sight picture getting blurry, Why?

[BlackHawk95]

Hey guys,

Ive got a NF 8-32 NXS scope. Ive been noticing lately that I can get setup on the target and get the scope all dialed in and can see the reticle and target very clearly then, after a few shots the whole target gets hazy. The reticle itself is still clear but not the target.

Ive adjusted the occular and the focus and it doesnt seem to help. I also dont think its mirage. theres no boiling or moving with the wind.

Im just trying to figure out if its the scope or my eyes..

Any help would be great.

Jerid

 

[Fred Bohl]

Sounds like a similar issue that was recently discussed over on the Benchrest Central Forum - Click Here

See if that thread provides any help. Also it might stimulate more thoughtful responses if you could provide additional data such as your age, any known vision issues, typical time you look through the scope, how long between shots, and how many shots before the problem occurs

 

[BlackHawk95]

Fred,

That sounds about like what Im describing.

Im 28yo and wear contacts as im nearsighted. as far as the times it happens, I usually have the ability to shoot through out the day. Morining, noonish and evening. And as far as when it happens, I can get setup and all behind the gun and get it in line with the target and fire off 3 to five rounds, then after re-loading Ill look back though the scope and see the target is blurry.

I have used the steps as described on the BC site to adjust the occular and the parralax. with no improvement in the blurryness. I thought i might be barrel heat, but its not as after 3 to 5 shots theres virtually no heat on the outside surface of the barrel. Ive even tried to look down the barrel and see if there was any mirage coming off it, and ther wasnt.

Also, I dont think its just mirage from the atmosphere. As Ive seen that before and this is not the same thing.

Only thing I can really think its is is my eyes or contacts. But I dont know what to do if it is.

Thanks,

Jerid

 

[Fred Bohl]

Jerid,

Let us assume first that this is a problem with your visual system,eyes and/or contacts). At your age you should be at your peak visual acuity and normally your myopia,nearsightedness = more than normal corneal magnification) should be diminishing as presbyopia,decreasing focus accommodation of the eye lens with age) tends to reduce the effect of myopia.

I would suggest that you try shooting without your contact lens in the shooting eye. You will need to redo the ocular,eyepiece) focus very very carefully starting from from the full out,left most) position. The Nightforce scopes I've tried have a correction range of almost -3 to +2 diopters which should be sufficient [-3 diopters is a lot of myopia]. Then be careful to set for zero parallax error.

Let us know if that helps or at least changes the observed effect.

 

[GermanS1]

Jerid, that sounds like barrel mirage. Easy enough to check, take a piece of cardboard about 3 to 4 inches wide and as long as the barrel, fire a few shots, see if the problem is there, then put the cardboard over the barrel and see if the problem is gone. If so, rig up a more permanent mirage shield.

 

[canuck4570]

I had the same problem
somebody gave me that trick for my nightforce
go in a completely dark room
put the scope parallax on infinity
put the scope to highest x setting
put bikini cover on objective
light up the reticle,switch on)
now look in the eye piece and focus reticle
take your eyes away and look back and see if reticle is focus
repeat until satisfied
went shooting after doing this and behold all day no problem
hope this help Cancuck

 

[BlackHawk95]

Thanks again for all the replys.

Fred, My contact perscription in my shooting eye is a -3.25 diopter..

Im actually thinking my contact is moving in my eye or drying out.

Im going to try some different things today and see if anything changes.


Jerid

 

[jb1000br]

Jerid, that sounds like barrel mirage. Easy enough to check, take a piece of cardboard about 3 to 4 inches wide and as long as the barrel, fire a few shots, see if the problem is there, then put the cardboard over the barrel and see if the problem is gone. If so, rig up a more permanent mirage shield.

That would be my bet too German.

JB

 

[wfeher]

it's barrel heat, even though you dont think it's hot it's still letting off heat waves that your scope is picking up. i know from experience believe me!

 

[memilanuk]

Definitely sounds like barrel heat. Just because you can't see it with naked eye doesn't mean you won't experience it with the scope on 32x...

One little trick I've used to clear up the barrel heat mirage when caught with no mirage band is to take a deep breath, tip my head to the side of the scope and then blow a long steady stream along down the length of the barrel. Tip your head back and look through the scope. Odds are you'll have displaced the mirage long enough to get off the next shot - if you don't dilly-dally around too much

Work to get off a last few shots, but all the huffin-n-puffin isn't tops for group shooting either

 

[BlackHawk95]

I did some testing this weekend and have come to the conclusion its eye strain. along with some sort of contact drying problem. I put eye drops in right before shooting and tried not to sit there an stare through the scope and it seemed to help.

I found a tip on how to reduce eye strain. Once it happens, your to look at a distant object for a minute or so and it should clear up.

Im going to make me a mirage sheild too, so that wont be an issue.

Thanks for the help.

Jerid

 

[btm_54]

I had the target going blurry after 1.5 secs. The target was crystal clear then the target went blurry and the scope reticule stayed sharp. I found the experience very frustrating.
I have had my eyes reassessed I heard the optometrist say the average eye is supposed to stay lubricated for 10 seconds my eyes were lasting for 1.5 seconds.
I was asked do I use a computer and do I live in a air conditioned environment.

 

[shootsanything]

Same thing happened to me. I gave up shooting with my contacts in and the problem has for the most part gone away. I found that higher magnification scopes were the worst.

 

[cliffy]

Don't Force you eyes, since they will begin watering. I'm not an optimoligist, but my eyes can see 20/15 until they get tired, they they get blurry. Sight FAST and fire, because too long on the target pruduces tears that cause blurriness. cliffy