Just got the Kestrel 5700/Hornady 4DOF meter. I've been using the Hornady 4DOF app on my phone and was getting tired of always looking up the weather conditions on the local weather app, and also, some sources didn't think that was accurate enough to use (Hornady). But, I had been considering a meter of some kind anyway so decided to go ahead when Kestrel/Hornady paired up. I set up the compass and latitude as directed when I got it, but haven't used the ballistics portion yet. Had it out yesterday when I was shooting just to get a feel for it. Altitude was off by around 300 ft, barometric pressure was 2 points different than the local weather conditions (from the phone weather app), and humidity would fluctuate 5-10 points (up AND down) while it was sitting on the bench beside me. Although I found instructions online for adjusting altitude and barometric pressure, nothing anywhere indicates you HAVE to do this before you use it or should for that matter. Is this normal to have to go through and adjust/calibrate everything?
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How plug and play are the Kestrel's?
- Thread starter coyotewillie
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1) once you capture your environmentals you should lock them so they don't change while the unit is sitting in the sun/your pocket/etc.
2) i wouldn't expect the kestrel outputs to match EXACTLY to whatever my phone/local weather station/app is telling me. the kestrel is giving you data from RIGHT where you are.... the other methods are not.
3) plug in those differences you speak of - and see just how much (or little) they change your dope.
2) i wouldn't expect the kestrel outputs to match EXACTLY to whatever my phone/local weather station/app is telling me. the kestrel is giving you data from RIGHT where you are.... the other methods are not.
3) plug in those differences you speak of - and see just how much (or little) they change your dope.
I don't own a kestrel, but I do use weather reports/stations daily. I wouldn't trust a phone app, using a station at a different location, for pressure / temperature / humidity to validate what you are seeing at your location. I've seen pretty large temp swings inside a canyon just moving up / down a mile.
I don't expect them to match perfectly. But normally, 2 pressure points can be the difference between a clear sunny day and a storm. And I want to make sure the Kestrel is functioning correctly before I worry at all about trying the ballistics portion.
The phone app I'm using is The Weather Channel which is using reports from local weather reporting stations usually from less than 15 miles away. They seem to be constantly real time updating, although I realize they're not spot on. But I also wasn't moving. Sitting in the shade at a bench, the humidity was moving up about 10 points then back down, sometimes in a 1-2 minute time frame. Normal??
even if it was moving 10 points up or down. that has no effect on your dope. try it in your ballistic calculator. +/- 10% humidity at 1000 yards doesn't change anything
now that's a big difference. but i would trust my kestrel over anything. only way to know for sure is to shoot. 2 points at 1000y is .3 for my bullet
I understand what everyone's saying. Yesterday I was just out shooting some test loads for groups, no distance shooting. Sat the kestrel on the bench and left it adjust, checking conditions after about an hour. Just looking to try to get a feel for it. It just bothered me that things didn't really correlate better. Right now, while I fully intend on using it for shooting later, all I'm concerned about is that the weather features are functioning correctly. It is a weather station first and foremost, LOL.
Your local weather station is likely using pressure corrected for altitude, the Kestrel is not, it's giving you live station pressure at your location.
Example, local weather says 30inHg today in the Denver area, it ain't, I usually see around 24-26inHg on my Kestrel because it isn't adjusted for the altitude.
Alright, but this is what I'm not understanding. Shouldn't your pressure be corrected for your altitude? I thought that accuracy was the defining point here. Some answers I've gotten here say "just go ahead and shoot, it won't add up to that much difference." If that's so, then why isn't your local weather station's figures, updated regularly, for your location, elevation, etc, good enough to use? I'm not arguing, just trying to understand the whole thing.
i think you are overthinking it. you're kestrel gives you DA which takes into account all those variables and spits out DA.
capture your environmentals - lock them. get data - shoot.
how are you going to know if your kestrel isn't working properly unless you apply the data its giving you and take a shot?
i'm sure it's working fine.
Point taken. Like I said, still working on a load so I'm not ready yet for long range on this rifle. Wasting enough money on a load for my 338LM without trying LR with it yet, LOL. The thing that had me concerned the most was the BP. Clear day in the upper 70's should have had a BP in the 30.xx range, not the 28.xx range. Made me question the whole thing.
You're over thinking it. For shooting sake let it do its thing, punch in your gun info and try the dope it gives you. At some point you'll have to true it for your system., but in my experience it's pretty damn close out of the gate. Listen to Frank/Mikes Kestrel podcast a few times. It makes more sense when you actually use it rather than using hypotheticals.
i always take note of my favor load in different weather condition. Then you know how much variable will affect your impact.
Dope your load at 500 yards or beyond. The factory kestrel setting will get you there, but you still have to true your Dope on the Kestrel
Dope your load at 500 yards or beyond. The factory kestrel setting will get you there, but you still have to true your Dope on the Kestrel
Turn kestrel on
Unlock environmentals
Swing around using the lanyard to normalize
Lock environmentals
Range, dope, shoot
The pressure the kestrel spits out is station pressure where you’re standing, not corrected for altitude in relation to feet above sea level. You can always adjust the reference altitude to your ft above sea level in the kestrel and then check the pressure against your weather stations reading, should be very close then. But you should really be using reference altitude at zero and not worrying about it so much.
Lock the environmental after you swing it around to keep it from heating up on the bench or your hand, common practice. Trust the kestrel. There will likely be some tweaking involved with the velocity or ballistic coefficient anyways but it’ll get you on your way.
Unlock environmentals
Swing around using the lanyard to normalize
Lock environmentals
Range, dope, shoot
The pressure the kestrel spits out is station pressure where you’re standing, not corrected for altitude in relation to feet above sea level. You can always adjust the reference altitude to your ft above sea level in the kestrel and then check the pressure against your weather stations reading, should be very close then. But you should really be using reference altitude at zero and not worrying about it so much.
Lock the environmental after you swing it around to keep it from heating up on the bench or your hand, common practice. Trust the kestrel. There will likely be some tweaking involved with the velocity or ballistic coefficient anyways but it’ll get you on your way.
