Precision Rifle Gear Getting new gear or not, it's all garbage maybe... chronograph etc

[opherman47]

Man is it a challenge to suss out gear. Apparently I should get a kestrel elite but not really because it doesn't Bluetooth to anything I should have a phone and something else but it's good to have environmentals so get the kestrel.. Getting a range finder in the binocular destroys the alpha glass that you're supposed to buy the best version you can afford. Definitely need a chronograph to create a custom profile for your rifle but none of the chronographs work really well and low light says the Labradar is bad but apparently if I get a good enough stand that he's wrong.

Brian litz is apparently the authority except when his studies are questioned and it's all the big pile of .

I bought two Christensen arms mprs which apparently will shoot like garbage and I will hate them.

I also got two nightforce NX8 4-32 with The tremmor 3 reticles which apparently has too small of an eye box and a reticle built by a sham wizard for cash named Todd hodnett. I'm not going to be able to see my bullet paths and will hate life.

I did end up getting the kestrel elite.

My goal is to learn long range marksmanship fundamentals enough to go hunting in Alaska, and get good enough to survive some PRS matches or maybe NRL Hunter.

I think I'm going to get the lieca 2800 because it seems like it ranges decently should connect as crappily as anything else to the kestrel and is light enough to pack for hunting.

Now I am looking for a chronograph Labradar has no chips so you can't get one of those so I was thinking about getting the V3.

Does this sound like a good middle of the road crappy route to try to survive all the pitfalls of imperfect gear?

I have also committed to the Hornady ELDX factory ammo. 178 for the 300 win mag and 143 for the 6.5 Creedmoor.

Any thoughts from the peanut gallery are appreciated!

 

[spife7980]

 

[vh20]

I think your choices will work out ok for you. The Kestrel 5700 Elite AB is solid. The MS V3 is also solid - I have one, and a LR. I run the LR exclusively because it's quicker to set up and doesn't mess with POI or group size like the V3 can. But the V3 is every bit as accurate for measuring MV, ES, and SD (they're both excellent, and I've run them simultaneously and they are within 3-4 fps of each other). I'd just add the extra step of verifying your actual zero and group size without the V3 attached to the muzzle (unless you invest in one of the stand-off mounts, then it's a moot point). I have a Terrapin-X and a Leica 1600. The Terrapin is much better but the Leica 1600 isn't terrible, and I would expect the 2800 to be pretty good. I just started shooting a NF ATACR F1 7-35 with a T3 reticle. It's very busy and it bugs me, but I'm still trying to push through and see if the features are useful enough to outweigh the visual obscurity. The 6.5 CM 143 ELDX shot well for me, but not as good as the 140 ELD. At realistic hunting distances it wouldn't be a factor, but the ELD is a better choice for ELR. I haven't shot big game with either one, but the ELDX is intended to have better terminal ballistics, so it should be OK. I can't speak to all the bluetooth compatibilities because I don't use them that way, but individually all of your choices will do their job well.

As to post #2, your post IS a bit scatter-brained, but taken as tongue-in-cheek it does kind of illustrate the overload of opinions on the pros and cons of each unit mentioned. Information Overload is sometimes as bad as having insufficient information due to the confusion it creates.

 

[perttime]

If you want to have all your bases covered for half a mile or two, you have to have all the gear.
Me? I don't think I'm shooting beyound 300 meters (maybe 500?) anytime soon, so I can get by with less.

 

[BurtG]

Get a magneto speed. And a pair of Leica 3000 binoculars.

 

[opherman47]

I think your choices will work out ok for you. The Kestrel 5700 Elite AB is solid. The MS V3 is also solid - I have one, and a LR. I run the LR exclusively because it's quicker to set up and doesn't mess with POI or group size like the V3 can. But the V3 is every bit as accurate for measuring MV, ES, and SD (they're both excellent, and I've run them simultaneously and they are within 3-4 fps of each other). I'd just add the extra step of verifying your actual zero and group size without the V3 attached to the muzzle (unless you invest in one of the stand-off mounts, then it's a moot point). I have a Terrapin-X and a Leica 1600. The Terrapin is much better but the Leica 1600 isn't terrible, and I would expect the 2800 to be pretty good. I just started shooting a NF ATACR F1 7-35 with a T3 reticle. It's very busy and it bugs me, but I'm still trying to push through and see if the features are useful enough to outweigh the visual obscurity. The 6.5 CM 143 ELDX shot well for me, but not as good as the 140 ELD. At realistic hunting distances it wouldn't be a factor, but the ELD is a better choice for ELR. I haven't shot big game with either one, but the ELDX is intended to have better terminal ballistics, so it should be OK. I can't speak to all the bluetooth compatibilities because I don't use them that way, but individually all of your choices will do their job well.

