I have the Sig 10K.
I just have never had to use the Kestrel.I know my Come Ups on my rifle I hunt with.
I do use the Sig 10k with my Kestrel to shoot ELR matches though.
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Who uses a kestrel?
- Thread starter steviebby
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I just have never had to use the Kestrel.I know my Come Ups on my rifle I hunt with.
I do use the Sig 10k with my Kestrel to shoot ELR matches though.
The Kestrel interface is easier to use than any rangefinder I've tried. There's situations where I like the use my Kestrel without a rangefinder. A lot of rangefinders don't support enough profiles for all the guns I use.
Buttermilk
Well-Known Member
Any advantage to getting the Kestrel 5700 4DOF vs AB ?
bonie
Well-Known Member
I just picked up a used 5700 with Hornady 4dof , love it it only stores 3 guns on but you can store all you want on your smart phone in the Kestrel app. for hunting its perfect how carries more the n 3 guns? lol plus its upgradable to the Elite for $300 in the future. go a head and pull the trigger as far as you like.
I figured I never needed one for the longest time, then I started shooting a few matches. I finally broke a couple months ago when I was at a match watching buddy with his LRF linked to his kestrel and it was spitting out dope for targets as he ranged them. That cost me a lot of money. (5700x with AB and Sig 10K binos)
Now I use it all the time. It's definitely not necessary but is 100% the easy button and you will not regret it.
I'd go for 5700 Elite with AB and Link. It's a buy once cry once scenario IMO... Until they come out with a touch screen version which should be any day now since I just picked one up.
It's also a good tool for learning to guestimate wind.
As for 4DOF vs AB on the Kestrel there are so many devices that will work with AB and allow connectivity and data transfer. almost none for 4DOF
Now I use it all the time. It's definitely not necessary but is 100% the easy button and you will not regret it.
I'd go for 5700 Elite with AB and Link. It's a buy once cry once scenario IMO... Until they come out with a touch screen version which should be any day now since I just picked one up.
It's also a good tool for learning to guestimate wind.
As for 4DOF vs AB on the Kestrel there are so many devices that will work with AB and allow connectivity and data transfer. almost none for 4DOF
SSG Graybush
Well-Known Member
Cuz you lucked out and hit 3027 once doesn't mean much. Back in the day we had to read wind and distance by observing, but a rangefinder and Kestrel are way more precise, and consistently right. You still need the ability to read a mirage.
And a 1244 yard shot on a elk is sketchy even with a zero value wind. Seen guys on internet bragging about their 1200+ yard kills, and pics show most are multiple shots. One had 5 shots, with a 6.5 cm. That's unacceptable imo. Just because you've done it, doesn't make it right. Or ethical. You need to be able to make a moa shot at 1244 yards at worst, consistently. And without an exact wind call, you can't. So your just taking pop shots.
yobuck
Well-Known Member
Its comforting to know that im not the only trouble maker around here. lol
Actually, im a firm believer in sighter shots.
AKA intentional misses. lol
Would the Sig work by itself for you? You use the sig just for yardage? For hunting would you still use kestral? What about a cheap windmeter and using sig for firing solution?
Willys, that's pretty much what I do. I've rarely seen the Kestrel provide a wind solution that is spot on. That's through three years of shooting matches. It'll get you close but you still have to realize that the wind is different along the flight path.
SSG Graybush
Well-Known Member
The Kestrel will give you the wind speed at your location, it's up to you to determine what it's doing between you and the target. That's not the Kestrels fault. The ability to read a mirage and environment are on the Shooter. Kestrel is just a tool to help you make your best guess.
LRNut
Well-Known Member
I have the 5700 - a waste of $800+ IIRC. I have spent a pile of money on wind anenmeters, have iPhone apps, a crapload of laser rangefinders, etc. Here is my advice: buy the SIG Kilo10. Has ABS software. Allows you to change wind speed quickly to see your solution in a 5, 7 or 10 mph wind for example. I use a shock corded wind flag that I plant in front of me - believe it or not, I rely on that more than my Kestrel. It shows wind direction (but only at my location obviously), which is valuable when there is no mirage. The angle tells me the wind speed when there is no mirage.
I use my Kestrel to measure the wind speed at my location, but having the ABS solution in my SIG rangefinders is far better than the Kestrel. I would also add I almost always add a bit to the kestrel measured wind because it is going to be faster up there where your bullet is traveling.
My best wind estimator is my parallax knob - one reason I like Nightforce over March - it has much better ability to focus mirage at various distances. If I have a good mirage picture, I don't even look at the Kestrel. Wait for the prevailing mirage condition, spin the knob into focus, and shoot.
I use my Kestrel to measure the wind speed at my location, but having the ABS solution in my SIG rangefinders is far better than the Kestrel. I would also add I almost always add a bit to the kestrel measured wind because it is going to be faster up there where your bullet is traveling.
My best wind estimator is my parallax knob - one reason I like Nightforce over March - it has much better ability to focus mirage at various distances. If I have a good mirage picture, I don't even look at the Kestrel. Wait for the prevailing mirage condition, spin the knob into focus, and shoot.
LRNut
Well-Known Member
I have a few cheap windmeters. They work but the Kestrel seems to measure better. You can buy the wind only device for a few hundred bucks. Don't waste your money on one with an ABS solution - get a rangefinder that has it.
LRNut
Well-Known Member
Totally agree Graybush, and more people need to be saying this. I have a gong at 910 (and farther) and my CO place, which is in the mountains. Normally, I can hit within 5" of my aiming point if my wind hold is 2 MOA or less, but once in a while, a zero wind call (perfectly calm at my location) is not correct and I hit 1 MOA left or right. I often shoot a second time (often with a different rifle since my gun room is next to my shooting site) and invariably find out it wasn't me or the rifle - it was wind I didn't see. And at that range, it doesn't take much.
Just do the math on bullet drift at 1200 yards. Your call needs to be within 1/2 mph (remember, half your bullets will hit to the left of your aiming point, half to the right, depending on your ability to hold and the accuracy of the rifle). Even if you can do this, it can change during the TOF.
There is a reason Trijicon quietly dropped their Ventus device (it measured wind out to 500) - I suspect a major reason was the wind changed in the time it took to measure and shoot.
