Check out the bullet trace in this video from today shooting at 640 yards
Shooting Steel at 640 yards - YouTube
Shooting Steel at 640 yards - YouTube
- Thread starter clayne_b
- Start date
Great video. It's a good example for people who have never spotted trace before.
Nice shot...
Nice buddy. Glad to see you finally got a decent grip on that too, ha!
Yeah it feels alot better!
Great video! The camera setup is nice, being directly behind the shooter.
So should you be able to see that through your scope when shooting?
Nice shooting by the way.
Nice shooting by the way.
Nice video,trace is so cool to watch
Yes you should...
I've never shot long range and am hoping to get started within a month, that's why I asked. Thanks.
"should"?
Yes and no.
Trace (also known as "vapor" or "vapor trail") is very depending on atmospheric conditions and also ambient lighting. Sometimes it is so obvious it's almost impossible to NOT see it. Other times you just can't see it at all. Sometimes you only see the bullet climbing to it's maximum height of the trajectory, and yet still other times you only see it on the way down FROM its max trajectory...
Catching a view of the trace takes a little practice too. Kind of like those optical illusion puzzles that were popular 10-15 years ago, where it looked like some kind of abstract artwork at first, but after staring at it, two halves came together to show you a hidden image. It could take 10 minutes to see it the first time, but once you've seen the hidden image, you can "find" it again in 2 seconds the next time. Seeing trace is very similar. Once you are used to looking for and seeing it, it's no trouble.
It's best to start looking for it through a spotting scope (hopefully of decent quality - not NCstar, Barska, etc etc). Position yourself directly behind the shooter with on ~25x power, at least 500 yards away from the target, with the target centered in the field of view. Look *at* the target but don't FOCUS intently on the target. Try to take in everything in your FOV. Sometimes it's helpful to put the scope *slightly* out of focus.
Watching trace through your riflescope is more difficult of course, because recoil may take you off target. Proper fundamentals of marksmanship (and muzzlebrakes!) will help you with that.
Good shooting.
Thanks for the advice Turbo. I've spotted for an uncle out to 800 and seen it before, just never while I was shooting. I've also only shot to 400 meters with hunting optics which has definitely played a role. I can usually see it if I'm spotting for someone else, even at closer range.
I've been working on correcting a flinch too... I blink very fast when the firing pin drops, even when dry firing. It's so fast I didn't notice until I filmed myself. I'm thinking a very casual afternoon with the .223 and doubled up hearing protection should help fix it. Just shoot reactive targets for fun and relax.
Good shootin, what are the specs on that rifle? Give Lilly a puppy treat for me, haha
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