Best ballistic calculator 2020

Best ballistic calculator 2020.

1 – Kestrel 3500FW Fire Weather Meter Pro Digital Psychrometer Altimeter Anemometer, Blaze Orange

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I researched this product carefully and knew exactly what I was getting. They prices seemed to be pretty fixed, lots of vendors offer it at exactly the same price. There is an abundance of similar looking and featured equipment on the market, much of it for a fraction of the price, but I felt this was worth paying extra for because it’s a rugged professional quality instrument, not a cheap knockoff that is likely to be inaccurate and stop working in a year. I’ts ranges like for wind speed also exceed most other similar looking models, and include ranges that I well might use. Many other anemometers top speeds exclude most storm speeds. This won’t measure a severe hurricane but it will measure most severe weather events I’m likely to see as an outdoorsman and boater.I chose this one because I’d get it faster with Amazon Prime and was getting it for a trip but was surprised when the delivery turned out to take longer than I’m accustomed to. It didn’t make it in time for my trip, but the product is exactly what I wanted and expected. It was packed well and the only think I can complain about is the slow shipping. It should not have been called Prime. .
Un equipo para avanzar en la ciencia de termotolerancia y reproducción animal .
This was a birthday gift for my husband, as he is quite the weather wonk. He LOVES it! He has compared its measurements with those of some of his other equipment and is quite pleased to have a handheld piece of equipment that does so much so well. .
The Kestrel 3500FW I received appeared to be used condition and the display screen backlight was broken.(2032 Battery insulator was removed and the clear screen protector label was also missing)Waiting on the replacement.I do have 2 other Kestrel units that are flawless and love them. I hope the New replacement doesn’t disappoint. .
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2 – Kestrel 3500 Weather Meter

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I have a on-site weather station at work that I use to calibrate the other models I owned previously, usually I get them and they are WAY off, like 6 inches of mercury off- needless to say I have had terrible luck in the past using other budget models for ELR shooting. I decided I have had enough junk purchases in my life and that I needed to just commit to getting gear that will work. the Kestrel 3500 {yellow} did not disappoint! I took it out of the box and turned it on. without reading the instructions this thing is pretty straight forward. immediately I checked the atmospheric pressure outside and its altimeter and both were almost right on the money. when I took it to work, the barometer was less than .05 inches off, which is phenomenal out of box accuracy- and accurate enough for my needs. all other measurements were dead on. I couldn’t be happier. rather than having an anemometer, barometer, humidity meter and thermometer all separate, now I have a nice little handy unit that doesn’t crowd my drag bag. .
This meter works very well for my needs. I appreciate its high-quality build. It is easy to carry in a pocket which is why I selected it instead of the 4000-series – and I don’t need logging of conditions. The batteries last 300 hours, but I ordered some from Amazon for .50 each to have as back-ups. For me, the 3500 was better than the 2500 because I wanted to use it in the summer as much as the winter – the 2500 doesn’t have heat index and humidity levels. The only minor improvement that I can think of is that the yellow is somewhat bright – I might have ordered the green with NV 3500 model, but that is the only improvement thought that I have. I really enjoy having this meter and observing the conditions of wherever I am. .
This has been a great tool. I use it mostly at work for measuring data center climate but also use it for SkyWarn. I’ve found its also pretty interesting to use around the house, but its a pretty expensive tool to see stats for your vents. The menu is pretty straight forward. The update speed is pretty amazing compared to your regular household temp/humidity gauge. The NV version is great for the night use and isn’t going to blow out your vision. Highly recommended if you need portable weather info. .
Fun to use for all the questions everyone wants to know; but I usually don’t pay attention to. People want specifics they can then use when they retell your story (or make up their own) to others. This gives you the ability to collect those details .
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3 – Kestrel 2500NV Pocket Weather Meter

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This is a good, minimal cost piece of equipment to gauge weather and altitude, etc One purchased to assist in altitude/elevation approximation in area of US where there are apparently no readily available updated USGS maps – Lower Alabama or LA! One little disappointed in accuracy at sea level but sure more accurate versions available- hence the 4-Stars for rating!Per other reviews this has been utilized, long range shooting with some success. Given that and its relative accuracy as well as cost, a version of this and/or like type item should be considered for issue to US Military Combat troops especially in extreme weather area’s of operations like the desert-arctic conditions down to perhaps the rifle squad level.- as would possibly enhance mission accomplishment, particularly squad designated marksman an/or scout-sniper operations as well as serve as back-up to severe weather changes in case of a lost communication scenario- which in fact sometimes occurs. Particularly far northern climes due to host of environmental/ electromagnetic interference from high-altitude atmospheric conditions at times (think Aurora, solar-wind, flares, etc.) as well as in the desert due to electromagnetic interference such things as sand/dust storms, etc .factors as well as other factors like sheer distance-topography-foliage density and give squad and platoon level leadership good idea of rapidly changing hazardous weather conditions to troops, that can potentially be as lethal as any opposing force!Good piece of equipment any outdoor enthusiast should consider for a multiple range of activities, from hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, mountain climbing-trekking, surveying . This should be considered a primary and essential piece of equipment with the potential back-up of something like the Sun Company TripleGage – Zipper Pull Compass, Thermometer, and Magnifying Glass by Sun Company available at Amazon.com as well! .
I needed .ok, really wanted a way to see how hard the wind is really blowing so I could know if it was safe to fly my Phantom 4 drone. Plus, hey, I am also interested in weather overall. I wanted a high quality, reliable and accurate wind gauge and figured I’d go up to say, $50 or so to get a good one.Then I saw and read about this Kestrel 2500NV Pocket Weather meter and though it was a wee bit more than the $50 ceiling I had .yeah, it was quite a bit more and I heard all about it from my wife. She actually likes it now that i have it as we also use it for camping.Anyhow, the specs on this has almost everything I didn’t know I wanted. It has water temperature, air temperature, barometric pressure and of course, wind speed. It seems to be quite accurate from what i can tell. The past that blew me away was wind speeds. The 30mph winds I thought I was feeling are less than half that speed.Kestrel seems to be the brand to get if you want accurate information but the hardest part was finding the right one, for the right price, with the information you want when you are outdoors. This Kestrel 2500NV fit my needs well. I only wish it had humidity information. This unit also feels it is made with high quality materials and should last me a long time. It has come in very handy when flying my Phantom 4.The NV part of this unit is the Night Vision and this light is very dull but apparently it is done this way on purpose as to not give off brightness in a dark area for various reasons. I can get used to it after awhile but when I turn it on first time at night, I really have to look closely. I wish there was a way to brighten light if you’d like.Overall, very good portable weather meter and well worth the purchase price. .
First, a confession: I returned two of these to Amazon because they sent me the wrong one – the 2500 instead of the 2500NV. The box said a 2500NV was inside, but neither of them had working backlights.I was wrong.The backlight on the 2500NV is *not visible* in a well-lit room or outdoors during daylight! It is only visible in a dark environment. I finally checked my newest one (purchased directly through Kestrel) in a dark room, eh Voila! Backlight!!I feel like a complete idiot, and I apologize to Amazon for the snippy comment I wrote in my last Product Return.As far as the unit goes, I couldn’t be happier. It is well-built, easy to calibrate, and easy to use, with lots of features. I highly recommend it to anyone who’s in the market for a pocket weather meter that won’t break the bank.Get one! .
An amazing little unit, works great for what i use it for, being in construction temperatures and wind speeds are important to have available, especially if there is any Crane work involved and or concrete work. Super unit has an outer shell that protects it from bumps and bangs works well and is quite accurate on windspeeds and temps. .
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4 – Kestrel Ruger 5700 Ballistics Weather Meter with Link

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I dont know how I shot long distance before buying this. I have used it to shoot out to 1200 yards and at angles up to 21 degrees without missing a shot. Of course it is all based on you entering proper info into the unit, but shooting at 1216 yards I didnt even need to calibrate it; it was dead on!I really like the Ruger version as well. I have 2 buddies who shoot Ruger rifles and with the pre-loaded guns and ammunition both of them were shooting out to 1000 yards within minutes. One of my buddies was shooting the Ruger American which is not a high end rifle and was making hits on a 24 inch steel plate at 1000 yards within 10 minutes of shooting. Amazing!I also use the Sig BDX binos and they link directly to the kestrel for distance measurements. You still have to capture the direction of fire since the binos cant do that, but it is way faster than scrolling through the distance by clicking the buttons up or down.I highly recommend Kestrel and I have encouraged everyone to go out and buy one. This unit is amazing. Pretty soon I am gonna try and stretch it out to 1760 yards, yes a mile! I am sure the Kestrel will be able to perform. In order to get the custom drag curves that will go through transonic you will need to upgrade to the advanced software, which is $300 but it may be worth it. From everything I have shot from 0- 1200 yards I havent needed it yet with my rifles. .
This is a great little meter and ballistics computer. There are standalone ballistics calculators but I have found that most of the errors in long range shooting is from making errors with the environmental data. This meter does it all and is easy to use with a little practice. I bought the Ruger version as I use it with Ruger preloaded firearms. Its the same price as the standard 5700 which can be configured to do the same thing. All in all it’s fast and easy to use in the field or at the range and uses good environmental data every time. .
For being newer to long distance shooting (500yd+), this tool has put me on target so fast its remarkable. Read the wind and it will tell you how to adjust the scope on the first shot and will put you on paper for sure. There are so many other uses of this tool its amazing. You won’t regret it .
I bought the Kestrel Ruger 5700 to use with my RPR in 6.5 Creedmoor. Being a bit on the technology-deprived side, it took me a little experimenting to get it paired with my phone, but once there it is great. .
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5 – Kestrel 5700 Ballistics Weather Meter with LiNK

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If you love to spend time playing with gadgets and a bit of a geek, then you will probably like it a lot. But if you just want a tool to help you assess the environment and give you accurate ballistic data promptly you may not be so impressed. My new item came boxed w/o an owners manual and I found the quick start guide was heavy on a lot of acronyms that are not typically used in other ballistic software programs – so a lot of time spent looking up their proprietary codes. Quick start guide was pretty lame. The logic behind the setup sequence/protocol is absent at times and gets frustrating if you don’t already have experience with advanced Kestrel meters. I’m not technically illiterate, so I thought I could just grab and go – figure it out as I started to use it. Thought wrong. Best way is to sit down with access to youtube and walk through the setup process for your specific needs and you’ll be set to go. I’m sure the product gives accurate readings as to the weather, but so far getting a usable ballistic chart in a relatively short amount of time has been a challenge. No doubt with practice it will improve – but plan for a learning curve and practice before you take this out in the field and need to rely on it. With my iOS ballistic apps, I can complete an entirely new profile and view results in under 5 minutes the first time I used them. Not going to happen with this unit. Just my two cents. .
I’ve had the Kestrel 5700 for almost 2 months and have used it on probably a 6 shooting trips. It has been a very handy tool to help get shots a groundhogs out to 450 yards. While 450 yards isn’t that far, you have to be pretty dialed in to hit a small target like that at that distance. Past 450 my group is too large to be more than partially successful, so it would be hard to measure. One things to think about when deciding between this and the Elite is that I’m seeing a 1 MOA difference in some cases when using G1/G7 vs the custom drag models on applied ballistics app, so for me I have decided to upgrade to the Elite after 2 months to help improve my first round hit count. Starting with the low end 5700 first and then upgrading to the Elite doesn’t end up costing you any more in the end since the upgrade costs $300, which brought my total out of pocket to $699 (same as the cost of a new Elite), so you can always start with this model and see how it works for you and upgrade later if your shooting demands it. .
The meter is of typical Kestrel quality, which in my experience is very good. It is solid with good control sand a very good screen. I haven’t had a chance to use it in the field yet, but I use the Applied Ballistics phone application and its trajectory modeling is excellent using G7 BC’s.My issue with the product is that the software was clearly crippled. The hardware is capable of supporting the 5700 Elite software. Which includes some very useful extra features such as 30 as apposed to 3 gun-cartridge definitions, addition target sets and a few other displays. It also included support for Brian Lintz’s ballistics models that extend function beyond G7 modeling.Adding the lintz models is clearly and elite feature and is worth additional cost, but not including the additional displays, rifle and target definitions is why I rated the product a 3. I expect more from my preferred vendors. .
Awesome weather meter and ballistic calculator. It uses applied ballistics even though it isn’t the elite. You just can’t get the custom curves. Will recommend this to anyone interested in long range shooting. .
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6 – AXEON Optics Absolute Zero Easy One-Shot Laser Rifle Zeroing Device for Rifle Scopes

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This product is extremely well made and the lasers are bright. Also, accessories are included for mounting on an AR rail or a 1 or 30mm tube. However, I live in S. Florida and it is impossible to see the lasers, due to the very bright light outdoors, which continues almost to dusk. The YouTube video shows it being used outdoors, so I would imagine that was in a Northern State, where the light was much less bright and where the light gradually dims in the evening. A small problem is that the reflective target comes bent (not folded) in half and is hard to flatten out, if you are taping it to a target, rather than peeling it off and using the self-adhesive backing. If you use the self-stick feature, it basically has a one-time use. However, I repeat that this is a very well made and thought out product and it is only my local location that prevents me getting the full benefit from it. .
Likes- Mounting on my scope was simple and quick. I turned it on and once I located the two laser dots on the dots already on the target label I just shot 1 round and moved the crosshair to the bullet hole. The two lasers just helped me to keep the hold in the same place as I shot. No struggle or guessing. I checked my impact at 100 yards and was just above the bull with my 6.5 Creedmoor. Good enough. 2 shots. Very fast.Dislikes- Battery compartment has 4 little allen screws. This would be better with some kind of single hand screw. They say the batteries last forever. They are CR2 3V so they should. I’ll find out this fall. .
Another bunk POS boresighter. Like all the reviews because of mine completely did not work out of the box it would be eternally helpful if they actually showed you which direction to put the batteries in but luckily I own a multimeter and obviously the first set of batteries were completely dead but fortunately I had a second set and with every plus minus configuration no power at all. This is my third bore cider I’ve purchased from Amazon now and every single one of them I’ve had issues with. Also this purchase was not a warehouse because dealing with optics and lasers typically there’s a reason people send them back so I figured I would give this one a fresh try but true to form completely dead on arrival. .
Don’t buy this product!! Like a lot of the other reviews my lasers did not work upon arrival. There were NO instructions in the package at all; especially on how to properly insert the batteries so when it failed at first then you have to take out 4 screws and reassemble to find out it fails with them in the opposite way. These obviously are not tested prior to shipping.PS: The only reason it got one star was because it would not let me place a review without some star rating. .
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7 – Kestrel Elite Weather Meter with Applied Ballistics

