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Heat waves

G19Kev

Private
Minuteman
Nov 15, 2020
45
8
Texas
What type of optic does it take to see, and measure wind direction, and speed, by heat mirage out to 500yds, for a 1000yd shot? Can it be done with a high power monocular, or would you need a spotting scope?
 
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You will get alot of different answers on this.

Typically I like spotting scope for reading mirage but it can be done with most scopes and binoculars.

Typically its a focus, parallax, magnification adjustment to see it.

Have you tried with your scope?
 
The degree or amount that the mirage is visible, is very dependent on environmental conditions. Heat and humidity drive how visible it is.
 
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With my scope behind the rifle, or with steady/mounted binos I look for a horizontal and clear defined light colored edge somewhere near the target, like the top or bottom of a target placard or the top/bottom white edges of the target itself, especially metal things. I find those edges tend to give away the mirage pretty well and the ripple gives you direction. With a spotter you can usually see more in the air itself, dep upon conditions as said above.
I know some who can dial up magnification on scopes and adjust their dope for the mirage effect on poa=/=poi, but i usually dial down to @ 10-12x to minimize the distortion on poa-poi through the mirage. I haven't gotten to play around with those shifts yet...
 
It also helps to dial the focus to in front of the target. Used to be 1/4 turn counterclockwise on the old shitty USMC spotting scopes...
 
You will get alot of different answers on this.

Typically I like spotting scope for reading mirage but it can be done with most scopes and binoculars.

Typically its a focus, parallax, magnification adjustment to see it.

Have you tried with your scope?
No, because I have a thermal scope.
 
You don't need particularly high magnification to see mirage; 10x binoculars will show it. Higher fidelity glass is what really makes it stand out. The lighting conditions can also make a difference. Where I am in the high desert, the ordinarily very distinct mirage disappears completely just as the sun sets over the mountains.