Kestrel wind meters
 

Was looking at the various Kestrel products from the basic 2700 up to the 5700 Elite...$$ , which seems complicated for the average old goat correlating weather with downloaded ballistic parameters . Anyone using a basic unit that is simple to run ? Do you have to connect them to phone / need decent cell phone coverage to operate ?......probably dumb questions but i don't know. Wind flags have done the job but some say if you get serious at 1000 yard stuff they are a must.....??
Thx for any input.

what distance are you shooting at
how often
what is the wind like
mostly in the heat of summer or in 3 seasons

more info then the answers will or at least could help you in the decision process

The biggest problem with wind meters, is that people assume that the wind stays constant from the shooter, to the target. Wind flags every 100m can be more useful than a wind meter at the shooter's location.

Tge serioys guys I know that shoot ELR use Kestrals more for barometric and temperature conditions to get accurate trajectory drops for the day. That would make some sense to me if a person was changing loads throughout session or working up a trajectory drop chart.
IIRC they are not allowed in Fclass or TR competition, if tgat is a concern .....
Cat

I ran this and the free Hornady app in my first PRS rimfire competition. Seemed to work fine. Just enter your bullet and rifle values into the app, then the wind speed and it spits out your MOA or Mil values. Yes you still have to be aware of wind shifts but it will get you close.

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B09MYX65MK?...roduct_details

Shoot BR short 100-200 and midrange to 600m
Dabbled in F Open 300-900m
What is wind like ? Mother nature lets me know the day i get to range.
Shoot spring summer and fall.

Thx. Looks interesting and wont break the bank.

I think mine is a 4000 or 4500. Don’t need blue tooth or anything as it doesn’t connect to the phone. I rarely use it just for shooting out to 1100 yards. I find it more accurate to watch the mirage.

What's the main advantage of the high dollar machines? More accurate wind reading, or some secondary functions?

Picked up a cheap wind reader a while back, and wondering what I'd be missing.

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08KY5YCL6?...roduct_details
I opted for this model, it doesn't require the user to hold it into the wind. The cup style has less resistance then the blade types.
It is a very basic model but it checks out against the high end Kestrels for accuracy.

Keith Glasscock, a top F-Class shooter did a review on it. I went with his opinion.

Most of the negative reviews are concerning the battery install, you know the old saying"When all else fails, read the directions" it applies here.

I use Strelok pro or hard dope for my ballistics, but I wanted a kestrel so I can get wind and atmospherics instead of using the weather app on my phone. My plan was to buy a basic kestrel to get wind and atmospheric numbers, and not spend the extra to get a 5700 ballistics. But more I thought about it, figured If my phone dies and I don't have hard dope or battery cell. A 5700 would be the way to go. 2 us 1 kinda thing. So I bought a 5700, downloaded the kestrel app and use that for inputting my rifles information. Can store 3 rifles on a 5700. The app is nice to use then the kestrel itself.

One reason everyone says buy a 5700 elite over the ballistic is unlimited profile storage and such. But didn't think it was necessary with the app and storing 3 rifles at a time. When I go to matches, I just keep my main and back up rifle on there. Works great.

There are Ballistic apps that load atmospherics from weather stations like airports directly when you have cell service, otherwise use hard dope or manual input info.
As Pikergolf pointed out for PRS rimfire events that are typically out to 300 yards these meters work well enough.

As far as shooting Benchrest at 100 and 200 whether it be group or VFS, flags are the ticket there, not wind meters or ballistic apps.

Yes your 100% correct on the electronic gadgets in F class , No kestrel or electronic aid on the line , excluding tablet , I pad or whatever to monitor shot marker.