Target Gets Blurry After a Few Seconds in the Scope

[dickn52]

I have a friend who shoots very well, but he spends way to much time on scope. IF we shoot with a timer he never finishes. But his scores on slow rifle are pretty darn good.

 

[hogpatrol]

Floaters? I thought they were gnats that wouldn't go away. I keep swatting at them but they just won't leave me alone.

Seriously though, I'm in the same boat. Some days are worse than others.

 

[LCazador]

I might answer my own question, fatigue. I participate in a 600yrd match with a Rem 700 / Votrex 5-25 PST II and use a barrel heat diffuser. I shoot three strings of 20 rounds. I’ll get into the scope and the reticles and target-X are crystal clear and after a few seconds the target gets blurry. I’ll come out of the scope and try to rest my eyes for a few minutes, then go back in the scope. Same thing, blurry after a few seconds. I’ve considered the mirage and barrel heat, but I just don’t understand how the X can be clear for the first few moments. I should also mention I wear seamless bifocal regular and sun glasses. Thx for the help — Dougie[/QUOTEI
I've been using Ranger shooting glasses for about 30 years now and there's quite a difference in the size of the focus area between my shooting glasses and my everyday glasses. I suspect that's what's going on with your personal challenge. I send my prescription in to Morgan optical in NY and they make the lenses for me in a variety of configurations.

 

[redrockranger]

I might answer my own question, fatigue. I participate in a 600yrd match with a Rem 700 / Votrex 5-25 PST II and use a barrel heat diffuser. I shoot three strings of 20 rounds. I’ll get into the scope and the reticles and target-X are crystal clear and after a few seconds the target gets blurry. I’ll come out of the scope and try to rest my eyes for a few minutes, then go back in the scope. Same thing, blurry after a few seconds. I’ve considered the mirage and barrel heat, but I just don’t understand how the X can be clear for the first few moments. I should also mention I wear seamless bifocal regular and sun glasses. Thx for the help — Dougie

Try shooting without your glasses. I think it has helped me.

 

[coldboreshot]

A few deep breaths before you begin your relays and breath consistently throughout. Eyes require a lot of oxygen and stabilizing your pulse at the same time doesn't hurt either.

 

[Bob L.]

Might also be dry eyes. You might try using some eyedrops to moisten your tired eyes. Sun and winds take their toll on your vision during the day.

I have found that artificial tears such as Thera-Tears help a lot. They come in small plastic vials and are applied like any eye drop.

 

[Bugs]

I would bet on heat waves coming off the barrel as it heats up. Perhaps try a small battery operated fan to blow the heat waves off the barrel. I won't shoot without one.

 

[Immike]

The best fclass shooter ( Meyers) told me that wearing his reading glasses solved this problem for him. The eye piece ran out of adjustment so he went to wearing them.

 

[drover]

I had the same issue as the OP and like some others blamed it on the scope - it wasn't.
I went to my optometrist and he did a very good in-depth exam and the issue was dry eye, I had it long enough that he said my eye looked like a gravel road (as an illustration of what he was seeing). He recommended that I go on a regimen of using Baush and Lomb or Refresh EYE LUBRICANT twice a day, I have been doing so for a few months and the issue has pretty much been resolved. The EYE LUBRICANT is the key, he said to avoid cheap eyedrops, particuarily the ones for Redeye as the make the blood vessels contract which makes the problem even worse.
It has not been a complete solution but if the crosshair starts blurring I shift my eye to a further object for a few seconds and when I come back on to the scope the crosshairs are clear again.

I do not wear glasses and do have excellent vision outside of the dry eye issue, it may be well worth the $8.00 or so to give some eye lubricant a try. The bottles are marked EYE LUBRICANT, not EYE DROPS.

edited to add - I need to clarify that the EYE LUBRICANT is actually an eyedrop and is put into the eye the same as regular eyedrops, it is just a different formulation from regular eyedrops.

drover

 

[mikehotel]

Lately, I'm finding, that on the days that I shoot, I stay way from the computer and iPad screen until I'm done. For some reason, the iPad really raises heck with my eyes, yes I wear glasses.

