Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting Which Kestrel?

What model on the used market offers the best bang for the buck? I don't need it to include ballistic software and offer firing solutions, I'll use an app for that. So the 5700 is more expense than necessary for a guy just getting into dialing for long range and planning to stay inside 600 yards for hunting. But I can see how the data one can provide would be very useful. More accurate input = more accurate output, right?

Recommendations?

Well, consider that i changed over to long range only for deer hunting in NC PA more than 50 years ago. The area in which we have our camp has numerous others who hunt the same way.
And i know many of them.
The area of the state we hunt has lots of steep ridges. The method of hunting is to sit on one ridge and use large tripod mounted binoculars to glass the ridges across the valley.
We have killed hundreds of deer and a few bear by using this method over those years.
Average kill distance is 500 to 800 yards, with some much farther, the vast majority are first round hits.
Quite a few have been killed by young kids, or those who never made a long kill before.
ALL, i said all, of our shooting is done from either a very good portable bench, or a very good shooting type tripod. We dont condone belly shooting, especially for that type terrain.
We strictly use the spotter method when shooting, meaning that at least one other person is following the shot and looking for the hit with his large glasses.
All the other camps in that area use the same method.
We have what is commonly called a (click chart), which gives the information on how many clicks are
added to the scope from the basic 100 yard zero for the distance involved.
Early on that information was passed around among friends, then confirmed for your gun by shooting.
Today there are lots of sites on the internet for getting that information.
JBM is but one of them, there are lots of others as well, but all should be confirmed by actual shooting.
Of coarse there have always been very good rangefinders, even long before the lazers, there were very good ones, and many of us had them.
As for the Kestral, ive personaly never actually seen one other than pictures of them.
Nor do i know anyone else who uses them.
Many modern cartridges today, even in the non magnum class require very little by way of added elevation to hit targets up to 500 yards away.
From a 100 yard zero a holdover would work with quite a few of them.
Point is that this is not a very complicated thing to do, and those who have been doing it understand that. We do tend to complicate that which isnt, in some cases in order to sell a product.
Of coarse things like large temperature changes, and large elevaton changes will have an influence on where the bullet lands. But not as much as one might think, especially for a hunting situation.
My advise would be to learn your equipment well, and the best way to do that is to go some place and shoot it alot, at things like small rocks on hillsides.
Remember there is the hunting part, and then there is the shooting part.
Have what you need in order to do both very well, and that will be all you need.

Thanks for the reply. I hear ya on shooting a lot, and agree. I shoot as much as my time allows. Up till now I've kept shots at critters inside 300 yards. So MPBR. For elk where I hunt most shots will still be inside that. The terrain is rolling hills and high plateau country with cinder cone mountains scattered about. Mostly piñon-juniper woodlands (large specimens not scrubby like at lower elevations) with ponderosa scattered throughout. Lots of little meadows. At the higher elevations the ponderosa forest is fairly open with little underbrush but 100 yards is probably the longest shot you'll get. There are some areas that offer shots longer than 300 yards but they're not the norm, at least not for me as I usually draw a late season cow tag and they've been hunted quite a bit by then, so the big meadows near the roads aren't very productive.

That's around my hunting/camping property in Cibola County. I'll be moving to Torrance county within two years and the area is high plains grassland east of the Manzano mountains. Antelope country. I want to hunt them--and the local coyotes--much more than I have in the past, and it's windy almost all of the time. That's where the Kestrel comes in. I can judge wind speed okay but for shooting at live critters past 300 yards I want more than okay. Accurate data is better than pretty close.

I also plan to practice on steel out to 1000 yards where there will be wind much of the time.

Drop is straightforward once data is corrected for actual POI with the load one is shooting. Wind is variable. I'll take all the help I can get.

To answer your question instead of telling you why you don't need one...

For years I shot without one, I just depended on my ability to read the environment and shot a lot of steel and rocks at long range.

Then I bought one of the basic weather station models thinking I'd save a little money, and input the wind into a separate ballistic calculator. It was just one more thing to mess with, one more thing to input into my ballistic calc, so I rarely used it. Money wasted.

