to buy a wind meter or not

[Mtkrusmark]

so I've been catching up on Frank's podcasts and getting into a little bit of longer range shooting.

my AR10 in .308 shoots 178gr eldx bullets. the minimum velocity for maximum expansion of the bullet is 1600 fps. I reload my rounds and i get 2513 fps at the muzzle of my 16" barrel. that puts my maximum yardage to for my bullet in a hunting condition at 500 yards. I've doped the rifle out to 500 yards.

I do have a private range of 1,000 yards but I dont see the point of shooting this gun over 500 yards of the bullet wont perform over that. I WOULD however like to tighten up my groups up if they can be.

I'm signed up for Frank's basic class in Minnesota in august, I hear him talk alot about having a kestrel to get your environmental parameters. I've looked at a weatherflow weathermeter and it looks to be in my price range and I use strelok pro for a ballistics app so they work together.

I'm wondering if I need one and if I do would the weatherflow weathermeter be an ok one to have?

 

[northshorelumber]

Mulling over the same question so interested in responses. Is a Weatherflow good enough or do I need to spring for a Kestrel? Does the Weatherflow interface well with Sterlok Pro?

 

[Mtkrusmark]

I know that strelok pro has has a tab in their weather screen to pair it to the weathermeter directly

 

[Tim_WNC]

I used a WeatherFlow with Strelok for about a year before "upgrading" recently to a Kestrel 5700.

Speaking purely about the quality of the atmospheric readings, I see no difference between the WeatherFlow and a Kestrel. In other words, if the Kestrel is reading 3500ft DA and a 6mph wind, the WeatherFlow is showing the same numbers.

The Kestrel has other things going for it, but interfacing with Strelok is a toss up between the 2 devices.

 

[thaflash_la]

The weatherflow has worked for me, in my very limited use. It’s inexpensive enough that it’s worth it to me just to be able to prove to my girlfriend when it’s too damn hot in the living room.

 

[Mtkrusmark]

thanks guys for the input I will be ordering a weatherflow weathermeter on friday

 

[Slash0311]

I have a Kestrel 2700 on order. (Supposed to ship in July as of now) Its more basic thsn the 5700 but has the AB and link. My reasons for choosing it are price and features. Since Im still relatively new to long range, I don't see me going beyond 500 yards. So for me, many of the advanced features were beyond what I need. That may change down the road.

But for the record, at my state's basic Sniper course, every wind meter I saw the instructors have was a kestrel.

 

[LawnMM]

The answer is, it depends.

Most hunting kills are relatively short range and hunters have done so without a weather meter since the rifle was invented.

If you plan on engaging wildlife at 500 I'd hope, ethically, you'd do what you can to ensure a good hit and a quick death for the animal.

At 500yds, that includes having a way to measure wind speed. Here's how I explain it to newer shooters. I've been doing this long enough to be pretty good at on the fly wind calls in my set of common conditions, sunny, with wind between hardly any to upwards of 10-12mph.

I've shot in wind as high as 30mph, sustained. I can't possibly measure that, or the highs and lows without a tool for wind speed. So yeah, you need one.

Can you get away with a weather flow? Yes. Just remember by going that route you're married to a cell phone and it's battery. Cell battery dies, no more app, no more dope, no more wind adjustments.

The Kestrel shines in it's standalone nature. It's everything you need in a single device (aside from range to target anyway). The battery life is excellent and the ballistics software has been getting better and better.

For what you're doing, probably not necessary. For others, it absolutely is, and we all have to answer that for ourselves.

 

[DamagedGuds]

I just received my WeatherFlow Weathermeter Precision Shooting yesterday. The internal compass won't calibrate. I tried all of the troubleshooting techniques, uninstalled and reinstalled, rebooted my phone, so on so forth. I wrote WeatherFlow Support an email regarding my situation and here is the reply. (Disclaimer: I still have yet to go to the range and try it out using my phone compass)

I'm starting to get buyer's remorse.

 

[Mtkrusmark]

I recieved mine about 1 hour ago and will be trying it out when I get home and I will let you know how it goes

 

[Mtkrusmark]

did u get it to connect to your phone?

 

[DamagedGuds]

did u get it to connect to your phone?

I did. I have to utilize my phone's built-in compass and hold the meter facing the same direction to ensure the degrees are right.

The bluetooth connects automatically, not throught the bluetooth options. Download the weathermeter app and press the button once while the app is open. Lmk if you get your compass calibrated.

 

[Mtkrusmark]

you have to turn your phone location on in order to calibrate the unit. dont know why. I didnt have to use the weather app I just paired it to my strelok app and it worked perfectly once in turned my location on

 

[DamagedGuds]

you have to turn your phone location on in order to calibrate the unit. dont know why. I didnt have to use the weather app I just paired it to my strelok app and it worked perfectly once in turned my location on

Are you using an iPhone or Samsung? I did everything I was supposed to and it didnt do anything. I turned my location on and off multiple times, I spun until I was dizzy, blew slowly. No luck. I'm glad you got yours to work though. With the strelok app I have the option checked to use the phone compass

 

[LawnMM]

 

[sobrbiker883]

Best things my kestrel does for me can be boiled down to two:
1) actual wind holds come from experience. Best way I’ve gotten experience is shooting in bad wind to learn the art of guesstimating what to expect over the course of its path. Additionally, for hunting 500yd and less applications you may not have time to pull your apps up and deal with a chingaso attatched to your phone. I used (and use) any reliable wind speed anemometer to test myself-I guess the wind’s speed and confirm with the meter.
2)mid to long range shooting (400+) I really want to know what the density altitude is, so a meter that gives DA is a must for me.
I do not like to rely on electronics, so for my main rifles I have dope sheets for DA from -2500 to 15000 and use a meter to check my guess from observations.

I try to get good enough from confirmed observation that I can trust myself to make a high percentage of the right calls.

Same goes for judging distance-use a LRF to confirm guesstimates until your confident.
Field situations often have the pleasure of fkin your day/Hunt/match up if you get too dependent on gadgetry.

Sorry if I didn’t have the latest greatest toy recommendation for ya....

 

[Mtkrusmark]

Are you using an iPhone or Samsung? I did everything I was supposed to and it didnt do anything. I turned my location on and off multiple times, I spun until I was dizzy, blew slowly. No luck. I'm glad you got yours to work though. With the strelok app I have the option checked to use the phone compass

I found out how to calibrate the internal compass in the weatherflow. I used my air compressor to blow into the blades and then just spun in a circle very slowly just moving enough to light up another slice of the circle then I'd move again. it seemed like it needed more than 1 guest in every position. I dont know how you would have been able to do it with just blowing in the blades but I did get it to work with my Samsung galaxy s8+

 

[Steel head]

I prefer to try to read wind visually and by feel.

Too many times my buddy’s kestrels read something at us and it didn’t jive down range.

I did just order a kestrel D3 to get an accurate DA.

 

[DamagedGuds]

I found out how to calibrate the internal compass in the weatherflow. I used my air compressor to blow into the blades and then just spun in a circle very slowly just moving enough to light up another slice of the circle then I'd move again. it seemed like it needed more than 1 guest in every position. I dont know how you would have been able to do it with just blowing in the blades but I did get it to work with my Samsung galaxy s8+

Idk if it has anything to do with an update or not, but I cant get another slice to light up whatsoever. I gave up on it and use my internal phone compass. I'll try again at some point. I have an S8. Again this was trying last week when I got it.

 

[jaywhite97]

Thank you all for your feedback I will pick up a kestrel 2700