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jaystuw
03-06-2008, 02:30 AM
This is only a fraction of a second thrill , but I always get a kick out of it. It's when I shoot across an open, snow covered field with bright sun light to my back . Just as the gun goes off, I glance to the side to avoid the smoke and recoil and if conditions are right, get to see the bullet arcing down range. I use big slow moving bullets out of a .44 special (a s&w 624 with a 6.5 in. barrel-great plinker!) , they stand out clearly against the snow all the way to impact.Seeing the curved trajectory is neat, but Its a very fast show, even with slow bullets. Have any of you guys tried it?

jaystuw

cbrick
03-06-2008, 03:13 AM
Yep and snow isn't needed. When qualifing with the M-14 in the Marines in the 60's the range at Camp Pendleton shoots to the east with the pacific directly behind. Shooting late in the day with the sun low over the ocean and shooting prone at 500 meters I'd watch the bullet and score my own hits on the target by watching the bullet right to the target. Coarse I had eyes back then that could see 500 meters.

Pretty common also for a spotter with a decent spotting scope to follow the bullets path from about 100 meters on with decent light.

Rick

moredes
03-06-2008, 03:13 AM
When I used to shoot 38's at 25yd, I could see them against the grassy background. I don't think the background really matters so long as the sun's behind the shooter.

Damn. What's the term rifle shooters use to describe the phenomena of seeing bullet trajectory---they don't see the bullet, they see the displacement of air...

Lloyd Smale
03-06-2008, 04:26 AM
if the light is just right even without snow ive stood behind shooters and watched slow 45 colt and 44 specials fly. Pretty cool.

StrawHat
03-06-2008, 06:50 AM
Back when I could see good enough to be competitive, it was a kick to watch the 38s go downrange. Thinking back, I only saw them during practice, never in a match.

A neat thing, anyway.

Whitespider
03-06-2008, 08:01 AM
Back in the day (younger, better eyes) I’d see the bullet fly quite often, not so much now.

I remember a prairie dog shoot in the Dakotas, we were shooting down-hill, sun at our backs and one of the guys broke out a SKS. From my angle I could see every one of those bullets from about 50 yard out to flight termination (he didn’t score many hits). I tried to video tape the phenomena, but they wouldn’t show up on the recording.

sundog
03-06-2008, 08:17 AM
This happens pretty regular when shooting .22 RF at 100 yards, especially on a sunny day with the sun behind you.

tommag
03-06-2008, 09:14 AM
When I was a teen-ager, I used to watch the bullets from my .380 at night with the headlights on behind me. With a low powered scope, spotting for a bullseye shooter, I can see a 45acp going down-range pretty well, even without back-lighting.

VTDW
03-06-2008, 09:15 AM
AND sometimes when the sun is right and the humidy is right you can see con trails which is pretty cool.

Dave

38 Super Auto
03-06-2008, 09:25 AM
Just as the gun goes off, I glance to the side to avoid the smoke and recoil and if conditions are right, get to see the bullet arcing down range. I use big slow moving bullets out of a .44 special (a s&w 624 with a 6.5 in. barrel-great plinker!)

When I shoot my powder puff loads in 38 special 105gr SWC over 2.5gr Red dot, the bullets are moving slowly enough where you can see them. I think you're right - it's easier to pick them up if you are off to the side.

Calamity Jake
03-06-2008, 09:50 AM
I see this all the time at our CAS matches, we shoot to the west so the morning sun shines on the base of them slow moving boolets real good.
Also like to watch 22rf thru the scope mounted on the rifle im shooting.

EMC45
03-06-2008, 10:31 AM
Shooting with MGD45 and we were backlit by his unmarked car at night and we could see the 45 acp bullets flying. Very neat. The light hit the base of the bullets and it was easy to track them.

DLCTEX
03-06-2008, 10:45 AM
I noticed that in higher humidity climates it is easier to see the bullet's path, maybe due to water vapor in the air being moved aside. On really humid days there was a funnel shape around the bullet. It is much harder to see bullets in flight in the dryer climate here in Texas panhandle. I think the "fullel" around the bullet draws the eye to see the bullet in the center. These observations were made when vision was 20-20, haven't seen a bullet in flight in years now. DALE

garandsrus
03-06-2008, 11:09 AM
Rifle shooters watch the "trace" of the bullet out to 600 yds. It is cool to watch...

Sometimes when I shoot skeet at night on a lighted field, I can see the shot cloud going towards the target which is also pretty cool.

John

moredes
03-06-2008, 11:20 AM
Garandsrus,

Thank you, thank you, thank you... :drinks: I was goin' nuts tryin' to remember what "we" called that... damn, it's been a long time since I've been to the LR rifle line...

OLPDon
03-06-2008, 12:51 PM
Sure enough when the eyes were 20/20. I would sure love to have the young eyes back again. As well as the phys. attributes.

Just thought I would add a link: For some of us old timers and something young eyes have to look forward to.

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20071221/MULTIMEDIA/283841756
Don
PS Turn up the Vol. Enjoy

Adam10mm
03-06-2008, 12:55 PM
I recall taking the spotting scope/ binos a quarter turn out of focus and watching the vapor trail at the rifle matches I watched. Pretty cool.

beagle
03-06-2008, 02:10 PM
We were shooting one Sunday in a rain and the targets had gone to crap on account of getting wet. I was shooting a .223 and a 24X Weaver with a heavy NEI bullet and we decided to set some 2 X 4 blocks on the 200 yard frames for plinking targets.

These bullets were slow...maybe 1800 FPS. The recoil was light and you could pick up the bullet in the scope and watch it all the the way to impact and see the water fly off the blocks.