Finally I did like all my buddies and bought a 5700.

I should have done this to begin with. The 5700 provides an instant firing solution, changing as the wind changes... instead of memorizing the high wind value, the low wind value, and figuring out a bracket on your own.

It's trickier than it sounds to get an accurate wind reading anyway, because the wind right at ground level, wherever you post up, is usually more subdued than the wind 7 or 8 feet off the ground, when you hold the device as far over your head as it will reach.

The only way to practically use these devices while hunting is to be getting a wind reading now and again so when the shot opportunity comes up you can make an educated guess. You usually won't have time to get an accurate wind reading when an animal pops up. You can have the kestrel on but you can't really stand up and hold it over your head when an animal comes into view. The best you can do is "the last time the wind felt like this it was a 3/4 to a one mil right hold."

All of which to say, there is a learning curve anyway, they really work best in simple open terrain, and don't work at all if you're shooting through or across complex terrain, but make life simple and get one with a ballistic calculator.

^^^ This for the most part. ^^^

5700 here. Only thing I don't like is being limited to 3 gun profiles. Battery lasts forever and is easily/quickly replaced vs charging a phone.

I don't see why you'd buy a kestrel but use something else for firing solutions.




The Kestrel will do it all in 1 package. I have a 5700 sportsman with link and applied ballistics.



For good bullets that are in the library I often times don't have to adjust anything. I just setup my 6BRA profile a couple weeks ago. 20 shots to verify it was giving me good data. I didn't have to adjust anything. Shot the highest score for steel match from 400-1000.


Sometimes you'll have to adjust BC a bit.


Link is useful. I feel it's easier to build profiles in my phone and send them to the Kestrel.


I also shoot with guys that use free and paid for apps and they regularly have issues with their data being off.

So the 5700 is that good?

I have Applied Ballistics on my phone (android) so I guess it would play well with the 5700.

Thanks for the insights, all. This is what I was wondering; if the 5700 works as well as the phone app as a ballistic calculator.

The ballistics app in the 5700 is as good or better than any iPhone ballistic app...it's also reading your current environment, so presuming the BCs/velocities etc are properly input, if there is a disagreement between an iPhone app and the kestrel...the kestrel wins.

The phone app is a "dumb" tool, the kestrel is a "smart" tool. The only thing a phone app is better for is giving you all your holdovers at once.

I haven't linked mine my to my phone bc I'm lazy, so I can't comment on any of that.

You won't be sorry you got a 5700. You'll be sorry if you get the one without a ballistics app.

The ballistics apps biggest detriment is putting in good atmospheric data. Phone apps will source temps and barometric pressures from the nearest airport which can be the difference between a hit and a miss.

The Kestrel app is what pairs with the Kestrel fwiw.

I'd much rather get dope from the Kestrel than the iPhone but I've had really great dope from a lot of rifles and done some great shooting without the Kestrel.

Kestrel would be pretty low on my gear list though. Magnetospeed is way higher up the ladder than the Kestrel imho

If you're paying for the applied ballistic app, you're getting applied ballistics firing solutions....but like was said, you aren't getting live environmentals sent to it like you would a Kestrel. I've seen data change from the same spot during the same evening enough to make a difference. Shoot it early when humidity and heat is up and a couple hours later and there's a difference.


It really depends what you're doing. Out to 500-600ish, a good speed and the basic inputs and most apps and such will often suffice. Wanting the most accurate data beyond that distance is where the little things and BC become important.


Couple things I wouldn't wanna have to give up.


Labradar or magnetospeed
Kestrel
Fx120 auto trickler setup.
Good bullet and a good barrel and chamber job and glass that'll track and you're on your way to having a blast and hitting targets not sending lead and copper back into the earth lol.


If you simply wanna hit fulll sized IPSC plates or whatever...you can get away without rabbit holing


Good data in will get you accurate firing solutions out. It's a tool and not fool proof. The more familiar you become with it and work with it on the range the better it'll work for you. There are some tricks...with any ballistic solver. Inside 500-600 if you have a good speed you're likely fine. Beyond that range I shoot and measure off the water line. High or low I start messing with BC to get the Kestrel to tell me what my hits are telling me. BC on the box or in the library can differ due to various reasons. Even a worn fire cracked barrel can cause BC loss.

