ULTIMATE? Kestrel + Leica Geovid Pairing

[RAG]

Anyone one here picked up the Leica Geovid 3200.com rangefinding binoculars, and paired with Kestrel Elite 5700?

I've got about 9 days in the field with this setup now...though it's not been without frustrations, it's been a complete gamechanger for me...for colony varmint shooting. I recently modified by mounting the Kestrel on a full sized wind flag, so the Kestrel is continously reading the wind and feeding the information to the Kestrel and a heads-up-display. Every time I range a target, the Kestrel knows my direction of fire in relation to the wind, providing me windage and elevation holdovers with uncanny precision.

I'll add more later, as I'm off to the kill'n fields now, but I'm curious to know if anyone else has this setup. For me, it's been a complete and ultimate gamechanger for success out in the field. Especially when the wind is cooking!

 

[Rick in Oregon]

Wow, looks and sounds pretty nifty. I'm now not sure how I've gotten along all these years with my "low tech" hand-held Kestrel and my Leica LRF-1200 and my 'come-up' dope for each rifle.

Pretty impressive setup alrighty, but you've completely eliminated any and all excuses for any misses!
Oh, and very nice rifle too! Love the RB, LP setup.

 

[powderbrake]

I have been using the Kestrel 5700 in the same manner for several years. I do not have the latest Geovids that communicate with bluetooth to the 5700. My older Leicas require me to input the range into the kestrel Link app on my Iphone, and touch the Direction of Fire button . But it is an awesome setup, and puts you right on the P dogs.
I see you have the HUD, that is a great set-up for reading the info in bright sunlight. I cannot use it because I have to input range and DOF manually, so I am using the Kestrel Link on my iphone. The problem with that is the letters for range and DOF are only .070inches high, and very hard to read in the sunlight.


There are only 4 numbers that mean anything, Elevation, Windage, Range and DOF. Everything else is just reference stuff. What were they thinking?

Here is my set-up.



The iphone is mounted parallel to the rifle so it gives DOF, I printed the mount on my 3D printer. The 5700 is on a monopod, screwed into a 1/4 -20 inset in the table. I have switched to a SEB Mini front rest, with Blake Barrel front bag and adjustable width. The joystick makes it easy to get on the P dogs. The Leica 10x50 rangefinders round out my stuff. The rifle is a 6mmBR, with a RB L port Stiller Predator V action, Krieger 8 twist barrel, McMillan stock with a 3" wide forend block which I printed, scope is a NF NXS 8-32 with a NP2DD dot reticle. Last year I tried a 12-42 NXS, and while the 42 is great, the 12 power had too small a field of view to spot the dogs, so I switched back to the 8-32.

I shoot a 88 grain Berger high BC varmint bullet. I reaches way out to touch them. This pic is from our humt this year in South Dakota, about 1 1/2 weeks ago. We hunted the same dog town for 3 days, and had plenty of dogs to shoot at.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

I’ve never been into that Kestrel wind stuff but I do love my Leica 3200.com binos. Hate the idea of having to break out a wind meter before taking a shot. Don’t always have that kind of time to make a shot on an animal so I figure I better know how to read the wind without gadgets.

I do have a Kestrel “Drop” that links to my BallisticsARC app to give current weather conditions but you turn it on when you head out and don’t touch it until you get back and turn it off. Auto updates the drops tables in the app

 

[PigButtons]

What's next? Drones? Just kidding.

Some very cool setups. Thanks for letting us ride along.

 

[timeout]

No doubt a great setup and I know that you enjoy it. I'm just one of those guys that only go so far with all the technology. I enjoy my range finding binoculars and I twist turrets. I just dislike dragging a ton of paraphernalia with me hunting. Sometimes I really miss the days when I put on my red hooded sweatshirt, loaded the pockets with some slugs, grabbed my shotgun and headed to the woods. Simpler times, less equipment, every bit enjoyable as today.

