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Rifle Scopes can you see a bullet hole with your scope

wildbill9ball

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Mar 3, 2010
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Avondale ,AZ
ok can you see bullet holes through your scope at the range?

with Nightfoce NXS12-42x56 I can see them at 300yds depending on heat waves
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but old school 1,5 unertl 14x i can see holes at 100yds I was very happy
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Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

With my Gen4 Wotac, I can see .30 cal bullet holes at 200 yards. But I have not yet shot past 200 yards with it so I might be able to see holes even further away than that.
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: wildbill9ball</div><div class="ubbcode-body">ok can you see bullet holes through your scope at the range?
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As long as I don't hit in the black, I can see them.
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

sorry to spoil the party but for me it dependst on what i am shooting my 375 h&h i can see at 400 easely but my 223 is a different story
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

308, Leupold 8.5-25X50 at 500yrds if they are in the white and mirage is not too bad. 300 yrds easily.
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

With my Millett TRS-1 4-16x50 I can see my .30 holes at 200 yds on white paper targets easily. The guy next to me was using Shoot-n-See targets, and I was able to make out his shots at 300 yds(barely) on 16x.
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

go to your local office supply and purchase 22x28 pads with 1" squares on the paper. They make very cheap targets and are white paper. I can see holes out to 400 to 500yds with .30 and larger bullets. I can see the 1" grid out to about 300yds so I can easily know how far off a shot is if sighting in and don't have to run back and forth to the target and have down time.
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

I can see out to 300 yds easily with my Millett LRS 6-25x56, even clearer with a shot n c.
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

I use the Caldwell Orange Peel targets so it's easy to pick up each shot. 200 is as far as I've gone to this point but I don't think 400-500 is out of the question with these targets.

Besides it's easy to see when they are all through the same hole
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HAHAHAHA...I Wish
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

depending on light and mirage. I've been able to see .308 holes through my ST-10 out to 300, and 6.5's through my 8-32 3200 at 600.
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

How much farther can you guys see .223 with a shoot n c style target?

Also, is a spotting scope going to resolve better than some of the newer 24x - 32x scopes, or is that magnification at the limit of resolving power in terms of atmospheric limitations (mirage and the like)?
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

With my Zeiss on 20x on white paper I could just make them out at 465yds the other day.
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

I was able to see 6mm holes at 600 yards in the white portion of the target through a March 40x. This was at 9am or so with no mirage. Not my scope, another competitors at a benchrest match.
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

I can see holes at 200yds which is as far as my range goes. I have a 30-06 with a Sightron Big Sky 4-16x42 which has fantastic glass for a $500 scope.
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

I can see .223 bullet holes at 100 yards, all white colored paper, with my vortex viper 4-12x40. Although, I could not see them at 200 yards. I thought the scope was bad or my eyes were bad but I guess it isnt all that easy to see them. Now I also just started shooting and I only shoot on private property, so at 200 yards, I walk over to my target. What do you people do that shoot to 1000 yards? I have never been to a shooting range so I am sorry for this beginners question.
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Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

On a overcast day, I could see 7mm bullet holes on a white IDPA target at 600 yards with my 5-25x Premier.
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

Leupold 6.5-20 and 8.5-25, NF 5.5-22x50 and 56. I can see 6mm holes at 300 on white paper with all of these scopes with no problem. I can see 6mm holes at 400 with them some of the time depending on conditions. When things are absolutely perfect I can see bullet holes with the 8.5-25 Leupold out to 500 yards on white paper.
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

Depends on the bullets.

I was shooting my 17 Remington today and had a VERY difficult time seeing my impacts at 100 yards when dialed in at 14x. And I was shooting at shoot-n-see targets. Essentially what I discovered is the the 17 Remington bullets are moving so fast (~4000 fps), they they don't actually make the shoot-n-see "splat" when hit.

I had almost as tough a time with my 20 Tac dialed in at 9x.
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

Leupold Mark 4 4.5-14X... i can see 30 cal holes at 200 yards. At 300 yards I would probably struggle.
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

VX-L 6.5-20x with 6.5mm bullets at 600y if in the white and good light.

March 5-32x same thing.
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

I could see .284 holes at 400 with my Sightron 6-24. Was pretty impressed to say the least.
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

Seeing holes in paper is more of a function of lighting and background than scope....
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

No problems with my 72mm Zeiss Victory all the way out to 600 yards. But then, my rifle scope has a bigger objective than many spotting scopes.

