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How many shooters do actually use wind meters regularly?

fastarget

Private
Full Member
Minuteman
Dec 27, 2009
113
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56
Western CO
I was getting my equipment list together and started reading about different wind meters, was just about to roder a kestrel 4000 when the friend who is taking me to his long range club said "you dont really need it".

I am not convinced especially for where I live now. 30 degrees variations in temp from morning to late afternoon, wind and windy on and off, dry most of the time. But with the little experience I have, it is best to ask.
 
I felt the same way. I did see Kestrels make a big difference in the dope for the pro's in my squad at the Gap Grind... based on density altitude. They made several changes to their dope
 
I just want the atmospherics to plug into my software. That said, an Adaptive FDAC card, a USGS 7.5 minute quad, and a dime store thermometer + a little time / practice running it against your software and Kestrel so as to interpolate, works very well with one of the loads offered by Adaptive.
 
I was also at the Gap Grind and also saw the difference that the DA made to my dope. I also do not currently have a Kestrel, but have added it to my wish list.
 
I was also at the Gap Grind and also saw the difference that the DA made to my dope. I also do not currently have a Kestrel, but have added it to my wish list.

Roger that! Maybe I will be good enough to grab one off a prize table :)
 
I got a Kestrel in July and it does make a difference knowing all the information the weather station provides. It is the difference between a first shot hit or miss.
 
I was getting my equipment list together and started reading about different wind meters, was just about to roder a kestrel 4000 when the friend who is taking me to his long range club said "you dont really need it".

I am not convinced especially for where I live now. 30 degrees variations in temp from morning to late afternoon, wind and windy on and off, dry most of the time. But with the little experience I have, it is best to ask.

I use mine every time for DA corrections several times throughout the day. Once or twice per day if a wind is really gusting to get an idea.
 
I have compered my weather on my ballistics AE app with other shooters using kestrel they would have to wait to get connected with weather sat. And my app just took a few seconds to get it and they compared very close to the same readings Kestrel weather $400 I think shooting app and $20 kestrel wind meter what would you want


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My thoughts were a Kestrel 4000 and the ballistics ap on the phone. I dont even know if this model Kestrel connects to a sat. wind/humidity/altitude/density should not require a weather sat link up should it?????????
 
I just bought the kestrel 4500. Now to learn how to use it. I made a wind call last match that was way off and so I decided it was time to quit guessing. Also I wanted to see how much difference it makes using DA in my app.
 
I use it every time I shoot. I start by trying to dope it myself while I set up, then I compare my estimate with what the Kestrel measures. I'm pretty good at figuring it myself up into the teens, but when it starts gusting from the high teens into the 20s and 30s the differences are harder for me to figure accurately without it.
 
What Lowlight said!!! I have use the 4500NV for some years now, and it is always in use for getting wind readings. I am trying to get better at reading it myself, but always verify with meter.
 
I run all my data ahead of time for a match so I don't run a ballistic program so all my wind meter needs to do is give me temp and wind speed. Reading wind at any place other than your location is a best guess but having a wind meter allows you to make a better educated guess. Buy a meter that gives you features you need. Don't spend tons of money of you won't be using all the features but you need at least something to give you temp and wind speed.
 
I have compered my weather on my ballistics AE app with other shooters using kestrel they would have to wait to get connected with weather sat. And my app just took a few seconds to get it and they compared very close to the same readings Kestrel weather $400 I think shooting app and $20 kestrel wind meter what would you want


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I paid 250 for my 4000 and it gives a reading as soon as I turn it on. It has made a world of difference from just using ballistic AE.
I may have read the instructions wrong, but I don't think it connects to a satellite. Maybe I bought the Chinese knock off.
 
Maybe I saw the Chinese knock off since we both witnessed it doing two different things lol


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I use mine fairly regularly. That being said I shot for a long time without it.

So you don't need it particularly if you're on a square range but once you get off them you'll start to want as much info as you can get.
 
Wind meters are great where the wind blows steadily from a single direction. Where I shoot it changes in speed and direction, sometimes 3-4 times a minute.

I wish the range maintenance crew would let the grass grow a little higher. Would make it easier to read the wind at various distances :)
 
Who cares what the grass is doing, the bullet does not fly across the ground it goes high into the air. A 175gr SMK at 1000 has a Max Ord of 15 ft above the line of sight. Wind gradients are every 12 to 14 ft.

Because we have wind gradient layers knowing what the "grass" is doing is pointless. Grass, trees, leaves, etc are not calibrated to a wind speed and tell you nothing more than it is blowing. All you can say is, it's blowing and giving yourself a 2 to 5MPH window is silly when you consider that same 175gr SMK will move 10" per 1 MPH at 1000 yards. So if you say, it's 12 to 14MPH it's 20" of drift.

How you use a wind meter is to read the wind for 2 minutes solid, (at least ) it will give you the highs, lows, and average for that two minutes at which point you can calibrate your eye to the changing conditions around you. (what you see) then match those changes to the wind meter reading. from there you can note the dope for the high gusts, low lulls, and average speed so when you hear, feel or see, the wind changes in the landscape around you, you can then match that change to an actual call and adjustment in your dope that is valid.

The whole, Leaves, Grass, Etc... is pure BS that old timers like to say, they shot for 30 years on the same range over and over and want to give credit to movement of the leaves, LOL Read the leaves if you don't mind investing 20 years of trial and error.
 
if your friend's long range club has wind flags every 100 yards and you know how to read them, then you probably don't need it.