I though that was the neatest thing I'd done in a while./beagle

calaloo
03-06-2008, 02:32 PM
Me and a buddy used to hunt bullfrogs at night with pistols that shot .22 shorts. One would stand behind the other holding a bright light to illuminate both the sights and the frog. Both shooter and light holder could easily see the bullet all the way to the target. Anyone ever have fried fresh frog legs for breakfast? yumm.

Bill

Ricochet
03-06-2008, 08:59 PM
One day I was shooting some 8mm boolit loads that were rather smoky. I think I'd lubed them with White Lightning bicycle chain lube and was shooting them at about 2200 FPS. I'd noticed only the big puff of white smoke at the muzzle. A nearby shooter said "Wow! Your bullets are leaving a trail!" They were. The trail was visible for somewhere between 25 and 50 yards. I could look around the muzzle cloud and see it. Further, I could clearly see the paths of the boolits were tracing an arched helix. Not a "straight" path, they were revolving around the mean path as they went.

waksupi
03-06-2008, 10:04 PM
Me and a buddy used to hunt bullfrogs at night with pistols that shot .22 shorts. One would stand behind the other holding a bright light to illuminate both the sights and the frog. Both shooter and light holder could easily see the bullet all the way to the target. Anyone ever have fried fresh frog legs for breakfast? yumm.

Bill


Bill, I love frog legs. And, you get exercise, keeping them herded into the fry pan!

DLCTEX
03-06-2008, 10:30 PM
I've eaten lots of frog legs. I once shot a frog across a pond that was sitting in a gallon paint can half buried in the mud. At the shot he just flopped out straight, dead. When I got around to pick him up he didn't have a scratch on him, I guess the concussion of the .22 lr hp hitting the mud did him in. In Louisianna we couldn't shoot or gig them, had to catch them by hand or use a spring loaded grabber on a pole that didn't break the skin. Cajuns don't just eat the legs, but the whole frog. DALE

Blammer
03-06-2008, 10:47 PM
I just shoot tracers... :)

Frank46
03-07-2008, 12:39 AM
I've seen what you describe. Some years ago a bunch of us were shooting 45 acp's at 100 yds. A good spotting scope was set up. It was real funny to see those 230gr
hard cast boolits corkscrew their way to the target. We had previously shot at 25 and 50 yds. You could see the boolit base easily with the scope. Frank

AZ-Stew
03-07-2008, 01:18 AM
I've seen pistol bullets fly on many occasions. We recently started a bullseye shooting organization at our local range, shooting on Monday evenings. With the target lighting above the overhead awning over the shooting positions, I frequently see my own centerfire bullets for an instant between the gun and the target.

Many years ago, I pulled some 40 grain HP bullets from some .22 Magnum rounds and loaded them into .22-250 cartridges, backed by maximum powder charges. Those little bullets with their large, exposed lead HP nose, certainly weren't designed for the 4,000 fps or so they carried when they left the muzzle. They left a distinct vapor trail about 3-4 inches in diameter as they went down range.

I also remember working with a friend on 200 yard accuracy with a .44 magnum. He was shooting from a solid rest and I was spotting for him with a spotting scope. A fraction of a second after he fired I could see the bullet arcing downward at a much greater angle than I would have expected as it approached, then disappeared through the target.

Regards,

Stew

DonH
03-07-2008, 08:19 AM
My high power shootin friends watch the bullet trace. In BPCR shootin we watch the bullet. It is hard to watch it all the way to the target due to the high trajectory. One can nearly always watch the bullet go into the target when using the spotting scope. I have, a time or two, seen a bullet leave the muzzle of a rifle a point or two down the firing line. Watching those long .40 and larger bullets fly is cool. think cruise missile.

1Shirt
03-07-2008, 12:01 PM
Have seen down range blts. flight from rifles and handguns of all kinds under varied conditions. Like the others have said, kind of cool. However, one of the oddest/coolest things was watching blts. blow up in a puff of gray smoke 25-50 yds off the gun bbl. This happened when I was shooting 40 grain blts. made for hornets or bees and driving them out of 222 and 223 at vol way over the intended speed for which they were designed. It is interesting to stand behind someone else shooting these and watching, but equally interesting to see it in the scope. I did it the first time by accident, and then a couple of times on purpose. Big waste of powder/primer/blts. but us kids just have to play with new toys and new ideas.
1Shirt!:coffee:

DLCTEX
03-07-2008, 01:08 PM
I once loaded 70 gr, bullets in a 22-250 and they blew up past 50 yds, and before 100 yds. I didn't load any more for a few years then tried them again in the same rifle, same data, but never had one come apart again. I had moved from NE Oklahoma to West Texas, and wondered if the difference in humidity may have played a part, as that is the only varible I have been able to determine. DALE

smokemjoe
03-07-2008, 09:30 PM
We shot 45-70 with cast lead, sun behind us, shot down hill for 300 yds, would watch the sun shine off the bullets. Dale you got some great places to shoot in the Tx. Pandhandle, Get up on the hills above the Canadian. river and shoot from one side to the other.

0802
03-07-2008, 10:58 PM
When firing low charges, you can see 155mm artillery rounds for a good 2-3 seconds if you stand right behind the howitzer. Never have been able to get a picture myself, though I've seen several taken from the side where you can just see the projo leaving the muzzle brake.

MikeH
03-07-2008, 11:19 PM
Think that's one of the neatest things I'd ever seen. Watching 50gr bullets out of a 22-250 flying at 3700 fps to the target. My partners said I was nuts, but I've watched those vapor trails many times.