Looking to add a kestrel to my kit

Anyone have any practical application with one of these. I was wondering how much of a difference they make and are they worth the money. Are they hard to use?

Which model?

I have one. I think mines a 4500 with Applied Ballistics & Bluetooth. I like that it's a weather meter & ballistic solver all in one unit.
I find the user interface a bit awkward (not very intuitive) and there's a lot of scrolling and button pushing to make any changes to your data. Also the screen is pretty small and can be difficult to see. The newer models have slightly bigger screens & larger font size.

Like any ballistic software, you'll get a good starting point, then you need to true the data to your rifle.

A buddy is getting into the long range game and I steered him towards using an app on his phone and a cheap weather meter. You really don't need the weather meter if you have cell service as you can get the weather data (except maybe the wind) from a multitude of weather sites.

depending on the distance you intend to shoot---some of the "lower end" apps and calculators use temp and altitude only-- get to "higher end" models and they use temp, pressure and humidity vs the altitude-- this is more accurate at longer distances as altitude uses a "chart" listed pressure rather than real time data-- wind will always be the limiting factor in my eyes-- you can use a wind meter to read the wind at your location, but wind differs from shooter to target over long distances, learn to read mirage and I feel it is better over long distances-- there are even apps to measure wind with mirage-- the more apps and meters you use, the longer it takes to input data, so " all in one" meters like sig 2400abs or 3000 bdx can help cut data entry time

Bcwn said:

Anyone have any practical application with one of these. I was wondering how much of a difference they make and are they worth the money. Are they hard to use?

Click to expand...

I'm using the 4500 NV. Also using a Suunto Core. Utilize both with Applied Ballistics app on my sometimes smartphone and dope book. What do you plan to use it with? What are you looking for info-wise?

DocB
763

Might want to hold your taters for a bit. Kestrel is fixing to release a new 2700 in a few weeks. It only holds 1 rifle at a time in the unit, but the app holds multiple rifles. You just link it via Bluetooth and send whichever profile you want.

Little less information entered in the profiles compared to the 5700 elite, but it works great. I compared side by side with my 5700 elite and it gave identical elevation calls.

It'll give data out to 875 yards, has wind and temp sensor built in. It supposed to retail for around $175.

Bcwn said:

Anyone have any practical application with one of these. I was wondering how much of a difference they make and are they worth the money. Are they hard to use?

Click to expand...

I purchased my first weather meter a few weeks ago, the new Kestrel 5700 with Hornady 4DOF. I have it linked to the Bushnell Elite ConX and has worked flawlessly. I would say it depends on the distance you shoot. It definitely helps to have it and I have no regrets buying it. I believe you can still get one at the intro price of $425 from Hornady's website with code "15HDS".

I have a 5700 Elite with Link, and really like it. My Iphone sucks and runs out of batteries when it's too hot or too cold, and I really hate spending money on phones. I like having the Kestrel as a dedicated device for shooting, it stores a lot of profiles on the unit itself, so I have multiple loads for multiple guns living on it. The Link is very helpful to swap profiles back & forth from the app.

Although not really ELR, I've used it on multiple rifles out to 1,400 yards, and so far I have no complaints.

Here's the 2700.

https://kestrelinstruments.com/kestrel-2700-ballistics-weather-meter

2700 is Very easy to use. Put it in my 19 yo nephews hands that has never used one. Entered his load info and walked it out to 817yards like it was nothing.

The 2700 is geared towards the hunter, but will work for target or competition under 875yards.

I use the 5700 with link and love it if you put in all the right dope and then true your round at the range you should use along with a custom curve it is spot on and will do all your cal for weather temp Da for you well worth every penny if you hunt or shot any different ranges or alt when hunting

I have the Kestrel 2500 and got it so I could quantify the effects of the wind and get barometric pressures. An atmospheric meter is a must have for long range shooting. I use the Shooter app along side it. If I'm worried about my phones battery life, I can pack a USB battery pack. My dad even gave me a solar charging one. I find that gloves are the main issue when using a phone app.

Most modern smartphones have a barometer built in. You can get a free app for getting the station pressure, and a good ballistics app is less than $10 (Ballistic will get the the pressure data from the phone barometer automatically).

I bought the Kestrel with wind, temp, and relative humidity (3500 maybe?). I use it and an iPhone ballistic app (Ballistic and/or Hornady 4DOF), and it gives me all the info I need.

If nothing else, I recommend getting a wind meter of some sort, just so you can practice the wind. I pull mine out when hiking, scouting, and target shooting, and use it to "calibrate" my ability to guess the wind using mirage, foliage, and the old Quigly dust sprinkle.

I picked up s 5700 with Link and consider it one of the best shooting investments I've made! Even in the "advanced" mode, it is easy to understand and use, very fast, and substantially better then using apps on a SmartPhone/iPhone. IMO.