The best thing about the kestrel is calibrating your own sense of wind speed. take it with you everywhere you go, especially places you don't normally take a rifle. frequently make a wind call, then pull out the kestrel to confirm. Wait for a wind change, then call it and reconfirm. eventually, you'll get really good at it.
 
if your friend's long range club has wind flags every 100 yards and you know how to read them, then you probably don't need it.
The best thing about the kestrel is calibrating your own sense of wind speed. take it with you everywhere you go, especially places you don't normally take a rifle. frequently make a wind call, then pull out the kestrel to confirm. Wait for a wind change, then call it and reconfirm. eventually, you'll get really good at it.

awesome learning opportunity, nice input.
 
I never realized how much I'd use one until I was fortunate enough to pick up a 4500 with Applied Ballistics off the NorCal prize table. Now I use the damn thing all the time to check my wind guestimate and just use the drop chart instead of a data card most of the time.
 
I was getting my equipment list together and started reading about different wind meters, was just about to roder a kestrel 4000 when the friend who is taking me to his long range club said "you dont really need it".

I am not convinced especially for where I live now. 30 degrees variations in temp from morning to late afternoon, wind and windy on and off, dry most of the time. But with the little experience I have, it is best to ask.

You don't need it unless you plan on making first round hits. <rolleyes>
 
Dope is easy to obtain for trajectory, even under varying conditions you can get your ballistic calculator to give you very precise elevation corrections when you input all the relative data . Wind on the other hand is a inconsistent variable, you need to constantly adjust for it and you need a accurate reading. Keep in mind that with all of the variables you need to account for when shooting long range, your ballistic program can only calculate what you input, feed it inaccurate data and it will spit out the wrong solution = ...miss. So you can say that the guy at the range may not find much use for it in his controlled environment.

A wind meter is essential in your kit, but it only gives you a snap shot of whats going on near your work space, reading wind downrange is a art in itself.
 
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Don't waste your money and get nothing less than a Kestrel with AB or at least Horus. AB has been 100% spot on for me. During a comp I am constantly on my bino's and taking wind readings with the Kestrel. That will give you an idea of what's going on in the "big picture". With current technology, DOPE cards are a thing of the past. I keep several for varying DA's but I will only use them unless my Kestrel AB, Kestrel Horus, and phone crap out all at the same time.
 
Every 10mph = 1".. But 14mph is only 20"?


This was directed at lowlight. Thought I quoted it.
 
1 MPH = 10" at 1000 yards

12 to 14MPH is a 2 MPH difference, hence 20"

Most people talk wind in brackets, 3-5MPH, 6-8MPH, etc... so that bracket is potentially 20" of variation alone.

That is what I was saying ...
 
With current technology, DOPE cards are a thing of the past.

Good to know. When exactly did this happen? Just want to let my rifle know to stop hitting with that antiquated technology that it's using. ;)
 
I use my Kestrel almost every shot so that I have a deep pool of knowns to compare current results to. That being said, I'm more interested in the DA than in the wind at my position. I only use the wind function to establish a basline to compare what im seeing downrange to what is happening where im measuring velocity and direction.
 
I have a Kestrel 4500 and 90% of the time I use it for its DA to adjust my 'whiz wheel' or know what relative DA to reference at that time.

The other 10% is to reinforce my guess at windspeed at the rifle which means very little the further away from the target you are. For wind, you need to either get a good bracket guess on conditions downrange (trees swaying/not swaying, shit blowing around, high grass bent over to certain angles, etc) or read the mirage and then update your dope to reference hits at X distance were made with Y adjustment/holdover with Z condition 'markers'.

And whoever said dope cards were a thing of the past has obviously never been stuck in the field long enough to not have an AC outlet to plug your phone/PDA into.
 
If you are punching paper for shits and gigs then no it's not a necessity. If you NEED to make a 1st round hit in a glass dome with zero wind then no it's not a necessity. If you can throw a blade of grass in the air and make an accurate wind call then no it's not a necessity. Otherwise, it's just as important as any other tool. You must know the lay of your land as well. The wind pattern can very well be a heck of a lot different 1000yd down range than it is where you are posted up at.
 
Did some Google shopping but the best price was on Amazon....after lots of reading I wanted the unit to give me the basics plus DA the rest is the job of the ballistics software. It fit the budget
 
Do you all have an advice on reading mirage? The few times I have had successful mid range hits in windy conditions have been through reading the mirage right, but I cant do it consistently. I have been told that adjusting your parallax for 2/3rd of the way to the target and reading the mirage there accurately is the best way to dope wind.
 
Good to know. When exactly did this happen? Just want to let my rifle know to stop hitting with that antiquated technology that it's using. ;)


But just wait until the battery goes dead on your antiquated technology :):):) Oh, wait, that only happens when YOUR battery goes dead :( :(
 
I finally broke down and bought the Kestrel 4500 with AB and bluetooth, carefully loaded all my Gap 10's info into it to make sure it was right and I have to say it is one of the best tools I've ever had. It is dead nuts on out to 1000 yards so far with my Gap 10 .308. I was killing a full sized AR500 steel silhouette at 800 yards the other day, and making steady hits at 1000. Great piece of kit that will have you dead on weather your at a 1000 ft elev. or 8000ft. Crazy not to own one if you shoot long range or want to make first round hits. I used the custom Litz curve for the 175 gr. SMK and it was perfect.