Bow Sights - Do They Really Improve Accuracy?

Bow sights have been around in various manifestations for many years. Bow hunters and competitive shooters alike swear by their favorite sights claiming that the sights make accuracy rates explode and consistent positive results are a given with the latest advances in sights technology. Accuracy in shooting is made up of two major components. First, muscle memory where you repeat an action until it becomes engraved on the muscle movements. Second is the focus and direction of the shot so that accuracy to the target is defined. Both factors or either are helpful in improving accuracy.

Technology

Modern technology is a continual process of improving and refining the products that are used every day. This is true of bow sights as well as other products. Bow sights range from simple peep sights to complex adjustable pin sights and even sights that use laser technology to point at the target. Peep sights consist of a small hole in a ring that allows you to narrow the field of vision so that you are more focused on the target. Laser technology puts a laser beam on the target so that you follow with your eyesight and zero in on the accuracy.

Repetition

No matter which type of bow sights you choose to use in your bow hunting adventures or your competitive shooting efforts, repeating the actions that lead to better results will make your accuracy continue to improve. Bow sights help you to line up the bow on the target so that you learn through trial and error which actions and moves result in success. Pin sights, for example use a small sight pin attached to the sight ring on either a horizontal or vertical plane. With multiple pins, they are lined up to match the distance to the target, such as 20 yards, 30 yards, or 40 yards.

Accuracy

The purpose of bow sights, regardless of the use you place on your archery equipment, is to improve the accuracy of your shooting. If you are a bow hunter, you depend on accuracy in your shots to provide a clean kill. Of course, a competitive shooter wins the contest when he or she is able to consistently hit the precise targets that are intended. As you use the bow sights in the way they were intended, you improve your accuracy resulting in a higher accuracy rate because you identify the target more precisely so that you can then identify the moves needed to hit the target.

Convenience

Bow sights are designed and intended to provide convenient methods to improve the accuracy. These devices are easy to use and in most cases fairly easy to install and sight in. The type of sights that you select will depend on the type of shooting that you do. You may need a light weight sight for moving easily across the hunting ground. You may prefer a heavier device to add stability for your competitive shooting. The convenience of the sights is important in improving your accuracy.

Defining Excellence in Bow Sights - Copper John Sights

With nearly a decade of an award winning line of bow sights on the record for Copper John Sights, the company is not resting on its laurels as winner of a quartet of Best Buy Awards from Inside Archery Magazine. Known for the Dead Nuts Hunting Sight and its successor the Dead Nuts 2 design, Copper John bow sights followed up with the Always Normal Target Sights. The product line released meets the needs of any archer looking for consistent accuracy and performance in all types of conditions. Test these quality products from Copper John with your own archery equipment and shooting style.

Design

The design of the Copper John aiming technology is based on the curved sight frame. Because the frame is curved, the lens of the bow sights are alway flat to the eye, or normal, when the scope is in different positions on the frame of the bow. This technology allows the reduction of distortion to the image. It also reduces the distortion of the scope reticle and increases the clarity exhibited in the scope image. The picture in the bow sights will always remain the same in spite of the position of the scope on the bow frame.

Advantages

Aside from the expected advantages of bow sights in improving accuracy and consistency in your shooting experiences, bow sights lend stability to the bow itself. By adjusting the precise controls the archer is able to zero in on three different planes quickly and easily. Prevent tipping of the bow off the vertical plane and dial in the correct distance and you will have reproducible accuracy in your competition and your hunting archery experience as well. Use the sights with the latest award winning technology, combined with effective practice and you will improve your success rating with this sport.

Unique Features

The unique features that Copper John has implemented in their bow sights include an aiming ring that contrasts with the pin guard. Further, the pin guard is round, thus improving the quality standard of their product. When you are searching for the best quality in bow sights, you want one that is constructed of the best materials available. Depending upon the type of shooting you prefer, the weight of the mechanism is a factor in how effective it is. The ability to see a normal view each time you use the sight no matter what position works for you will help to improve your shooting success score.

Functionality

Of course, all bow sights are intended for the purpose of improving your success rate in hitting the specified target. Furthermore, the best sights, such as Copper John are made of the most durable and long lasting materials for a lifetime of accurate shooting. Weight is a factor that becomes apparent as you carry the equipment through the rough terrain typically found with bow hunting. It is no less important in competitive shooting when you need the stability of the sights to anchor your shot. Consistency in results is always a factor of practice so that each movement is memorized by your mind and by your body.

Types of Bow Sights - Advantages and Disadvantages

The accuracy of the shot is important to both a bow hunter and to the archer shooting in a competition for prizes or the honor of winning. Each can take advantage of the use of bow sights to improve accuracy and consistency in hitting the target regardless of the conditions, distances and elevation. Some sights will work better than others, but most all will improve your shooting score to some degree. The type of sight you choose should be matched with the use and the type of bow you have. Some of the more common types of bow sights that are found in today's products are listed below.

