purtilo@cs.umd.edu (06/02/91)
This note is in the "gee, maybe you all knew this, but I didn't so let me share my surprize with you" category. I shot a rifle match down at Quantico yesterday: one full NM match in the morning with my club team, then a leg match in the afternoon. While scoring for shooters on the relay after mine, out on the 600 yard line, I was amazed to discover I could *see* the bullet trajectory and call the shot without seeing the hole in the target. It was a hot day --- 99F+ with high humidity (have care picking up your magazine if you left it out in the sun!) --- so there was plenty of mirage effect. With a good scope, and sitting just behind the shooter, I found the bullet would create a `cut' through the heat ripple that was very clearly defined, and, frankly, fasinating to watch. I could trace the bullet arc, observe the amount of drop, and once in a while see some wind effect (wind doping became a very serious concern as a front made its way through later in the day ... kind of a rip off, we had the storm front's wind without any relief from the heat). I admit to being sheepish about bringing this up at the match: normally I schmooze a lot and try to learn lots of new things, but, shooting between the army rifle team and weapons instructors for marine scout school, my ego didn't let me admit that I was *too* naive about such things. Oh well. Of course, there were other discoveries, like how you can drink 6 gallons of water during the day and never need to pee even once ...
hale@UCSD.EDU (Bob Hale) (06/05/91)
In article <35135@mimsy.umd.edu> purtilo@cs.umd.edu writes:
#
#This note is in the "gee, maybe you all knew this, but I didn't so let me
#share my surprize with you" category. I shot a rifle match down at Quantico
#yesterday: one full NM match in the morning with my club team, then a leg
#match in the afternoon. While scoring for shooters on the relay after mine,
#out on the 600 yard line, I was amazed to discover I could *see* the bullet
#trajectory and call the shot without seeing the hole in the target.
I have noticed the same effect with shot. On a clear, warm day I was
sometimes able to see a dark spot in the sky where the shot was
traveling. As it travelled it spread out until I could no longer
see the dark spot (or until the shot would hit the clay pigeon).
I never was able to see the shot when standing off to the side of the
shooter.
I don't know if we were observing the same effect. Perhaps someone
on this group has a handle on the phenomenon.
Bob Hale ...!ucsd!btree!hale
619-535-3234 ...!btree!hale@ucsd.edu