When you first buy a compound bow, you’ll likely be excited to take it out and shoot as soon as possible. I know I was!
And then you’re presented with the sight. At first glance, it can be pretty confusing. In essence, it’s just a circle with various pins in it. But we’ll briefly cover the different components and what they do.
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Most compound bow sights typically consist of the following things:
You’ll be able to move your sight left and right, and up and down. Moving the sight is important as the chances are that your sight isn’t perfectly aligned out-of-the-box.
A perfect example is arrows always landing to the left or right of your target. A small horizontal adjustment of the sight will likely fix it.
The same goes for the vertical axis. If you find that the first pin on your bow is positioned relatively low in the sight (like halfway), you’ll probably want to move the entire sight down.
You can adjust each to mark a certain distance. Aiming higher or lower will affect the trajectory of the arrow and how far it flies.
Depending on the bow sight, you may have 1, 3, 5, or 7 pins. Most complete bow setups include a five-pin bow sight.
The purpose of each pin is to act as a guidance point for a certain distance. Adjusting the pin allows you to aim accurately at a target from various distances. Pins are easy to adjust and usually require an Allen key to do so.
If you find that pins are incredibly close together, either towards the top or bottom of the sight, you may want to move your entire sight in the opposite direction.
The initial setup is pretty straightforward. The bow sight installs directly onto your bow, typically with two hex screws. Once installed, it’s ready to be sighted in.
Most bow sights have an axis adjustment that allows you to move the sight up and down and left and right.
I’d recommend guesstimating this to your best ability. Don’t worry. You can adjust it, but having it somewhat in the right position will help a lot.
Without drawing the bow, hold the bow straight in front of you. With your dominant eye, look past the bowstring. Are the sight pins lined up with the bowstring? If so, you’re in good shape. If not, move it to the left or right as needed.
Suitable ranges dependent on your bow draw weight, the number of pins your sight has, and your personal preference.
For example, my compound bow has a draw weight of 60lbs. And my sight has five pins.
I initially decided to go with 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 yards. But after doing so, I noticed I could shoot far past 50 yards. So I then opted for 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 yards.
But if you have a 40lb bow and a three-pin sight, perhaps 15, 25, and 35 are your magic numbers.
Either way, don’t stress this too much. After all, sighting in your bow allows you to do a lot of target practice, which is never a bad thing!
You will sight in your top pin for the closest distance. Moving all the other pins will create a distraction-free sight and keep other pins out of the way.
As far as the target goes, try to aim for something no larger than your thumb. That doesn’t mean you should be shooting at a tennis ball, though. You can shoot at a large target, but the focal point should be small, like a bulls-eye.
Also, make sure the arrow won’t endanger anything or anyone in case you miss the target. A backstop or hill would be ideal. If that’s not possible, a large field will do as well, although you may lose your arrows pretty quickly that way.
Let’s say you went with 20 yards. Grab a tape measurer, yardstick, or something else you can measure with. Move 20 yards away from your target and mark it. In my case, I spray-painted the grass.
Move the top pin down to about 1/4 of the sight. So halfway between the top and center of the sight.
Now draw back your bow, aim through the peephole, line up the top pin with the target, and release it. Be sure to keep an eye on your arrow as you release.
Depending on where the arrow landed, you’ll want to make some adjustments:
Now that you adjusted your sight try again and see if it’s closer to the target. If not, repeat the adjustments above. Be sure to use the same arrows. Even if you have a few different brand/spine/weight arrows, stick with one type. Different arrows fly differently, which can mess up your initial sight-in.
You don’t need to be hitting your thumb-size target by any means, as that will take practice. But the closer you get, the more likely your bow is sighted in properly.
You’ll want to shoot a dozen arrows or so, as the error may be user-related. However, if you keep aiming at the same target, and your position doesn’t change, you should be closer and closer to the target.
Once you feel like you can accurately make a shot at the first distance, move on to the next pin.
Most users sight in their pins with 10-yard increments, but that’s no requirement. If you only have three pins, for example, you may want to opt for 20-yard increments. Or if you have a low-poundage bow, maybe 5-yard increments are better.
Once again, grab your means of measuring and mark the next distance. If you’re not dead set on exact measurements, you can always count the steps of the target to the first mark and repeat that amount of steps. You may be off a foot or two, though.
How far you need to move the pin upwards is entirely dependent on the distance increment and the bow poundage. Moving the second pin about a quarter inch below the first pin is probably a good first guess.
Your arrows will likely either land above or below the target. The left and right shouldn’t be too far off. Make adjustments as needed.
The further you move away from the target, the more your arrows will fly too far left or right. If that’s the case, start making small adjustments to the sight’s axis point.
If the arrow flies left repeatedly, move the sight left a notch, and likewise.
How do your pins look?
If two or more of your pins are touching each other, you may want to rethink your distance. The same goes for if a pin is at the very top or bottom of your sight. You may be sighting in the pin at too close or far of a distance.
Are you happy with the distance you chose?
Perhaps you’ve sighted in your bow up to 50 yards, but you notice you can shoot much further. When I initially sighted in my five pins, I started at 10 yards and worked my way up to 50 yards. But I quickly realized I could shoot much further than 50 yards. So I redid my pins and went for a 20 to 60-yard setup instead.
Final thoughts
Sighting in your bow sight for the first time should be an enjoyable experience. It allows you to get to know your bow and your sight for the first time.
If you keep missing the mark, make small adjustments. If that doesn’t help, maybe your arrows are to blame. Poorly made arrows will have a mind of their own and affect your accuracy.
Other than that, practice makes perfect! Be sure to practice often, in different weather conditions. A windy day may seem like a bad day to practice, but it’s actually a perfect opportunity.
After all, you won’t always get ideal conditions while hunting or target shooting.
Want to keep reading?
Check our list of best bow sights or arrow quivers.
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