Is a mirage shade useful when after prairie dogs?

[ssv1761982]

New to prairie dogs. First trip will be July this year. I was wondering if a mirage shade like the BR guys use would be helpful in the heat.

 

[CatShooter]

A little, but 95% of the mirage will come off the prairie itself.

 

[BoydAllen]

It depends on the wind situation. If you find yourself in calm conditions, it will help. I have always found it amusing that varmint shooters who make serious investments in their rifle and optics would ignore the obvious.

Once when I was at the range, on a day when the wind was a factor, I saw a fellow shooting a very expensive varmint rifle doing some load testing (shooting some crap groups). When I mentioned that some way to look at what the wind was doing might improve his results, his reply was that there are no wind flags on the prairie. My reply was to ask him if he would like to test in a tunnel, to which he replied that he would. Do you see where I am going here?

Years back, a prominent bullet maker went on a prairie dog shoot that a friend of mine put on. He put out one wind flag, so that he could better judge hold offs. Given the number of shots that he would take from a given position, I do not think that the time and effort that he took to do this was wasted.

Bottom line, most shooters do not do things that "look different". To them, style matters more than they would like to admit.

 

[dkhunt14]

When I shoot a bunch of shots quickly, like in a record string, I can see my sight picture get blurrier as the string goes on. It usually hurts the group too. The heat coming off a barrel really plays havoc with a high power scope. Matt

 

[XTR]

I haven't hunted p-dogs but I shoot a whole lot of long range F class. The mirage shield really comes into play when you run strings of 10 or more shots (at least in a 308) and the barrel starts to get hot. I've had a narrow band on and could see the mirage coming up blurring the edges of the view. It should be noticeable sooner in chamberings that heat the barrel more.

The other place I could see it being useful is if your barrel is hanging out in the sun, steel absorbs heat, heat makes mirage.

I'd use one.

 

[Terry]

New to prairie dogs. First trip will be July this year. I was wondering if a mirage shade like the BR guys use would be helpful in the heat.

Yes!

After your first 50 shots in 30 minutes the heat off the barrel is an issue.

 

[5spd]

Just drap a wet rag, shirt, towel over your barrel when shooting p-dogs.
I took a old towel and double sewed it and drape it around my barrel, soaked w/water, been doing that for over 30yrs and I shoot thousands (5k-9k) of those rats yearly, no need to get fancy.

 

[LHSmith]

Just drap a wet rag, shirt, towel over your barrel when shooting p-dogs.
I took a old towel and double sewed it and drape it around my barrel, soaked w/water, been doing that for over 30yrs and I shoot thousands (5k-9k) of those rats yearly, no need to get fancy.

Not what I would recommend for dead nuts accuracy. Do you know the principle behind a barrel tuner?

 

[LCazador]

A mirage tube really helps and you can also try a heat shield as well. I use a flat piece of plastic velcroed on the barrel so I can switch it from rifle to rifle. I did my first Pdog trip this year last weekend and those 600 yard shots were a piece of cake with my 6BR!

 

[Ackman]

Just drap a wet rag, shirt, towel over your barrel when shooting p-dogs.
I took a old towel and double sewed it and drape it around my barrel, soaked w/water, been doing that for over 30yrs and I shoot thousands (5k-9k) of those rats yearly, no need to get fancy.

Not what I would recommend for dead nuts accuracy.

It works just fine.

 

[22DASHER]

Not what I would recommend for dead nuts accuracy.

You don't exactly need dead nuts accuracy for 90% or your prairie dog shots....but you do need to keep the barrel cool.

For me if the mirage gets bad.... I drive the truck closer....

 

[people]

Just drap a wet rag, shirt, towel over your barrel when shooting p-dogs.
I took a old towel and double sewed it and drape it around my barrel, soaked w/water, been doing that for over 30yrs and I shoot thousands (5k-9k) of those rats yearly, no need to get fancy.

Not what I would recommend for dead nuts accuracy.

It works just fine.

It looks bad but does keep it cool.

 

[SBS]

Where are you guys hunting PD's that the wind doesn't blow off the barrel heat mirage? Sometimes, maybe once a trip, I have this problem for a min. or two; most trips it never happens. I do find a sunshade to be useful early and late.

 

[AckleymanII]

on the plain's states, the wind is usually blowing to the degree that it will blow a lot of the barrel heat mirage away...better plan on this! So, Boyd's post is like the words out of Moses mouth, especially the last sentence.



this simple wind flag works well, we drove off and left a lot of them in SD, and they are very simple and easy to make:



1/4" stainless or chrome moly rod, 42" length works best, 36" in the very least. Drill a hole in one end, sharpen the other end.

sharpen and bend the end of a bicycle spoke or thin brass rod:



Now bend the other end of the bicycle spoke to hold a 1/2" piece of red yarn:



now tie the knot on the yarn and you are done:

 

[ssv1761982]

Thanks for the tip on the wind flags too.

 

[searcher]

1+ for mirage shades and wind flags when on the hunt! Just got back from Calif./ Oreg. border from 4 days of squirreling and at a rate of 350-500 shots per day - barrels got hot even at a 30-45 degree shooting temps. The wind flags save a lot of rounds wasted in wind shifts.

 

[M14AMU]

Wear a cap...with a long bill!!

 

[Tommie]

I never once saw mirage while shooting prairie dogs. You can try attaching a mirage shield onto your barrel but the gusting wind will probably tear it off your gun!