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I’ve used Kestrel units for field work etc. before, but never for shooting and you can expect the same level of performance as scientists have come to rely on with Kestrel units. I spent a lot of time trying to decide which unit to get if I should get a unit that didn’t have the ballistic information built in and just use it with my phone ballistics software or to spend the extra money to get the all-in-one solution. I’m happy to say that I’m glad I spent the extra money for this unit for a couple reasons.First, it’s one less thing to rely on, and one less device to switch between, setup, and worry about while shooting. Also the kestrel will function in temperature and weather extremes that phones simply will not. I’ve seen shooters at competitions in cold weather, super hot weather, rainy weather etc. have their phones fail when the kestrel unit itself will still run fine. That’s not to say having the phone interface is not nice at times, there’s a larger screen, GPS capability etc. so there are times it’s nice to still use the unit with the phone, but it’s nice to be able to just use the kestrel by itself as well.Second is the extra features, you gain more gun profiles, the ability to save a larger series of targets, and some extra functionality/options the lower units will not provide.It’s fairly simple to setup, and there’s a lot of great online references for how to get everything dialed in and once you do have everything setup it’s very simple to put target settings in and get a shooting solution. .
Great device, ballistics are on and is very helpful when shooting with wind from different directions and different wind values.BUT . I have not been able to connect my phone to the kestrel using the Ballistics Link App on my Android, Sent my first one in and just got a new one today and still having the same probelms. Unit works great on its own but I bought the LINK for a reasom .
This thing is awesome! I shoot a lot of long range and using Ballistic apps and Internet programs works okay, but the kestrel /applied ballistics calculator is better. It even factors in the aerodynamic jump differences in a crosswind. The nicest thing is that you don’t have to enter all the environmentals manually, it factors in everything you need without a lot of effort from the shooter. There are far more variables that get considered when comparing it to other ballistic solvers. This results in hits downrange. My vertical spread has decreased dramatically.I had a hard time deciding whether or not to go with Bluetooth version. I decided on the non-Bluetooth version (kestrel calls it LinK). I don’t regret it at all. If you would prefer to enter bullet / gun profiles via smartphone, get the link. It can be done pretty quickly without the phone app though. Also the Bluetooth makes it easier to update firmware and load custom drag curves from Bryan Litz. For me this didn’t matter because I point my bullet meplats anyway and his numbers are irrelevant. I also find that lot to lot variation of bullets results in lot to lot variations in BC. The Bluetooth would be nice if you plan to stay prone for a while with the weathervane mount hooked up to the kestrel. If you are constantly moving in PRS style matches it would be silly to hold the kestrel In one hand and the iPhone in the other. You can get everything you need right on the kestrel display. .
Are you kidding me! I can link my Sig Range finder to this bad boy. That is awesome!!While I was waiting for the arrival of the 5700 Elite with link I went to their website and they have everything you need. Manuals, software, links and how to’s. Very well done website. That makes life much easier. Having my .308 for so long I had no need for all these goodies. Since they weren’t around to the extent and technical advancement per cost when I was setting up old school. Since I am retiring the .308 Rifle and have purchased a 6.5 Creedmoor Rifle I think this will help me dial in my skills with this system nicely and with less pain and suck. This is a well done masterpiece! Can’t wait to put it through the paces. .
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8 – The Official US Army Sniper Training and Operations Manual: Full Size Edition: The Most Authoritative & Comprehensive Long-Range Combat Shooter’s Book / TC 3-22.10) (Carlile Military Library)

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First, I want to thank all Vets for their service to our country. This manual is an intersting read .if you want to be an Army sniper. I did not get much out of this as I was wanting to learn more info on long range first hits. This is very detailed on the formalities but of little use to me. The weapons systems used, wind conversion tables for the M110 semiautomatic sniper system, and alot more info that did not help me. .
So there are very few things missing but overall for civilian use it’s pretty good. Just remember there isn’t a book anywhere that is going to make you as good as going through the course with actual eyes on you correcting mistakes and putting you through the stress .
Huge book.I took some of this training, and it just makes me realize how much I forgot. A lot of info is redundent, and/or doesn’t apply in my life right now, but still a good book to have. .
Awesome book. .
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9 – Long Range Shooting Handbook: Complete Beginner’s Guide to Long Range Shooting

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The Long Range Shooting Handbook gives a clear-cut, no B.S approach and explanation to the fundamentals of long range shooting. The amount I’ve learned from this book almost equals the volume of information contained therein.It’s reassuring to know as you read that Ryan is a man of experience unparalleled by other sources of information on this subject. As he mentions, his methods may start internet flame wars, but then, what do they really know? In this book, you won’t find any useless, exclusive, sophisticated methods, but, rather, the straight truths and ways of the rifleman’s art. Ryan learned this art in an occupation where his life and others’ depended on the outcome. He is without question a master in this field.Another thing to note is that many books on this subject which are introductory level, which the Long Range Shooting Handbook is meant to be, spend the whole book saying, “In (book, course, etc.) you will learn ,” wasting space with useless photos, or bragging of the author’s achievements. In reading Cleckner’s book, you will forget it is even intended as a “beginners guide to precision rifle shooting.” The cover should read, “An extremely comprehensive handbook guide to long range shooting.” And yet it still remains accessible to the beginner.With such a huge success in a beginners handbook, I can hardly contain my excitement for the upcoming sequel.You won’t find a more comprehensive and valuable guide to the subject of long range shooting in layman’s terms anywhere. Period. If you consider yourself proficient in rifle shooting, do yourself a favor and buy this book. You’ll find important concepts you had no idea of explained in a way you will understand and easily be able to apply and take your shooting skills to the next level.Another plus for Ryan is that, while he recommends products, he doesn’t spam, and only recommends tools of genuine usefulness. I’ve read some books that felt more like a catalog. None of that here!I could go on forever, but, I’ve got shooting to do. The Long Range Shooting Handbook will be the absolute best purchase decision you’ve made for you shooting gear bag in quite some time. You won’t regret it, and you won’t be able to put it down. .
im not a beginner, but i figured i could pick up a few new tips and tricks from this book, which i did. mostly, it just helped reinforce that i was already on the right path. that said, it was still a joy to read. ryan is a great author, who knows how to hit every important point quickly and concisely so as to not keep rehashing every point and does so in a very entertaining manner. i dont think this book has really taught me anything to be a better shooter at my level (GREAT for a beginner, as the title says) BUT, i think it really improved me being a spotter, by his stories on how he teaches, which seem very common sense and effective, so my shooting buddies will probably improve greatly from my reading this! and either way, as stated before, it was still a fun, engaging read. .
Great book! This guy breaks it down for the general enthusiast that has minimal or zero knowledge of long range shooting as long as you know the basics and are determined to learn more. and is definitely a must have for anyone looking to shoot long range or even that just wants to setup a good long range gun. the author has great recommendations and techniques and plenty of experience. I have learned so much from a front to back read and then skim back through it and highlight details. I use it at the range every time as its always in my gun case and I am about ready to move on to advance long range shooting. Without this book I would have been too indecisive to build my current long range precision rifle a Ruger Precision .308 with a Vortex PST 6-24X50 Illuminated FFP MOA optic and I actually shot my first moose with this rifle this year at 325 yards with ease (2017, Maine) .
Fantastic book on long distance shooting. Very well explained section on what affects bullets in flight and information on how to apply it. His philosophy is to not sweat small stuff or over complicate things with to much information. Just do what’s needed to engage the target with adeqate accuraccy, as quickly as the situation demands. An example would be in making adjustments using formulas. He tries to provide the easiest way to figure things out including rounding constants to make them easy to deal with on the fly without sacrificing meaningful accuracy. IE .5 inch off @ 100 yards by using nominal MOA value of 1 vs actual value of 1.047 (or somthing close anyway). That error is not much more than a bullet width shooting .308.His tactical backround makes him a great teacher of hunters as well. Hes says I’d rather have 1 MOA accuracy on time than a 1/4 MOA accuracy too late that sounds like a great mantra for a hunter of any creature. .
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10 – LaserWorks Long Distance 1200 Yards Hunting Rangefinder – Horizontal Distance, Speed, Scan Laser Range Finder

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I rarely rate but I really like this finder. I needed a long distance range finder, but not one that would break the bank, and I needed it fast. Deer Season was days away. Long range rangers get expensive very fast, especially name brands. But I saw this LD 1200 here on Amazon with ONE day FREE shipping at $99, but no reviews. The previous model LD 1000 had very good reviews, and I worried about the quality and performance of such a low priced ranger, but I gave the LD 1200 a try.Works amazing. Small objects, fence posts, trees, animals, brush piles, objects without light under dense trees, just works. I lazed out to 710 yards, the most distant object visible from my deck within range, and it worked perfectly. I measured out 150 yards with a tape and it was +/- on to about a yard, mostly perfect, depending on how steady I held it. The furthest object out from my deck view was a treed mountain more than a 1.5 miles away and that’s where it failed. But I doubt if even a $1500 ranger would manage that. I tried it in low pre-dawn light and it followed the bright findings perfectly all the way out to my 710 view limit, with visible indicators. Indicators might be a bit hard to see in EXTREMELY low light, as all of those without LED’s, but it almost has to be so dark you couldn’t scope something anyway. Also doesn’t have bells and whistles like rifle ballistics et. al. But it’s simple and easy to use, rubberized surface, small, light, carry case, lazes a LONG way out there, and amazingly affordable. Can’t say how long it will hold up, and it’s only water resistant and not water proof, so it could fog or fail in certain wet/cold conditions, and only time will tell how sturdy the internals are, but still for the price, it seems a steal. .
Bought this to pair up with a weather meter and ballistic app for longer range, precision shooting. Been playing with it all day since receiving it this morning and I must say, I am pretty damn impressed so far! I was able to range treelines around 1464 yards away consistently. In scan mode, I was able to range a hawk circling in the area overhead at 130 yards three separate times with the same results. I ranged a number of smaller, target sized objects at various known distances to 500+ yards and came within a yard each time. The weather was nice and sunny so didn’t get a chance to test fog mode nor did I try any of the other modes but all I can say so far is wow, simply can’t beat it for the price! To be completely fair, I did occasionally have to try a few times to get it to lock on to a particular object, but hey, for $99, I consider it beyond acceptable in my book And, when it does lock on, it returns consistent results on multiple consecutive attempts.Now, the unit I really wanted was around $1000 and ranges out to 2000+ yards but since I rarely have the opportunity to shoot anywhere near that far, I just can’t justify spending that much $$ right now. I’ll need to test it on some more isolated objects to get a better idea of beam divergence but in the meantime, if this unit holds up and continues to perform well, I will be one happy camper for the time being. .
 I bought this rangefinder for hunting and shooting, I plan to use it to range out targets and help myself measure out distance roughly by eye as well as patterning for my bow and arrow and shotgun. The rangefinder has an adjustable focus on the lens that you look through which is cooo, it’s silent and only vibrates for a click when turning it on. The one thing I don’t like is where the buttons are located one on the side one on top, it would be easier for me if both buttons were next to each other but that’s my personal opinion & preference. Came with a nice soft case and a battery can’t wait to bring it upstate! .
For the price, it is just amazing. Fits great in my hand. I have actually ranged all the way to 1400 yds. So far I have not had any issues with it. I mostly use it for long range target shooting. It has been rained on, and still working fine. Feels pretty sturdy. Was ranging as quick as the Leupold ones. I haven’t tried it during low light conditions, but when I do, I will update review. .
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11 – Caldwell Ballistic Precision Chronograph with FPS and MPS Readings, Sun Screens and Large LCD Screen for Range Shooting

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THIS IS MY FIRST CHRONO AND I CLOSED MY EYES AND WENT FOR IT! After spending a whole day reading reviews and watching videos of different units I bought this one. First time users of course have to experience the world of (exceptable) lighting conditions and all that comes with the dance of maintaining the right kind and amount of light above the 2 sensors so that the unit works and is accurate. As far as reviews go, check out the reviews for the higher priced units and yes you will find the same complaints regardless of price.My strategy/approach was to buy the cheapest unit I could find that had enough good reviews to indicate that the unit could work well enough to get the job done. Many people gave this basic chronograph good reviews and like the better units some complained of getting a lemon. After playing with this chrono for just a few hours ( and doing the research) I am comfortable in knowing what to look for in a chrono I believe.Fortunately this (my first ever) unit seems to work perfectly out of the box and with all types of projectiles both fast and slow. For example i have a spring loaded BB pistol that shoots at 100 FPS and have shot hand loaded bullets at over 3700 FPS with consistence accurate readings. The phone/tablet app loaded fast and worked as described (except the app will not allow for deletion of error shots without saving then editing)This unit is basic in that it will only give a readout of the speed and do no calculations UNLESS it is paired with a android/apple phone or tabletand a external source application for various computations. This I like because my eyesight is poor and I would rather have my data displayed remotely next to me. Plus I can customize my remote display device and type.The unit is well built well and is sturdy and the readout is large enough and instant. Basically just 3 functions on one switch which are OFF- feet per second- meters per second. Other than that their are 2 ports for data connection to a external device which are a usb type port and a ear phone type plug. This unit takes a 9 volt battery and the battery compartment is big enough to hold a spare battery.This unit does have a camera mount type thread receiver on the bottom for using on a tripod or other type holding set up.I feel fortunate that I bought a unit that works as advertised,of good quality, and really cheap ($69.00)Not sure if I will ever need anything more but I can understand the value and preference of having a unit that does the string calculations WITHOUT having to utilize external devices and cables so this model may not be what some need or want, especially when you can get such features for for just a few dollars more.UPDATE JULY 14 2017Have since purchased 2 more of these units to have on hand at different locations that I travel to and havehad no issues with the units as long as I set up the lighting environment adequately. I wish the unit would resetautomatically after having a read error when not using the remote app. .
If I had written this review last night, I would have given the unit 1 star (only because you can’t give 0 stars!) I have been having issues with this chronograph since I purchased it. It was constantly giving me error messages. I was rarely ever able to get any useful data. It made the product basically unusable. I chalked it up to purchasing an inexpensive unit. However, after another terrible day with it at the range yesterday, I decided to search and see if there was anything online that addresses my issues with this chronograph. Lo and behold, Caldwell issued a statement on their website for the chronograph that certain units manufactured right before I purchased mine had faulty sensors and were producing the errors that I was having. I called the number listed this morning and spoke with a very nice gentlemen. He asked me a few questions about the issues I was having. He then asked for my address stating a new model will be delivered to me within 5-7 business days! I really appreciate a company that looks out for its customers. I already own several other Caldwell products, but their customer service has now cemented my loyalty to them. Keep up the good work!On another note, a friend of mine that has this chronograph, only a little older, loves it and his works flawlessly. I would not hesitate to recommend this chronograph to anyone, especially with Caldwell’s great customer service. .
I want and need a precision ballistic chronograph. I have tried (2) of the Caldwell units, and in the end I am confused, frustrated, and have not found the tool I need.I shoot a very high quality PCP air rifle, and like all guns understanding muzzle velocity is vital to understanding its ballistics. I want to know empirically how much my muzzle velocity varies as I shoot through a single charge of air.I have now worked with (2) Caldwell units. In both cases I actually read and followed the instructions in the Manual to the letter.The first unit was extremely erratic, so much so that the number of errors and dropped shots from it was nearly equal to the number of recorded numbers it displayed. I made (4) different calls to Caldwell, and quickly got through to a customer service advisor each time. He seemed pleasant and interested, but it quickly became clear he was reading from a written document and seemingly had no personal familiarity with the chronograph itself. In the end the several things he suggested I try were directly contradictory of what was written in the manual. For example, he wanted me to put the unit in the sun and to move it very close to the muzzle of my gun – not what the manual says. More important, none of his suggestions improved the consistency of readings by this unit. In the end, this first unit was just too wonky, so I returned it for an exchange.The second unit arrived promptly, and out of the box worked better. I was still getting 10-15% ‘error’ or altogether unrecorded values, which is way higher than the kind of data set I want to rely on. So, instead of working in ‘gun testing mode’, I changed to ‘chrono testing mode.’ Over a series of perhaps 300 shots I discovered that I got way better consistency by putting the chrono in the bright sun [opposite the manual], and that moving the chrono to roughly 1’ from my muzzle gave me the best percentage of recorded values. [Manual says 10-15’.] Furthermore, it definitely made a difference on which side of the triangular chrono-measuring area I shot: left side produced up to 100% recorded shots in a string, while shooting through the right side of the triangle between the sticks and diffusers got 20-35% errors. Lastly, back-to-back shot strings showed differences in means and standard deviations that were way out of line with my long-range target hitting experience. That is, from hundreds of shots at 70 yards I know the muzzle velocity can not be as variable as the chrono indicated: I would have long ago seen a much bigger spread in target impact if the gun varied as much as the Caldwell chrono indicated.Unidentifiable sources of error and inconsistency sharply reduce the value of this product to me as a reliable tool. Given that the more highly-regarded ballistic chronographs cost $300-$500, I suspect I am in the ‘you get what you pay for’ zone.The wired connection and software on my tablet seemed to work very well. But even there I found some important shortcomings. It is great to have the record of a shot string recorded for you, but Caldwell’s implementation has two significant issues: i) The data file which can be exported by email or SMS works fine, but each record contains 3 fields separated by spaces; this means that if you try to copy-paste the data from an email or SMS into a spreadsheet, you have to manually edit each record to differentiate each of the 3 fields otherwise neither statistical analysis or graphic display can make sense of it – it is gibberish. I found it was definitely faster to read 40 values off my tablet screen and type them into
Excel t
han to copy-paste-edit from an email or SMS. Comma-separated fields in each record would have been much better. ii) The software records the string in reverse order; the first shot is at the bottom of the list, not the top, so a graph displays things backward with respect to time. This can be edited, but again it could have been displayed for the user’s convenience.I very much wanted to like and use this product, but it is not accurate or consistent enough for me. .
Bought on 15th April, used it twice now just in error state either error 2 or error 3, never got it to work remotely, probably because the plugs won’t fit in the chrono or anything else (too small). Had it out twice to measure .308 loads and was under 500-600fps. Buy cheap get cheap tat for landfill, only lasted a month too and no guarantee or chance of a refund! .
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12 – Strelok Pro

