Interesting happening today

[velocette]

Today, I was ammo testing with my Kimber 82g .22 rf target rifle at my club.
for the first time in over 50 years of shooting, I actually saw the bullets going downrange and hitting the target. Shooting at 100 yds at little steel discs, I could clearly see in the scope, the bullets arc, yaw & hit the steel disc. Perhaps the position of the sun or atmospheric conditions, whatever, but I repeatedly watched the bullets fly.
Standard velocity Eley Match ammo about 1000 fps, Simmons 6 ~ 20 scope @ 20X. Using a steel rest and a rear bag for the first time too. Perhaps the solid rest made it possible?

Gosh, I love the shooting sport.

Roger

 

[Dr T]

Solid rest, good line of sight, lighting. But your synapses in your personal optical system may have also been having an exceptionally good day.

What did you have for breakfast?

 

[Lazerbeans]

Good question. I definitely think there is a connection between nutrition and marksmanship. I am too curious as to what you ate for breakfast, might become the established breakfast of shooters.

 

[Bob K.]

In sidelighting on a bright, sunny day, I've seen--from a quartering perspective--.45 ACP slugs zing downrange in a copper colored arc. Granted, the .45 is a big lumbering piece of lead.

 

[lencac]

That's very cool. I watch the flight too. When I spot for someone I place my spotting scope on line with the rifle just slightly over the shooter. Pretty cool to see the whole thing. When the sun is at your back it's even better.

 

[9X23WIN]

Wow, eyes faster than a speeding bullet....it's SuperEyes!

 

[Norrick]

On a sunny day, all you need to see the 22's fly is a dark background. You need to be mostly if not entirely behind the bullets path so you see it for the duration of the flight, and not just the moment it moves across the dark background.

I have hard time seeing my own because of the recoil (yeah I know...), its enough to throw your eye off a split second through the scope and the moment has passed.

But I discovered this because my friend was at the lane next to me shooting at the same target and I could clearly see them gliding in an arc. Was pretty cool.

I have some high speed footage of a 45 doing the same thing at night (the range has lights facing forward so as soon as the bullet goes in front of the light its easy to pick up).

 

[Geno]

velocette pined:

....for the first time in over 50 years of shooting, I actually saw the bullets going downrange and hitting the target...

Well, hain't that Geritol 'bout the best vitamins ya ever did take?! Maybe I should take some now that I'm over 50.

Geno

 

[Rancho Relaxo]

It's amazing what the right light can do for you. I remember seeing .224" bullet holes on cardboard at 500 yards through a 9x scope, though not the individual bullets mid flight.

 

[Pacsd]

what's really cool is seeing mulitple trajectories going down range. When I was at Lackland AFB we would have twi-nite firing that went on in to nite fire. At a certain angle you could see the strings of 15-20 qualifiers streaming along. I spot for a buddy of mine that shots those black powder replica 45-70 at The Quigley and often see the slug pass thru the field of view of the spotting scope.

 

[dogrunner]

Not uncommon and not unusual.....depends on the lighting more than any other factor in my opinion.

I recall a buddy shooting at a bunch of crows and seagulls many, many years past on what is now National Seashore north of Cape Canaveral using his M1A1 Thompson......yeah it was likely illegal then too...... that flew off a dead shark that'd washed up on that beach. We were high on a dune and when he cut loose I could clearly see every single round from that non stop 30 round stick he dumped........absolutely did not TOUCH a feather! Guys a lawyer & part time judge now, Hope that sort of stuff tempers his treatment of the general screw up that treads across the line now and then.

Point tho, is that the light was behind us, late afternoon and the ocean itself provided a really good backdrop and those are generally the sort of conditions conducive to being able to see bullets in flight.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Have seen it will .45 ACP but nothing else-----easy to see big and slow.

 

[okiewita40]

The only time i have seen rounds going down range was when i was shooting 12ga slugs in a downpour. Kind of neat to see the rain drops getting hit as the slug was going towards the target.

 

[alemonkey]

I've never seen my own, but spotting for a 45-70 I can clearly see the bullets through a spotting scope. It comes in from quite an angle, looks like a softball being lobbed in.

 

[Fat_46]

I was fortunate enough on a prairie dog trip to have the "just right" combination of humidity and light and that allowed all of us to see the "vapor" trail of the bullets cutting through the dense, humid air. We stopped shooting at the dogs and started shooting strictly to see the trails. It was probably the coolest shooting related memory I've made...so far!

 

[Vyacheslav]

In sidelighting on a bright, sunny day, I've seen--from a quartering perspective--.45 ACP slugs zing downrange in a copper colored arc. Granted, the .45 is a big lumbering piece of lead.

that's why i can always shoot sub moa with my .45, i just shoot, then run out ahead of the bullet and move the target to where it's going to hit

 

[P-32]

Those scoring for High Power shooters often see the bullet fly. You can almost call the shot from where the vapor trail goes.

 

[788Ham]

I've never seen it, though other shipmates have claimed to have seen the 16" projectiles from a battleship when fired inland. Would be neat to see those 1700 lb. chunks taking off.

 

[aHFo3]

I saw my little fmj 38 specials one day. Same thing sun behind, dark cinder backdrop...lots of fun.

 

[A-FIXER]

You grown much.....GRASSHOPPER....

 

[jhngardner367]

Any military/leo sniper can tell you that the disturbance of the bullet in flight is how the spotter gets the "read" for his shooter,so he can correct for windage & elevation quickly.

 

[Rich223]

It is obvious that you have come into contact with some form of radioactive waste, and super powers are emerging.

 

[Lazerbeans]

I lean more towards the Constitution was wrong; not all men are created equal. Some of us have apparently super human abilities

 

[Dr T]

When I was a kid, I recall seeing 22 caliber pellets shot from a Crossman CO2 rifle (Maybe 600 fps?). But I have aged...

 

[hiawatha]

Only projectiles I've been able to follow were from a 5" naval gun. I wasn't firing it, but I was behind it and the ocean was in front of it. Those things don't move all that fast. Oh, and I was in the Army at the time!