How to Adjust Your Bow Sight

By
Ethan Smith
-
0
281
Video adjusting a bow sight

What should you do when your arrows consistently hit the same place, but not where you aim? Move your sight.

Whether you’re popping balloons at 10 yards or shooting tournaments at 70 meters, you need to know how to adjust your sight to hit your target. Let’s discuss how to dial in your sight to pack your arrows into the middle.

The Basics

Determine your sight-in distance. If you’re using a multi-pin sight, start with your closest distance. For most, this will be 20 yards. If you just installed your sight, start close to the target to dial in your sight before moving back.

Shoot three arrows with good form, so they hit the same area, which is called a “group.” If your three-arrow group isn’t where you aimed, move your sight toward the group. For example, if your three arrows grouped left, move your sight-pin left. If all three arrows hit high, raise your sight.

Sighting in a Multi-Pin Sight

1 Multi sight ATA How to Adjust Your Bow Sight
Move your sight housing in the direction your arrows are landing. Photo Credit: ATA

A multi-pin sight has three main adjustments. You can move the sight housing up, down, left and right. You can also move the sight pins up and down.

Use your top pin for the closest distance, and the bottom pin for the farthest distance. Sight in your top pin first, which is 20 yards for most people, but you should start at 10 yards.

Shoot three arrows, and then loosen the screw that lets you move the sight housing left and right. Move the sight housing toward the group. Shoot three more arrows to check your adjustment, and move the housing again if necessary. Next, move your pin up or down until your group hits where you aimed. The top pin should stay in the upper third of your sight housing. If you run out of room to move your pin, loosen the screw that lets you move the sight housing up and down. Adjust the housing, and then fine-tune the sight by moving your pin.

See also  Everything You Never Knew About Primers, and the New Technology That’s Revolutionizing Them

Move to 25 yards, aim with your 20-yard pin, and shoot another three-arrow group. If you see no significant drop, move to 30 yards. Shoot a group and move your second pin up or down until your arrows hit where you aim. Continue this process for the other pins.

Sighting in a Single-Pin Sight

To sight in a scope or a moveable single-pin sight, start at 10 yards and shoot a group. These sights have two adjustments: windage, which moves the pin left or right; and elevation, which slides the pin up or down. Move your sight toward your group until your arrows hit where you aim. If you exceed the windage adjustment range, you can usually loosen a screw so you can slide your pin far left or right.

How you proceed depends on the type of archery you shoot. Are you shooting one distance for target archery? Are you shooting several distances for 3D or field?

If you shoot one distance, slowly work your way there while making adjustments as you go. These adjustments don’t have to perfect. They just keep you on target as you reach your desired distance. Once there, fine-tune by inching the sight in the direction you want to hit.

To shoot multiple distances with a one-pin “slider” sight, you’ll need a sight tape. Sight tapes stick to the side of your sight, and have markings for various distances. You can print out sight tapes, buy them from an archery shop, or mark a blank tape with a pen. If using a factory-printed sight tape, you first sight in your pin at 20 yards and 40 yards. Using those two marks, match them to printed tapes to determine which tape works for your bow. Stick that tape to your sight and test its alignment to ensure it’s accurate.