 

[Rem06]

i upgraded my 8x32cl swarovski to10x42 ELs

i almost went for the EL rangefinder combo that paired to the phone.
but i cant even order food on line
nor type for crap
push button world.....

 

[Rem06]

What's next? Drones? Just kidding.

Some very cool setups. Thanks for letting us ride along.

hell yeah!

pack the drone with a ruger 10/22 and a RPR creedmooooore.....

set at home and send out the drone to the fields...

sorry guys ,you are way past my button skills but i would like to learn i think?

carry on please. i was seriois about the EL combo and not skilled enough to even play video games

 

[RAG]

Wow, looks and sounds pretty nifty. I'm now not sure how I've gotten along all these years with my "low tech" hand-held Kestrel and my Leica LRF-1200 and my 'come-up' dope for each rifle.

Pretty impressive setup alrighty, but you've completely eliminated any and all excuses for any misses!
Oh, and very nice rifle too! Love the RB, LP setup.

Thanks. But I always have excuses..."the wind switched"...ot "that suckered moved right as I pulled the trigger"...actually had that happen a couple times today, lol.

I have 6 or 7 varmint chamberings, and often a couple different bullets/loads for each....so I spent quite a few range sessions fine tuning each one in the Kestrel with small adjustments to BC, Velocity and even scope height to get dead on at various distances. Lot of work...I need to simply and stick to just a few!

 

[RAG]

I have been using the Kestrel 5700 in the same manner for several years. I do not have the latest Geovids that communicate with bluetooth to the 5700. My older Leicas require me to input the range into the kestrel Link app on my Iphone, and touch the Direction of Fire button . But it is an awesome setup, and puts you right on the P dogs.
I see you have the HUD, that is a great set-up for reading the info in bright sunlight. I cannot use it because I have to input range and DOF manually, so I am using the Kestrel Link on my iphone. The problem with that is the letters for range and DOF are only .070inches high, and very hard to read in the sunlight.
View attachment 1345041

There are only 4 numbers that mean anything, Elevation, Windage, Range and DOF. Everything else is just reference stuff. What were they thinking?

Here is my set-up.

View attachment 1345042

The iphone is mounted parallel to the rifle so it gives DOF, I printed the mount on my 3D printer. The 5700 is on a monopod, screwed into a 1/4 -20 inset in the table. I have switched to a SEB Mini front rest, with Blake Barrel front bag and adjustable width. The joystick makes it easy to get on the P dogs. The Leica 10x50 rangefinders round out my stuff. The rifle is a 6mmBR, with a RB L port Stiller Predator V action, Krieger 8 twist barrel, McMillan stock with a 3" wide forend block which I printed, scope is a NF NXS 8-32 with a NP2DD dot reticle. Last year I tried a 12-42 NXS, and while the 42 is great, the 12 power had too small a field of view to spot the dogs, so I switched back to the 8-32.

I shoot a 88 grain Berger high BC varmint bullet. I reaches way out to touch them. This pic is from our humt this year in South Dakota, about 1 1/2 weeks ago. We hunted the same dog town for 3 days, and had plenty of dogs to shoot at.

Super nice setup. I too mostly run a 6BR...though I generally feed it a diet of 55 grain Blitzkings @3920 fps with muzzle break, though I had the 6PPC tube on in pic here...pushing those bullets 3860fps. I have the most fun when shooting this bullet, though I have a Dasher or two on the way and hope to make the 87 Vmax fly...I'd not, I'll run the Berger 88!

Funny...I have been thinking about getting a SEB Mini as an upgrade to to my Shadetree joystick top.

The Bluetooth interconnectivity between the Kestrel, Leica, and HUD is great. Except, sometimes it has challenges connecting...so it's not perfect. I've had a couple times were the digs were taunting me and it wouldn't connect, so I simply grabbed the Kestrel and input distance and wind direction manually, lol. I might have to look into your method with Kestrel Link App as a backup.