Guys come up to me at the range asking to use my riflescope to spot their holes.
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

Mine are always on the X so I have no need to see them
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Seriously...easily out to 200 with a Mk4/M3
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

Honestly, no; not at the distances that count. While I cannot see bullet holes in any caliber, with any optics, at 1Kyd, I can sometimes track my partner's trace with the spotter, and recognize the impacts by observing the ripples on the target face as the bullet impacts.

When I design targets, I print them with 60% gray fill in the dark areas. This provides a usable contrast for aiming while allowing a clear observation of bullet holes. It's a good compromise. For scope targets, I use about a 1MOA aiming zone, for iron sight targets, I use about 3MOA. The 60% gray is about the lightest I can use and still be able to see with irons.

Greg
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

Can easily see at 200 meters with Nightforce 5.5 X 22 and guys at range use me to help sight for them, HA!
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

with my mueller APT at 14 power, i can clearly make out .223 holes at 200 yards, at 300 i can make out .308 and at 4 its a real stretch to make out the .308 holes
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

I can see them good with the Shoot-n-c targets. lol
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

The real question is this: Can anyone see a sniper through their Counter Sniper scope? And at what distance?
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

I just sold my NF 5.5x22x50 because a buddy of mine was calling 6mm hits on an orange b27 target at 400 yards with a schmidt and bender 4x16x50 scope that I could not spot with my 5.5x22x50 NF I in turn bought a 5x25x56 schmidt and bender and was able to see my 6mm hits on a good day with no mirage at 500yards
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

I could see my 308 hits at 475 yards yesterday. I was using a Sightron SIII 6-24 and was able to see them at 14 power and up. Sky was overcast with low mirage.
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

How far could I see 223 from a mark 4 4x14? Just wondering...TIA
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: dino1</div><div class="ubbcode-body">How far could I see 223 from a mark 4 4x14? Just wondering...TIA</div></div>

I couldn't see them at 200 yds with mine, although conditions weren't good. I could still see .308 at 300yds.
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

Yes, but very hard! NXS 15x , 308win, max 300 mt
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

Greg,

Have you tried (dark) orange centres on white paper?

I'm finding that I like that system very much, but I've not used it beyond 200m, hence the question.

I see all sorts of fancy target designs, but I've settled on a simple orange circle thats sized such that it appears to be slightly larger than the cross hairs at the appropriate distance. Quartering the circle with the crosshairs seems instinctive, and gives accurate results providing the circle is not overly large...

Regards,

Peter
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

I can see 7mm holes at 300 yds with my Vortex Viper 6.5-20x50mm. Clear West Texas air helps.

Mike
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

I was able to easily see 17HMR hits at 200 yards with my SS 10X HD with slight to moderate mirage at about 4pm the other day.
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Greg Langelius *</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Honestly, no; not at the distances that count. While I cannot see bullet holes in any caliber, with any optics, at 1Kyd, I can sometimes track my partner's trace with the spotter, and recognize the impacts by observing the ripples on the target face as the bullet impacts.
Greg </div></div>

+1
 
Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

replies like that make me feel like a pussy for getting excited about my small groups at 200yds



<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DP425</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Greg Langelius *</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Honestly, no; not at the distances that count. While I cannot see bullet holes in any caliber, with any optics, at 1Kyd, I can sometimes track my partner's trace with the spotter, and recognize the impacts by observing the ripples on the target face as the bullet impacts.
Greg </div></div>

+1

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Re: can you see a bullet hole with your scope

Enkry- no reason to feel bad about it. Grouping at short distance is a good measure of two things, the rifle's accuracy and your ability to master the basics. But once you've got that down- there isn't much reason to stay short on your range- the truily difficult things, like judging wind and shooting 800m with mil-hold-off then come into play. And for this advanced skill shooting, no one cares about being able to see bullet holes in targets- you usually won't be able to, even with a spotting scope.

The point Greg was making is that a lot of people put too much emphasis on seeing their bullet holes- which if all they do is shoot benchrest stuff, so be it... but if you shoot long range and tactical, then relying on a scope to spot holes is a bad habit to get into. Long Range / Tactical are by far more difficult than 100-300 bench shooting- this is his point- the really hard distances, you can't spot holes.