http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18dOzeDtpr4&feature=player_embedded

See 0:32

Based on WW2 gun camera movies, I'd say its possible to see bullet trails, and doubly I suppose the Magpul guys just film stuff, they don't do FX

Pretty cool if it looks like that, and I'd like to see it in more FPS games.

What you are seeing in the video is bullet trace, a mirage type pattern caused by air pressure changes in the wake of the bullet. What you see in WW2 gun cam films is actual tracers, phosphorous burning in the base of the bullet. The former is very difficult to see, the latter very easy. No relation between the two.

I have done a bit of long range shooting and could observe bullet trace when spotting for the shooter, but did not see it when shooting myself. You only really see this through a magnified optic looking down the bullet's path.

It takes some practice to be able to follow trace effectively, and it's VERY difficult to do it in your own scope unless you're shooting something with little recoil, or off a really solid rest (tripod for instance). It takes some practice to spot for someone else even.

-Jenrick

I had to chime in on this, unless your filming with one of those $50,000 slow speed video cameras, the answer is absolutely no & impossible to see it with your naked eye, even thru a spotting scope. I'm a SWAT sniper, I never seen it or ever even heard of people claiming to have seen it. Until now, that is! Most sniper type rounds travel in excess of 2800 FPS. What wake it leaves exist for fractions of milliseconds.

Well, a .308 round takes about 1/10th of a second to go 100 yards, or faster even, depending on the round. A m107/Mk82 has about the same velocity. So, let's say even though a .50 is bigger, so the wake is bigger. But when your talk about the human eye tracking a mirage that's only 1/2" around to start with, the difference is negligible. So, say if you could detect the ripple, you could see it for say, 10 yards out. This thing, and it does exist, only exist for slightly longer than the bullet length of travel through the same space. So it exists for 1/100th of a second in the distance where if your eyes were, I don't know, superhuman, you could see it. Those cameras that film that stuff slows things down the order of 1/50,000 of a second equals to 3 seconds or better even. So for people who claim seen it, well they probably seen Sasquach, UFOs, & the Mothman too, LOL

I suppose, they could be mistaking dust kicked up from a low flying round shot near the ground, that I've seen. The same day I saw a Yeti.

Silverswift: I'm gonna have to disagree with you, I've watched trace before when helping with a high power service rifle match. When you start talking 300+ yd shots you have time to watch the trace. If you check out any of the history channel sniper specials they have very good video of bullet trace. You're not actually looking for the 1/2" bullet moving through the air, but the ripple of lower pressure behind it that affects the mirage. If you've got very high humidity you can get a vapor trail much like a super sonic aircraft (never seen a vapor trail personally, just pictures). I agree that at short ranges (under 200 yards), it's going to be very hard/impossible to pickup. It's difficult to see if you don't know what you're doing, and it normally requires a spotting scope and for you to be directly in line with the bore.

-Jenrick

I disagree as well. I was taught what to look for by very experienced competitive shooters, including a number of police and military snipers and I didn't imagine it when I saw it, but this was shooting at 300, 500 and 600 yards.

After doing some research into this, I would have to say, for the sake of spirited discussion, with so many people claiming to have seen it, or it can be seen with the naked eye, it's possible under very limited conditions. And apparently you can film it without a slow speed camera. I know about trace, but I really don't see it's value as a Police sniper. You only get one shot, it's better to do your technical work before you pull the trigger. Having said that, I have never seen it from shooting in all conditions from all ranges up to 500 yards. Neither has my fellow snipers, or primary instructor. So, personal opinion is seeing trace with the naked eye, well you have to be pretty lucky, or spend hours looking for it. Good thread though, I've learned something!

Quick edit: just talked to another sniper instructor. He said, in his opinon, to see trace with you naked eye is virtually impossible. But he did state that if conditions are right, you can sometimes see it though a spotting scope. So I stand (slightly) corrected.

Went through sniper school in the Army. I never saw any trace through the my scope. Seen easily through the spotter scope.

Good discussion - thanks for the effort. I was not asking from the POV of how usable it is - though if visible, it might be - but rather out of curiosity and for reference vs games. What would be realistic, etc.