Need wind meter advice

[kimberyote]

Im feeling overwhelmed with all of the info out there on wind meters. Im sure this question has been asked before, but I just haven't found it yet.
I am happy with my Knights Bullet flight M app on my iPhone and the down range results. I am near good reception, but the nearest airport readings is 30 miles away. I would like a wind meter. What could you suggest for a lower type cost. ($150-$200?) Im not opposed to buying used. Thx in advance.

 

[_Windrider_]

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

This is the bare minimum. I would encourage you to just step up to the 5700 and gain the extra firepower but i understand money and all. Don’t use airport pressure info. It’s corrected and is not what you as a hooter want.

 

[TacT-MecH]

I tried the cheaper route and eventually ended up with a secondhand 5700 elite. The cheaper one I had connectivity issues (with my phone), I couldn't tell if it was on half the time (the light was too dim to see) and the other guys I shot with all had Kestrels so I figured I better atleast try to LOOK like I fit in (because God knows I can't shoot). Do yourself a favor, be patient and wait for a 5700 elite to show up in the equipment exchange and buy one there. I got mine for $500 and it's a great piece of kit. Buy once, cry once.

 

[Mortalpawn]

I bought a Weatherflow like this one that connects via bluetooth to the free Hornady 4DOF app. I do use it for temperature/humidity, and it was pretty cheap ($85) compared to a Kestral:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HTKA102/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_5VA2DbC8A7VTT

However to be brutally honest, I recently took a 7 day long range course and I never used the wind meter for wind. If you have any substantial wind it will change too often and vary along the path of any long shots. It was not uncommon to have the wind blowing one way up on the ridge or hill we were shooting off, and have it blowing an entirely different direction near the target.

Instead we all learned to read the mirage off a spotting scope (or your rifle scope if you have a high power one). Turn the scope up all the way to 40x or so and then defocus it back to about 2/3 so it is slightly out of focus. The mirage gives you a better average of the wind along the path of the bullet, and also lets you read the wind in real-time. Of course its all easier if you have a partner to spot for you and work as a team.

 

[waspocrew]

I'm in the same boat, I've been giving the 5700 a serious look.

 

[Steel head]

I bought a Weatherflow like this one that connects via bluetooth to the free Hornady 4DOF app. I do use it for temperature/humidity, and it was pretty cheap ($85) compared to a Kestral:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HTKA102/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_5VA2DbC8A7VTT

However to be brutally honest, I recently took a 7 day long range course and I never used the wind meter for wind. If you have any substantial wind it will change too often and vary along the path of any long shots. It was not uncommon to have the wind blowing one way up on the ridge or hill we were shooting off, and have it blowing an entirely different direction near the target.

Instead we all learned to read the mirage off a spotting scope (or your rifle scope if you have a high power one). Turn the scope up all the way to 40x or so and then defocus it back to about 2/3 so it is slightly out of focus. The mirage gives you a better average of the wind along the path of the bullet, and also lets you read the wind in real-time. Of course its all easier if you have a partner to spot for you and work as a team.

Same
I can use a 5700 anytime I want but I find I need to observe conditions far far more than I could rely on a wind meter.

 

[_Windrider_]

Same
I can use a 5700 anytime I want but I find I need to observe conditions far far more than I could rely on a wind meter.

Ponder this. If the wind is blowing and you use your wind meter to get the speed now you know what said speed feels and looks like. If you don’t have anything telling you what the speed actually is you have no clue. Of course as with anything, the more you do it the less you need the aids. But if you just observe you have absolutely no idea what the wind actually is unless you have a basis to compare it too.

 

[Steel head]

Ponder this. If the wind is blowing and you use your wind meter to get the speed now you know what said speed feels and looks like. If you don’t have anything telling you what the speed actually is you have no clue. Of course as with anything, the more you do it the less you need the aids. But if you just observe you have absolutely no idea what the wind actually is unless you have a basis to compare it too.

There’s some really good keys to judge wind speed my buddy taught me.
Stuff taught to people far more ninja than me.
All the older OAF types did quite well without meters n gizmos.

 

[_Windrider_]

There’s some really good keys to judge wind speed my buddy taught me.
Stuff taught to people far more ninja than me.
All the older OAF types did quite well without meters n gizmos.

They also wasted a lot more ammo refining that skill. Again not saying it doesn’t work. Just saying in the beginning have an actual frame of reference will make you a better wind caller faster

as with anything, YMMV.

 

[smoothy8500]

Instead we all learned to read the mirage off a spotting scope (or your rifle scope if you have a high power one). Turn the scope up all the way to 40x or so and then defocus it back to about 2/3 so it is slightly out of focus. The mirage gives you a better average of the wind along the path of the bullet, and also lets you read the wind in real-time.

There’s some really good keys to judge wind speed my buddy taught me.

