Kestrel help please

[Towsey]

Hi all

 

I'm wanting to get an anemometer and was going to go kestrel, but i don't know the importance of measuring different things for shooting. I was thinking about getting a 3500 but like I say I don't know if I need things like relative humidity and barometric pressure etc, or will wind speed and temperature be all I need?

 

I think the 3500 does the following

-wind speed

-temperature

-dew point

-wind chill

-relative humidity

-heat stress index

-barometric pressure

-altitude

 

I think the 3000 is about the same but without altitude and pressure.

 

 

Thanks

 

Towsey

[Chanonry]

Depends what you are going to do and where you are going to do it, without me being a smart arse.

 

Biggest influences are wind, temp and pressure. Humidity has an effect but is limited so unless you are super hot and/or going to go long it has little effect. Altitude is not relevant as it is a function of pressure in these devices. Dew point, wind chill and HSI must be interesting to somebody somewhere .

 

I have a mate who recently bought the 2500 as it had wind, temp and pressure but no humidity. Fine for his purposes. I have a 4500 NV which is very nice but if I had my time (and money) again would go for a 2500 or something similar.

 

You can play around with JBM Ballistics to see the effect of humidity at the ranges you plan to shoot at and see whether you need that function.

[Towsey]

Much appreciated thank you.

 

The 2500 was another choice, they swap not necessarily add features as you go through the numbers don't they

 

Towsey

[gbal]

Towsey-maybe only £100 in it,but what do you need-distance and wind,yes: but alt changes etc in UK -maybe? If this is new try:

 

How Temp Alt & Humidity affect shoting" by Craig Boddington (very experience US hunter).

 

Ball park is increase 20F degrees means POI up .75 moa (caliber etc dependent .5 to 1;I'll use 150g@3000fps)

5000ft elevation up (way way more than possible in UK) .5 to1 moa up; and 25% humidity up,.5 moa.

 

All effects there,but like up/down slope (1/2 moa rule of thumb),coreolis etc, it will be very small for most-unless very long range etc.

But check it out for your shooting.

gbal

[Towsey]

Cheers for that

 

Well I have a rangefinder and I started looking at cheap anemometers on eBay but ya know how things escalate haha. I'm one of these that thinks there's no point buying cheap junk or bottom of the range now just to see how I get on with it and then buy wot I should of bought in the first place, that's just false economy. I don't think alt' will really bother me, I was thinking more about the importance of humidity and pressure, even if it's just to put into strelok if nothing else but these features come and go through the models and if humidity has little effect as said before but pressure is more important then I might save some cash and just go for the 2500

 

Do you all buy them from rpr?

 

Thanks

 

Towsey

[gbal]

Towsey,100% agree-do not compromise on cheap measuring gear(FAR better good used than new less good,if £ is an issue.Kestrel are good).

There are lots of fancy fine tuning gear optons around-some might be worthwhile for some (extreme) applications-at 1000+ yards,eg,every little might help-but uniforming meplets isn't ballistically worthwhile for 250 yard field shots!

 

For most shooters,atmospheric differences in UK are rather small (less so in USA) but even there,when range remains under about 400 yards,it s very moot indeed as to whether they will affect trajectory enough to be any concern.

 

"ExternalBallistics.com 3.1 Effects of Altitude and Atmospheric conditions" is enlightening.IT's all wellexplained in some detail,but also gives examples-here is the effects on a 30 cal zeroed in at sea level and warm conditions;then the effects of two differnt shooting locations ( the extreme one is 30Fdegrees and 8000 feet altitude):

 

At 250 yards,the difference in trajectory is 1/3 inch;at 400yards it's under 1.5 inches;500yards under 3 inches.

 

As distance increases,the differnce does increase,and a bit more for more extreme,and longer range shooters should consider this-though the changes are quite extreme,lesser changes-lesser effects.

 

Worth careful consideration.Physics are there...well,more way out past there..ie not an issue within 300y....

 

Wind is way more important-and we willmake errors ar target even with the excellent Kestrels used at shooting point-the wind is not a constant on any vector. I would not be without my sub £50 used Kestrel 1000 investmen (it agrees /calibrates with other Kestrels,so it's working ok).But within 400y (800y....) the other atmospheric variables in UK are hardly significant....even shooting on a 30 degree slope...it's an inch in stalking terms for the whole lot.

Of course,it is an anemometer,not a ballistic solution engine-the ballistic Kestrels are good,given appropriate input-approriate to your shooting-I would not... errr sweat over humidity being critical!

 

Like meplet trimming and suchlike,though,some feel better doing everything.So be it,and why not.

They will not shoot perfect,or indeed be much closer,but may feel they have tried-and that may matter to them.

 

The wind will just smile,at such rearranging of the Titanic's deckchairs. :-)

 

gbal

[Towsey]

Well I think I'm going to go middle of the way and get the 3500. I don't want to have the money in an anemometer that a ballistic programmed kestrel costs, especially when things like strelok are about, but then I want something that's still useful for if I ever get something like a 6.5 or .308 in the future

 

Thank you for the help and advice

 

Towsey