This is likely a very specific issue that not a lot of y'all have experienced. I wear contacts and I notice after around 40 or 50 rounds my vision seems to get fuzzy through the scope. It's almost like a mirage. I don't know if my vision gets worse as I look through the scope, or could it actually be a mirage from the heat of the barrel? I'm not sure how to diagnose this so I thought maybe someone has experienced this?
Poor vision or something else?
- Thread starter Supergus1
- Start date
If you cannot hold the back of your hand against the barrel just ahead of the scope's front lens for longer than a count of five, the likelihood is great that the barrel heat is causing a mirage effect.
Extended shooting with a really hot barrel is believed to accelerate throat wear. It can also reduce accuracy once the barrel exceeds its accurate heat range.
To tame the mirage effect (somewhat) look up the term 'mirage shield'. Competitive shooters use such shields on their rifle barrels because much of the time, the Course of Fire mandates a shooting cadence that is faster than optimal for barrel life and best vision with scopes.
Greg
Extended shooting with a really hot barrel is believed to accelerate throat wear. It can also reduce accuracy once the barrel exceeds its accurate heat range.
To tame the mirage effect (somewhat) look up the term 'mirage shield'. Competitive shooters use such shields on their rifle barrels because much of the time, the Course of Fire mandates a shooting cadence that is faster than optimal for barrel life and best vision with scopes.
Greg
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I'm assuming mirage off the barrel. If it is too hot to hold your hand on it, then you're likely to experience mirage in the scope. If it's cold outside, the threshold for mirage is even lower.
Do you wear single or multifocal lenses? I wear multifocal lens and have had similar issues when the lenses get a little dry and the lens gets a little stuck instead of keeping its natural shape. Normally blinking will help correct this - if not, then a couple of eye drops (I always keep a bottle in my range bag) will cure the problem
I think he pretty much called it. When the barrel gets hot enough it'll definitely make a mirage.
If it cools down, I'm guessing you're back to square one, right? Everything looks good then? If not I'd probably see an eye doctor. I have to see one soon for a possible detaching retina (scary, fingers crossed it's nothing!). Heavy recoil can do it or exacerbate it. If you have floaters and see random bright flashes at the periphery those are symptoms for detaching retina, something you don't want to wait too long on.
You could eliminate the heat and do some dry fire drills to prove or rule out mirage. Could be eye strain caused by a slightly out of focus reticle or image. The two should be on the same plane, but if they’re not, you’re eyeball shifting focus between them will wear it out quick. Older eyes flex (focus) less, and wear out easier. Could also be a contact issue as was noted above. If your prescription not playing nice with the optics, that could lead to strain as well. Mirage, even slight, is pretty distinct to me. I’d think it would be pretty easy to separate eye strain (blurry image and uncomfortable), with a dancing target.
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Supersubes is on the same page I would be, but in case not following how to make sure it's not "eyestrain" from poor focus:
- Time how long it takes to get that 50 rounds down.
- Some other time (fresh eyes) get behind the rifle, and use it as you would while shooting. Just, do not pull the trigger. Do everything else you can like blinking regularly to keep the contacts wet, use a hat to avoid glare, etc.
- See how you are at the usual things-get-blurry time.
hey y'all,
Thanks for all the replies and suggestions.
Jab00- i wear singles. Blinking doesn't help. I thought about bringing my drops but sticking a finger with lead on it near my eyes makes me nervous. My eyesight is bad enough!
Greg Laneglius- excellent info. I occasionally run off 5 fast rounds at a swinger to see if I can get a hit while the swinger is...well........
I'll slow my shots down and see if I can keep the barrel cooler.
Thanks again y'all!
Thanks for all the replies and suggestions.
Jab00- i wear singles. Blinking doesn't help. I thought about bringing my drops but sticking a finger with lead on it near my eyes makes me nervous. My eyesight is bad enough!
Greg Laneglius- excellent info. I occasionally run off 5 fast rounds at a swinger to see if I can get a hit while the swinger is...well........
I'll slow my shots down and see if I can keep the barrel cooler.
Thanks again y'all!
Jab00- i wear singles. Blinking doesn't help. I thought about bringing my drops but sticking a finger with lead on it near my eyes makes me nervous. My eyesight is bad enough!
I totally understand. I have the same thought - however, if you ever need to put drops in, and don't want to touch your eye, just tilt your head back, close your eyes, and put the drops in the corner of your eye towards your nose. When you open your eyes, the drops will make their way onto the surface
I totally understand. I have the same thought - however, if you ever need to put drops in, and don't want to touch your eye, just tilt your head back, close your eyes, and put the drops in the corner of your eye towards your nose. When you open your eyes, the drops will make their way onto the surface
If keeping the barrel cooler didn't help, you might think about focus. If the eyepiece is set so that the reticle is slightly out of focus, your eye will adapt and bring the reticle into focus. After a while, those eye muscles will tire and the reticle and/or target will unfocus. This is not an exact match for your observation so maybe it doesn't matter for you, it matters for me.
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