Mirage reading hardly ever gets mentioned here and does give a very good indication of wind close to the target. Along with an estimation of wind at the shooter, which is probably based on the old NRA Highpower charts that are still to this day printed in almost all scorebooks for XTC and Palma matches.

TacticalDillhole is correct that most people incorrectly estimate wind....Not because they don't have a meter of some sort, it's just that they never had some chart or formula to go off of. For those that can't afford (or just won't buy) a Kestrel, the basic meter that plugs in the phone is a decent start to correlate wind speed and estimations.

 

[C.R. Adams]

The suggestion that proper training in wind reading eliminates the benefits provided by a wind meter such as a Kestrel is a bit far fetched. Take a look at the number of snipers participating PRS. Those folks have the best training available, which i'm pretty damn sure included wind reading. These shooters choose to utilize Kestrel in one manner or another, whether it be during practice sessions and preparing their DOPE charts, or at match time. Of course accurate shooting can be accomplished without wind meters, but the wind meters allow for more accurate data to be collected. Data that can be assigned to the wind conditions that we see/feel. The two, (meters and observations) should not be utilized exclusive of the other , but rather in conjunction.

 

[Deleted member 113831]

A) Get the cheapest kestrel, and live with it around your neck for a month or two. Correlate what you see and feel around you with an actual wind speed.

B) Get a spotting scope. Spend time in open fields where the wind you feel (wind at your position) is the same as the wind you see in the scope. Correlate the mirage you see, with an actual wind speed on the kestrel.

Do this for a few months, and you will be way ahead of the game.

https://www.amazon.com/Kestrel-Pock...XR5GWCRZ8WY&psc=1&refRID=8C18191SWXR5GWCRZ8WY

Most mirage representations you find in those charts are way too course. There are distinct clues that can help you call what you are seeing and feeling to within 1mph up until you get to 8mph of wind.


0 mph - very rarely exists



1 mph - is more of a wind "impression" than a breeze. Open your freezer and stick your head so you can feel the cold air falling out. That is about what 1 mph feels like. In the spotting scope, the mirage still looks like a boil.



2 mph - The hairs on your arm will start to tickle, you can feel direction on your face. Tops of grasses begin to twitch; small leaves of deciduous trees begin to inconsistently twitch. Mirage just begins to get some organization and direction. Just slightly off vertical.



3 mph - Hairs on your arm move consistently, light grasses move furtively, leaves of deciduous trees continuously twitch around. Mirage is about 30 degrees off vertical.



4 mph - If you turn your face into the wind, you can just begin to hear the wind rattle in your ears. Deciduous leaves stay busy and the twigs they are attached to begin to sway. Grasses are in constant motion. Mirage is 45 degrees off vertical.



5 mph - The wind is a constant rattle in your ears, your loose clothing is just beginning to be pressed against your body. The smallest limbs of deciduous trees begin to move furtively. Grass begins to lie over. Mirage is about 50 degrees of vertical.



6 mph - Loose clothing is constantly pressed to the body, small limbs of deciduous trees in constant motion. Mirage is about 60 degrees off vertical.



8 mph - Main limbs sway. Mirage is about 70 degrees off vertical.

 

[M8541Reaper]

Basic Answer to OP’s Question:

The weatherflow meter will get you all of your real time environmental data, same as a kestrel does, but for under $100.

Wind meters are great for learning what wind values look and feel like. For wind use, that’s pretty much it and you can get into a WeatherFlow meter for under $100. Sync it to your phone and BallisticsARC and you’re set. Knight’s app used to be my go to but since learning of and using BallisticsARC, it’s now all I use.

The real benefit from the use of something like a 5700 Elite is that it’s an all in one weather meter and ballistic computer. No phone needed as it is a standalone tool. Do you need a $500+ kestrel to shoot? Nope, so be weary of anyone who tells you that you do. Now will something like that streamline your pre-firing process? Definitely.

Random Wind Reading Advice:
-Get a weatherflow meter and the BallisticsARC app if you’re looking for a solid budget setup. You can clip it onto your tripod or pack (comes with a lanyard loop you can run a clip with).

-Grab your spotting scope and go listen/feel/see what the environment is telling you.

-Note your observations in such a way that each wind value and action makes sense to you. Hell, take video with your phone and voice over the conditions.

-When reading mirage, think of it as water flowing in a stream and let the ripples help you identify the speed and direction. Draw what you see.

-Before leaving the range, take five to ten minutes at and just glass the area to read the conditions. Write what you see in your data book.

-Regardless of whatever device you go with, if you aren’t documenting what you see and how your system performs, then none of it matters.

 

[kimberyote]

Im sold on the weather flow, blue model with compass. Now I need to decide on which vane mount to hold the wind meter on a tripod. Kestrel 5000 or 4000 series? Get the one with the level bubble? Thx in advance!