Pin sights

Pin sights are probably the most commonly available of all the bow sights. The simplest pin sights consist of one or more sight pins mounted to a circular ring either on a horizontal or vertical plane. The pin sights are lined up on the target. If there are multiple sight pins, the accuracy for various distances can be locked into the sights without continual estimates and adjustments to the sight. The pin sight is usually the least expensive and certainly is easy to use.

Peep sights

Peep sights are even simpler to use. They are bow sights that consist of a ring placed in position between the bow strings so that when you draw back the strings, the hole in the ring lines up with your eye and you can center the ring around the target you are trying to hit and let fly.

Scope sight

A scope sight is much like a scope for a gun. You just look through the scope where you can see fine crosshairs. The bow sights center the crosshairs on the target for great accuracy. The scope sight is easy to mount on the bow. It is more common for use on high powered bows such as crossbows. Accuracy and consistency of results are excellent.

Laser Sights

Laser sights were very popular at the time they were first launched. The laser bow sights project a small laser on the target and you can use that in order to aim the bow and increase the accuracy of your shooting. The feature of laser sights that makes them less than wildly popular is the fact that if there is an obstacle between the bow and the target, the laser beam doesn't reach the target.

Red Dot Sights

The bow sights known as red dot sights work just like rifle scopes work, except that instead of cross hairs, the red dot bow sights use a red dot to line up with the target. You will need to review these different types of sights and perhaps even try one or two in order to decide which one works best for you. If you shoot in more than one type of archery, you may even need more than one type of sight. What is indisputable is that the use of a sight coupled with consistent practice will make you a better shot.

Additional Bow Sights Features

Many bow sights have additional features to help in various aspects of bow hunting or target shooting. For example, tuning and accuracy can be improved by the additional leveling bubbles. These help to eliminate torque. Unless the regulations and laws in your hunting jurisdiction prohibit them, you can add sight pins that are lighted or small sight-body mounted lights to illuminate the pins when the light level is low, thus adding to shooting accuracy. Each of these features has benefits for particular types of shooting and the key is to match the type of archery to the appropriate equipment.

Personal preference

Before deciding on one of the bow sights for yourself, you should take the time and make the effort to consider how you shoot, what type of bow that you have and what your requirements for shooting are. Bow sights that work perfectly for another may not be a good choice for you and your style of archery. The bow itself may require a different style of sights than that of your shooting friend. Even a strong recommendation in favor of a specific sight should not be accepted without reviewing the options and if possible trying out the product in various shooting situations.

Bow hunters needs

Since bow hunters tend to move around through sometimes rough terrain, they more often than not will prefer a bow that is light in weight and perhaps more compact than the bows used for competitive purposes. The more recent designs in hunting bows are shorter from axle to axle and thus carry less weight to get hung up while moving after the target animal. bow sights intended for these bows also tend to be lightweight and do not require that the hunter carry tools through the brush in order to adjust the bow sights.

Competitive shooting

In contrast to bow hunters, those who shoot competitively need a different type of bow sights. Because they may be required to shoot longer distances, and may require heavier equipment in order to add stability to their equipment, they are more likely to prefer heavier bow sights. A sight that requires time to adjust and dial in is not a problem, in fact--it may be an advantage in competition. The competitive archer has the time to set up his or her shot carefully in order to be absolutely accurate and win the competition.

Combination shooting

If you are one of the growing number of archers who participates in and enjoys both bow hunting and competitive shooting, you may be better off to purchase two different types of bow sights--one for each of the major uses you make of your bow or bows. Sights are made so that they can be easily attached and removed when you choose to participate in a different type of archery activity. You could also purchase two or more sights and leave them permanently attached to two or more different bows. Since the bows are likely to be different, the sights should be too.

How to Select Bow Sights

If you are really interested in the sport of archery, whether you choose competitive target shooting or whether you are hunting big game with a bow, you must rely on the accuracy of your ability to send the arrow to a specific point at a specified distance each and every attempt. Choosing and using bow sights correctly allows you to improve your accuracy and performance. there is some variance in the design and effectiveness of the various types of sights. Most can be resolved through consistent and dedicated practice with the archery equipment you choose.

What is a Bow Sight?

Bow sights are small devices which are affixed to the riser of the bow in order to assist in accurate measurement and reference point for the flight of the arrow to its intended target. Bow sights often consist of a circular ring containing one or more sight pins that can be set to sight in to a target at specified distances. The bow sights may also contain a peep sight which further defines the target area and makes it easier to light up the sight pin(s) on the target. Modern sights may be either for left-handed or right-handed people.

Fixed Pin Sights

Fixed pin bow sights are the most common and most popular of all the archery sights sold today. Sights are fastened to the bow either by attaching directly to the bow riser--known as a hard mount--or by a dovetail system. This system is a two part mounting where a metal bracket is affixed to the riser and a sight bracket holding the sight body can be quickly mounted by sliding the equipment into or out of the main bracket. The bow sights are formed of durable and rugged materials such as polymer, aluminum, polycarbonate or other substances.

