As long range shooting grows even more popular, we are quickly finding out that not all conditions can be predicted or controlled. However, they can be measured and accounted for. This is where the Kestrel 5700 Ballistic Weather Meter with Hornady 4DOF shines; providing “accurate aiming solutions for long range shooting.” This weather meter measures atmospheric conditions in real time and also provides ballistic solutions based on these readings with the supreme accuracy that Hornady 4DOF has to offer.
About the unit
The Kestrel 5700 with 4DOF (for short), is compact and robust. These traits are necessary for a unit designed for long range shooters because many applications including hunting, military and competitive uses put the ultimate strain on equipment due to harsh environmental conditions, rough handling and long hours of use. This weather meter is drop tested, waterproof and dust-proof, which I have verified through my months of use while I’ve had it.
For as powerful as the Kestrel 5700 with 4DOF is, it remains extremely small. I found it very easy to carry in a pocket, backpack pouch or strapped to my kit. It comes with a mesh cinch case which helps provide a bit of protection to the Kestrel’s extra-strong polycarbonate lens while out in the field. This unit is AA battery-powered, and comes with one lithium AA battery for extended run-time.
The screen on the Kestrel 5700 with 4DOF is extremely easy to see/read because of the high-resolution and contrast display. This meter also has a built-in dual color backlight, making it easy to read the screen in direct sunlight to extreme darkness. Finally, this meter also communicates to your phone with LiNK iOS and Android wireless connectivity and app support. This allows you to build ballistic profiles easily and transfer them to the Kestrel from your phone, as well as communicate with the Hornady 4DOF ballistic app directly via Bluetooth for ballistic solutions on your phone utilizing real-time atmospheric data.
About Hornady 4DOF
I have used the Hornady 4DOF ballistic program for a while now with incredibly precise and accurate results. Even when compared side-by-side with other (expensive) ballistic programs, I typically see slightly different firing solutions that prove to be more accurate with the 4DOF app. The following is a description as provided on Kestrelmeters.com: “The Hornady 4DOF Ballistics Calculator has been trusted by hundreds of thousands of long-range hunters and shooters since 2016. Ideal for precise long-range calculations using low-drag precision bullets, the Hornady 4DOF Ballistic Calculator provides trajectory solutions based on projectile Drag Coefficient (not ballistic coefficient) along with the exact physical modeling of the projectile and its mass and aerodynamic properties. Additionally, it calculates the vertical shift a bullet experiences as it encounters a crosswind; referred to as aerodynamic jump. The Hornady 4DOF also accurately calculates angled shots by accounting for important conditions.”
Putting the Kestrel 5700 with 4DOF through its paces
As I mentioned, I’ve been using the Kestrel on all of my hunts lately which include multiple weeks of deer hunting, elk hunting, and bighorn sheep hunting. On top of that, I also ran the Vortex Extreme sniper challenge with it in tow. While in the field, I and the Kestrel 5700 got rained and snowed on, baked in the sun, and frozen solid. I’ve measured wind speeds in excess of 40 MPH on a foggy evening and altitudes above 12,000 ft. After all of this, I still have greater than 80% battery left, no scratches on the screen and everything still functions. While I’ve had it, the Kestrel 5700 with 4DOF has more than proved how indestructible and appropriate for any task it really is.
Measured Atmospheric Conditions
The Kestrel 5700 with 4DOF measures many different environmental conditions, including the following:
- Altitude (barometric)
- Barometric Pressure
- Compass Direction
- Crosswind
- Density Altitude
- Dew Point Temperature
- Headwind/Tailwind
- Heat Stress Index
- Relative Humidity
- Station Pressure (absolute pressure)
- Temperature
- Wet Bulb Temperature (Psychrometric)
- Wind Chill
- Wind Speed/Air Speed
Usability and Final Thoughts
The Kestrel 5700 with 4DOF is extremely simple, only having eight navigation buttons with nine in total. The main buttons that you will use include the on/off (of course), enter button and scroll buttons. With these alone, you can take advantage of most of the Kestrel’s capabilities. you can read up on how to use all of the unit’s features, but it is pretty dry reading, naturally… I would recommend instead, watching a youtube video because there are several great instructional videos floating around.
In the end, the Kestrel 5700 Ballistic Weather Meter with Hornady 4DOF is an extremely tough, capable unit and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to take their shooting skills to the next level of precision. I mentioned earlier that I carried this unit through several hunts. In these hunts, it came in clutch, giving me accurate firing solutions to harvest an elk at 1007 yards with a 338 EDGE and a deer at 500 yards with a 10″ 6 Creedmoor pistol, among others. I do not depend on this unit with my life, but those in the military who use it do; and for good reason.
MSRP:
$499.00 USD
Learn more about the Kestrel 5700 Ballistic Weather Meter with Hornady 4DOF HERE!
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