See also  .308 Winchester for Black Bear Hunting? Best Ammo (Round, Load, Cartridge) for a Successful Black Bear Hunt Hunting Calibers 04 Apr, 2020 Posted By: Foundry Outdoors Is the .308 Winchester a viable caliber/load/round/cartridge for black bear hunting? The accurate answer is “it depends”. However, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether the .308 Winchester is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest black bear. As with anything, the devil is in the details. To answer the question completely, we would need to evaluate the downrange distance to the black bear, the bullet type, the grain weight of the bullet, the physical condition of the firearm, the size of the black bear in question, the shot placement, the local wind conditions, the expected accuracy of the shooter, the ethics of the ideal maximum number of shots – the list goes on. [Click Here to Shop .308 Winchester Ammo]What we can do is provide a framework to understand what average conditions might look like, and whether those are reasonably viable for a shot from the average shooter to harvest a black bear in the fewest number of shots possible, i.e., ethically. Let’s dive right in. In the question of “Is the .308 Winchester within the ideal range of suitable calibers for black bear hunting?” our answer is: Yes, the .308 Winchester is A GOOD CHOICE for black bear hunting, under average conditions, from a mid-range distance, with a medium grain expanding bullet, and with correct shot placement.Let’s look at those assumptions a bit closer in the following table. Assumption Value Caliber .308 Winchester Animal Species Black Bear Muzzle Energy 2620 foot-pounds Animal Weight 340 lbs Shot Distance 150 yardsWhat is the average muzzle energy for a .308 Winchester? In this case, we have assumed the average muzzle energy for a .308 Winchester round is approximately 2620 foot-pounds. What is the average weight of an adult male black bear? Here we have leaned conservative by taking the average weight of a male individual of the species, since females generally weigh less and require less stopping power. In this case, the average weight of an adult male black bear is approximately 340 lbs. [Click Here to Shop .308 Winchester Ammo]What is the distance this species is typically hunted from? Distance, of course, plays an important role in the viability of a given caliber in black bear hunting. The kinetic energy of the projectile drops dramatically the further downrange it travels primarily due to energy lost in the form of heat generated by friction against the air itself. This phenonemon is known as drag or air resistance. Thus, a caliber that is effective from 50 yards may not have enough stopping power from 200 yards. With that said, we have assumed the average hunting distance for black bear to be approximately 150 yards. What about the other assumptions? We have three other primary assumptions being made here. First, the average bullet weight is encapsulated in the average muzzle energy for the .308 Winchester. The second important assumption is ‘slightly-suboptimal’ to ‘optimal’ shot placement. That is to say, we assume the black bear being harvested is shot directly or nearly directly in the vitals (heart and/or lungs). The third assumption is that a projectile with appropriate terminal ballistics is being used, which for hunting usually means an expanding bullet.Various calibersA common thread you may encounter in online forums is anecdote after anecdote of large animals being brought down by small caliber bullets, or small animals surviving large caliber bullets. Of course those stories exist, and they are not disputed here. A 22LR cartridge can fell a bull elephant under the right conditions, and a newborn squirrel can survive a 50 BMG round under other specific conditions. Again, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether .308 Winchester is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest black bear - and to this question, the response again is yes, the .308 Winchester is A GOOD CHOICE for black bear hunting. [Click Here to Shop .308 Winchester Ammo]This article does not serve as the final say, but simply as a starting point for beginner hunters, as well as a venue for further discussion. Please feel free to agree, disagree, and share stories from your own experience in the comments section below. Disclaimer: the information above is purely for illustrative purposes and should not be taken as permission to use a particular caliber, a statement of the legality or safety of using certain calibers, or legal advice in any way. You must read and understand your own local laws before hunting black bear to know whether your caliber of choice is a legal option.Foundry Outdoors is your trusted home for buying archery, camping, fishing, hunting, shooting sports, and outdoor gear online.We offer cheap ammo and bulk ammo deals on the most popular ammo calibers. We have a variety of deals on Rifle Ammo, Handgun Ammo, Shotgun Ammo & Rimfire Ammo, as well as ammo for target practice, plinking, hunting, or shooting competitions. Our website lists special deals on 9mm Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 45-70 Ammo, 6.5 Creedmoor ammo, 300 Blackout Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 5.56 Ammo, Underwood Ammo, Buffalo Bore Ammo and more special deals on bulk ammo.We offer a 100% Authenticity Guarantee on all products sold on our website. Please email us if you have questions about any of our product listings. Leave a commentComments have to be approved before showing up Your Name * Your Email * Your Comment * Post Comment

Trouble Shooting

If you reach the bottom of your sight adjustment but want to shoot farther, try lowering the entire sight bracket. These brackets can usually be removed, lowered and reinstalled so you can lower the sight pin to take farther shots. However, it can cause clearance problems if you move it into the arrow’s path.

To test for clearance, put your arrow on the rest with its fletching forward. Hold the arrow level, as if you could shoot it, to see if the fletching touches the sights or scope. If your sight has an adjustable extension, bring it all the way in, which causes higher hits.

If you get sighted in, but your arrows hit a different spot the next time you shoot, check all screws on the sight and your bow to ensure they’re tight. If nothing is loose, check your form by video-recording yourself shooting. Even better, have a coach watch you shoot to learn your inconsistencies.

If your groups hit the middle while shooting on flat ground, but move left or right on downhill shots, you’re torquing the bow or your sight’s third-axis adjustment is off. The above video discusses how to adjust your sight’s third axis.

If you need further help adjusting your sight, pros at an archery shop will gladly assist. To find a nearby shop, click here.

Previous article8 reasons why deer meat tastes bad
Next articleMy Birthday Buck Had Upper Canine Teeth. Yes, Deer Fangs!
Ethan Smith
Ethan Smith is a seasoned marine veteran, professional blogger, witty and edgy writer, and an avid hunter. He spent a great deal of his childhood years around the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest in Arizona. Watching active hunters practise their craft initiated him into the world of hunting and rubrics of outdoor life. He also honed his writing skills by sharing his outdoor experiences with fellow schoolmates through their high school’s magazine. Further along the way, the US Marine Corps got wind of his excellent combination of skills and sought to put them into good use by employing him as a combat correspondent. He now shares his income from this prestigious job with his wife and one kid. Read more >>

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR