School me on truing a kestrel 5700 elite to my actuals

[Huskydriver]

So took my kestrel out sat for some mile shooting. Got my rifle profiles sent over from my phone. Got the kestrel talking to my Leica 2800.com which was awesome. More on that in a different thread but had 0 issues hitting my steel plates at 1800 and in.

Target was 5 degrees uphill but my drop calculations sent from the kestrel were off by about 2 mils. MV was entered from my labradar so pretty confident in those readings.

My question is, is there anything I can do on the kestrel to get the curve to match my actuals from 0 to 2000 yards?

 

[OLD308]

If you did not true your muzzle velocity at you 90% transonic range you need to. Labrador muzzle velocity has nothing to do with using the Kesteral.
Guess at you velocity.
Zero at 100
Calculate you transonic range
Shoot at 90% of that range
Correct that reading in your kestrel.
Thats how you correct you Kestrel readings.

There are other more advanced methods to get even more accurate readings. There are Youtube videos that walk you through this step by step. Its also in the instruction manual.

 

[Huskydriver]

If you did not true your muzzle velocity at you 90% transonic range you need to. Labrador muzzle velocity has nothing to do with using the Kesteral.
Guess at you velocity.
Zero at 100
Calculate you transonic range
Shoot at 90% of that range
Correct that reading in your kestrel.
Thats how you correct you Kestrel readings.

There are other more advanced methods to get even more accurate readings. There are Youtube videos that walk you through this step by step. Its also in the instruction manual.

Mine didn't come with a manual but thanks. It was my obviously incorrect understanding that using the elite custom curve model and having an accurate mv reading was important. Do you know where you input the 90% transonic dope into the kestrel?

 

[OLD308]

Kestrel's youtube channel has all the information you need. Step by step video of how to do this. There is also a very long thread on here about everything Kestrel.

Nope a Labrador or any other velocity measuring devise is not needed. Follow the steps listed above and in the video. If your first velocity guess is way of you may need to redo your transsonic test. Not a big deal, just 1 more shoot and your good.

Complete side note I'll get hammered on. I've never seen the need for a velocity measuring devise. Your drop at multiple distances will tell you your velocity. The Kestrel makes it even easier using only 2 distances, 100 and transonic. Your ladder test during load development and your brass will tell you max pressure/speeds per precision wanted. Your group size average at 300 yards will tell you if you SD and ED are good.

The caveat to the above statement is noted to the top 5% of extreme shooters in the world regardless of sport. Hope this helps good luck on your shooting.

 

[mustang-cars]

When I trued my Kestrel I had to add 35fps to my MV, that I gathered with my Magnetospeed, to get everything to line up out to 1400 yards. I kind of felt like that was a lot but it is what it is and its been working quite well.

 

[One1Bravo]

If you put it in Easy Mode and scroll to the last option on the first screen, Cal MV Guide, it will walk you through how to do it.

 

[Dunraven]

If you put it in Easy Mode and scroll to the last option on the first screen, Cal MV Guide, it will walk you through how to do it.

some have said that you get an accurate mv and leave that number alone. then, alter bc to get correct elevation settings. if I understand the kestrel correctly, they recommend altering mv. which do you believe is best?

 

[One1Bravo]

some have said that you get an accurate mv and leave that number alone. then, alter bc to get correct elevation settings. if I understand the kestrel correctly, they recommend altering mv. which do you believe is best?

There is a way to true your MV in the Kestrel. It walks you through the steps. It has worked well for me. This is what Kestrel recommends so I suggest going that route. But everybody does things differently.

 

[seansmd]

Kestrel has you true the MV somewhere between 400y and 600y, then true your BC or custom curve(DSF) out a a father distance.

 

[ShootnFool8]

Kinda was thinking the same. I have the ballistic model, not the elite. I tried to do the same, but don't see the dsf on there. Maybe I missed it, not sure. But seems different, between the 2 models.

 

[seansmd]

If you don't have the custom curve(elite) then you have the ability to adjust the BC above ~800y or so, there are videos on this as well, the yardage is tied to a velocity range. They want you to adjust MV at 400-600 where its all about velocity, and then adjust BC/custom curve at a distance/MV where its all about the BC/curve.

 

[Huskydriver]

I do have the elite.

 

[11bar]

I would tweak the bc to line up the dope at distance your mag. Speed and other devices are highly accurate the bc changes with how fast your pushing the bullet among other factors

 

[Eurodriver]

Has anyone ever put a Labradar downrange to measure velocity at say, 600y?

Before you Scoff - aside from the issue of triggering it (which wouldn’t be too bad using Doppler or a mic picking up the supersonic crack) would this work?

 

[Sticks]

Pondered it. A lot of things have to work correctly, and keep Murphy out of the project. The approach angle may be too steep for the doppler to catch in the radar fan.

 

[rob.sfo]

Here's a good video on the topic, released today:

WHY DO I NEED TO TRUE? - TODD HAS YOUR ANSWER

What are the rules of truing? Why do I need to true? I am using a custom drag model and a chronograph so why would it not hit where it's predicting? How would truing fix the problem?
Todd's got answers.

 

[Diver160651]

Mine didn't come with a manual but thanks. It was my obviously incorrect understanding that using the elite custom curve model and having an accurate mv reading was important. Do you know where you input the 90% transonic dope into the kestrel?

the actuals were low at the extremes correct?

 

[LawnMM]

Are you using a G curve or the custom?

 

[Huskydriver]

the actuals were low at the extremes correct?

Correct my actuals were like 2 mils below what the kestral was telling me if I remember right from last year.

 

[Huskydriver]

Are you using a G curve or the custom?

I was using the custom

 

[LawnMM]

You can only true that by altering MV they won't let you fudge the BC. What Caliber and bullet we talking about?

If this is an ELR rig you might be better off with different software, or alternatively, getting AB to build you a curve for your specific gun if you can track them down at an event.

 

[Huskydriver]

You can only true that by altering MV they won't let you fudge the BC. What Caliber and bullet we talking about?

If this is an ELR rig you might be better off with different software, or alternatively, getting AB to build you a curve for your specific gun if you can track them down at an event.

I honestly was just messing around cuz I had the real estate available to shoot 2500 yards not that I will lbs don't that regularly.

Pretty sure I was shooting 300 Norma or 338 Lapua. I have a bag of barrels for my axmc so I can't remember what I had screwed on that day for sure.

 

[seansmd]

You can only true that by altering MV they won't let you fudge the BC. What Caliber and bullet we talking about?

If this is an ELR rig you might be better off with different software, or alternatively, getting AB to build you a curve for your specific gun if you can track them down at an event.

someone necro'ed this thread

Supposedly you can true the custom curve using the DSF(drop Scale Factor), I have not tried this at distances that matter. Until AB messed up the hornady 140g ELDM CC in the recent release I only had to true the MV @600 and it was dead on on to 1790(last summer in the desert). With the latest release I needed to go to the G7 and change the BC to the hornady recommended number, then true the MV @ my real world 600 dope, and true my BC at my real world 800-900 dope.

 

[rob.sfo]

I necro'd it, as I finally got my first Kestrel and found this useful, so I thought I'd add some newer links/resources to help others.

 

[_Windrider_]

Here's a good video on the topic, released today:

WHY DO I NEED TO TRUE? - TODD HAS YOUR ANSWER