I have read a bit about miraging and I would like to know how it can be cut down and why using a higher power scope causes it. I have seen competitive shooters use clear plexiglass tubes on their scopes much like someone would use a sun shade. Are they doing this to cut down on mirage? The reason why I am asking is that Bushnell has the Elite 4200 8-32x40x scope for around $499 and they will change out the multi-x reticle for a mil-dot for $50 more.

the way i understand it, mirage is caused by the rising heat waves off of the ground and trying to look "through" it under high magnification. obviously some surfaces will be worse then others i.e. pavement vs prairie, i do not know of a way to get around it besides backing off on the power.

even with a clear sunshade your still under high magnification and as i would guess still under the mercy of the heat waves.

Is the clear sunshade to cut down on the heat from the barrel? I noticed that the sunshade extends all the way to the end of the barrel.
I just can't see the way I used to and a paper target for instance at 100 yards with a 9x scope just looks like a little white dot. I know mirage is a factor in benchrest shooting but would mirage be too much of a factor in hunting at 200 or 300 yards?

I know of no way to cut down mirage beyond your rifle. Though keeping your rifle covered to reduce the amount of heat it is soaking up and there is a cloth strap that is made to stretch down the top of your barrel to reduce mirage. Other than that just plain old hard core training is your best option in dealing with mirage.

Barrel mirage will begin to blur your image vision after round 4 or 5 on a .308. A cheap way to handle this mirage is to simply put a piece of Sunday's newspaper over the barrel. It will block the heat waves for a few rounds. Just do not put the paper over the end of the barrel as muzzle flash/blast may light it up and fires are no fun.

For non barrel mirage there is no cure. It will be there if there is any heat accumulation in the terrain. There are a few ways to manipulate the mirage factor, but none to eliminate it. If you cover the front of your scope with black paper with a hole in it you can "stop down" your scope and change the depth of field and thereby change how the mirage will appear. This can help or hurt depending upon your conditions. Some shooters will utilize mirage to help read the wind, and again, this can help or hurt depending upon your conditions.

One major problem with mirage is ranging with MD or other reticles. It is hard to get a firm MD count on a piece of jello, at least I think it's tough. Good luck and shoot early in the morning when it is cool.

HB

Two different things here, mirage is bending light, through the heat or light refraction. The sunshades or covering the barrel, is so the heat from the barrel doesn't rise in the scope and giving the appearance of mirage or light refraction. Both are killers.

Although mirage can be your friend, it can indicate wind speed and direction. If you read the mirage directly off the target.

I've got a buddy who's a sniper over at Aberdeen, and he uses a 6x scope for shooting in the heat with his personal rifles, or he'll dial down to 6 with a variable scope.

If you are hunting deer or elk, 6x is about the highest magnification you should be anyways. Some of the old guys still swear by 4x, but in North America I feel that 6 is a little better on the 200-300 meter shots. Course my 4x is an old Lyman All American and probably not as good as a new Burris or Leupold.

Heck most of us can hit the 300 meter popup target with our issue M16 just fine, but I have know idea where on the target I hit, cause I'm just aiming center mass. When hunting, you should be a little more precise than that. Be able to hit a paper plate at all the ranges you feel comfortable taking a shot. If your on the plate, that's good enough for hunting.

Jimro

So I should choose a scope that makes the game harder to see, not easier to see? Wow, that makes no sense at all.

he's not saying that at all.

fixed power, especially lower power makes it much easier to track game and often enough has a very forgiving eye relief. it's also a sure way to combat mirage, lower the power of the scope.

p.s. you don't need to see the individual bullet holes in yer scope to be accurate. that's why we buy spotting scopes.

What I'm saying is I want to hit the area of the deer that want and with a 6x scope at 200 or 300 yards I just don't think that my eyes would let me do that. Sure, at 100 and under a 9x or maybe 6x scope would do the job but that's just me.

No, the clear tube is to take away the heat waves coming off the barrel. With out it, the Mirage can look worse than it is. Because you see the heat waves from the rifle and the mirage you are shooting though.

One way to do this:

Take a window blind pain, "one of the long thick ones" Add Velcro to the barrel and the pain. The pain will work like the clear tube. But for a lot less.

I think this will answer your questions about Mirage:

Mirage is a reflection of the heat through layers of air at different temperatures and density as seen on a warm day.

With a rifle telescope, or spotting scope, the shooter can see a mirage as long as there is a difference in ground and air temperatures. Proper reading of the mirage enables the shooter to estimate wind speed and direction with a high degree of accuracy. The shooter can use there spotting telescope to read the mirage. Since the wind nearest to midrange has the greatest effect on the bullet, he or she tries to determine velocity at that point. The shooter can do this in one of two ways:

(1) Shooter focuses on an object at midrange, then places the scope back onto the target without readjusting the focus.

(2) Shooter can also focus on the target, then back off the focus one-quarter turn counterclockwise. This makes the target appear fuzzy, but the mirage will be clear.



As observed through a telescope, the mirage appears to move with the same velocity as the wind, except when blowing straight into or away from the scope. Then, the mirage gives the appearance of moving straight upward with no lateral movement. This is called a boiling mirage. A boiling mirage may also be seen when the wind is constantly changing direction. For example, a full-value wind blowing from 9 o’clock to 3 o’clock suddenly changes direction. The mirage will appear to stop moving from left to right and present a boiling appearance. When this occurs, the inexperienced observer directs the shooter to fire with the "0" wind. As the shooter fires, the wind begins blowing from 3 o’clock to 9 o’clock, causing the bullet to miss the target therefore, firing in a “boil” can hamper shot placement. Unless there is a no-value wind, the shooter must wait until the boil disappears. In general, changes in the velocity of the wind, up to about 12 miles per hour, can be readily determined by observing the mirage. Beyond that speed, the movement of the mirage is too fast for detection of minor changes.

If you need more help. Read THIS RED