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All in all this is a good program. I have entered 6 rifles so far. At first it is a little hard to navigate inside the program, however the info you get is pretty close for first shot hits. I am still learning to use the program and I am really interested in the option to get your yardage zeros spot on. I also like the option to add multiple loads for your rifles. I recommend this program to anyone wanting a ballistic app. .
I have multiple rifles, ammunition and scopes loaded. If you input your data correctly it is spot on. I shoot Long range precision rifles. Adjust my turrets after calculations and it’s spot on. .
This app does so much, and so well. Now I don’t need books, or notepads to search through. Trust me, for the $13.00 or so for the price, you will not spend money in a worthless app. Plus if at the range, or in the field, when things change, so does the calculation output. No more guessing ! I will not shoot again without having Strelok available .rsbhunter .
I have only just begun setting this up for airguns. Fantastic! Can’t wait to test it at the range. Not especially intuitive, but not too hard to figure out. I stole the ballistic coefficient from another program and got exactly what I expected. Using with an RWS 54 Air King in .22 I am also using Caldwell Ballistics App with their chrony. .
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13 – Ballistics – Calculator

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Minimally useful, especially when compared to the free iphone and Android apps provided by vendors like hornady, Nikon and pretty much every company in the business. Don’t bother, use your phone. .
The size is small, maybe a child??? .
Hard set up with poor info .
Couldn’t install it since I have a Samsung device. Didn’t read adequately. 3 stars since I made the mistake. .
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14 – Kestrel 5500 Weather Meter

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15 – Kestrel 4000 Series Computer Interface, USB

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Date: July 15, 2015.I was really hoping to like my Kestrel 4500 NV and to download the weather data. My 4500NV is not bluetooth-enabled, so I also ordered the Kestrel USB interface. The Kestrel interface comes in a box with instructions on how to download the interface driver from Kestrel’s website. I am computer literate, and followed the instructions. The driver for the interface does not work. “No Port Found” is the message. My computer is a Win7 Professional machine. No issues with the computer. Either the driver does not work, or the USB interface does not work.July 19 Update: I brought this problem to Kestrel’s attention and got an immediate reply. Kestrel is customer service-oriented. After attempting to connect with a new driver from Kestrel, the next step is for Kestrel to send a replacement RS232-USB cable. Apparently there have been some cable problems, so we’ll see.July 21, 2015 Update: Kestrel customer service sent a replacement RS232 to USB cable promptly, and now my 4500NV communicates with the software. It works. The communication software takes a bit of learning, but it’s easy enough. .
I ride my bicycle for exercise. I have a Garmin eTrax GPS on the bike to keep track of my speed and distance. I live in Phoenix but it still gets cold sometimes during the winter. I wanted to be able to track the weather while I ride my bike so I bought a Kestrel portable weather station that I mounted on the bike also. I was mostly interested in the effects of wind/wind chill and how that effected my speed and comfort. I wanted to be able to graph my rides so I needed a way to dump the data from the Kestrel to my Macintosh. Unfortunately, the software for the Kestrel 4000 Series Interface doesn’t support the Macintosh operating system. For cases like this I also run Windows on my Macs. I have two MacBook Pro laptops, one 15 inch running Windows XP and Mac Leopard and a 17 inch MacBook Pro running Windows 7 and Mac Snow Leopard. I use Parallels to run the Windows programs on the Macs. Anyway, The Macs don’t have DB-9 serial ports so I needed a USB to serial adapter. The serial adapter that came with the Kestrel 4000 Series Interface wouldn’t work with my setup but I had a KeySpan 19HS serial to USB adapter and it works great. So I am able to access the data from the Kestrel with my Macs. The actual connection between the Kestrel and the Kestrel 4000 Series Interface is optical. You must make sure the Kestrel sits properly in it’s cradle and is secured with the elastic band. If you disturb the cradle/Kestrel during file transfer the connection will be broken and the transfer will stop. You will have to restart the file transfer. So I’m very happy with both the Kestrel and being able to access the data with the Kestrel 4000 Series Interface on my Macs and it works fine on both. So it is indirectly compatible with Mac Leopard/running Windows XP and or with Snow Leopard running Windows 7. What this really says it that the Kestrel 4000 Series Interface works with both versions of Windows with a USB to serial converter. As a plus the software that is supplied with the Kestrel 4000 Series Interface has a great customizable graphing function built in. I hope this helps.Terry .
Kestrel is very proud of there hardware and for as much as thing costs it should at least work consistently and give you some increased functionality.It connected to my Kestrel 4500nv Horus twice and locked the unit up both times requiring me to remove the batteries to reset it. A pain because each time you open the battery door you have to re-calibrate the compass.Now it wont even connect to it again. My PC is Windows XP with all the latest patches, etc.And even if it did work reliably well, you don’t really gain any features that make it worthwhile. If you have Horus version Kestrel and are buying this for it, do yourself a favor and download the Horus software and look at the fields in the software. That’s all you can update so you don’t gain any additional function. Not at all worth the price of this unit just to update a handful of fields. And it doesn’t come with the full Kestrel weather monitoring software, rather a very limited log gathering function that only collects data while the unit is powered onThe really frustrating part is that if you upload a new set of custom rifles to your kestrel the minute you make a change to one you uploaded, it automatically creates a second version of that named rifle and you have to edit it with the kestrel and not the computer defeating the purpose of getting the accessory. You cannot make a change to an uploaded rifle without it generating an additional copy of that rifle. Very irritating.Trust me, you do not need this! It does not give you any function that you can’t do already on your Kestrel directly. This thing is apparently nothing more but a purpose built accessory to make Kestrel more money. And any time you think your gonna save updating your rifles data via computer than on the unit directly will probably be spent trying to get this thing to work with your PC.Don’t get me wrong I love the actual 4500nv Horus unit. Its brilliant and works extremely well. Kestrel is just pulling the wool over your eyes on this device and managing your data via computer. .
The Kestrel that snaps into this cradle does not make good connection. I have to fight with the cradle and the Kestrel weather station to get it to read off the computer. It works good when it connects but I have to fight with it a lot. I am under pressure when I am racing and have to fight with this to make it talk to each other just adds more pressure on me. .
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16 – Sightmark Wraith HD Digital Riflescope

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 I’ve been wanting to delve into some night vision capability to help control the feral hog population on our property in central Texas. Wasn’t looking to hunt large fields or anything, max practical range is more like 150yds. I exhaustively researched entry level digital night vision optics, and landed on this one due to it being more basic in features (less clutter to deal with, less to have problems with) than other companies’ mainstream offerings. I figure keeping it simple might help avoid some issues I’ve seen with the more feature rich options from that other companies’ offerings. This unit does not require any wifi or app’s since it doesn’t stream onto other devices. It uses an SD card to record video or photos, and is downloadable from there. I’m always a fan of keeping things simple.The main competitor to this products seems to have some serious customer service issues when/if there is a problem. Sightmark’s US headquarters is actually fairly local to me as well (less than 100miles away). While the reviews might not show it here on Amazon, other sites show glowing reviews of both products, and post-purchase support, for Sightmark products. I follow several hunting/shooting related internet forums and Sightmark reviews are very positive on them as well while not so much on the competitor.So, received the Wraith yesterday, unpackaged it, and got it all setup for my rifle without ever having to open the instructions. The settings menu is easily navigated for anyone with basic tech skills (such as myself), and given the more basic nature of this sight, was easy to setup as I feel I will use it. I made it about halfway thru the setting menu and had the button layout memorized for adjustments, it is really that simple and well laid out. I have not used it yet, but the zero procedure is the exact method I use with any scope, so I anticipate no issues there either when I get it to the range.While my use is limited so far, I have run the sight for well over 2hours and the first set of lithium AA batteries still show almost a full charge. An external batt pack is an option, at the price of added weight and bulk to the rifle.I am in a heavily wooded area, so the most I’ve been able to view thru it so far is about 60yds. It seems awesome, and I can see how it will be usable at a much greater distance. Once you get the adjustments figured out, it gives nice clear images on the 1x setting (actually 4x), and very usable on the 2x setting (truly 8x). Beyond that, at the closer range I’ve used it, things begin to get pixelated a bit. I will update my review once I get this thing into field conditions.Nighttime,Let me start by saying I broke the IR light mount while attaching it to the rail on my rifle. It was my fault, I used a wrench and just got a bit overzealous tightening it up, and broke the bolt off. I have sent an email to Sightmark to buy a replacement, awaiting their reply. I have another IR light and mount, so was able to install it and not be held up any.Took it out and played with it last night, and at the aforementioned 60yds it provides good detail, it appears to be very usable at that range and much farther. The adjustments on the focus rings are very sensitive, leading to over shooting until I learned to just tweak it a bit. Both rings are firm, but do not require too much effort to adjust. When you get it all working, during the day you have two important adjustments to get clear images, the first is the eyepiece focus, settable to the shooter’s vision. Adjust until the text in the viewing screen and retical are crisp and legible. I wear 1.5x readers to see anything close to me, and was able to get the screen clear without using them. Once that is done, you then have to use the focus adjustment on the objective end to focus on anything. This adjustment is one I’ll be getting very familiar with, as even a 10yd change in distance requires a tweak of the focus to clear up the viewed image for the best resolution. This will be no different with any digital night vision optic. I have a Bushnell Equinox monocular for scanning and it is the same way, so no negative compared to anything else in the same price/feature range that I’ve seen. Go to night mode, and now you not only have the above two (really one) adjustments to make, you bring the IR light into the mix as well. Hunting at a known distance, over something like a bait sight as I will be, this will be less of an issue than trying to use it where prey might appear at an unknown distance.Sightmark’s IR light has 3 brightness settings, and a beam focus feature. Once the beam is focused, there shouldn’t be any more adjustments necessary unless your conditions drastically change. Brightness, much the same, but can see where the brightness might need some adjustment depending on range and surrounding cover. The IR light I already had, and am presently using due to my own mistake mentioned earlier, has the beam focus feature as well as a variable dimming feature instead of the 3 brightness settings. I can dim it from about 25% up to 100% brightness. Not having compared them directly to one another yet I cannot claim one IR light is any better than the other, but I automatically like the variable brightness vs 3 preset levels on the provided light (which I’m sure is perfectly adequate). To add, the light I have also has an indicator on the back of the light to tell me whether it is on or off, something the provided light does not have, thus you cannot tell without looking into the light or thru the sight. Again, functionally, the Sightmark light is likely very usable, one would likely never notice the absence of the other features I mention above.My Dislikes:* Eye relief/mounting position; This is more a critique of the mount than the sight itself. To qualify, I am 6’3, pretty lean guy, with long arms. Rifles that are setup for me (pull length and getting the eye relief correct) are rarely ever correct for other people. While this sight mounted right onto the picatinny rail without issue, even using the rear-most option on my rail the sight sits farther forward than I am comfortable with. This makes me have to crawl up on the rifle more than I like into an unnatural feeling shooting position. I will be ordering the extended cantilever mount sightmark offers, which I feel should come with the sight (even if it cost a bit more to do so). I have seen online reviews that speak to this adapter being absolutely necessary when using on a conventional bolt action rifle.* The eyecup; It just doesn’t seem to seal up against my face as well as it could. It doesn’t make it unusable in any way. I had it setup when I was in direct sunlight, and at different angles to the sun, and the sight was still completely usable in all respects. It just feels weird having to move my head around to get the boot against my face and lined up with the retical properly. Something I’m sure I’ll get used to.* Viewing screen brightness; This dislike is NOT unique to this sight. I have experienced this with any digital NV device I’ve ever looked thru. When viewing at night it completely dilates your viewing eye because the screen is way too bright, even at the lowest setting. The more you turn up the IR light the worse the problem becomes. When pulling away from the sight I have to close my eyes for a good 30 seconds to get even basic vision back (that’s still mostly in the off-eye), and it takes a couple of minutes for my dominant eye to fully recover. Again, this problem is common across all digital NV sights I’ve used, and therefore does not warrant a criticism of this particular product, but the technology being used by ALL manufacturers. Maybe it is inherent and can’t be negated? I do not know. It will not keep me from using the sight though.* No audio recording feature; This can be a plus since at times language while hunting an get a bit vulgar 🙂 , but it just seems odd that this feature was overlooked.* It would be nice to be able to dim the retical separate from the screen brightness.Overall impression of this product: I like it a lot. Seems very usa
ble,
is simple to operate, has seemingly good image quality, and at a very good price point. I appreciate the company’s close proximity to me, whether it gives me any real advantage or not, should I need them.One should note, using this sight on an AR type rifle will impede access to the charging handle. I imagine it will get worse when I get the sight relocated farther rearward. Having a charging handle with an extended handle is a big plus, and not an expensive or difficult upgrade to make. As I see it, this is just the nature of the beast when using any optic with an eye relief as short as this one has.I will update this review when deer season is over and I begin harassing the hogs at night.Update: took the rifle ( .223) to the range today. Just mounted the scope using the provided mount and initial poi at 50yds was about 4” low and 4” left. Made the correction, next round was 1” high 12o’clock. Moved to 100yds, made another small correction, and commenced to shooting as good as the rifle did with a 12x scope. Turned the scope off between groups and it returned to zero every time without issue. Used the 1x setting at 50yds, and 2x setting at 100yds. Couldn’t be happier so far.Field Test; Went awesome. Clarity during the day is great, usability at night is easily out to 150yds or better (150yds was the max distance I could physically see). The attached video speaks for itself. Took a pig at about 50yds.The only criticism I could have, but really don’t, is the field of view. Even when set at 1x (which is really about 4x) the field of view is pretty narrow, not allowing for quick target acquisition. Where I’ll use this it’s rare to get a follow up shot opportunity anyway, as the remaining pigs usually get to the woods before you can find another in any optic.Again, couldn’t be happier, and feel this optic is a great entry level NV that hopefully will last many years to come.Would definitely buy again without hesitation. .
Mounted on my custom .308.I have to say that I was skeptical at this price-point. Mounting and setup were very easy and fast. Zeroed in with two bullets. MAKE SURE you bore sight your rifle first to be certain you are on paper. Mine was pointed at the next county before I bore sighted it. Was WAY off. Reading other reviews about screen clarity and having some knowledge of nv scopes, I knew that the ir illuminator that comes with this was insufficient for my 500+ yard needs so I purchased a huge 650 yard illuminator that uses either a single 18650 rechargeable or an external lithium battery pack (Uniquefire T75 850nm). Also needed a one inch picatinny riser to install on the top of the scope. I use an Anker 18w 20k amp for both the scope and illuminator and guess what? Perfect digital clarity out to 600 yards so far. Did not put a dent in the battery after all night use. Holds zero beautifully after a box of shells.My only complaint, and for me this is HUGE.This scope is a SECOND focal plane scope. Meaning that the reticle does not change size when you magnify. So the range elevation moa lines mean nothing and you have to basically guess where your bullets go after they go past your zero range. I’m a long range shooter and zero in at 200 yds and anticipate my targets to average 300-700 yards. So with this nv, I’m back to hillbilly guessing elevation. Note to Sightmark – Please make this a FIRST focal plane in your next firmware update and add a real-time range finder to the display, that would make this the best day or night scope ever made. I’d be willing to pay more for this if it had all this. .
I have had this for a week now and experimented with it both day and night, and so far am impressed with most all of the features. The 2 that I think could be improved are when you power down the unit and power it back up it always goes into day mode, which causes a delay if you are using it at night and have to reselect the night mode of choice, and the rifle choice selection always reverts back to rifle 1 on power-up causing another time delay. Both of the items could be fixed by remaining in the last selected mode. These might seem picky but if you are hunting at night and come upon game, the less you have to do on power up to make a shot is important. Saving batteries on an all night hunt by switching the unit off when not needed will be important as 4 hour battery life is as described in the manual is all I got on the first set. I was able to sight in my 300 BLKOUT successfully, while the manual doesn’t make any reference as to how to do it, a little trial and error at the range and it will place 3 rounds inside of a quarter at 50 yards. What I did notice was that while using the scope in 3x zoom, after firing each shot that I would have to refocus, so I don’t know if that is a defect yet, or just annoying as making a quick follow up shot will be practically impossible. .
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17 – ATN ThOR 4, 384×288, Thermal Rifle Scope w/Ultra Sensitive Next Gen Sensor, WiFi, Image Stabilization, Range Finder, Ballistic Calculator and IOS and Android Apps

