Choosing A Bow Sight

Whether bowhunting or shooting competitively, you need an aiming point to shoot effectively; a point of reference to rely on propelling your arrow to a target at a specific distance. That's where a sight comes in. Attached to the riser of your bow, a sight should deliver reliable performance and foster accurate arrow placement.
Keep in mind, however; that accuracy is based upon the shooter practicing proper form, properly tuning their equipment and incorporating a consistent anchor point - the sight itself can only work as a shooting aid - not as a guarantee for making perfect shots. The addition of a "peep sight," a small hard plastic device fitted within your bowstring, is another shooting accessory to consider adding to your sight setup. It takes just minutes to put in place, yet can make a huge difference in consistent anchoring and arrow placement. The peep sight will ensure that you consistently line up your sight pin each time you shoot, although some sight styles are effective alone and do not require a peep.
While manufacturers deluge the market with various sight styles and models, the basic requirements of a sight remain unchanged.

Major components of any sight will include:
• A mounting bracket or extension device (used to attach the sight to your bow)
• Pin guard or sight body (to protect and enclose the pins)
• A sight mechanism, usually "pins" or a "red dot" (for aiming at game or targets)
• Elevation (up/down) and windage (left/right) adjustments (to tune your pins to various distances)

Fixed Pin Sights
By far, fixed pin sights remain the most popular and most widely offered style of sight. These sights generally have two options for mounting to the riser of your bow:

• A Hard Mount, which attached directly to the riser, or:
• A Dovetail System consisting of a two-piece mounting design which consists of a metal bracket attached directly to the riser and the sight bracket which holds the sight body and can quickly attach or detach by sliding and clamping in or out of the main bracket

Sight guards can be constructed of polymer, polycarbonate, machined aluminum or other metal -- the metals being the most durable and rugged.

The guards usually are made in a semi-circular or circular design. The "ring" design is an aid for shooters trying to align the sight window quickly within their peep sight, and commonly is available with fluorescent reference rings for help in low light settings.

Pin sights are sold with multiple pins, in either 3- or 5-pin sets, mounted either horizontally or in the newer, vertical configuration.

Fiber Optic pins are widely sold and the most popular, utilizing light-gathering fiber optic material to collect and direct light to the pinhead for maximum brightness and clarity in low light. While some models offer individually adjustable pins, most feature pins adjusted as a unit through a "gang" adjustment, which means the entire sight housing and pins are adjusted together either up and down (elevation) or left and right (windage). For bowhunters in particular, a toolless gang adjustment is an added bonus for in-field tuning.

Adjustable Pin Sights, Scopes, and Lasers
More technological and more popular with 3-D and competitive shooters, are the moveable pin sights, scope sights, or laser sights. The scope sights feature a more compact housing design, often with lighting accessories, and are engineered specifically for the "speed" bows on the market. Less pin range is required to cover various yardages because of the fast speeds and as such, they're usually sold with just 1-pin.
Like the scopes, the adjustable pin sights include a single pin, however on this sight the pin is "moveable" and adjusts to a specific yardage just prior to executing a shot. You simply adjust the device to the exact yardages marked on the bracket, and shoot; no guessing or estimating distances between the 20 and 30-yard pin, for example. While well liked for that reason alone, hunters often opt for a fixed pin design, choosing to focus on their moving target, rather than trying to "dial in" a specific yardage at the last minute.

The red dot and laser sights run on batteries, and offer the archer the advantages of peepless sighting and maximum brightness for clear and accurate shooting out to extended yardages, often beyond the normal range for hunting. By design, these systems tend to be heavier and bulkier, adding weight that is undesirable for hunting situations. When used in hunting, batteries need to be checked regularly to avoid a loss of power at an inopportune moment.
Although target shooters may favor these sights, they certainly are effective for hunting as well, though regulations and legalities of using these types of sight systems must be researched before heading into the woods.

Pendulum Sights

As the name suggests, these single-pin sights "swing" within the pin housing. The pin is sighted-in on the ground, usually at 20 yards, but is engineered (specifically with treestand hunters in mind) to automatically adjust to various shooting yardages out to 30 or 40 yards. Bowhunters need only focus on their target, avoiding constant yardage estimation and guesswork while following an animal's movements during the hunt. While advantageous for elevated hunting situations, common drawbacks are the lack of multiple pin reference for shooting from ground level and the limitations for shooting out to further distances.
Tuning

For further tuning and accuracy, leveling "bubbles" (used to help eliminate torque), lighted sight pins or small lights mounted to the sight body to illuminate the pins in low light can be added to many sights on the market. A word of caution: before installing any lighting aids onto your hunting bow, be sure to check your hunting laws and regulations for using them when hunting.

When choosing and researching which sight to purchase, consider your particular bow design and your individual shooting requirements. Keep in mind that what works for your friend or shooting buddy, may not be right for you or your bow setup.

Bowhunters should consider compact, lightweight designs that can adjust without the need to carry tools along. Who needs to be fumbling around looking for tools out in the field? The shorter axle-to-axle design of the newer hunting bows lends itself to the more compact and lightweight sight designs available, a feature favored by hunters not wanting to carry any more weight than necessary, and not wanting a sight that protrudes, catching or interfering with limbs or brush.
Competitive shooters in contrast have different needs: they shoot much farther distances, may favor a longer bracket extension that aids in accuracy, and may favor additional weight for added shooting stability.

If you're a shooter that enjoys hunting and competitive shooting, explore your options and consider purchasing a sight for each particular use.
Don't limit yourself to just one sight for all situations. It's easy to remove one and attach another for effective and accurate shooting in different applications, or to use a different sight for different bows you use.

Consider how you'll use your bow - primarily for hunting or competitive shooting - and use that factor as a guide to choosing which features and styles will benefit you the most.