Kestrel, Your Personal Genie

by
posted on January 14, 2015
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
gsagi2015_fs.jpg

Kestrel is introducing a new model called the Sportsman Ballistics Weather Meter at the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show in a few days. AmericanRifleman.org will showcase new products from the show floor, but with so much to see—and all of it cool—I’d hate for this handy unit to get lost in the crowd and me never again have the opportunity to reference “I Dream of Genie.”

undefinedIt’s almost as good as having a professional spotter, except it bottles up nicely in your pocket, and never stiffs you on a bar tab. This is one crazy portable weather station that provides instant and accurate barometric pressure, elevation, density altitude, dew point, headwind/tailwind, heat stress index, relative humidity, temperature, wet bulb temperature, wind chill, wind direction and wind speed.

Talk about information overload. If you’re unmarried when you start calculating a firing solution with all those variables long hand, you may have grandkids in college when you’re done.

Kestrel prevents premature aging by sucking the data into a ballistics calculator. Then it’s plotted against one of the 16 gun/bullet combinations you’ve stored, whereupon an internal genie folds her arms, unleashes magic, and in a blink of an eye a firing solution appears. There’s no smoke from the pair of AAA batteries powering the unit, but your astronavigation legend will build quickly at the range. And, your shooting buddies will look at you as if Barbara Eden was with you on the firing line.

Latest

Remington’s 40-X bolt-action rifle
Remington’s 40-X bolt-action rifle

Questions & Answers: A Wreck of a Remington 40-X

An American Rifleman reader writes in about a project Remington 40-X .22 target rifle that needs some serious help.

New for 2026: KJI K950 Tripod and Titan Inverted Ball Head

KJI (formerly Kopfjäger) releases the carbon-fiber K950 tripod and Titan inverted-ball head.

Book Review | Guns, Shooting and Hunting: What I’ve Learned in 60 Years

Much of what one learns is truly inexpressible to others—so it’s a wonderful rarity when someone can put their knowledge into words.

6 Reasons Why You Should Have a Good Gunsmith

Not every gunsmithing job needs to or should be a DIY job, and it pays to get to know a good gunsmith and develop a relationship with that person. Here are six reasons why.

New for 2026: Breda's Victoria Over-Under Shotguns

While it's a historic Italian firearm brand, Breda guns have long been elusive in the United States. This year, Breda America is adding to its lineup of shotguns with the Victoria family of over-unders.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.