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I used it 4 times and it won’t power up! When reading the warranty, it says that you have to send every piece of the scope back. I just want it fixed but it’s looking like it takes almost two months to get a replacement. Incredibly disappointed in ATN, heard nothing but good things but I apparently bought the defective one. UPDATE: I have received the scope back to find the zoom not working. Took almost two weeks to get a shipping label and since owning it I’ve have it in my possession 20% of the time. They communicate poorly, I asked three times what was wrong with it the first time I sent it back with no answer from the company. Now this second time around I will do the same and see if they answer. UPDATE: 30 September 2019 one of the worst expensive purchases I’ve ever made. Complete buyers remorse! Spend an extra $500 and buy a better one from a different company! .
Purchased this unit based on reviews, maybe I looked at the wrong website? Unit arrived.I was very excited, but wanted to do everything by the book. Read the manual several times. Charged the battery as instructed. bought a correct micro SD card as instructed. downloaded current firmware update as instructed. Carefully installed micro SD card as instructed. Turned on unit, it did not format as it indicated it should. I looked through unit for a few minutes. Then it turned off and would not turn on again. I called the Customer service #, supposedly located in California. Called at 3:40 pm their time. Got a recording, that my estimated wait time was 3 min. This happened about 5 times and then it dropped to someones voicemail. Not impressed! Hung up and sent this pile of junk back to Amazon. I am now seeing some pretty bad reviews, on other sites. Save yourself some aggravation and DO NOT BUY!!! I am now currently looking at anyone, other than ATN. .
I saw the great reviews on this scope so I decided to purchase it. It worked great for a week then it was dead. Right after my last hunt I turned off the scope to store it away. The next day I was going hunting and tried to turn it on and it didn’t come on. I thought that It may have gotten left on so the battery might be dead. I plugged in the scope to charge over night but it never charged and the next day it still didn’t turn on. I also tried to pair it with my phone to see the pictures and I had no luck at all. I would not buy this scope again. So you pay over 3 thousand for a scope with a three year warranty. So you’re really paying to use the scope for a thousand bucks a year. You really need a good reason to have one of these for that much money a year, high volume hunting. The range finder wasn’t that accurate and it was good for about 130 yards in visible site. Forget it of your going to use this in the daytime, you cant see anything even if you turn up the brightness all the way. .
I did not have good luck with the ATN X-Sight II that I have previously used but I thought perhaps it was a fluke and went ahead and purchased the ATN ThOR 4 (x1.25-5 Model). Product arrived quickly, that’s where the positive feedback stops. Optic was fully charged before operating, once done latest software downloaded from ATN and attempted to install. The software version that came on the unit was the most up to date so no update would start.That done, I then mounted the optic. It was during this that I noticed if the optic was on for longer than a couple minutes at most it would freeze, either the buttons becoming unresponsive with the display still functioning or the display would freeze with the controls still responding. This happened every single time I powered on the unit within minutes if not seconds of having it on.The final straw was when I attempted to zero the optic, needless to say I couldn’t keep the thing functioning long enough to get through the process of even getting a follow-on shot out. Item was returned same day I tried to zero – I deter anyone from buying this or any ATN optic – I have tried a few now and none of them work very long or well, if at all. .
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18 – TecTecTec ProWild Hunting Rangefinder – Laser Range Finder for Hunting with Speed, Scan and Normal Measurements

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Got this to replace older bulky range finder that still works but had to fix wires and hard to change battery.The Prowild is compact, accurate, and I like the continuous ranging feature. One issue I had was when I installed the battery it worked great and once it timed out and turned off it wouldn’t turn back on unless I took battery cap off and on again then it worked till it timed out and so on. I figured out the brass connection on the cap was tarnished enough to not make good contact to positive end of the battery. I carefully scraped the brass contact on the cap and now it works flawlessly. .
Mine worked for a few months, then the LCD display started failing, with only half the digits showing. I thought it was battery related, so I put a new battery in but the issue persisted.I emailed TecTecTec support, and they asked me to put the rangefinder in the sun for a day. I tried that, but it didn’t work. I emailed support what to do next, but they stopped responding. .
Great rangefinder for the price.However, I ran into some issues with the unit, which the customer service at the company promptly took care of.Described issue, which included mode not cycling and company did not hesitate to offer new replacement unit in exchange for the old one. Very impressed. They wanted the old one so that they can investigate the cause and resolve the issue. This tells me the company not only stands behind their product, but endeavors to make it better. .
This is a great rangefinder if you love hunting, and would really like a premium rangefinder the ProWild is perfect. I find the TecTecTec’s PROWILD Laser Rangefinder to be the very best so far. It provides a super accurate laser range measurement as much as 540 yds. It is lightweight, compact and ergonomic with water and mud resistant body. Comes with everything to get started, really easy to use. A fantastic buy. .
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19 – Long Range Shooting Data Book: Shooting Log Book | 100 pages (6″x9″) | Record Target Shooting Data & Improve your Skills and Precision

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This is NOT a long range shooting data book. It’s more of a reloading data book. Half of the pages are for weather and reload info the other pages have 6 little targets. .
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20 – Wheeler Engineering Professional Reticle Leveling System with Heavy-Duty Construction, Universal Design and Storage Case for Gunsmithing and Maintenance

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I recently purchased both this Wheeler Professional Reticle Leveling System and their 89-Piece Deluxe Gunsmithing Screwdriver Set, both arrived defective I’ve written a separate review for the screwdriver set. The actual leveling kit is machined aluminum and appears to be a quality tool; however, the upper level, the piece that is the critical to the entire leveling process, was over 1/3 of a bubble off. This is something that one would not expect from a cheap plastic level and is unacceptable to anyone mounting a scope. I find myself wondering how many people don’t even check and assume the tool is accurate based on first impression. Like others have noted, Wheeler instructs the customer that any attempt to adjust the level voids the warranty, so I called them. To their credit, customer service was excellent and offered to replace the tool with only verification of purchase, but their explanation regarding the problem was concerning. I asked customer service, based on their experience, if this defect was out of the factory (hard to believe) or if their levels just don’t stand up to things like shipping. This is an important issue since I intend to include this tool in my range bag on occasion. They would only advise that the level had a lifetime warranty against breakage and a 1-year warranty relating to accuracy not much of a comfort. My personal opinion is that this item just doesn’t travel well and gets knocked out of adjustment easily. The replacement item was also off but much closer than the original. I gave the item 3 stares due to the overall quality and good customer service, but I suggest this item be kept in a cabinet like fine crystal rather than a range bag. I also suggest confirming accuracy immediately upon receipt. .
Dead-On Method. Being a skeptic, I checked the “reference level” with my high-end machinists level, and it was perfectly accurate. Adjusting the barrel level to center bubble (correction screw) was very easy AFTER you determine the reference level of the receiver and secure the gun tightly. I did all the leveling at the scope with the Wheeler System to see if there was any error I could get with their method. The trick to this is DO NOT get in a hurry. It will take some time. A good rifle rest or stout vise is a must to keep the rifle itself from shifting after everything is plumb. Getting the rifle action vertical is probably the most time consuming thing in this entire process. Always lap the scope rings (without question) and try multiple reference points (receiver, scope rails) to establish that barrel reference-level setting. Criss-cross tighten the scope mount screws slowly as they can turn the scope slightly in the direction of the first tightened screw. Double check everything. Use a torque screwdriver and follow the ring-maker’s inch-lb settings. Check mount screw torques after 20 rounds. As a final check, use a carpenter’s level at a distance your scope will focus to as an absolute check. Turn it horiztal AND vertical and match the crosshairs to the edges of the carpenter’s levels edges with the Wheeler Levels still level. You may need to put white cardboard behind the carpenter level to catch those edges of that distant level. You can use a Plumb Bob but that string is hard to see.Hit more of what you’re shooting at. .
If you feel you need to use a level with a scope (you don’t) this is the best way to do it. The reason is most guns have no place to put a small level after the scope is mounted. And they will most likely bump or move the scope if they attempt to level the gun in a vise then remove the level so they can mount the scope.You need that barrel level so then you can move the gun around and not loose the level you first aquired using the small level on the receiver.This puts a lot of faith in that little level being perfect and the gun receiver being perfect with the barrel.It dose not take much for the little level to be off a little due to the level, the receiver, the scope cap etc. They all add up.Ie. Maybe the little level is 1 degree off clockwise and the the barrel level is off 1 degree counter clockwise. There is some slop in the bubble itself, hard to get it just right. So then you could be 2 degree off thinking you have it perfect.I can eyeball this using the scopes reticle with the back of the bolt on most guns and come as close or closer. No level needed. The bottom line is the cross hairs have to bisect the center of the barrel or bolt anyway on any gun. If you have a poorly aligned receiver then using these levels will result in some can’t even though you did everything perfectly.Eyeballing the scope (takes some practice) can actually get you closer on most guns. In most cases this level set will get you close enough but I have not found it to be better than what I’ve done for years just eyeballing the scope. .
For some reason the three scopes I leveled have all turned out canted to the left? A gentlemen at the range pulled out his reticle leveler from Segway that quickly attaches to your rifle and proved the all three were canted to the left. I since have bought the Segway Reticle Leveler and a small torpedo level ( I use the little wheeler level which came in this set ) to set on the top of your scope to be mounted in conjunction with the Segway Reticle Leveler which mounts to your rifle and levels off from your front ring mount base which gives you your rifle level then using the little level or a small torpedo level and rest the level on top of your scope turret then you can adjust your scope level to the rifle level to get perfect vertical reticle level. I’m sure YouTube has a video to show you. Amazing how easy it is to do with the Segway Reticle Leveler and its only $20.00 . .
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21 – Sniper Calculator Free

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I’ve been using this as my primary range app since I got my new LR-308 build. Works great.I got mine directly from the play store though. For some reason I got a error when downloading from Amazon. Can’t seem to pay for the pro version with Amazon either. .
not what I expected , I do not use Military Dot Scopes. But it was good for what it was. .
Its not working at all .
it would not install in my phone at all, installed in my tablet but it would not launch or better said it would launch??/ black screen. well it was free. .
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22 – Caldwell Ballistic Precision Chronograph Premium Kit with Tripod for Shooting Indoor and Outdoor MPS/FPS Readings

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I’ve owned and used a number of different chronographs over my 20+ years of being a school trained gunsmith/riflesmith and this chronograph performs as well as any.It is feature packed and gets the job done. I’ve used it with different ballistic programs with multiple calibers of guns utilizing the velocities from this chronograph. Along with altitude, temp., humidity, wind speed, bullet type and ballistic coefficients. With this data the bullet impacts have almost always been right on the money.I attribute a lot of this to the accuracy of this chronograph because if you have all the other data correct but your velocities are off you won’t be able to precisely hit what your aiming at, unless its a refrigerator!I expect nothing but the best from the rifles I build. Whether it’s a bolt action or an AR platform rifle. I guarantee my rifles to shoot 4-5 shot groups, minimum, into 1/2″ or better groups at 100yds.I have talked several people, 5-6, into purchasing this product because of its accuracy, pricing and my personal experience with it.You could spend more money .but why??NOTICE: Please let me know if you found this review helpful .
This has seen use on less than 100 rounds, but so far it is working just fine.The included tripod seems a little flimsy, but it needs to be in order to fit everything into the included carrying bag. If you want to invest $50-$100 in a high-quality photographic tripod which will add a lot of weight and not fit in the bag, it will work just fine. The attachment is a standard screw arrangement.Unless it’s blowing a gale, I don’t see that as necessary. The unit doesn’t weigh much, so it works pretty well with a little tripod that wouldn’t hold much weight if it had to.The Smartphone Interface works well with my Galaxy phone and my Ulefone Paris both. I located, downloaded, and installed the app with no problems. It keeps all the statistics and does all the arithmetic. You just shoot, and read your speed, SD, and energy, if you have entered your bullet weight, etc.I have some misgivings about having the electronics in a housing underneath with the sky screens themselves, because the housing doesn’t look very bulletproof in the event of a very low shot.However, I’m sure that’s a way to keep down the cost and it reduces the set-up hassle. A good enough tradeoff, I suppose. .
I used this for the first time today and these are my initial findings:The good:The Chrono seems accurate. Based on the loads I was shooting and speeds others have posted on various forums, they seem correct. Pretty consistent.The not-so-great:Wind was present, yet not super strong.It wasn’t strong enough to blow over the flimsy tripod that doesn’t allow the legs to spread far enough. Yet, it blew off the sun shades twice. Or was it 3 times? They were pressed down firmly and the fit was snug, yet the wouldn’t stay on. Easy fix if I keep this.When I first saw the stand I didn’t think it was as bad as some of the reviews made it seem. I was wrong. The clips that hold the legs from sliding are super flimsy, as well as the crank handle. Also, the legs can’t spread far enough. It stays very narrow.The bad:I can’t get the app to work on my Galaxy S7. It does wok on my girlfriend’s very old ipad but 1) I don’t need 1 more thing to carry to the range or I’ll have to start renting a U-Haul 2) She probably would not let me take it anyway. I ready some tips on how to get the app to work with the Galaxy but no luck.If you are OK without the app. (or have an apple or are tech savvy enough to get the android working) and don’t need the ultraviolet bits, get the cheaper model and buy your own – better – tripod.The Chronograph seems very good but the entire experience is lacking. Enough I am considering returning it. Too bad since the chronograph is good.Update 9/10/17:I decided to keep this and use my girlfriend’s ipad for the app. I also bought a cool used heavy duty tripod. The chrono seems consistent and accurate based on how I expect loads to perform, though I have not compared it to another chrono. A major headache is the sunshades. They blow off every time I use it and then the chrono stops working. I’ve begun grinding a flat spot in the posts and drilling holes, through which I will put cotter pins or wire. I could glue them in but then storage and transport is more of a pain.So:App doesn’t work on my Galaxysunshades won’t stay attachedstand is flimsyI don’t use the bag, rather a small plastic bin for better protectionChronograph works well .
With the Chronograph linking via cable to your mobile phone, you enter into the phone app the details of how far the Chronograph is from your rifle muzzle. You enter the ballistic coefficient and the mass of the bullet in grains and the app is able to work it backwards to your muzzle to obtain the exact velocity. An excellent package. .
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23 – Caldwell Ballistic Chronograph

