Mirage Shade Question

[ttfreestyle]

This may be a dumb question but which way is the proper way to mount the Sinclair style( window blind ) mirage shade ? Contour up or down, or does it matter? thanks

 

[BoydAllen]

I don't use velcro to mount mine, Instead I favor a loop of masking tape made with the stickum on the outside, that I position on the barrel before pressing the shade in place. I put tape just behind the muzzle and just in front of the scope, and have my shields just short of the muzzle, and underlapping the front of the scope. If you have some tape, you can try it them both ways (cupped up and cupped down). Why don't you, and then you can come back and tell us if there was a difference? I seriously doubt that there will be. Have a good day at the range.
Boyd

 

[Tozguy]

I prefer the cup facing up for purely psychological reasons.
Cup down looks droopy!
But I want to convert to a flat one eventually.

 

[ttfreestyle]

Well i had been using cup down and at the last match i was told it was wrong by a fellow shooter. I had been using this way all year and thought it was fine but he got me to wondering. So thought i would ask, lol. Thanks

 

[BoydAllen]

He's just messing with your head. Listen to the target. It is the final authority.

 

[guidom]

i think contour down would hold the hear. contour up would let the heat excape quicker.

 

[artbosco]

Which way is the proper way to mount the Sinclair style mirage shade? Contour up or down, or does it matter?

It really doesn't matter. Currently I'm using a flat 3 inch wide piece of an old target that I had laminated at OfficeMax. The whole idea is to divert heat coming off the barrel, so as not to create mirage, induced by the barrel.

 

[4xforfun]

i think contour down would hold the hear. contour up would let the heat excape quicker.

I thought that that ws the whole point...escaping heat is what causes bbl mirage. Trapping it would mean no mirage.

Actually, I have done it both ways. I too have been told that I was doing it wrong (both ways). I just gave them a suprised look and said " What..... you mean you havn't heard.....?" and walk away. ;D ;D

Gets 'em every time!!

 

[shanmoll308]

I use one of them Sinclair mirage bands every time I shoot as my scope is mounted very close to the barrel and in the last few shots of a 2 and 15 string mirage can be a problem.

I would suggest you turn the curve up as this diverts the heat evenly away from your line of sight along the full length of your barrel.
I have found that if you turn the curve down the heat travels along underneath the band exits at the front and distorts your target sight picture.

Adrian

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Never seen a difference, one way or the other. I'd worry more about other stuff.---Mike Ezell

 

[BoydAllen]

Outdoorsman,
I like your idea. It seems to me that most shields may be too narrow. Another thing that I have seen used were some old fashioned X-ray films.

 

[SS427]

Put me down for a Pedro! PM me billing information.

 

[Tozguy]

Home Depot sells vertical drapery "parts" for the do-it-yourselfers. They carry a brand called Bali Today which is nothing more than slightly curved PVC slats 3.5" wide and 84" long. There are nine slats in a pack for less than $12. A pack makes 27 mirage shields that really work for less than half-a-buck each. If you don't like the white color walk over to the paint department and get a can of Krylon Fusion in your choice of color. Then stop in the hardware department and get a pack of Velcro 7/8" squares. The Velcro square lets you tilt the shield a little so the heated air all comes out the higher side, away from your line of sight.

Also swing by the HVAC department for some aluminum tape. Applied to the underside of a cup-up shield it reflects heat down and away.

 

[243Mendoza]

... They carry a brand called Bali Today which is nothing more than slightly curved PVC slats 3.5" wide and 84" long. There are nine slats in a pack for less than $12...

Dave

I bought the Bali Today slats a few months ago but I could not get the velcro to stick to it. There is some kind of film on the slat surface that I cannot remove . What did you do to get the velcro to stick?

 

[artbosco]

Outdoorsman, I like your idea. It seems to me that most shields may be too narrow. Another thing that I have seen used were some old fashioned X-ray films.

Boyd, I tried the x-ray thing once, but never liked the idea of looking at the images of someone's bones. Aesthetically, it just wasn't very pleasing.