I can flop down put my 500 hash on target, hold for wind get a hit. Yesterday I overshot by a foot!! That's really not good for my confidence and the pride is gone.
Without reference points to see the movement it would be easy to chalk this up to something else. Try bagging a rifle on a bench and just watch through the day as it moves. If you can put a stake half way then you really see a show. A partly cloudy day is best for entertainment
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