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Worked out of the box, but had trouble with the app. Did not to work, so I tried the web site. No help, plenty of sell stuff but no help foe the app. Uninstalled the app and went back to google play store and could not find the app, been removed. Tried calling, got a nice man that gave some tips, and verified the app was gone from play store, did not know why. He suggested i try amazon app store, found it there and installed, worked great. Took it to the range today, really worked well. Recommended! .
I’m frustrated. I’ve been trying several days to get the Chrono to talk to my Kindle Fire HDX. It’s not. The Chrono seems to work fine but the software is not registering any shot information. I’ve tried everything I could find in the woefully meager instructions and on the internet. No luck so far. I was told this version works with Kindle. I could use some help from Battenfeld or internetland. .
This chronograph is far more consistent than my old chronograph (different brand). Far fewer errors, too. In fact hardly ever. I love the ability to email my results to myself. Also love the large display. I can actually read it at 5 yds! (Unlike my old brand.) I bought the kit with the tripod and lighted sun screens. I haven’t used the lights yet, so can’t review that feature. The tripod is really cheesy. Flimsy. In a breeze, I can imagine it wobbling around. Someone who actually uses the included tripod might correct me on that point. I don’t use it. .
Had to buy the light kit. Didn’t work well without it. With it it works great! Used it. A Air Rifle (measured a couple of shots at 1000 fps), Air Pistol at 815 fps. Love it. Downloaded the app! Will not worl on android- works great on Kindle!!! .
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24 – Garmin 010-01772-00 Foretrex 601, 2 inches

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Active duty Army Infantry, very useful in the field/land nav. NVG mode was more necessary than expected on night movements. Multiple options and abilities with this garmin. Didn’t notice huge difference on performance for 401 though. Recommend screen protector as the screen may scratch easy under use. .
I use it for sail boat racing, having a large display and buttons that I can use with gloves is very important to me. Ease of use and the accuracy of the compass are also important, everything else is secondary to me, so your mileage may vary. From my experience it is just a 401 refresh, larger screen, three axis compass(big win) but no other improvements. I wish Garmin would have added some of the features like starting line or lifted/headed from the Quantix. But the 601 wins because the Quantix is hard to use and has a tiny screen. The biggest thing I would like is to have is the GPS time to the second on every screen or at least have it on the timer screen and have it to the second in the data field options.Buy the separate Quick Fit Watch band, the included strap is garbage. I do not understand why the straps are different than the one from the my previous generation Quantix. The default resolution (medium) is way to low from my tracking needs. I wish the resolution setting for auto were defined. And of course all Garmin manuals are lacking in detail, but this one sets a new low.If you do not have wrist strap GPS, this is probably the best, but there are better choice if you do not have to have a wearable. I recommend against buying any GPS you do not have to have until the BCM47755 with Level 5 decoding is released, it should have 30 cm (1 ft) accuracy versus todays devices which seem to be about 10 m. .
The Foretrex 601 seems like a very well made product with many powerful features and one glaring omission (for me anyway): there is no way to set an alarm. In watch mode it simply tells the time, nothing else (plus it turns off GPS communications, to save battery life). In navigation mode (as opposed to watch mode) it has a countdown timer, but it is limited to a maximum of 99 minutes and 59 seconds.My intended use was for multi-day winter wilderness trips in northern Minnesota. I wanted to use the 601 in place of other electronic navigation options (smartphone, smartwatch, or hand-held GPS), and also in place of a wristwatch (for time-telling and as an alarm clock) – especially since the 601 would be in the way of a watch. Compared to a regular hand-held GPS, the wrist mount is great for keeping it warm in ambient temperatures well below the minimum operating temperature of -4 Fahrenheit. Another advantage over a hand-held or a smartphone is its smaller size. And the big advantage over a smartphone or smartwatch (for my purposes) is the user-replaceable batteries, a must on longer wilderness trips.I bought the 601 assuming it had a basic wristwatch functionality since it is wrist-mounted, has a watch mode, and is sometimes labeled a GPS watch by resellers. But it is basically a nice hand-held unit with a wrist strap thrown in.Many users won’t care about the lack of an alarm feature; in that case it seems like a great product, and I would give it more than 3 stars. But if like me you would also like it to stand in for a wristwatch, the 601 is disappointingly lacking in basic functionality. For $250, a maker of smartwatches could have easily included some basic wristwatch functionality other than simply telling the time. .
***************Updated Review – Three Stars – August 2018:As a longtime user of their products, I decided to give Garmin the benefit of the doubt, and picked up another Foretrex 601. One of the first tasks was to update the firmware to 2.70 (the most recent version) to see the improvements that have been made over the last year.I’m happy to report that the unit doesn’t crash, even when recording a long track log, and there doesn’t appear to be any more random freezes or restarts. Battery life, even while recording a track log, is outstanding (probably the best I’ve seen on any Garmin device).That being said, IMHO, Garmin still needs to address a few FW issues, as well as possibly some QC:- My unit had a button that only worked intermittently (page button).- Despite marketing material about barometric pressure trends and weather forecasting, there doesn’t seem to be a way to clearly enable or display a barometric pressure plot option on the elevation page.- The elevation page still doesn’t show data at certain zoom levels when recording or viewing a track (it says “loading” but then doesn’t load the elevation profile).- Still no accuracy / EPE reading for the GPS satellite page.- Track logs imported to BaseCamp still don’t show overall distance, just the distance of each leg.- Elevation readings were still off by hundreds of feet after only a few hours, despite calibration to a local weather station (can also be the nature of the beast with barometric altimeters).- No way to view GPS satellite elevation as a data field (sometimes more accurate than barometric altimeter elevation, esp. with the extra satellite constellations available – e.g., GPS + GLONASS).Suggested Improvements for the Foretrex 601:- If the idea is to keep the user interface nearly the same as the Foretrex 401 series for commonality, offer an “advanced” user profile option or menu choice with a way to enable: longer waypoint names, waypoint averaging, and any other add-on features.Overall, I’m going to bump my review up to three stars. I think Garmin has made several improvements to the firmware and the Foretrex 601 is much more stable versus a year ago, and didn’t crash at all during my use. Unfortunately, due to the QC issue with a button that worked intermittently, my unit was ultimately returned. As another reviewer mentioned, the battery life compared to the Foretrex 401 is probably the biggest upgrade between the two models. Still, for someone looking for a small basic GPS for outdoors, hiking, traveling, or .mil use, it’s definitely worth a closer look. (Just ensure that your unit is updated to the latest firmware and double-check that all buttons work.)***************Original Review – One Star – Sept. 2017:As a previous owner of a Foretrex 401, the new Foretrex 601 provides a similar feature set, but with a lot of nice upgrades and improvements:- GLONASS and Galileo satellite reception capability.- Stronger watch band lugs.- Stronger battery door (metal twist latch).- USB port now sealed in battery compartment.- Increased screen resolution.- Improved battery life and runtime.- Super dim (“NVG”) backlight mode for low light use.- 3 axis magnetic compass.Unfortunately, IMHO, the firmware still needs some work. On a unit running the latest firmware as of Sept. 2017 (v2.10), there are a few things that appeared in use:- No way to view satellite accuracy reading in feet or meters / EPE.- Zooming in and out with a lengthy track log can cause the unit to freeze and/or restart (fixed by 2.70 FW update).- Plugging into the computer can cause random freezes and/or restarts (fixed by 2.70 FW update).- Recorded tracks don’t include elevation data when imported to BaseCamp (fixed by 2.70 FW update).- Elevation readings, even when calibrated, can be way off (to the tune of hundreds of feet).- Elevation page doesn’t show data at all zoom levels.- Some waypoint icons are missing vs. the 401 (fixed by 2.70 FW update)Then, of course, there are things that would be “nice” to have, but I’m not going to complain, as the Foretrex 401 didn’t have these either:- Waypoint averaging.- Ability to show barometric pressure plot (fixed location or moving), instead of just elevation.- Longer waypoint names beyond 8 characters.My hope is that Garmin improves the firmware ASAP on the Foretrex 601. Until then, having the unit freeze while working with tracks, for example, is a huge problem — I’d hate to be in the field and discover this. Until changes are made, I can’t recommend this unit, and am withholding a
higher re
view. More than like Garmin will address these issues, but if you are an early adopter, please be aware of them. .
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25 – Shooting Log Book – Long Range Shooting Data Book – 6″ x 9″ – 108 pages: Shot Recordings & Target Diagrams

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26 – Kestrel 5400 Heat Stress Tracker

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Pretty solid product. I purchased the Kestrel with the Link capability the only con I can find is the lack of output signal for remote viewing of conditions. .
Great for monitoring heat related weather parameters. .
Me ha gustado todo el aparato y menos el precio que en algún otro sitio es mas barato. .
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27 – Bospa Padfolio Portfolio Folder/Multi Function Folder/Business Folder with Zippered Closure and Professional Leather

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This was ordered to replace one that my husband has used for years. It just wore out from all the use. He wanted one just like the one he had and thankfully I was able to find one for him.The pockets inside hold far more than you would expect. The item is well made and has back stitching on all stress points which will lengthen the lifespan.Overall, it is a well made portfolio that would be great to keep your daily papers organized. .
It worked well for what I needed it for although the tablet that came inside with the paper was just paper with no lines but I was able to find the easy replacement with lined paper at a very low cost at Walmart but as far as price goes good quality good build it’s worth it .
Nice, sleek and professional. I can put my phone and keys in the inside pocket which is great for appointments that I’m walking a lot at. I recommend it! .
Everything I need for a padfolio. I’ve been using this for around a year now and it’s very nice. I only wish there was a loop to hold a pen somewhere on the outside. .
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28 – My Group Therapy: Shooting Log Book | 100 pages (6″x9″) | Record Target Shooting Data & Improve your Skills and Precision

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29 – Ballistics

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NO STARS A RIPOFF,,,WASTE OF MONEY FRAUD IT DOESN’T DO AS CLAIMED.HOW DO I GET MY MONEY BACK? .
kinda worked at first (tabs on caliber didn’t function correctly) now when activated it only shows a blue screen.This is on a Kindle. .
FRAUD ALERT! Complete and epic fail. The largest caliber you can enter is .204. Won’t keep rifle data. RIP OFF! Kindle Fire user. .
Leider kann man keine individuellen Daten eingeben. Die Möglichkeiten sind sehr beschränkt und schlecht zu bedienen! Kein Vergleich zu Quickload oder QuickTarget. Kurz und gut, verschendetes Geld und Zeit. .
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30 – ATN X-Sight 4K Pro Smart Day/Night Rifle Scope – Ultra HD 4K technology with Superb Optics, 120fps Video, 18+ hrs Battery, Ballistic Calculator, Rangefinder, WiFi, E-Compass, Barometer, IOS & Android Apps

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First lets start with what did work.The new diopter system and internal visual screen is excellent and the new parallax ring on the objective lens got me so excited for this product that after turning it on and mounting it i immediately ordered a second. The one shot zero is as advertised and unfortunately the good ends there .Not a single other advertised feature was without issue and this product from a software standpoint is alpha at best. The menu layout puts nightvision as the first option and makes you press a sequence of 3-4 buttons just to change your range. Which feature will u use more? Clearly the range finder .The scope would not hold zero at all. I would use the scope shut it off and when powered back on the point of impact would change by more than 6 inches at 50yds. And worst of all when i go to my zero it shows the xy coordinates that were zero’d. So its not deleting the zero its changing the coordinates of the zero which is a clear software problem.The buttons are another issue. If u dont push on the center of the power button u can push the corners of the rubber into the scope body. For an $800 device i would expect buttons i didnt have to worry about breaking everytime i use itThe biggest issue with this scope is the constant freezing. I was unable to get more than 20 minutes of constant use before it would freeze and require me to push the power button for 30+ seconds until it finally shut off.I think this product has promise, other than the buttons all of the real issues are software related. The most disappointing thing about this scope is that it is so close to being a great product. When it’s working its fun as hell to use, unfortunately it rarely does .
Don’t buy the ATN X-Sight 4K pro. The after sales, service or guaranty of ATN is bad or actually not existing!In the box a small item was missing. The ring for the connection between optics and eye cup. Estimated costs 3 dollar and some stamps to send it in an envelope.I got really annoying answers. All sorts of cannot, will not etc. After really persisting an other official answered my mail. Again another form of will not and cannot.If this is the policy of ATN with minor issues, how will they handle real costly guaranty matters.The scope itself is fine, but it is definitely not a miracle of technology.My other scope YUKON, or my friends Armasight are as good but different features. Both scopes never had problems.While scanning through internet it seems that more customers have had problems with ATN’s service and guaranty matters.Conclusion: Don’t buy ATN, if you have problems they will not help you.You will be better off with an equally as good scope of another provider who will provide service. .
With all the hype of this scope it took me several months to finally make the decision to purchase it. It came in yesterday the box and until looked like it may have been a referbished unit. The memory card slot is a terrible design I lost two memory cards in side the unit because the slot has to big of a gap. The only way to get them back is to take it apart which I don’t have the tools to do so. The APP is unstable and would never pull up the scope view. I am very disappointed with the quality of this unit. Just stick to purchasing a regular scope. .
I own 2 of the ATN Xsite-II model night scopes and love them. When I saw this new high def 4X night scope, I sold one of mine to upgrade to this new scope. I bought it, sighted it in on my . 308 AR rifle, and headed to my 1st night hog hunt. As soon as I got up into my stand, the software in the scope locked up and I was unable to reset it. My night hunt was completely ruined, wasting a lot of time and money. Giving it another try, I drain the battery and recharged it and it appeared to have loaded fine. I went to the range and fired 30 rounds to make sure that it was sighted in again and working properly. I then went on a Coyote night hunt. During the hunt I had to reboot the software 12 times and finally gave up on it. Again wasting a lot of money and time. This time I returned the scope to ATN. I am very disappointed on several levels as it broke the trust I have in ATN by them releasing a new product when the bugs have not been worked out of the software. I also lost a lot of money and time trying to get this product to work. I own other ATN products and they are very high quality. Now I only have one X-sight II. I will look at other company products now. When it worked, the features were fantastic but if you cannot trust it, not worth the $700. Sad and very disappointing. A hit to a great USA company. .
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31 – Kestrel 3000 Pocket Wind Meter – Red