Hope this helps.

 

[old_heli_logger]

A few deep breaths before you begin your relays and breath consistently throughout. Eyes require a lot of oxygen and stabilizing your pulse at the same time doesn't hurt either.

This!! /\

 

[MrMajestic]

I had this problem probably about 10 years ago. Nursed it with eye drops for a while and finally got my eyes checked. Glasses solved it..

 

[dickn52]

When I shot shotguns and traveled the country...we used Meclazine to constrict our pupils which cleared the vision. Plus, close your eyes for s few second then go straight to scope.

 

[Nature Boy]

Another thing you may consider and add to all the other good suggestions already discussed.

What helped me was getting some Rx shooting glasses. Your daily wear glasses don’t have edge to edge clarity so if you look through the top edge like I do when in shooting positions you get some distortion.

 

[rogn]

Some of the same problems appear from time to time. Less space between episodes than used to. I find long periods of reading cause difficulties with sharp definition and computer screens affect vision noticeably. I usually have more trouble with 'double vision". Makes it hard to decide which set of sights and which target to use. Usually choose wrong. I tink some of the problem is an astigmatism since it doesnt seem to exist in the left eye.
Age is part of the issues and part is caused by the growing list of medications as I age. Some meds will cause midriasis or the dilation of the pupil. This just allows your vision to get blurry. Thhe meds that cause costriction of the pupil, as mentioned, meiosis will cause vision to become sharper--, but darker.

I think Ill try some eye lube and see if it improves anything. Might try the meclizine and see if it helps. Ophthalmologist hasnt helped so far.

 

[nmkid]

I suffer the same blurriness. First I thought my barrel was getting warm. It wasn't. Then I noticed it before I even took a shot. Think I'll try the eye drops as I do have dry eye.

 

[MislMan]

I don’t know that it would help on this issue but, I also utilize Breathe Right nasal strips to keep my nose “open”. When down on the cheekpiece I hold my mouth closed and breathe through my nose. With the nasal strip in place I can breathe much freer with mouth closed. Might help with oxygen for the eyes ... maybe?

 

[Zeta7]

Thanks all. You gave me a lot to consider. I’ll start shooting with both eye open and also mark a spot on my glasses.

 

[memilanuk]

I've had similar issues in the past... but mine were almost exclusively when trying to use a reticle that was too fine for my eyes. After pretty good success in 2007 with a NF 12-42x BR scope with a 2DD reticle, I thought 'hold small, miss small' so I switched to a CH-3 reticle (very fine lines with a tiny pin-prick of a dot floating in the center). About 5, maybe 10 seconds tops, and the reticle would fade away. I tried all sorts of stuff - look away, relax the eye, hydrate/lubricate the eye, different eyewear, etc. Long story short, having ~5 seconds to line up the gun, assess the wind, hold off and pull the trigger doesn't do anything good for your scores @ 1k. So I switched back to something a little thicker and easier for me to see.

I've had similar problems over the years with other reticles... and the manufacturers keep making the damn things finer and finer. Had a NF 15-55x Comp with a hybrid reticle (bastard child of a FCR-1 and a CH-3) that just killed me - had to use the hash marks to bracket the black bull and/or target frame, or else aim off in the white. Same thing earlier this year with a Vortex Golden Eagle 15-60x and the ECR-1. Luckily there are other reticle options out there, and I can usually find someone with the opposite reticle willing to trade pretty easily.

One thing I did notice, for me at least (though I think @Lbart was the one who mentioned it first) is that just having a continuous line gives the eye something to follow all the way into the center. It's the reticles that have small gaps around the center, and then a tiny floating dot, that kill me. The 2DD, I could handle (I *love* that reticle)... but others, like the DDR2 and ECR1... no bueno, too fine. The center fades out, and I lose most or all of the reticle.

YMMV,

Monte

 

[MislMan]

I align the crosshair horizontal leg at the bottom edge of the bullseye. Then align the vertical leg as needed for windage. I do not attempt to align the crosshairs to the center of the bullseye. This might be something for y’all to try. Similar to pistol shooting with the target dot on top of the front sight at 6 o’clock position.