mirage shield

[KWeigel]

I'm going to make another mirage shield and am curious to what width you guys are running in f class.
Barrel is straight taper 1.25 to 1 inch at 30" length.

 

[Bob Sebold]

Mine ended up 2.6 inches wide.

 

[gaboon]

I make my own out of a vertical blind and velcro. One blind for 15 bucks will last a lifetime,

 

[KWeigel]

Will be making my own for this Saturday out of 14 ply card stock. I can make it any width I want.

 

[lawrence97]

Sometimes a quick stop at lowes, Home Depot or a blind supplier might get you some free scrap pieces of blinds and all you need is some Velcro and scissors.

 

[WindSurgeon]

I have a 10x on one rifle and a window blind on the other. Picked up the window blind slat for free at a nearby window "treatment" store. It's 2" wide and mounted with Velcro squares on top of a strait 1.25" barrel. This is not a hard project. One hammer on the difficulty scale.

Have to admit, I like my snow camo patterned 10x on top of my FTR rifle. A higher style rating than the window blind. ;D But cost me more.

 

[pcrowe]

You guys who use a mirage shield, how high above the bore is your scope? What is your shooting discipline? I shoot prone with a sling and with my Elisio stocked rifle, the iron sights are approx. 3" above the bore. I've always thought I really didn't need a mirage shield. I could see how it might be beneficial (with my rifle) toward the end of a string of fire on a really calm day, but I don't know if I've ever been to a match on a really calm day.
If there is any wind, won't it blow away any barrel induced mirage?

I have a 10'6" sheet metal brake and an almost unlimited supply of .019 sheet aluminum in 24" x 50' rolls. Not really unlimited, we just use a lot of it and there is always some left over. I've thought about making a mirage shield from it. If any of you would like one made from aluminum, I would be happy to do it. No charge, except maybe shipping? I could make one flat, or flat with 1/4" or so turned down on the sides, or an inverted v, or an inverted v with the sides turned down, or about any shape except a curve or rounded.

 

[artbosco]

I'm going to make another mirage shield and am curious to what width you guys are running in f class.
Barrel is straight taper 1.25 to 1 inch at 30" length.

I've made two. Both, 3 inches wide. I used an old target, cut it so that it is about an inch under the front edge of my scope, and a 1/2" from the end of the barrel. I had them laminated at Office Max for about $2.50 each. Spaced Velcro in three equidistant places on the barrel and back of the shield.

 

[Medic505]

I'm going to say the ones I make are 2"wide. made from old blinds. I do make mine so it is also under the bell of the scope, nearly to the action, to keep heat away from the scope.

 

[gaboon]

Pcrowe the mirage shields are used on scoped guns. They are used to block barrel heat induced mirage.

 

[vtmarmot]

I saw a neat looking one made out of a extra-wide contractors retracting tape measure. I looked for one at Home Depot but it was a little pricey to just cut up.

 

[Warren Dean]

I have been using 2" privacy strip for chain link fence since I started shooting F Class.

It's made of aluminum and very light, cuts with scissors for trimming and can be rolled up and secured with a rubber band for transport.

Find a fencing contractor and they should be able to fix you up.... cheaply. I think I gave 3 bucks for 20 feet if it.

 

[thekriebles]

Sometimes a quick stop at lowes, Home Depot or a blind supplier might get you some free scrap pieces of blinds and all you need is some Velcro and scissors.

+1 I've done this as well, and it works just fine.

 

[alamo308]

Amazing creativity on here. Very informative to read the variety of different solutions.
Here are a couple kind-of-related questions:

• Does installing one of the longer sun shields on a scope help reduce the mirage effect at all? (Understanding it adds weight as a risk.)
  
  
• Is the mirage constant along the barrel length, or higher toward one end or the other (muzzle or receiver end)? (relates to the scope-sun-shield question)

 

[Warren Dean]

Amazing creativity on here. Very informative to read the variety of different solutions.
Here are a couple kind-of-related questions:

• Does installing one of the longer sun shields on a scope help reduce the mirage effect at all? (Understanding it adds weight as a risk.)
  
  
• Is the mirage constant along the barrel length, or higher toward one end or the other (muzzle or receiver end)? (relates to the scope-sun-shield question)

1) NO

2) Academic and has no value in the real world.

Cheers!
Warren

 

[bdale]

you might be able to find some old metal venetian blinds, would be light to, maybe on ebay or grandma's house

 

[Grimstod]

I would use the diameter of my scope lens for a starting point on width. The maybe add a little to that.

 

[johara1]

I don't shoot F class but i make my own out of white colored flashing. You can make them any with just use a straight edge and scribe it on both sides and snap it off cut to length and take an old socket or something round a scribe a radius on each corner and cut them off with shears and file the edges and some velcro dots from Walmart and your good to go for years……… jim

 

[tenring]

Mirage shield will diffuse some rising heat from the barrel to the side. You will still have mirage, depending on conditions. I made mine from old left over pieces of vinyl house siding. Cut 3" wide and Velcro them to the barrel. They were a slate color, and I think that would reflect heat back up into the scope, so I painted tops of the shields black to absorb some heat.