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I have had the opportunity to test several Kestrel models, including the 3000. This review is specific to the 3000 but some of the terms are to be applied universally to Kestrel products.I hope to answer this question:Why pay up to 5 times more for USA made Kestrel than the many china-made models?First up is the manufacturing build. The accuracy is obvious and should not be in question. Many items can accurately measure temperature, wind speed and humidity, with temperature fairly accurate on expensive models and the very cheap ones, as well. Wind speed and humidity will be addressed separately.Kestrel has built their units to last, and to impact daily use. The 5 year warranty is a low risk investment for them, and speaks to the confidence they have in their manufacturing. The unit is rugged, and with almost every part of it easily replaced through the website. They have built it to last, and to give the consumer confidence. It will be tossed around, squished in pockets, dropped in water and have overall ‘field’ use for a finely tuned scientific instrument. The cost effectiveness, first off, is found in the fact that this is not a disposable item as most of the china-made weather instruments that I have tested are. The cheap china models do a good job with temperature measurement, but are not built to last. China factory managers are in an endless war of cost cutting competition which includes reported slave labor, prison labor, and incessant ingredient short cuts. (see down jackets for example). That you may get a delay in temperature reading speaks to accuracy, even as you move it closer to your body. It is a sensitive instrument in a non-sensitive package.Kestrel costs more because it is made to last and withstand field use.Next, the accuracy of the Kestrel in the wind speed and humidity are without peer. The heat index is important for sports and health and even with the upper models (5000), I find that the accuracy even of barometric pressure is precise, as our local airport is more elevated than where we live. With elevation differences, can come small differences in temperature and humidity. The Kestrel measures well. While walking up a lengthy hill, the winter temperature can differ as much as 10 degrees; so noticeable that even without measure, kids comment, “feel the cold air?” as they walk. Kestrel’s measurement of windspeed, too, shows consistency model to model, including testing fans (its a nice little tool to use when buying fans or even air conditioners where floor models are available. I was able, this summer, to test the air conditioner and make small adjustments in the room to make it most efficient. I use it in the car, backyard, and when out. It is not only valuable for sports and health, but for science and teaching and it is fascinating.It is manufactured for not just accuracy, but longevity. .
Just received my 3000 today. First off, I have to comment on Amazon’s service — I continued to be overly impressed with PRIME. I ordered this 3000 yesterday at 3:37 PM and it arrived this morning at 11:37 AM. 20 hours! Can anyone beat that?As to the 3000. I am a retired engineer and I look for quality of design in everything I buy. This unit exceeds my expectation for that criteria — I expected it to be strong, etc., but not this good. This device packs a real punch in-so-far as being a walking weather station. I had primarily been interested in being able to switch between mph and kts, but this does SO much more. I hate humidity, and this gives me first-hand accounting of the conditions I find myself in, including a readout for Heat Stress index.My primary purpose for purchasing this quality instrument is for use on Race Committees for sailboat races (including mark boat duty that I enjoy doing).I was impressed by their Certificate of Conformity, all based on measurements calibrated to NIST. Before purchasing, and just looking at pictures, I admit I was skeptical in the accuracy of wind readings with such a small impeller. But oh my – the impeller is SO sensitive to even just slight movement through the air that I am no longer a doubter.My ONLY criticism is the size of the icons. They are quite small to these old eyes — at least indoors. I expect that out in the full sun, they will be more visible.One thing that the instruction manual does not discuss is the average life of the battery. It would be nice to know how long to expect before I have to change the battery. I think I will query the brain trust here to get an approximate time frame.Update:Just got a response from two gentlemen who have had their units for 1-2 years, and neither has had to replace the battery. .
bought one two years ago, it works awesome, bought another one for doing temp and wind monitoring on the farm forspraying, you will never be disappointed with Kestrel, it’s the best! .
Great little Metre, works great for doing wind rain and temperature for a variety of fieldwork .
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32 – Night Owl Optics NightShot Digital Night Vision Riflescope with IR illuminator, Black, NIGHTSHOT,Medium

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This is a great scope for the price. Just received mine a few days ago and have used 50 223rds with the scope. It worked OK during the day to sight it in if the sun was not shinning. Can only see black or dark parts of a target in bright sun.In pitch black darkness it is amazing what you can see with it. What I don’t like about it is the battery door location. You may have to remove the scope to replace the batteries, no way that scope is in the exact location if removed. So every time you replace the batteries you have to sight it in. What prompted this review is the realization that the scope is not tight against the mount it comes on. While cleaning the rifle after sighting it in I noticed if you wiggle the scope it flexes on top of the mount. I can’t imagine it floats on purpose. I am going to keep and use it but I will not have any confidence in this unit. Of course Its use is not for trophy animals but night hunting for the coyote and pig. Hopefully I will at least scare them away.2nd review: I am changing my review to 5 stars because of the way Night Owl Optics handled my problem. They sent me a replacement before they received the return item. Perfect service, very personable and friendly. Thanks Night Owl Optics.By the way, I like this scope so much, I bought another one.Update on the battery compartment, Looks like the pictures show the new location for getting to the batteries. This is a great improvement over an already great NV scope. .
Reiceved my night optics today and I gotta say I love it. I don’t usually take the time to write a lot of reviews but I felt I needed to on this one. I searched and searched, price compared, cheap to super expensive, USA made to Foreign. I ended up going with this one. Can’t beat the specs and this price range. I’ve used many NVGS over my 20+ years in the Army, some that I’ve really been impressed with and some that will really give you a headache. So, with all that in mind, this NVG Scope is Great! Super clear, super easy to focus, super easy and accurate when sighting in on my AR15. You will not be disappointed with these. .
Before I purchased this scope I seriously had my doubts about it. It’s Generation I technology, only has X 3 magnification, and only cost $400 dollars. I mean how good can a night vision scope be for that price? I ordered the scope and the shipping was superfast! I took it out last night to give it a go and I was blown away! I put it on my 300blackout and started shooting from 50 yards, it only took a couple shots to get it hitting where I wanted. I then moved to 100 yards and was able to shoot the center of the target with no problem. The visibility you get from this scope is pretty amazing! I could easily shoot a target at 200 yards. I am very happy with my purchase and if you want a bang for your buck I would definitely recommend this scope! .
I ordered this scope knowing that other products I have used from Night Owl Optics have been nice products and performed extremely well, in particular, their iGen2020 is amazing.I have looked through numerous NV scopes, and what attracted me to this scope was the price, the simplicity and the weight. I really wanted a NV rifle scope for my AR15 that is simple to use and not so heavy. Anyone who hunts knows that when an opportunity presents itself for a shot, that opportunity does not typically last very long, and you need to be able to react fast. I am very happy to find out that this a point and shoot scope! I have used during ¼ moon nights so far, and shots out past 100 yards are well within the capabilities of this scope. Who knows what the capability will be on a full moon night!I realize there are higher end NV scopes out there but the cost of those scopes are several times the cost of the Nightshot, and honestly, I don’t know that I have seen a scope that sees better at night without going to Gen 2 or Gen 3 technology, which is many times the cost. At the price, I think I may need one for my pellet gun as well, to deal with a few pesky pests around the back yard at night! .
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33 – Hawk Picatinny Mount Rifle Mounted Data Dope Card Holder Phone iPhone Android Kestrel Holder Hill Custom

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Great product and functions flawlessly. Have used in 3 PRS matches and is a great help to have data “right there”. Nice to have an extra grease pencil included. Downside was that I did have to remove my scope in order to mount the device. Not a big deal – an easy return to zero given my mounts, just something to know up front. .
High quality .
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34 – Garmin GPSMAP 66i GPS Handheld and Satellite Communicator

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There are now four Garmin GPS handhelds with InReach messaging via the Iridium satellite network. Here is a quick listing of the models followed by a more detailed description of their pros and cons.GPSMAP 66i – Added InReach satellite Messaging, SOS, and Weather forcasts to the already successful GPSMAP 66st. But this has the lowest battery life of existing InReach models with 35 hours under normal use.InReach Explorer+ – The longest lasting (100 hours) InReach with 24k maps of North America and navigation built-in.InReach SE+ – The same long lasting InReach as the Explorer+ but without built-in maps and navigation.InReach Mini – A small version of the SE+ with half the battery life, half the size, and weight.First let’s get some basics out of the way. Buy this or one of the other InReach models if you expect to be beyond cell coverage. It could SAVE YOUR LIFE. The InReach two-way satellite messaging feature costs more to buy than a GPS receiver alone and requires a subscription for the messaging feature, like all utilities, phone, cable, electricity, etc. Also please realize that messaging is a two-way process. Unlike GPS which only receives location Info from satellites, messaging must send your message high into space and therefor needs lots of battery power. All InReach models will send and receive text (SMS) and email messages to anyone in the World with a phone that can get normal texts and emails. But it will take longer than Cell texting which uses a grid of towers nearby just waiting to take your message and pass it on. However, there are no Cell towers in the wilderness or out at sea. The InReach uses the Iridium system of over 70 satellites which each take about 90 minutes to make one circle of the Earth. At any time, the chance of your device communicating with a satellite depends on if a satellite is passing, how much unobstructed sky is above, and if your InReach is “Looking” to communicate. Simply put, if you want the best chance of quicker communications get into an open space where the chance of “seeing” a passing satellite or two is greater and tell your InReach to check for messages. Bottom line, messages take time to send and receive. Millions of messages and tracking locations have been successfully sent and the InReach SOS system has had over 3000 search and rescue responses. It’s very reliable if you understand how to use it properly. Your next best option is smoke signals. Please also be assured that if you carry a smartphone (iOS or Android) the included EarthMate app will provide detailed topo maps of North America and link to any InReach model to make typing messages easy using the phone’s touch keyboard. So, even if the InReach does not have BUILT-IN maps you still have it all with EarthMate on your phone without any cell or Internet connection.I have used the GPSMAP 66i and each of the other Garmin InReach handhelds. Here are my recommendations for their best and less useful features and who would benefit most from each. My tests have shown that they all perform equally for sending and receiving satellite messages. And the cost of the messaging service subscriptions is the same for all models. Here is a list the major differences and what each means.The GPSMAP 66i is built on the proven GPSMAP system of GPS handhelds. It uses Garmin’s system of device integration and coordination. It is the first InReach to completely break free from the original DeLorme system after Garmin took over. Read the GPSMAP 66st manual online for a full understanding of all that this system will do. PROS: Full InReach technology including messaging, SOS, and satillite weather forecasts, A larger screen. Extensive WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity to other Garmin watches, sensors, and health devices. Ability to store, classify, and share activity, routes, waypoints, and other data via the Garmin cloud. The built-in TopoActive map supports turn-by-turn prompts on the trail when using a route and has lots more short local trails than that in the Explorer+ which requires you to download additional OpenStreetMaps directly into its built-in free space or into a paired phone for more local trails. You can download directly into the GPSMAP 66i free, but poor resolution BirdsEye Satellite Imagery to overlay your topo maps with actual photo data. With the optional City Navigator North America NT map ($80) the GPSMAP 66i can be set to look and act just like a dedicated road GPS for driving. It includes thousands of points of interest (shopping, lodging, travel etc.) that can be searched and navigated to with on-road turn by turn calculation. The only features found in dedicated automobile GPS devices that it doesn’t have are voice notifications for upcoming turns (it uses tones) and traffic conditions. Even so, this lets you buy just one device that will work very well on the road as well as the trail. CONS: The BATTERY LIFE IS ONLY 35 HOURS under normal usage. This, like all InReach devices, this can be substantially extended by careful planning. But this is a poor choice for multi-day off-grid excursions due to the limited battery life. All those handy GPSMAP features take energy and many are of no use in the wilderness beyond cell or WiFi access. BEST FOR: People who like the full featured Garmin fitness and activity gear, welcome access to Garmin maps and the Garmin cloud systems, like BirdsEye photo imagery directly in the device without a phone, and don’t often venture into the backcountry for more than a long weekend. Please understand that most of the GPSMAP features beyond the InReach messaging, weather, and SOS go away when you go beyond the cell system. Most important, conserve the battery or bring along an external battery recharging pack in case of an emergency and the need to text with GEOS and rescue responders. This is Garmin’s current Top of the Line GPS handheld due to its many features and InReach technology. It’s a great choice for most casual hikers, boaters, and hunters.The Explorer+ is in my opinion the best handheld for anyone who plans to be beyond Cell coverage for more than a couple of days. It will last 100 hours under normal conditions and over a month with careful planning. Like the GPSMAP 66i it has a built-in map of North America with robust navigation features. However this is NOT a TopoActive map with the ability to have turn-by-turn prompt tones like the map in the GPSMAP 66i. This unit can stand alone long after your phone dies. PROS: Long battery life, built-in 24k topo map of North America, weather forecasts from the backcountry via the satellite system. Built-in digital compass, accelerometer, and altimeter for precise location and bearing info without the need to be moving. The Explorer+ can store additional maps, contacts, routes, and waypoints internally after syncing at home. CONS: Not compatible with Garmin’s fitness, exchange systems, and TopoActive maps like the GPSMAP 66i. BEST FOR: Long distance hikers, hunters, and boaters who expect to be beyond cell service for many days and want to be able to navigate without the need to use a phone.The InReach SE+ Same size and satellite messaging as the Explorer+ but without the Map and Navigation features. PROS: 100 hour battery for messaging, SOS, and satellite based weather forecasts. Same rugged case and waterproof standard as the explorer+. CONS: Only $50 less than the Explorer+. In my opinion spending that little bit of extra money gets you a lot more value in navigation and location capability in the Explorer+. BEST FOR: Those who only want off-grid communications, SOS, and long battery life for extended use.The InReach Mini is the smallest, lightest, and most difficult to use in a stand-alone mode. But pair it to a smartphone and you have both easy messaging with contacts, routes, and waypoints available as well as a free full features topo map of North America. PROS: Small and light. Easy to carry with you at all times for when the car dies in a cell dead zone, satellite messages, weather forecasts, and SOS. CONS: Tedious to write messages from the device. Only 50 hours
of b
attery under normal use. This is half of the battery life of the Explorer+ or SE+. No built-in map for navigation. Must pair to your smartphone to see a map and navigate. But cell phones won’t last as long. When they lose battery, navigation goes also. The Mini although lighter and smaller will need a phone to navigate and a battery pack to recharge both devices thus adding to the total size and weight. BEST FOR: People who just want to be able to communicate from beyond cell service for convenience or safety in emergencies and like the fact that when connected to a phone running the EarthMate app it provides a great detailed map and navigation. Those who appreciate its small size and weight and don’t feel a need for extended battery life. The average day or weekend hiker, hunter, or boater who likes the security of weather forecasts in the wilderness, two-way SOS, and the ability to keep in touch with home. Anyone who wants to get help from a dead cell zone when things go wrong.Which model is best for you? If you are a long distance, multi-day hiker, hunter, or offshore boater the Explorer+ is the best choice for you. It’s long battery life and additional downloadable maps and NOAA charts to your phone give you everything you need for many days off grid. Keep in mind that you should plan to save 25% of your battery in case of a SOS emergency and the need to communicate with GEOS and rescue responders.If you hike on weekends or the occasional vacation for just a few days the InReach SE+ or Mini will serve you well for messaging, satellite weather forecasts, and SOS. Remember these don’t have built-in navigation so bring along your smartphone with the free EarthMate app installed. Anyone who wants the ability to get help or just reach out to family or friends from dead Cell areas should consider the Mini. It’s small, easy to carry and always there when you need it. And, an minimum Annual Subscription is well worth the peace of mind.If you are an active biker, runner, or other sport enthusiast who spends most of the time within the Cell system range but likes weekends or a few days in the wild you might consider the GPSMAP 66i. It costs more, but it does integrate with the existing Garmin systems that support inter-device sharing, WiFi apps, and many other features that won’t work in the wilderness but are helpful when you are back in your home base. Its built-in map also has lots of short local trails without the need to add OpenStreetMaps. Its ability to use TopoActive turn-by-turn prompted maps for pre-defined routes can be helpful to insure you don’t miss a vital turn. And if you need a full-featured automotive GPS navigator adding the Garmin City Navigator North America NT map ($80) will save paying hundreds for a second device.Final Answer… All of these InReach included devices will let you send and receive texts or emails from anywhere to anyone, get weather forcasts anywhere via the satillites, and get help for any emergency from a flat tire to a broken leg in the wilderness. They all work equally well. The service plans are priced for every budget. The cheapest plan is less than $15 per month. I pay more than that in one day for my coffee and pastry breaks. The unlimited plan tops off at under $70 per month if you want the ability to deactivate the device and not pay for the months you won’t need it. Annual Contract plans which keep the device active at all times are cheaper per month. As an example, I carry a MINI at all times on the Annual Safety plan for $13 per month. This gives me the peace of mind of knowing I can communicate when the car breaks down in a dead cell zone. GEOS will call my roadside assistance provider for me if I press the SOS button. Or I can text a family member to help. I also have an Explorer+ for those multi-day backcountry photo expeditions where long battery life is critical. The Explorer+ is on the Freedom Expedition plan at $70 per month with unlimited messages but only for the months that I need it.Hopefully this has been helpful. Please choose the best InReach device for your needs and budget. Is it worth the cost? Consider the consequences of being unable to communicate when misfortune hits you or someone you meet on the trail or at sea. Many lives have been saved by the InReach since it was developed. No matter which choice you make remember to stop and enjoy the view. .
Pros:__________• Very light, one half-pound, to put in your bag that doesn’t take up much room.• The screen is a decent size, and bright enough to reduce any glare on a sunny day.• Even in the middle of nowhere, with no phone, you can send and receive text messages, as well as emails, with this device.• The navigation is fully immersed with this device. Besides the GPS mapping of your location, the system comes with waypoint creations, tracking, routes, and points of interests (shopping, gas stations, numerous stores, etc.) on the road.• It’s built of the outdoors so dropping it, getting it dirty, or wet, will not affect its performance.• A rechargeable battery system.• You can navigate all your info on the device onto a computer, as it does have a built-in USB connector (will charge it as well).• You don’t need clear skies to use this device. It worked fine inside my home. I know it’s advised that the best performance is to use this with clear skies, but it works either.• There is a simple SOS button that will alert rescues authorities to your exact location. No need to scramble around the screen and the SOS feature is right in front of you.• The back end, of the online feature, is a great perk to have. You can allow anyone you want to let them know where you’re at in the world. All they have to do is go online and track where you’re at, even if you never press the SOS notification.• You can still use the GPS navigation without activating the subscription service, or the need for internet connection.• The app, EarthMate, with this device, is useful as well because you can connect, via Bluetooth, with on your phone and use the layout/perks of device. I see this a must if you want to send a text message or an email. Using your smartphone for this will be 10x faster in typing on the device itself.• Connecting to the app, you don’t need any internet or cellular connection.Cons and Oks:__________• The messaging system does require a subscription service to use all the communications capabilities, and it ain’t cheap.• No voice notifications to make sure you’re going the right direction. This is also a downer if you want to use this while driving, but it does use tones.• For something to be taken into the wilderness, the battery life isn’t great. Only 3 days of use of normal usage (GPS only). If you don’t bring an extra battery extension then you do have limits on where you want to go, if you’re planning to spend more than 3 days in the wild.• You’re unable to store contacts and get weather updates with this. Weather updates is a huge upset, but the company has stated that new firmware updates will fix both these problems.• The response time on sending and receiving messages can take minutes to hours. It’s not using cellar towers, but satellites to send your info. This means the device is waiting for a satellite to be in reach to send the info. Depending where you’re at, it can take a while, and therefore drain your battery significantly. It keeps retrying and retrying until it completes its task.Bottom Line:__________Any traveling that brings you off the grid, you need one of these. You can’t go wrong with this device as it does exactly what it says it can do. From GPS tracking to allow your loved ones to know where you’re at, at all times. For a 2 day journey, this is a great security blanket to have.But still, nothing is too good to be true. With price there asking, you expect more in battery life. The battery life restricts how deep you want to get lost, and the subscription service does put a damper on those hoping to message loved ones, without paying a monthly service for it. One huge i
ss
ue I hope they’ll fix is getting weather info on this device. Nature is brutal and weather can change within minutes. If they put some firmware updates to resolve these problems than I think it’s something to consider in investing in.Overall: An average battery life integrated into an excellent GPS tracker (with some limits).Hope I was a help to you.Love,Honest Reviewer. .
So far I am really liking my Garmin GPSMap 66i. There is definitely a learning curve if you want to figure out everything this unit has to offer. The basics of planning a route and making tracks is pretty straight-forward. I would suggest that you take a week or so of playing with it close to home before taking it into the field.Like most GPS units, figuring it out on the fly can prove to be disappointing. Plan a route using the Basecamp app (free download from Garmin) and record some routes and mark some waypoints. You can do a lot right on the unit, but Basecamp greatly simplifies the process and makes it easier to visualize.And, of course, the reason you would want this unit is for the InReach capability of satellite communications. There is a learning curve to this also. I was able to start my subscription, set up the pre-set text communications, and test all of this without any calls or communications with Garmin or InReach. That being said, I spent quite a bit of time noodling around the Garmin/InReach sites, Google, and of course, the University of YouTube. I am not the brightest bulb in the closet, so it did take quite a few hours for me to put it all together. But, the info is definitely out there to get it done. When I tested it at home and in the field, the text messages came through pretty quickly (around a minute).Overall, I am impressed and am going to press on and figure all that this unit has to offer. Next, Geocaching . .
Can’t find way points that you’ve marked, just says calculation error, the apps for your phone need wifi and Bluetooth so if you close them before you lose service your s.o.l, can’t text other inreach devices, doesn’t communicate with other Garmin GPS like the rhinos do, doesn’t give you a bearing to navigate with a compass, essentially completely useless for navigation in my opinion, only thing that works is texting with it to a cell number, but don’t plan on using your phone to write the message with the stupid apps. Extremely disappointed considering I paid 900 bucks for it and I’ll be packing my old rhino for navigation, hope I can get my money back. And yes I was standing in the wide open on a clear day and it can’t find my way point 400yards away .
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35 – Kestrel 2000 Pocket Wind And Temperature Meter / Digital Thermo Anemometer