As to post #2, your post IS a bit scatter-brained, but taken as tongue-in-cheek it does kind of illustrate the overload of opinions on the pros and cons of each unit mentioned. Information Overload is sometimes as bad as having insufficient information due to the confusion it creates.

It was tongue in cheek indeed, when trying to get set up these are expensive choices yet you can find people trashing on almost every option, it becomes a challenge. And every wierd statement I made was based off of things mentioned here on the hide. I have decided to sell my nightforce bubbles based on @Lowlight multiple threads.

Other questions I have that seem confusing to me.
Like if kestrel is the industry leader why do so few rangefinders work with it? And why does everyone complain about connectivity no matter what rangefinder is used?


I ended up getting a Leica 3500.com range finder off the for sale forum here. I figured it having DOF and having it separate from the binos makes sense so I don't have too much of my gear caught up in what seems to be rifle companies trying to be tech companies and maybe not handing lifecycle and development issues the best... And then got razor UHD 10x50 binos.

I have an atlas bipod and Armageddon gear bags


Is there anything I am missing after I get a chronograph?

 

[perttime]

Is one or another of your gadgets already set up to give you a guestimate for elevation and windage clicks for the distance, wind, temperature, humidity, etc?

 

[opherman47]

Is one or another of your gadgets already set up to give you a guestimate for elevation and windage clicks for the distance, wind, temperature, humidity, etc?

I mean with a combination of kestrel, Leica rangefinder, and a phone app I would hope so. Also the weaponized math stuff here is easy to understand

 

[Lowlight]

I just shoot at 600 yards, throw a placeholder in the computer (6.5Cm = 2750) and then align my drop at 600 to the dope using my MV. At that point, the computer will use 25fps to move the dope +/- .1 up or down so that when my data is aligned, I know I am a good muzzle velocity-wise. If the computer says 2825fps, great, that is what I use...

Anything can work if you want it too, if you put the effort in, most of our recommendations come from seeing the products in classes or at matches. We try to help spend your money smarter... the Christensen chassis is excellent; their action is too low with 90 degree bolt that can hit scopes or hands, and the barrels are 50-50 on whether they are where most of us feel they should be... does that make it bad, no, if you can get it NOW and it works for you, nothing wrong with it. We are just talking best should be, which is perfectly fine for some people, 3/4 MOA is within their spec, and for others, that means putting in extra work.

Your set up, we have seen 100x, it works fine for what most people want.

The Leica is a good laser too, breaks the $1 per yard rule they are usually a bit better more like 75 per yard.

Connection to the kestrel is much better today, most stuff inside the AB world and Nick V is the guy doing all this so everything today is talking better with the Kestrel

 

[opherman47]

I just shoot at 600 yards, throw a placeholder in the computer (6.5Cm = 2750) and then align my drop at 600 to the dope using my MV. At that point, the computer will use 25fps to move the dope +/- .1 up or down so that when my data is aligned, I know I am a good muzzle velocity-wise. If the computer says 2825fps, great, that is what I use...

Anything can work if you want it too, if you put the effort in, most of our recommendations come from seeing the products in classes or at matches. We try to help spend your money smarter... the Christensen chassis is excellent; their action is too low with 90 degree bolt that can hit scopes or hands, and the barrels are 50-50 on whether they are where most of us feel they should be... does that make it bad, no, if you can get it NOW and it works for you, nothing wrong with it. We are just talking best should be, which is perfectly fine for some people, 3/4 MOA is within their spec, and for others, that means putting in extra work.

Your set up, we have seen 100x, it works fine for what most people want.

The Leica is a good laser too, breaks the $1 per yard rule they are usually a bit better more like 75 per yard.

Connection to the kestrel is much better today, most stuff inside the AB world and Nick V is the guy doing all this so everything today is talking better with the Kestrel

Thanks for the response and thanks for this cool community that you have built and curated.