How to Make Your Own Barrel Mirage Shield from X-Ray Film

Mirage shields are useful for all shooters, not just hard-core competitors. A mirage shield helps you see your target better, without distortion caused by heat waves coming off your barrel. This isn’t rocket science — it’s a simple, inexpensive way to see better and shooter more accurately. We’ve advocated that varmint shooters give mirage bands a try on those hot summer groundhog and prairie dog expeditions. And we observed that practically every shooter at the 2013 World F-Class Championship was using a mirage shield of some kind.

Forum member Fabian from Germany, whose Sako 6mmBR Rifle was featured many years ago as a Gun of the Week, has devised a clever and inexpensive mirage band option. Fabian is a radiologist by trade. He notes that many X-ray machines require a daily test film for calibration. These are normally just discarded in the trash, so you can get them for free.

Fabian explains: “I’m a radiologist, so I handle medical x-ray films every day. Modern X-ray machines use laser-based printers and they need to print a test-film every day. One x-ray film is about 43×35 cm (16.9″ x 13.7″). Made from polyester, the films are very stable and only 0.007″ inches thick. They are light-weight, semi-transparent, and very stable. Using normal scissors, you can easily cut four mirage shields from a single sheet of film. Then glue on some velcro to attach to your barrel. Try it, you will not be disappointed.”

Carbon Fiber Mirage Shield from Rodzilla
If you’re not into making your own mirage shield, aka “mirage band”, Rodzilla, makers of the superb Raptor front rest and 5-Axis rest tops, offers an excellent 3″ x 24″ carbon fiber mirage shield. This 1/32″-thick band is really a top-tier, state-of-the-art shield. Order it for $30.00 from TheRodzilla.com web store.