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High quality wind gauge with just the features I wanted. Kestrel makes a range of models for everybody’s needs. Wind speed, temperature and wind chill were what I was looking for; didn’t need the extra features of the higher priced units. Solid waterproof build with easily replaceable impellers if needed.It’s worth every penny to get a made in USA instrument that comes with a calibration certification. .
I’m not sure how to review an anemometer. It does just what it’s supposed to do, and I like the wind averaging feature, and it records gusts as well as average wind speed. The instrument is straight-forward in operation and easy to use. It’s definitely waterproof. I had mine in the non-waterproof arm pocket of my drysuit when I capsized in the Pacific off British Columbia, and it spent an hour in salt water with me. When I got back to shore, I flushed it with fresh water and the impeller and electronics survived the prolonged dunking and still work fine. The slide-off plastic cover works smoothly, but it is not a waterproof cover. It only protects the face and impeller from impact injuries and general abrasion, but that’s all I care about, given that it seems otherwise waterproof. .
At 95$, i expected much more from this device. I knew that this model would measure the temperature, chill and wind speed but i didn’t understand why it doesn’t give the average, the minimum and the maximum temperature. These are very basic features that should be available in all models. Am i supposed to pay a fortune to get these features in higher models? One of the main interests in winter camping and expeditions is to know the minimum temperature and chill reached during the night. you can never get this with this 95$ device (No minimum and maximum temperature, Automatic turn-off after 45 min of inactivity). In conclusion, all what you can get with this device is the actual temperature, chill and wind speed, features you can get with a much cheaper device. Disappointed! .
I loved the features and ease of use of my Kestrel 2000. However it was irreversibly damaged when I was kayaking and got taken out by a wave unexpectedly with the Kestrel 2000 in my lifejacket pocket. It was immersed only quite briefly as I rolled up right away after the wave passed, and it had some protection from direct wave action by the fabric of my pfd. However, when I landed 15-20 minutes later and pulled it out, I realized the screen definitely had quite a bit of water pooled inside it, and while it turns on, it displays only gibberish. I am getting another to replace this one, but will keep it well protected from salt water this time. .
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36 – ATN Laser Ballistics 1500 Smart Laser Rangefinder w/Bluetooth, Device Works with Mil and MOA scopes Using Ballistic Calculator App

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UPDATE!: I just installed Firmware 3.1.04.330 and it now supports the rangefinder! I haven’t seen this posted anywhere by ATN, but it indeed is now enabled and I was able to easily pair this rangefinder with my scope! Happy DAY!!!! Changed my review to 5 starts from 1. I used this rangefinder during this last hunting season and found it to be fast and accurate. Now that it pairs with my scope, it is the perfect rangefinder for me!I purchased this Rangefinder for the sole purpose of pairing it with my new XSight 4k scope. Called ATN after receiving this RangeFinder only to get a huge disappointing answer from ATN that these rangefinders are not compatible with the new 4k Scopes. This is seriously a huge joke because its a simple software feature that can be added to the firmware. Its been purposely left out to force 4k scope owners to buy the yet to be released rangefinders.To say that I’m upset is an understatement. This throws off my entire plan for this scope right now. The rangefinder is not only not compatible, but they cripple the in scope yard adjustment and make it so slow its almost unusable in the field. This is also a software fix, something that could easily be included for next to no cost.IT shows in inside my X-Sight 4k 5-20 box of the scope that its compatible with the ballistic laser rangefinders. It is listed under the accessories for the scope This is false advertising. I was so excited for this and spoke very highly of this option to several people I know. A few of them are looking into purchasing the new scope. This will be disappointing news to them for sure. .
I love this range finder. It links by blue tooth with my ATN X-SIGHT II HD 5-20x 85. This is icing on the cake regarding the scope’s ballistics computer. The optics are good, the transfer to an X-SIGHT FAST, and accurate. I use this primarily with a pellet rifle. The system is extremely accurate at all ranges I have tried. 15 to 478 yards. With an air rifle 15 to 107 yards. First shot hits at all ranges. The smart range finder in the scope will work very well, but requires extreme skill to use accurately. This laser is easy to use, and again, when the ballistics computer is set up properly, extremely accurate. If you own an x-sight, you must get this. I hit a rat at 107 yards, using an Air Arms s510 XTRA .25 Cal. The scope was zeroed at 20 yards. it held-over slightly more than 8 inches. First shot hit to the vitals with a JSB 25.39 grain pellet. I can make these shots with regular glass, but at these ranges it can be difficult. I am impressed with this combination. ATN should make an optics upgrade available for this scope. A clip-on with the smart scope featureas would be grand. This combinations functions equally well with low velocity air guns, and high velocity powder-burners. Thank you ATN. .
This rangefinder paired with the app on my phone makes adjusting for range and inclination stupid easy. The app is free and it is what makes this thing a Power Tool when it comes calculations and adjustments. I have just begun to explore the possibilities with this range finder and app. I don’t have an ATN scope yet, but they have models that link via Bluetooth to the rangefinder and app, and will make the adjustments in scope for you!The app allows you to create dozens (and probably much more) profiles for rifles, ammo, and scope combinations with scope settings. Enter the environmental data, range the target and the app gives you the scope adjustments in both relative clicks from the current setting and from your zero.So far it seems to be accurate and I’ve been able to get what I think is good firing solutions out to 820 yards, 14 degrees inclination and 5500 feet of elevation. No I didn’t hit the steel, but that’s because my setup is more accurate than I am. I sure scared that target though! .
My buddy has an ATN X-Site and I’m thinking about getting one. We only shoot less than 200 yards but since head shots need to be accurate I thought I’d try this one. The main feature is that it connects to the X-Site my buddy has or useing an app I can use it on my non-ATN scope.It’s pretty slick but the documentation is a little vauge. Connecting is via bluetooth and it does that quickly.It can automatically adjust the X-Site scope crosshairs using the scopes rifle profile at the range you measure. I can use the app to view the ballistic calculation from the profile I select.So far the only complaint I can find is it shuts off after 1 minute.Hope this helps .
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37 – ATN Auxiliary Ballistic Smart Laser Rangefinder w/Bluetooth

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The first unit came with the front plastic cover cracked, and something rattling inside. Replaced with Amazon.The replacement unit did not have those issues.The instructions are incorrect on direction of battery insertion, and procedure to pair the ABL to the scope. The CR2 battery is also slightly out of spec, so the weatherproofing on the battery slot doesn’t seal using the included battery.Very clunky/unreliable attachment mechanism that makes it difficult to mount level with the scope using bubble levels.Mounting the ABL causes the scope cover that comes with the Thor 4 to no longer fit. The way this ABL attaches also prevents mounting lens covers, and ATN doesn’t seem to make a larger case or any other protective accessories.This unacceptably leaves no viable option to protect the $5000+ optic combination while being transported, or when the host .300BLK SBR is not in use. .
Instructions need improvement with how target calibration laser works and when. Calibration laser only comes on when ABL 1500 is Blue-Tooth paired, and scope’s firmware has been setup.Instructions that come with ABL 1500 show battery going in opposite of direction it actually goes in.The generic battery that comes with ABL is too long, and keeps you from screwing battery cap down to where weather seal will work. You will need to buy a brand-name (correctly sized / in spec) battery.Before attempting pairing, be sure you have required firmware installed. Despite having checked a few weeks before that my ATN scope had latest firmware available, firmware would not work.Make sure your model ATN Scope can work with ABL.*** Lowering from two-stars to one-star. ***ATN Laser Range (ABL) 1500 quit working while it was securely stored. Will no longer pair with X-Sight II. Big issue with ATN Laser Range finder is there is No indicator light to verify whether it is actually powered up. .
I’m very upset that when I receive it, I immediately put it on my scope to get it all set up. The battery is brand new but the scope wouldn’t turn on at all. Made sure my scope was up to date on firmware. Tried to pair the ATN ABL 1500 but it wouldn’t work. So where do I stand. I sent ATN an email, and tried to call Amazon. But I guess everyone is on holiday vacation. .
This is a brand new product offered by ATN for their premium scopes. I was excited to receive one of the first units to hit the North American shores and quickly attached the unit to my X-Sight 4K. The physical attachment was as easy as pie and took a whopping three minutes. The bluetooth connection took a bit longer. At first, the unit would not pair with scope after about twenty attempts. Finally, it did indicate that it was paired, but the unit would not allow me to align it using the built in laser. It simply came back with a message to connect the ABL. After checking for a new firmware update at the ATN website, the new version 330 was found and I installed it into the scope. After a few more failed attempts, it finally acknowledged the BT pairing and locked the two units together. The rest of the setup proceeded without any issues and it is now a fast and accurate scope system. I have yet to take it to the range, but I have verified its readings with my Leopold rangefinder and it is spot on. What a wonderful, accurate system! It’s a keeper. .
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38 – Kestrel, USB Data Transfer Cable, Black, Fits 5000 Series

