Archery is a popular pastime for both target shooting and hunters. As with any hobby or weapon, hitting a target with accuracy and precision takes time and practice. Sighting with your bow will maximize your chance of hitting the target and allow you to compensate for issues like gravitational arrow drop over distances and natural disturbances from the firing of the arrow and wind. Below is a summary of some of the best archery sights available on the market today as well as some basic features included in today’s bows;
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What Makes The Best Archery Sight?
Let’s examine some of the main components and features that your sight will have:
- Fiber Optics: When it comes to target shooting and hunting, fiber optic cables have been put to good use as a sighting mechanism. The fiber optic cable has a small, bright tip that makes a great aiming point. Regardless of the time of day, the tip of the cable will stand out clearly. More often than not sight pins are on average a half inch to two inches of cable. Although pins come in a variety of sizes, the smallest being 0.19”, the majority of bow hunters prefer a moderately sized .029” pin.
- Bubble Levels: The majority of sights today come with a bubble level integrated into the unit. This will allow you to keep your bow perfectly level. Compound bow shooters will typically want a perfectly level bow. When it comes to choosing a sight with a bubble level, it is important to ensure that it is able to be utilized for your dominant hand.
- Gang Adjustments: This is a feature that will allow you to move all pins at once. Gang adjustments are a great feature to have if you would like ease of use and setup. When a sight lacks this feature it is often more difficult to setup and adjust because you have to adjust each pin individually for both elevation and windage.
- Pin Gaps: The newest archery buzz phrase is a “zero pin gap”. As bows become faster, the spacing between pins gets tighter. If you purchase a speedy bow, you may need to consider purchasing a sight that advertises itself as “zero pin gap”.
- Aluminum vs. Plastic: More often than not, sights are made with aluminum. Aluminum is rust-proof, lightweight and readily available. With the assistance of CNC machining, sights can be manufactured with precision and intricacy. When you have a sight that is all aluminum, you can expect to pay over $50 at least. This is why many sights are both aluminum and plastic. Modern polymer sights dispel the old concerns of durability and can offer weight savings. As with many things, you get what you pay for.
- Lights: Many sights offer a secondary light source in order to illuminate the pins. Sometimes this is a battery operated LED light while other times you will see a chemical light stick. While some sights have this feature included, many manufacturers view it as an add-on. You can easily mount the sight light into a pre-drilled opening on the outer housing of the sight. Some manufacturers have opted to infuse their pins with minute amounts of radioactive tritium or a powder that is phosphorescent. The tritium pins will often glow for upwards of 10 years with no need for batteries. Phosphorescent pins work more like a glow in the dark addition.
Best Archery Sight Reviews
1.Axcel Archery Sights AccuTouch Carbon Pro Sight with X-41 Scope .019
The Axcel AccuTouch Carbon Pro Sight is a single pin adjustable sight that has a clicking system when adjusting for specified distances. The sight tape is 45 degrees with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd axis adjustments and it comes with an Axcel x-41 scope. Although Amazon customers were reviewers of few words, there is definite satisfaction with this unit’s precision, ease of setup and use as well as its lightweight.
2. Trophy Ridge Driver Slider Sight 1-Pin
The Trophy Ridge Driver Slider Sight is a single pin sight that is rated at 4.1 stars with an affordable price tag of $45. The Trophy Ridge includes a sight light and has an ultra-bright .029” fiber optic pin. It has a bubble level and an adjustable indicator pin. Because of its nylon bushings, there is no metal-to-metal contact allowing for quiet, smooth movement. The customers who love this product are satisfied with its easy adjustments and installation as well as the price and quality. They are happy about the accuracy, performance, and sight visibility. Customers who were unsatisfied indicated that the sight broke on them quickly, came with missing parts, or that the Trophy Ridge customer service was unacceptable.
3. 7 pins .019″ Bow Sight with Micro Adjust Detachable Bracket LED Sight Light (Black)
This sight is 2” diameter housing offers an enlarged field of view to house its seven .019” pins. The tool-less design ensures ease of installation and uses while the detachable reversible bracket offers greater vertical adjustability. The bubble level allows for more precise shooting. Customers are entirely satisfied with this unit, claiming they were overwhelmed by the quality and were pleasantly surprised by the price to quality ratio. Many customers feel that the quality matches that of the more expensive sights. Others boast about the pin quality, ease of use, material, lightweight, and cost.
4. Trophy Ridge Hit Man 7 Micro Bow Sight
The company states that this unit offers the brightest pins that they have ever offered before by using 12” of .019” fiber optics. This is one of the zero pin gap models that is designed to be used for both right and left-handed applications. The sight is easily set up and is marketed as ultra-rugged. Customers are pleased with its high-quality, durability, bright pins, solid construction, and micro-adjustments. The LED light is able to be dimmed which customers are thrilled by. The sight doesn’t make any noise or rattle when an arrow is shot. Some customers wanted to see more adjustment range and also had issues with the pins being too fragile. Some had their pins break.
5. Field Logic IQ Pro 5-Pin Bowsight (Right Hand Model)
The IQ Pro has been specifically designed for the more experienced shooters. It has a smaller retina lock in order to double up on the sensitivity which increases downrange accuracy. The pins are stacked tightly and it comes with micro-adjust knobs for elevation and windage. Every single customer praises the sight’s ability to help them get tighter grouped shots at longer distances. They are pleased with the pricing and the quality. Customers are incredibly satisfied with the retina technology and overall aesthetic appeal. The product is shipped quickly and well packed, and customers are recommending this sight for anyone, novice, and advanced shooter alike.
Final Thoughts on the Best Archery Sights
As archery increases in popularity for target practice and hunting, more gimmicks, add-ons, and features will be added to the average bow. Regardless of how fancy a bow you opt for, this hobby requires something that money can’t buy. You will need to take time and practice in order to fine-tune your skillset. There is nothing quite like the satisfaction of hitting that bullseye or making a quick, clean kill with your bow hunting buddies.
