Dealing w Mirage

[archerforkids]

South, and the targets were in the shade haha

Way better than I was dealing with. Well, sorta. It damn sure wasn't 16 degrees here in Texas in March. Jeepers

 

[coldboreshot]

I got what I am assuming was my first "real" exposure to horrible mirage this weekend practicing at 300 yards. It actually surprised me given it was in the high 50s. Not owning a mirage band, I applied black Gorilla Tape to my barrel and still had to back my scope from 42 down to about 20 power to clear up the target.
Has anybody used the ARD devices on their scopes to help mitigate mirage? Are they any more effective than a long sun shade? Or a scope cap with reduced diameter to look though? Obviously a mirage band has its place and I promptly ordered one when I got home. I don't want to start chasing gadgets if they haven't really proven themselves in the past.
And I do have a sun shade on my scope.
Any help is appreciated.

ARD's (anti-reflective decice) is primarily used by covert marksmen to avoid detection by an enemy force by preventing sunlight lighting up the objective glass on the scope. Its not a device to minimize or eliminate mirage. A scope's position on the rifle does not get barrel reflection. At least not in the 25 years of field ops.

 

[coldboreshot]

I got what I am assuming was my first "real" exposure to horrible mirage this weekend practicing at 300 yards. It actually surprised me given it was in the high 50s. Not owning a mirage band, I applied black Gorilla Tape to my barrel and still had to back my scope from 42 down to about 20 power to clear up the target.
Has anybody used the ARD devices on their scopes to help mitigate mirage? Are they any more effective than a long sun shade? Or a scope cap with reduced diameter to look though? Obviously a mirage band has its place and I promptly ordered one when I got home. I don't want to start chasing gadgets if they haven't really proven themselves in the past.
And I do have a sun shade on my scope.
Any help is appreciated.

PMA Tool had barrel mirage band kits reasonably priced

 

[JFrank]

Just out of curiosity, were you shooting in an easterly direction? I was dealing with shooting straight into an early morning sun. Worse case set up.

These portable umbrellas are a life saver when the early sun is in your eyes. Guys at Deep creek were using them a few years ago so I got on board. You might notice my table top fan also.

 

[K22]

The longer shades could act like a tuning fork which could affect scope internals and also it was proven years ago that the longer ones could cause their own heat build-up with-in the sunshade tube- search "Saunders mirage tube."

Very interesting.

 

[wildcatter]

Cool Temps are worse for barrel mirage than 70 to 90 degree days. The cooler the atmosphere, the less heat the barrel needs to start the cooling, (heat rises) and show its head. The shade works especially at close range. It at least let you see where the mirage is coming from, and right in front of your scope is the worst, and tells very little.

Same for full sun radiation. The cooler the air, the more it picks up that warming affect the sun has on dark objects. The darker, the worse it gets. Learning to read it, is a very handy tool to have!

Add moisture evaporation to that heating, and now the denser air rising is when it gets the worst! But the those waves show the direction the atmosphere is moving,,,,, wind.

 

[archerforkids]

These portable umbrellas are a life saver when the early sun is in your eyes. Guys at Deep creek were using them a few years ago so I got on board. You might notice my table top fan also.

At the club I shoot at, we have covered benches. We run rope or strap from pole to pole and hang whatever is handy off them to block the sun. This weekend I actually had a shipping blanket hanging within 6" over my setup with me shooting out from under it. Unfortunately I was shooting straight at the early morning sun which was eating me alive.

 

[JFrank]

Yep’ that’s what we get also, thus the adjustable umbrella. Without that I’m blinded during the calmest time to shoot.