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Updated my firmware straightaway. No problems.The cable is so expensive because it has an infrared module to interface with the Kestrel. The cable is robust. .
Works great! Optical cable is a little expensive but I understand their desire to keep it proprietary. .
Great shipping. Keep in safe .
Cable was defective. Would physically connect to Kestrel and to Mac/PC. However, communication between Kestrel and Mac/PC was not occurring. After obtaining new cable from Kestrel, all works just as it is supposed to. .
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39 – G.P.S. Tactical Range Backpack

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This range backpack is very poor quality. I received this pack as a Christmas present and it has not lasted 5 months. The lining has come apart from the compartment where the handguns are stored.HPP Enterprises does not provide support. When contacted, HPP Enterprises said that they were not responsible and to, “contact the manufacturer”. GPS (the manufacturer) does not deal with consumers and HPP Enterprises failed to provide the distributor they use to purchase from GPS.Overall: a poorly made product and dismal product support. .
This is the best range bag hands down. I compete in multiple shooting disciplines (IDPA, 3 Gun, USPSA) and this keeps all my odds & ends organized (target stapler, bore sighter, tools, light, range finder, gloves, eye pro, ear pro, etc., etc., etc.,) Most range bags have all your stuff settling to the bottom of the main storage area. This pack keeps everything within reach. I never find myself “digging” through this bag to find some tool or such. This comes with a 3″ x 5″ clear plastic box with dividers in it to keep small parts organized (great for extra springs, detents, etc )The MOLLE straps really add to the bag. I strapped on some Tactical Tailor modular packs to keep my lunch, Leatherman MUT, water bottle, spare mags and extra shotshells within a quick grasp.The 3 pistol cases are top notch. Of note, you won’t fit anything bigger than a Glock 34 or 5″ 1911 in them. Pistol cases have enough room to store a pistol with an RMR mounted too.Stitching is high grade. The top rear has velcro to mount your id tag or some morale patches.Only negative: I don’t think this bag really needs a padded waist strap. It’s not a ruck and you are not going to hump this pack long range into the outback. The padded shoulder straps are all this bag needs. .
I read the reviews on this and was pretty excited.First: the positives:Construction is incredibly high quality. This thing looks like it could last 20 years. Compartments are labelled for all you OCD folks out there.The Negatives (Really just one negative, but it’s a deal breaker for me)I have to ask, what pistols was this actually made for? I tried fitting the following three handguns in:Glock 19, with 3 magazines. Had to fight to get the handgun in, but it did zip up fine, albeit very bulged on the sidesRuger Mark IV .22 – I really had to fight to fit this thing in the handgun sleeve as well. Obviously the magazines are only about 3/8s of an inch thick so they didn’t really mess with anythingDouble stack .45 with 2 magazines – this one I managed to fit in, but had a bear of a time zipping up the case, and once in, absolutely couldn’t fit it back in the bag with the overstuffed glock and other gun.The Glock 19 is a small gun. This isn’t a hand cannon here, it’s a CCW gun! The Ruger is a .22 with a 4 inch barrel. I will admit my double stack .45 is pretty darn wide, but the other two are on the small end of autoloaders by far. If I have to fight to fit a compact glock into this thing, I don’t know what I’d do with a full size model like a 21 or a 17.I’m unfortunately returning this because while it’s built incredibly well, it just doesn’t fit anything. If you’re running around with a trio of pocket guns, you may love this, but anything bigger and you should look elsewhere. .
First it’s made in China NOT USA. The GPS label that ships with the bag clearly states “Made in China” in black lettering right above “Patents Pending” in bright white lettering. So false adverstising right of the bat.Pros:- Looks and feels sturdy.- Several compartments for smalls things and trinkets.- Looks nice.- Molle’s if your into and utilize these.Cons:- Only the compartment that holds the pistols cases is lockable via the interlocking dual zippers. All other zippers on the bag are slotted and will NOT support any type of locking device.- Suporrts only one pair of shooting glasses.- Not made to support regular size ear protection only the small squishy ones.- Not designed for bulky items. Can’t put your holster belt inside, if you do, you are taking out your ammo in order to fit.- Designed soley to carry a single shooters stuff.- Not designed for the serious shooters or competition shooters.- The “Tall” version is pretty much the same with an extra gun pouche, same limitations as above and higher price.- Sending back as it is disappointing and I was really looking forward to owning this but simply not functional for my needs. .
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40 – ATN Thor 4, 640×480, Thermal Rifle Scope w/Ultra Sensitive Next Gen Sensor, WiFi, Image Stabilization, Range Finder, Ballistic Calculator and iOS and Android Apps

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2020 JULY UPDATE:Been using a Pulsar Thermion XP50 for several months now. The Thermion series doesn’t have laser rangefinder capabilities, though Pulsar makes bulkier thermal scopes that do.The XP50 definitely feels like a quality product in comparison. Getting solid digital zeros out to 300 yards with a 9 SBR in .300 BLK running supersonics that it likes.ORIGINAL REVIEW:Context: I’ve used a lot of optics at varying price points.This Thor 4 640 2.5-25x is among the most expensive.A week later, the price dropped by almost a thousand dollars, likely due to some of the issues detailed below.Got the scope on 1/25/2019.Hardware/Fitment/Accessories: 1.5/5Underwhelmed by the NcStar-feeling metal and poor fitment of parts. Aluminum tube quality feels sub-par for a $40 Simmons .22 scopeThere is a significant gap between the top plastic cover housing the buttons and the electronics of the scope – I doubt it would survive anything other than dry weather, but don’t want to try and find out due to the cost.The USB-C port and MicroSD slots are significantly out of alignment with the holes cut for them, and are mounted deeper than they should be for usability.-This causes only certain USB-C cables to be able to charge the unit, and generally requires that cables be bent/damaged in order to fit deep enough into the port to initiate a charge.-Extremely difficult to insert or remove the MicroSD card. The memory slot is smaller than the fitment gap beneath it. Removing a card requires the use of tweezers until you enlarge the surrounding plastic with a nail file to expose more of the MicroSD port. The rubber gasket providing alleged weather resistance will not fully seat when a memory card is installed in the unit.My example has multiple dead pixel areas on the thermal sensor – an unacceptable amount for glass this expensive.The magnification levels are a half-truth(at best) – the maximum standard magnification is actually 10x (not 25x) – the rest has to be specifically enabled in software, and is exceptionally pixelated – the resulting image at 25x is unusable as far as quality.The ATN Auxiliary Ballistic Rangefinder 1500 accessory has a very clunky and unreliable mechanism for mounting onto the scope. The first ABL I got came with the front plastic plate cracked, and something rattling internally. It is of similarly poor construction. Will write a separate review for this.The scope cover that comes with the unit cannot be used if you opt for the the ATN ABL1500 companion rangefinder accessory – I’ve found no larger case from ATN available for this scope configuration, and no lens covers or other accessories that would offer in-transport protection to this incredibly expensive piece of glass.This scope also does not come with a QD mounting solution. Presumably, most shooters can’t afford to get one of these scopes for each of their rifles, so this seems like an obvious thing to include at this price point. The scope even has functionality to store multiple ballistic profiles for this exact purpose!Unfortunately, the vast majority of one-piece QD scope mounts will not fit this scope due to the space between the rings that the electronics box requires. The purpose-built (and $100 extra) ATN Quick Detach Mount for 30mm Scope Tube one-piece mount is of similarly poor quality, and doesn’t hold zero on anything with even a moderate amount of recoil. Will write a separate review for this as well.Software/App: 0/5As of this review, 3.3.04.330 is the latest firmware available.The scope crashes semi-frequently before even firing the rifle that it is attached to.Recoil Activated Video functionality/detection didn’t activate recording upon repeated shots on a suppressed .300BLK SBRThe companion app is useless – on most phones/tablets, the application doesn’t detect the scope. On the devices that do occasionally detect the connected scope, there’s effectively nothing functional in the app.According to reviews, the feature to get a live view from the scope was disabled in a prior app update because it crashed the scope.Attempting to change the default WiFi SSID or password in the app breaks all connectivity and results in a corrupt network name (_unknown> SSID), requiring factory reset of the scope to make it operational again.Downloading pictures or videos from the scope via the app usually throws an error, and crashes the app and/or scope – hence the need to remove the microsd card from the slot every single time.This Android companion app is currently rated two stars on the Google Play store. It really doesn’t deserve such a high rating, as it accomplishes the rare feat of providing ABSOLUTELY NO FUNCTIONAL FEATURES worth mentioning at this time. (Obsidian 4 – version 1.23)Customer Service: ?/5Attempted to contact ATN about some of these issues upon receipt of the scope and accessories, and haven’t heard back.Overall: 1/5Total cost for the scope, the ABL, and the QD mount was $5106.27My example of this system is wholly unacceptable in multiple ways. Will refund unit with Amazon. Hopefully, the software/app experience is improved in the coming months/years, but I’m not especially optimistic.Intending to wait for the next generation of thermal scopes from other brands in the coming months. .
I spent $4000 on this scope and absolutely sick about it. I bought it before a hog hunting trip in south Georgia. The guide provided guns/night vision scopes to my friends who did not own them. The scopes the guide provided cost half of the price of mine. I looked through their scopes during the night to see how much better mine was and it was literally like comparing day to night difference. My ATN Thor looked horrible compared to the much less expensive scopes on their guns.I had trouble from the start on even trying to get it sighted in.I did all the updates and went by the book on adjusting it which nothing helped.When I tried to return it I received a reply back from Amazon that it was past the deadline. I would have given it a zero if that option was available. I even call Optic Planet which was no help.It would have a lot less trouble to just throw 4 grand in the garbage can. .
The instructions are vague. Bought this with the ABL laser rangefinder, but cannot get it to zero because the laser is not visible at 20 yards. I can see it on objects maybe 10 yards away but not much farther away than that. the laser is so weak that it is imperceptible to the naked eye. Tried calling customer support, but they put me on hold for 30 minutes. It was nice they announced the wait time, but when by time came up after 30 minutes it went straight to a voicemail that was full. Seriously? The product may be great, but the tech support sucks and so far a miserable experience. .
Got the scope 11/30/18 and had to ship it back 12/1/18. Scope only worked for Two Hours or so. It turned itself off and would not come back on no matter what and it was on the charger all night. Shipped it back and will be switching to the Pulsar Trail. .
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41 – Bullet Flight M

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Everything looks great on the app previews, however I have yet to be able to access anything g other than basic calculations for a select few weapons platforms, and unable to change or add any ammunition profiles. Due to this, I would have been better suited to Kentucky windage with the $29.99 they charge for the app. This is using the latest android system on a Galaxy note4.If anyone has a fix for this or knows how to access the full app, please let me know. .
I love this app! Many of the things I wished to be different from the beginning, have been updated and streamlined. Simply can’t go to the range without it. Great work!! .
Love the features, easy to use app that gets the job done .
Cannot access any “Edit” features with a Galaxy S5! WTF!!! The app wants me to press the “menu hard key” but there is no “hard key” on my phone. I cannot access anything except a few preset weapon systems. Feeling ripped off unless someone can explain to me how to get into the editing features and other features this app is supposed to have! .
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42 – Modern Exterior Ballistics: The Launch and Flight Dynamics of Symmetric Projectiles

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Antoine de Saint Exupéry eloquently said that ” perfection is attained not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to remove.” By this standard, this book is perfect.Despite the “modern” in the title, everything about this book is old-school – the inner linings are paisley, the figures full-paged, the mathematical derivations detailed, and the references to “personal computers” (quotations original) quaint. Old school and quaint, and also a very good book. What do I mean by old school? The assumptions and simplifications the author makes. Before the availability of computers to crank out partial differential equations and computational fluid dynamics, engineers had to make assumptions so that their approach would be solvable by hand. This book does that – indeed, there are 40 pages of tables that really should be in an appendix.I agree with another reviewer that this book is in an odd spot – perhaps too mathematical for a layman, and not quite sophisticated for someone in research. And this is exactly why I like this book. This book will explain 90% of ballistics with the simplest of math. Yes, the book is math heavy. But, the math is not hard – competency in algebra and high school physics are sufficient. No differential equations, and no calculus of variations (unfortunately), and hardly any calculus.The author takes his time. I had to laugh when he wrote which solution to a square root to take. Most newer books would never bother, or leave it “as a problem to the reader.” There is little hand waving in this book. What you get is an author well experienced in his field, presenting ballistics solutions with ever-increasing complexity. And he does so with obvious enjoyment on his part.If you want an understanding of how ballistics apps work, and are not easily scared by math, this is the book for you. If you live and breath mathematics, then this will be enjoyable light reading. If you are looking for cutting edge fluid dynamics, or computationally-heavy modern (post-modern?) approaches, look elsewhere. .
The book provides excellent material for serious sport shooters with advanced knowledge on math and physics. It may fall short for the people that wishes to go very deep in the subject but I don’t believe is the main scope of this book. Regarding the word Modern, yes is not modern but it refers to the context of when ballistics changes and I believe is not referred to the “latest” or “state of the art” in ballistics. Allow me an example, “Modern Physics” books normally refers to the physics that changes from the classical physics rather than present or current state of physics, so in this case I believe the modernity has to be taken in a similar sense.This edition has incorporated the corrections which makes it very easy to follow. It is not meant for people that wand to learn basic ballistic, is quite interesting if you want to write your own software for calculations that are not easily found at ballistic programs on the web. Also quite useful for someone that want to go deeper on the subject and have or can get the background in math and physics that is needed. .
This is a good read for the mathematically inclined rifleman. Actually, the most useful page is page 94, where an easy algorithm by McShane can be put into a programmable hand calculator to calculate clicks given range and elevation. You will need to make a least squares fit to velocity data (e.g., Remington or Hornady from the internet) for the rounds you are using to get the ballistic coefficient for the 3/2 power law for deceleration. That law is surprisingly good for a variety of data for bullet velocities in the range Mach 1 to 3. You should, however, be handy with math even though there’s nothing advanced here.The results are astoundingly accurate mathematically, tested against numerical integration for point mass trajectories. If it seems strange to recommend a book for a single page, these are interesting times where constrictive descriptions are all that there are in abundance but usefully constructive ones are museum pieces. Many of the remaining pages are interesting, nonetheless, for historical reasons, concerning that post War period in American history when progress was part of our culture. .
Definitive source for exterior ballistics! If you are interested in writing code for Siacci, Point Mass or 6 DF this book has all the detail you will need. The author details all sources and provides excellent history and methods of ballistics testing as well a great spark photography reprints. A familiarity with ordinary differential equations is helpful to get the most out of this book. Material is presented in a logical consistent format beginning with vacuum trajectory and concluding with 6 DF. Plenty of detailed example calculations. .
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43 – Hawk Spuhr Mount Rifle Mounted Data Dope Card Holder Phone Kestrel Holder Hill Custom

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A bit pricey but well built and serves the purpose .
High quality! Using with my kestrel and iphone. Came with everything I needed. Sturdy seems built to last! .
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Best ballistic calculator 2020.

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