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Posted By: GSSP Kestrel 5700 Elite "DSF" - 01/08/22
Having run "Shooter" for 13+ years I finally made the switch to a Kestrel 5700 Elite last Summer. As the months have gone by i've gotten more and more comfortable with it. I have an NRL22X match the 22nd of this month where we'll be shooting our 22LR's out to 400+ yds to include steep down ward angles off a bluff not too far from the main entrance of Zion's NP. I decided it was time to get my new lot of Lapua Center X dialed in. 50 yd zero all while running the Labradar. I'd already been playing with the velocities and BC; locking 1040 fps and .150 BC into the Kestrel. I then proceeded to shoot 100 and 200 yd 10-shot groups. I needed to tweak my BC to .155 to get solid hits on paper. I then moved to 316 yds , dialing up 49.50 moa, and shot the best 10-shot I could. The group was 4.25" or 1.25 moa low. I moved into the DSF portion of the Kestrel and adjusted the MOA up 1.25 MOA to 50.75 MOA. Shot another 10-shot group which pretty much centered my group right where it needed to be.

To continue to true up the DSF I need to, as I understand it, continue to shoot groups out to what I believe would be my farthest yardage, in about 50 yd increments; 350, 700, 450 and maybe 500 yds. I think if I run a DSF closer than then it will omit the farther yardages.

Sound about right?

Alan
Posted By: ol_mike Re: Kestrel 5700 Elite "DSF" - 01/19/22
Alan,
Howdy.
You been left hanging it appears.
I'm not up on the latest Kestrel stuff, good luck.
Posted By: GSSP Re: Kestrel 5700 Elite "DSF" - 01/19/22
The lack of responses brings into question how many folks use a Kestrel 5700 Elite. For years I ran a simple 2500 or 3500 to get weather data then input into my Shooter ballistic app on my phone. Now, like how I combined glassing and laser ranging into, one; Leica 3200.com, I've combined weather and ballistic solver into, one; Kestrel 5700 Elite.

Truing up the DSF did, indeed, work. Tested it, dialing all the way out to 450 yds. Tried 500 yds, having to hold over an extra 5 moa, but could not make it connect.

Alan
Posted By: rcamuglia Re: Kestrel 5700 Elite "DSF" - 01/19/22
The problem probably has more to do with strange things happening at extreme long range (for a .22 LR bullet) ballistically than anything to do with the Kestrel 5700

Same things happen at ELR with my center fires and really good bullets. It’s very rare to input data into a ballistic app and have it line up perfectly with actual drop WAY out there.

Things seem to get screwy past 1000 yards.

To try to true up the data, I always have to tweak velocity inputs. Sometimes BC inputs.

I have a couple working really well at all yardages out to 1800 yards. The Mashburn with the 195 Berger EOL working great!
Yup. Different bullet designs respond differently to going through the trans-sonic range. Drag changes throughout this range, and in turn the BC changes, as well. Some bullets are somewhat, or even significantly, destabilized and the BC consequently goes way down.

I use a 5700 Elite as a secondary ballistic solver, but still rely primarily on the Ballistic:AE app, as I have a lot of experience with, and trust in, that app. The concept is as Rick mentioned. I haven't played with DSF calibration, but it makes sense to me that if you acquire a DSF data point at a lower MACH number, DSF data points at higher MACH numbers will be superseded by the value acquired at the lower MACH number. I'll have to play with it to confirm.
Posted By: parshal Re: Kestrel 5700 Elite "DSF" - 01/23/22
You can use the longer ranges in place of the shorter ones in this pdf. But, you do run the risk of the shorter ranges being off a little. Interesting note that the Tactix watch gives the ability for more DSF entries.

https://kestrelinstruments.com/mwdownloads/download/link/id/296/
Posted By: GSSP Re: Kestrel 5700 Elite "DSF" - 01/23/22
Arrived Friday afternoon very near the spot where the NRL22X match was to be held. Checked our dope, starting with a 50 yd zero, then simply ranged tiny rocks out on the terrain. Checking dope to 440 yds, everything was spot on. Come Saturday am we were met by switchy, gusting winds through out the day. I measured gusts to 17 mph. Made hitting 1-2 moa steel plate out to 447 yds quite challenging from field positions. Hit the I did but not many. Kestrel was spot on giving me dope for targets that angled down from 5 to 45 degrees down and as much as 45 deg of panning left and right. When bluetoothed with the Kestrel HUD I could lay in dope for as man as 10 targets; all different yardages, angles and degrees of fire.

Alan
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