Seeing vapor trail???

[Russ77]

I have read and seen on the internet people talking about vapor trails and using them to spot misses. When I shoot and spot for other people shooting my rifle I have never seen a it. Is it my scope? Is this something that a higher quality scope would help with? Does the round your shooting make a big difference in seeing it?? I'm shooting .223 and using a PA 4x14x44, my spotting scope is a very low quality bushnell I picked up on eBay. Right now when I shoot I just see where the round hits the dirt to judge what I need to correct. Just wondering if I'm missing something

[Robinhood]

Background, lighting and perspective are critical.

[LongRange]

sit directly behind the shooter...also trails are much easier to see when theres humidity or when its cold....turn your spotter up to full powder.

[yobuck]

Try sitting behind the shooter say 8/10'. At the close distances of up to say 400 yds you would really need to be ready
when the gun goes off or you will miss seeing it. A spotting scope on a tripod is far better than a rifle scope.
Dont attempt to call hits on vapor trails alone, especially on long shots if you havent actually seen the bullet hit.

[Brett]

Focusing a bit short of the target with the spotting scope really helps to see the trace.

[Balljoint]

+one to all obove

[sharpshooter]

A "vapor trail" and a "wake" are 2 different things. A vapor trail is the same as a con trail left behind a jet. It is more common in smaller calibers like .17 Rem. and hi-velocity rounds (4000 fps.)The vapor left in the air looks just like smoke and acts just like smoke, it drifts and can be spotted from almost any angle.
The "wake" however, is harder to spot. The wake is the air separating around the bullet just like a wake from a speed boat. The spotter needs to be looking right over the bore, behind the shooter. You don't need alot of magnification, but if you blink, you'll miss it.

[Newsshooter]

I see it a lot in matches, I was able to see it on a lot of shots this past weekend when the temp was in the 80's watching from behind the shooter. It does seem easier when it is cooler and in the right conditions you can watch it right into the target. I called a shot this past weekend and a new target puller couldn't see it, it was right where I said it was and the shooter was on the 900 yard line.

[yobuck]

Ive heard it called trace, vapor trail, wake, and in this area its commonly referred to as the wash.
Some guy might be heard to say that he called the shot on the wash. As a rule that same guy might be apt to say
other things in praise of himself. Some days everybody can and some days nobody can see it. Be carefull who you
listen to, especially on very long shots. Dont be affraid to ask the spotter if he (actually saw the bullet hit).
Make him answer that question. Dont be telling me im way high because thats where you last saw the bullet trail.
Sometimes its just best to quit shooting.

[Twinsen]

I see it on just about every shot I make or the guy next to me makes if over 500 yards if I am using magnification. SWFA 10x, or Vortex Viper riflescopes are what I use. We shoot 223 and 308 mostly. 338 LM is harder because of all the recoil.

Where I shoot is extremely hot and extremely low humidity. Temps usually above 100 and humidity in mid single digits.

At 400 yards, I just barely catch it. Inside that, it is quite rare. Much easier to catch the bullet itself for one "frame."

[upSLIDEdown]

Lot of good advice in this thread. Focusing a little in front of the target and being directly behind the shooter are some of the best tips. It's also definitely more evident and easier to see on longer shots. Sun position will play a role as well. I've actually seen the bullet on long shots (800-1k yards) if the sun is right, looks like a spark flying through the air with the sun bouncing off of it.

[ger42]

I have been fortunate to shoot 1,000 yds the first time I did a long time shooter told me to watch for the wake and sure enough there it was. If conditions were right you could follow it to the target.

[Alleycat72]

I shoot a lot of F-Class and I'm never behind the shooter. I see the trace 90 ish% of the time. Some days it just isn't going to happen. You need to start off with the target in the lower 1/3 of the scopes field of view. You need to look in the top 1/3 of the scopes field of view. Once you see the bullet at it's apex you'll be able to see it farther out in both directions. At the apex the bullet will appear to stay in the same point in the scope for the longest amount of time. This will teach you how to look for it.

[Twinsen]

I shoot a lot of F-Class and I'm never behind the shooter. I see the trace 90 ish% of the time. Some days it just isn't going to happen. You need to start off with the target in the lower 1/3 of the scopes field of view. You need to look in the top 1/3 of the scopes field of view. Once you see the bullet at it's apex you'll be able to see it farther out in both directions. At the apex the bullet will appear to stay in the same point in the scope for the longest amount of time. This will teach you how to look for it.

Yes! And you end up seeing it almost immediately in this method.

[yobuck]

Depends on how high the apex is and also on cartridge size at some point.
Quite often its lost as the bullet decends. At that point you need be looking
for the hit not the trail. This is the point lots of guys get confused and think
the shot is way high. And its also the point where good optics are required.

[huntin1]

Hunting partner and I were out shooting 308 at 800 yards the other day. About 40 degrees, 80% humidity and overcast, crosswind at 11-15 mph full value. Watched the trace through the rifle scope when firing and with binos while spotting. Some conditions are better for seeing it than others, on this day it was so evident you couldn't miss it.

[WinnieTheBoom]

Hunting partner and I were out shooting 308 at 800 yards the other day. About 40 degrees, 80% humidity and overcast, crosswind at 11-15 mph full value. Watched the trace through the rifle scope when firing and with binos while spotting. Some conditions are better for seeing it than others, on this day it was so evident you couldn't miss it.

.308 trails at 800 yards look like someone threw a football, they carry about the same trajectory LOL.

I'm able to "guide" my Lapua to the target with a big brake on the end. Low recoild, quality glass, and shooting extremely long distances helps this as well.

[GaCop]

Quite common to see vapor trails shooting long range here in Georgia but, humidity is pretty much a constant all year long. I was shooting this last Sunday, bright sunny day, 68 degrees and the humidity was 100%.

[homefrontsniper]

Lot of good advice in this thread. Focusing a little in front of the target and being directly behind the shooter are some of the best tips. It's also definitely more evident and easier to see on longer shots. Sun position will play a role as well. I've actually seen the bullet on long shots (800-1k yards) if the sun is right, looks like a spark flying through the air with the sun bouncing off of it.

I also can see bullet. A goldish spark hop through the air.