seeing trace question
- Thread starter stradibarrius
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When target shooting with thermals, I can start seeing the bullet about 1/2 and 2/3 of the way to the target as it is descending towards the target. This is when I'm using a thermal to spot with while my buddy is shooting with another thermal (clipon). Distances 500 to 900 yds at night.
I think the limitation of seeing the bullet is more due to FOV than other factors. I'm usually using thermals with maximum of 9 to 6 degrees of FOV for such spotting.
I think the limitation of seeing the bullet is more due to FOV than other factors. I'm usually using thermals with maximum of 9 to 6 degrees of FOV for such spotting.
I can spot a rifle bullet moving in a spotting scope easily before it gets 100m out if the conditions are right. Sun right overhead, clear air, mellow wind, spotting scope close to the shooter, that kind of stuff. In metallic silhouette I got to where I could see the course the bullet was on at 200,300,385,500m and instinctively call hit or miss and where the miss would be before or the bullet got there (not long before and saying the words took longer than the bullet flight) and I'd visually processed the actual hit with surprising regularity. Shoot with the same person at the same range with the same conditions enough and you don't have so much visual noise to process to find the thing. Those are pretty flat shots though. No dice doing that after about 600m, drop gets too big usually. That's not so much true trace as actually seeing a glinting bullet move and I haven't really tried to observe which is which , trace vs. glint, closer than about 400m. If you set up the spotting scope right behind the shooter just over their head then you'll be able to pick the bullet up pretty quickly in the bottom center of the FOV while the bullet is still on the upward leg. You lose perspective on how far the bullet is away from you and it's moving kinda fast anyway. Using excessive magnification cuts the FOV which makes it harder all the way around.
Humidity, light, background, wind speed... All will have an influence on how well you can see trace.
Low wind, high humidity it's like a boat wake ripping through the air
Low wind, high humidity it's like a boat wake ripping through the air
Is the OP asking about seeing trace specifically with NV gear? (This is the NV sub-forum after all)
With a clip on or through your PVS14...not really.
With a clip on and spotter, maybe, but in itself its counterproductive.
Neither are reliable as the ever changing 'static' you see through NV will hide it as well as the focus of the unit will also not help let alone the flash the NV units will pick up from the shot. You'll also probably be at too low of a magnification anyways, thats why I'd say you could only see it on a spotter, but you then cancel it out with the blurriness aspect of going with a higher magnification.
Is it possible? Sure. Something to rely on? No - we never looked for it.
You can see mirage at night though; but its normally just ghosts.
With a clip on and spotter, maybe, but in itself its counterproductive.
Neither are reliable as the ever changing 'static' you see through NV will hide it as well as the focus of the unit will also not help let alone the flash the NV units will pick up from the shot. You'll also probably be at too low of a magnification anyways, thats why I'd say you could only see it on a spotter, but you then cancel it out with the blurriness aspect of going with a higher magnification.
Is it possible? Sure. Something to rely on? No - we never looked for it.
You can see mirage at night though; but its normally just ghosts.
Pretty sure you will not see "trace" with any NV or thermal.
You can definitely see the bullet when spotting though if positioned behind the shooter..
Running an illuminator on a spotter with 27 or 30 in front will light up the back of the bullet when things are right. Legit thermal like HISS, ect.. can do the same.
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You can definitely see the bullet when spotting though if positioned behind the shooter..
Running an illuminator on a spotter with 27 or 30 in front will light up the back of the bullet when things are right. Legit thermal like HISS, ect.. can do the same.
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I'm sorry guys I clicked on the wrong forum. I will go to the right group...sorry. Moderator can delete this if you want.
Is it possible to actually see the bullet through your rifle scope? I’m not trying to hijack the thread. Just say so and I’ll start another one but it was mentioned above.
I was shooting the other day and thought I saw a bug flying through my scope after I touched off a shot. A couple shots later that “bug” was flying in the exact same location and path. I dismissed it. Noticed it quite a few times. Now reflecting back on it I’m wondering if I actually saw the bullet in flight. Obviously bullets are copper but it looked almost silver to me. Am I fucked up? If it means anything I was shooting a RPR 6.5 Creedmoor, Atlas bipod, Gen 3 Little Bastard and a Precision Underground elr rear back riding a Cheapskate Precision bag rider. I noticed it during shooting at 1005 but didn’t at 795.
I was shooting the other day and thought I saw a bug flying through my scope after I touched off a shot. A couple shots later that “bug” was flying in the exact same location and path. I dismissed it. Noticed it quite a few times. Now reflecting back on it I’m wondering if I actually saw the bullet in flight. Obviously bullets are copper but it looked almost silver to me. Am I fucked up? If it means anything I was shooting a RPR 6.5 Creedmoor, Atlas bipod, Gen 3 Little Bastard and a Precision Underground elr rear back riding a Cheapskate Precision bag rider. I noticed it during shooting at 1005 but didn’t at 795.
A little more info on my end. Cabelas Covenant 6-24x50 ffp shooting on 18-20 power. Environmentals: 45 degrees. Overcast/full cloud cover. High humidity, 79 percent when I arrived and light drizzle when I left. 1300’ elevation. Pressure was 29.91”.
Jaron- Where was the Sun? I ask because I had a similar experience once when I had the sun behind me. I was shooting .338 turned solids at 1k. I kept seeing shiny yellow disks and thinking it was just a reflection. Then I saw the vapor trail with this shiny yellow disk right in the center. I followed it all the way to the target. As the sun settled, the reflection diminished. I thought that's just what solids looked like since it was my first time shooting them... I've never been in the right conditions to see it again.
you can see trace in this video with nv. you can watch the black air disturbance and see that youre not really seeing an illuminated bullet base.
Absolutely. So, one day a buddy and I were about to shoot, I send one at 500 and watched it all the way to the target, so I tell him hurry up and shoot, same thing. It happens around my b day 4-28 about 6:00 pm and shooting straight west. I host a Watch Your Bullet party every year. And I'm not talking trace or vapor, it's like looking at a white led light.
Using a newish military 18mm thermal...nope, not during the day.
Have you tried spotting using a thermal? If yes, request share the experience.