Adjustable Pin Sights

Both bow scopes and adjustable pin bow sights have just one sight pin. The adjustable pin sights are movable and must be adjusted to the correct yardage immediately prior to taking the shot. The yardage is marked on the mounting bracket of the bow sights so that the archer doesn't need to estimate distances. Although the adjustable pin sights are preferred by many since they don't require estimating distances, hunters often prefer the fixed pin type so that they can follow the target as it moves rather than trying to adjust the sight for the specific yardage while on the fly.

Pendulum Sights

Pendulum type bow sights are a single pin sight that swings inside the housing of the pin. They are typically sighted in from a ground location at twenty yards distance. Some automatic adjustment is done so that the hunter may be in a position above the ground or may be at longer distances from the shooting target. By using the pendulum sights, the hunter needs only to focus on the target rather than on the sight adjustments. The disadvantages arise when shooting from an above ground position or further distances, since the accuracy deteriorates.

Technology in Modern Bow Sights Design

Bow sights are are different than rifle sights, for instance in that there are at three different components to the trajectory of the arrow when fired. The distance from the target is one factor that must be considered, as well as the horizontal and vertical planes of the arrow flight. Placing all three components in the field of sight so that the archer can sight in the bow at different distances is not only a help to the accuracy for the archer, but it is a disadvantage in that part of the field of vision is blocked by the very thing that assists in accuracy calculations.

Basic design of sights

The basic design of many current bow sights includes one or more sight pins on a single plane attached to extend from the side of a viewing ring. The pins or fibers are often composed of fibers sometimes with the capability of a movable elevation bracket so the number of components can be reduced, thus opening up the field of vision while still providing multiple distance settings. Fiber optics design for the bow sights gives maximum brightness with the most compact size. The sight assembly can be attached so that it is usable by either left handed or right handed users.

Recent developments

The major new developments what have occurred in the design and construction of bow sights include the creation of a rotating shaft so that the fewer sight pins are located in the field of vision while sighting in or using the bow for either hunting or target shooting. Modern, light-weight materials make possible the construction of thinner sight pins in the bow sights which is even more helpful in the reduction of obstructions to vision. Fiber optics technology means the visibility is improved during both the sighting and shooting processes.

Advantages of sights

Bow sights have the obvious advantage of allowing the archer to fine tune the accuracy of their shooting. The use of the sight pins, elevation checks and visual corrections to the act of locating and hitting the target helps to train the eye hand coordination so that success in hitting the target is reinforced because of learning the feel of the bow itself. Bow sights take advantage of the link between sight and the body stance and position to make accurate shooting a total body experience. The use of the sights provides a visual accuracy check.

Disadvantages of sights

The major disadvantage to bow sights is that in order to use the older versions of sights, you either had to sight in your bow at one fairly narrow distance range, or you had to accept multiple sight pins which tended to obscure your vision of the target you were trying to hit. More recent technology has made use of changes in design to utilize lighter, thinner materials which increase the field of vision, and of changes in the way the bow sights pins are attached to the sighting ring--again providing a clearer field of vision while still allowing for accuracy in pinpointing the target.

Set Your Sights on the Best in Bow Sights

For those who are really into archery, finding bow sights to complement your bow can be an important choice in the success of your archery practice. As its name indicates, bow sights help you to sight in the arrow so that you will hit the target each time you shoot. Sighting in the bow correctly depends on the distance from the target. You will need to check the accuracy of the sight at 10 yards, 20 yards, 40 yards and so on. This determines the optimum accuracy at each distance that you typically shoot.

What are they?

Bow sights are designed in various ways, and can be used in daylight or low light periods to help to focus your vision so that the arrow flies straight and true to the target. The style of the sights depends to large extent on the type of bow, but the type of archery that is being contemplated is also critical in choosing the design of the bow sights. Some of the sights include optic fibers to provide light assistance. Bright colors and other highly technological aids to target seeking are quite common nowadays. These have been added to the best of the traditional bow designs to ensure a modern marvel of accuracy and strength.

Why do they help you?

Whether a bow is being used for target shooting or for hunting purposes, accuracy is critical. Bow sights assist in the accuracy of both types of shooting. Many bow sights have an adjustable setting so that they can be set up for either left handed or right handed shooters. The Truglo Tru•Site Ultra Xtreme Series sights for example, have the above features and also include a large diameter ring measurement to give the widest possible field of view. Precision markings in each part of the sighting instrument provide a quality instrument in assisting targeting efforts.

A brief history

Bow sights are an invention which has existed either successfully or unsuccessfully for years. The device itself is generally a level platform affixed to the bow which holds sight pins allowing the archer to align the bow with the target. There may be as many as six or eight or even more sight pins that the archer can utilize depending upon the estimated distance from the bow to the named target to give the proper trajectory to the arrow. The sight pins that are an integral part of the bow sights also typically block the full view of the target at some level, which is the major disadvantage to the design of most sights.

Setting records

Because of the widespread use of bow sights both in competitive archery and hunting type archery, more accurate shooting is possible. However, nothing can take the place of practice in the use of the bow sights to fine tune one's ability to zero in on any type of archery target. These tools improve the competitive nature of target shooting. The ability to improve one's accuracy is what gives the archer the challenge of competing against oneself.