And I hear ya on the zoom. I ended up going with the Delta Stryker 5-50x56 on my 3 primary rigs because I wanted the low power.

Thanks!

 

[RAG]

i upgraded my 8x32cl swarovski to10x42 ELs

i almost went for the EL rangefinder combo that paired to the phone.
but i cant even order food on line
nor type for crap
push button world.....

Ha. Yeah. I'm certainly not a big tech-head...in fact I'm anti with most things (like my PITA tv setup). But the notion of what this setup could do was too good to pass up, so I suffered through the setup of it all. I'm glad I did because it puts a grin on my face every time the wind is whipping and it tells me 4.6 MOA right, and the dog goes flying first shot!

 

[RAG]

I’ve never been into that Kestrel wind stuff but I do love my Leica 3200.com binos. Hate the idea of having to break out a wind meter before taking a shot. Don’t always have that kind of time to make a shot on an animal so I figure I better know how to read the wind without gadgets.

I do have a Kestrel “Drop” that links to my BallisticsARC app to give current weather conditions but you turn it on when you head out and don’t touch it until you get back and turn it off. Auto updates the drops tables in the app

Well, yeah. This really shines for colony varmint shooting, (or shoot'n steel i suppose) and not much else.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Well, yeah. This really shines for colony varmint shooting, (or shoot'n steel i suppose) and not much else.

Yeah that would be nice on a gusty day shooting varmints.

However...shooting varmints in the wind by using your own mental judgement is where you get the most practice. Doesn’t matter if you screw up shots and miss with a bad wind call on a prairie dog or ground squirrel but really sucks if you miss a big buck because you rely solely on a wind meter and didn’t have time to set it up before taking a shot. Nothing hones your wind shooting skills better than blasting away on a windy day at very small insignificant targets. Trying to hone your wind shooting skills while only shooting a few shots at big game once a year can make it take decades to master. Heck, take the big game rifles along on the prairie dog hunts and practice with them as well while you’re at it.

 

[ChrisNZ]

..Nothing hones your wind shooting skills better than blasting away on a windy day at very small insignificant targets. ..

Dead right- if you can snot sod poodles or bunnies at 300yds in a wind, deer become dead easy.

 

[Beiruty]

Anyone one here picked up the Leica Geovid 3200.com rangefinding binoculars, and paired with Kestrel Elite 5700?

I've got about 9 days in the field with this setup now...though it's not been without frustrations, it's been a complete gamechanger for me...for colony varmint shooting. I recently modified by mounting the Kestrel on a full sized wind flag, so the Kestrel is continously reading the wind and feeding the information to the Kestrel and a heads-up-display. Every time I range a target, the Kestrel knows my direction of fire in relation to the wind, providing me windage and elevation holdovers with uncanny precision.

I'll add more later, as I'm off to the kill'n fields now, but I'm curious to know if anyone else has this setup. For me, it's been a complete and ultimate gamechanger for success out in the field. Especially when the wind is cooking!

Excellent high dollars setup.
I may do a similar setup but with Vortex Bino with ABS Elite Solver paired to Kestrel 5700 on a tripod

 

[Rem06]

Ha. Yeah. I'm certainly not a big tech-head...in fact I'm anti with most things (like my PITA tv setup). But the notion of what this setup could do was too good to pass up, so I suffered through the setup of it all. I'm glad I did because it puts a grin on my face every time the wind is whipping and it tells me 4.6 MOA right, and the dog goes flying first shot!

i certainly agree with that! as stated, alot of positives and negatives have been said. By the time i got set it set up and working it would be time to change batteries, do a software uodate to fix something which usually screws something else up, a cable goes bad.or an electron goes left instead of right and the fustration of not working ends that game for me. I opted out and am glad you can make it work !

 

[RAG]

Excellent high dollars setup.
I may do a similar setup but with Vortex Bino with ABS Elite Solver paired to Kestrel 5700 on a tripod

I wasn't aware of this. I'll have to check out the ABS Solver....