Budget spotting scope to learn about mirage?

[bellavite1]

In my everlasting quest to better myself I am now studying mirage effects to medium range (500yds) shooting.
I have been working with my Vortex PST set at max magnification (24x), but still having issues...
It is my understanding that a higher magnification spotting scope (45x, 60x, 5000x?) would actually be beneficial, so I am now in the market.
Budget is limited (yeah, THAT is a surprise!), topping at $200.
What would you guys consider to be the best bang for the buck?

[earplug]

Can you buy a eyepiece for the Vortex? $200.00 will buy you a eye strain.

[USMC88-93]

That would have been my first question, is it a Vortex model that has alternate eye pieces available if so what are they?

[bellavite1]

An alternate eye piece as a "magnifier"?
When I mentioned my Vortex PST I should have mentioned it is a rifle scope, mounted on my rifle.
Is there such a thing as a rifle scope that has a replaceable eye piece?
I guess I am lost here...

[C Ward]

I think there was an assumption of the current glass being a spotting scope , some of which come with interchangeable eyepieces.

24x is more than enough magnification to see mirage , the biggest thing to do to not focus on the target but at intermediate distance . Heat and humidity are huge factors contributing to seeing mirage and a cool dry day the mirage is going to be way harder to see .

And for your original question save your money 200 $ on a spotting scope is not going to be worth it . Spotters are actually all about glass quality unlike a rifle scope and 200 $ spotters have crap glass that will not be up to the same standard as your rifle scope .

[USMC88-93]

An alternate eye piece as a "magnifier"?
When I mentioned my Vortex PST I should have mentioned it is a rifle scope,
..

Sorry I presumed you were referring to a spotting scope and not a rifle mounted optic.... My bad.

[bellavite1]

Ok, I get what you guys are saying...
So, what would be my best option for the intended purpose?
It looks like even the ones around $500 tend to have focusing issues at the max magnification settings...
Any suggestion?

[Hoser]

You dont learn about mirage at huge magnification. Field of view and clarity are what you want.

More than one National Championship has been won by people using a long eye relief 27X spotting scope.

[bellavite1]

You dont learn about mirage at huge magnification. Field of view and clarity are what you want.

More than one National Championship has been won by people using a long eye relief 27X spotting scope.
My issue is mostly "seeing the angles " of the waves.
Just the other day I could have sworn that the mirage at the GGC was showing me at least 7 mph, with the waves running left to right almost flat, but I obviously failed miserably: I corrected for 1.5 MOA at 550 yds and sure enough my hit was 1.5 MOA to the left of my bullseye...
I know the theory, but somehow my eye confused a boil for an almost horizontal wave.
I am hoping that more magnification might help me see more details of the waves and, comparing it to what I see through the riflescope, learn what I am actually seeing.
I hope that is one of those things you can't unsee and it will just click to me...

[C Ward]

Making speed calls with mirage is just practice and shooting in the wind , no short cuts really. Put some flags by the targets so there is a reference to compare to .

A boil and a 8ish to 10 ish mph wind can look a lot alike , gotta factor in what you see and feel at your position too , grass , leaves , bushes moving , what you feel on your face , etc.

[Sawin]

Shift the focus of your scope off a quarter turn one way then the other and see how the mirage changes.

[bellavite1]

Shift the focus of your scope off a quarter turn one way then the other and see how the mirage changes.

What am I looking for?

[Sawin]

What am I looking for?

The mirage can shift a lot at different distances between your shooting position and target. Shifting focus closer in, as well as at the target or beyond can provide some insight into swirl effects or opposite conditions at different distances during flight.

In other words, the mirage at 200m might be left to right, the mirage at 400m could be right to left and then at the target nonexistent. When flags aren’t available, this trick can help a little.

[XC700116]

I'm a bit late to this thread, but honestly if you want to learn to read mirage, the single best thing I can recommend is to volunteer to RO a major 2 day precision rifle match. You'll spend 2 solid days on high quality glass watching targets, mirage, wind, and some of the best long range shooters in the country dealing with it. You'll watch bullet trace in the glass, and see actual effect on the bullet. After they are done shooting your stage, just ask them what kind of wind they were holding for, you can learn a ton. (protip, don't ask if they just got worked by the stage, they will be frustrated and probably take it as something other than your asking for the sake of learning).

I've spent a lot of time and energy learning this exact thing and simply put, your investment in traveling to and RO'ing a match will FAR outweigh anything you'd get for sub $1000 invested in glass. It's something I do every year as both a refresher course, and to give back to the sport that I have gotten so much out of.

High quality glass is imperative to learning and understanding reading wind via mirage and honestly don't waste your money until you can save up for good high end glass like Swaro, Zeiss, Leica, etc. It's worth it and a lifetime investment.