Yes, the Kestrel 5700 is that good. I use mine mainly for the atmospheric measurements. Combined with the AB Custom curves (if available for the bullet you are using) on the Kestrel 5700 I've found the AB Custom profiles to be spot on with no MV or BC calibration required, in almost every case. I do use it for wind measurements, but not near as much as for the atmospherics.

Another option is to use a phone app that integrates with the Kestrel DROP D3, which is cheaper than the 5700 but I don't know by how much off the top of my head. The Kestrel D3 measures the atmospherics and the phone app uses this data to calculate the firing solution. It's been a while since I used this set-up, but I remember it being pretty accurate. It doesn't measure wind though. It's a cheaper option than the 5700, but the 5700 is much, much better.

I use the Hornady DOF version of the 5700. The 4DOF version includes a correction for Axial Form Factor which is quite handy.

https://hornadykestrel.com/faqs/question/view/id/728/

What is Axial Form Factor?

Due to differences in barrel machining, muzzle breaks, propellants and other factors, when the same bullet is fired from different rifles there will be a slight difference in the drag the bullet will experience. The Hornady 4DOF solver assumes the bullet will be fired from an "average" barrel but in reality your rifle may impact the bullet slightly differently. To account for any differences the Axial Form Factor value can be modified to align the output from the solver to what your bullet is experiencing. By firing at a known target and adjusting the Axial Form Factor value till the predicted solution matches real world results, you can calibrate the solver to match your rifle and bullet and deliver even more accurate firing solutions. Axial Form Factor can be calibrated using a target anywhere from 300 to 800 yards away and impacts the solution through the supersonic, transonic, and subsonic flight of the bullet.

I appreciate all the thoughtful responses. I'm convinced, and will pick one up next sale.

Doubtful that I'll actually go seeking shots on game at 500+ yds but there are times when you can't get closer. Mostly looking forward to the challenge of hitting steel farther out, and developing the skill to take that longer shot with confidence if it's the only shot there is.

If only as per ALWAYS,I'd Start At The Fhuqking Start and forget Gadgetry,so as to focus only actually fhuqking SHOOTING. Hint.

So for clarity,what are the SPECIFICS of said platform,you are wanting to Gadgetize? Rifle Make/Model,RPM,COAL,what's it fed from,mounting system,optic,ammo and how does it shoot,in your mitts. What's the application and how much do you shoot same? What LRF are you driving? KNOW going in,that little to none of that is going to be fhuqking "favorable",so holster your Hurt Tender Feelers welllllll in advance. Hint.

Dots are EASILY connected,less any fhuqking Fluff. Proficiency can NOT be purchased and spent primers remain THE SUPREME Tutorial. Hint......................

Use a ballistic app. Its cheaper than paying for the apps on the Kestral. From time to time, well quite often actually, the Kestrel data is biased.

Download a ballistics app on your phone for $20. Ballistic is a great app, but you can get others. It stays updated for life.

Buy a kestrel without it to save a [bleep] ton of money. The only thing you need from the Kestrel is DA. And you only need that if you're moving a lot with vast changes in DA.

I'd submit that Ballistics AE is sooooooooo fhuqking good,that I don't even shoot any of my (3) chronographs anymore...but I'm gunning Skookum Platforms. Hint.................

Too bad it's not on Android (Switched from iPhone recently)
I make a printout from my WinPC...

Easy to arrange DOPE to the Transonic Slip,on a Rifle's Maiden Voyage with AE and with wayyyyyyyyyyy less than a box of ammo. Simply fhuqking SENSATIONAL,for Rimfire too. Hint.................

Explain...

Shoot the gun to the distance that the bullet should be approaching its sub-sonic velocity. Measure drop. Input actual drop to "true" velocity. Badda bing, you have an accurate dope card for that rifle/ammo combination. Revisit it again at around 200 rounds when your barrel speeds up.