Kestrel 4500 Shooters Weather Meter w/ Applied Ballistics

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Amazon.ca


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They say on the site they don't ship product
 
I'm curious, the Kestrel measures wind at the firing line but how does it reliably get 1st shot hits at long distance with no way of knowing what the wind is doing mid-range to the target or at the target? Or is this all assuming no wind corrections.

Experience.
 
Like another poster previously stated it's really only bang on for elevation. And this is assuming you did your part and fed it correct information. I use Berger bullets and Litz BCs. I also do a lot of cronying in different weather.
 
Luck.

I've had 4 flags set up and had 3 different directions out to 700 yards. Couldn't see the flag at a 1,000.

Did you have your flags 2 or 3 stories up in the air where the bullet flies or just on the ground?

I think there may be a bit of luck but mostly experience.
 
Experience.
Who sells that? Wondering where I can go to stock up?! ;)
A serious answer to the question you posed in jest:

1 - you can attend various professional training courses (tactical/sniper oriented, or oriented toward competitive shooters), for $500-$1000/day.

2 - you can join your Provincial Rifle Association and start shooting Fullbore competitions. Even if you are not explicitly interested in "shooting competitions" (I wasn't when I started), it is a fantastic way to get to shoot at long range (300y-1000y), in circumstances which allow you to objectively assess your performance and your progress. And the best part of all, you will be able to get training and advice from topnotch shooters, often world-class shooters, for FREE.

One way or another, "Experience" ends up being a mental catalog that you draw on, and use to make imperfect-but-reasonably-educated guesses as to what you ought to try for your sighter, or what you ought to do for the wind change you just saw happen. The more shooting you do, under different wind weather and visibility conditions, the more you are able to "fill in" your mental catalog. It is very important when you are gathering your experience that you have clear high quality feedback. Shooting competitions, which are done at standard distances and standard targets, with other known-highly-experienced shooters firing at the same time, offer a surprisingly good way to assess what you have done right that day, what conditions you have under-corrected for, which ones you over-corrected for, which ones you plain-out missed seeing, etc.... in other words it is a very efficient and effective way to build up your experience on what various wind conditions look like and how to best handle your approach to getting your first shot on target, and keeping each shot of your string as effectively centred as possible using all the information at your disposal.

One of the very best ways to gain "experience" in wind reading and shooting tactics, as quickly as possible, is to participate in team matches. The very best position on the whole range, in my opinion, is in the plotter's chair. You watch and work with an experienced wind coach, and see what he does (and just as importantly, what he does NOT do) in response the the flags and mirage that he sees. Then an experienced shooter fires a shot, you plot its point of impact, and then you and the coach work together to determine the very best thing that you can do to fire your next show. You can learn more as a plotter for a team match in a couple of days shooting, that you might learn at a couple of dozen days of shooting matches individually.... and of course all that you learn as a plotter can be immediately used by you when you shoot as an individual shooter.
 
I don't reload, so I'm wondering if I would get my "bang for the buck" out of this device? I do like the idea of setting up for different rifles.

I'm using a Kestrel 3500 ($189) and the Applied Ballistics app ($35) for my phone. So for about 1/2the price of the 4500 I can do everything just as good and maybe a little more user friendly.
 
Picked a 2500nv up yesterday for 160 that I couldnt pass up. BP is one of the reasons I wanted the cheaper 2500.

Thx for the heads up though
 
I'm using a Kestrel 3500 ($189) and the Applied Ballistics app ($35) for my phone. So for about 1/2the price of the 4500 I can do everything just as good and maybe a little more user friendly.

Is this true?

Kestrel 3500 + Applied Ballistics app (iPhone I hope) = Kestrel 4500 AB

If that's the case, I may be tempted to save the several hundred dollars and put them towards something else.

Thoughts?
 
Is this true?

Kestrel 3500 + Applied Ballistics app (iPhone I hope) = Kestrel 4500 AB

If that's the case, I may be tempted to save the several hundred dollars and put them towards something else.

Thoughts?


The app for your phone will do everything the 4500AB will do and it will allow for easier navigation. With the 4500 you have a much smaller screen and are limited to 8 buttons for navigation and data entry.

On the flip side you need to have your phone and a kestrel 2500 (or higher) with you when shooting and you have to worry about your phone getting wet in the rain. (Kestrels are water proof)


Also I just realized that the 2500 now has BP so you can save a few more bucks.

EDIT: I checked again and the 2500 doesn't have relative humidity. Humidity isn't super crucial so you could pull it from your local weather station and be ok. But if you want everything you need on your Kestrel you will need a 3500 or higher.
 
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What if you got the 4000 with Bluetooth, would that sync to your phone with the AP app?

You could but it wouldn't be worth the added cost for bluetooth. It looks like bluetooth adds $100.

If you were to get the 4000 it has density altitude so you only have one input that you have to change in your ballistic calc.

If you get the 3500 you would need to put in the pressure, temp and the humidity. (altitude is set to "0" because your kestrel gives your absolute pressure)

For myself I record the pressure and temp at every outing and if I chrono I record velocity as well. That way I can start getting an idea for my muzzle velocity variation. (I also don't use the powder temp compensation that the ballistic calc has. I input my predicted velocity each time at the range.)
 
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My shooting partner has one. I have the 4500 w/o BT and the app on my iPhone. In any situation where we have time to diddle with a wind meter, I prefer the app on the phone.

Bluetooth won't work with an iPhone because of Apple requires the hardware to be designed differently than what is in the Kestrel. I believe does work with Android...
 
I wouldn't go with anything lower than the 4000 since those models don't output Density Altitude. You can condense your data a lot using DA instead of P/T/RH. AB mobile lets you input DA instead of P/T/RH. It's one number that can represent several combinations of P/T/RH.
 
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