It is crucial to properly sight your bow if you want to enjoy using it. This is because a properly sighted bow is much more accurate. Therefore, it makes target practice and hunting much more accurate and fun.
Failure to sight your bow means poor shot placement. This can be frustrating and inhumane. It can be frustrating as it will make it difficult for you to hit your targets. And it can be inhumane as it will make it difficult for you to put animals down quickly.
In this post, we will share with you the steps to follow to sight your compound bow. The steps shared below are the most efficient steps for sighting a compound bow.
Steps for sighting a compound bow
1. Gather the things you will need
No compound bow sighting can happen without the right “tools”, which include an Allen wrench set, a shooting target, a mechanical release, and arrows. Once you gather the tools for the job, you need to check if your bow is tuned. If it is not, make sure it is because the steps below will only work if your bow is tuned.
2. Prepare your compound bow for shooting
Before sighting your compound bow, you must make sure it is in perfect working condition. You must do everything necessary to prepare it for shooting. Failure to do everything to prepare your bow for shooting could lead to a safety incident or inaccurate sighting.
Some of the things you must do to prepare your compound bow for shooting include checking if there is anything loose (the sights, the rest, & the string). If there is anything loose, you have to tighten it up. If there is anything that needs to be to be fixed or replaced, do it before the next step. Any issues with your bow or arrow will affect the sighting.
3. Get into the right stance
To sight your compound bow properly, you need to get into the right stance. This stance should also be the one you adopt for shooting your compound bow. A consistent stance will help you to get consistent results.
So what is the right stance for bow sighting? You stand up straight but at ease and hold the bow to your wrist. In case you cannot visualize this, take a look at this tutorial on YouTube. Once you are in the right stance, draw the arrow to the “saddle” between your cheek and lower jaw. Do this every time you shoot for consistent results.
4. Sight in at twenty yards
After the above steps, sight in at twenty yards. Most compound bows have three-pin sight (one for 20 yards, one for 30 yards, and one for 40 yards). Move the other two pins down and concentrate on just the 20-yard pin. Shoot several arrows using it.
Before you shoot arrows, make sure it is safe to do so. Do this by making sure there is nobody who can run in your line of sight and there is nothing behind the target.
5. Adjust your bow sight
After shooting several arrows using the 20-yard pin, you should adjust your sight. The purpose of shooting several arrows is to help you to get your arrow groups close together. In other words, it is to help you to familiarize yourself with shooting your compound bow in one stance.
Once you know where you are shooting in the right stance, you can adjust the sight. When you move the sight, it is crucial to note that the direction you move the sight will have the opposite effect on your aim. To shoot arrows higher, you move the sight downward. To shoot further left, you move the sight to the right.
When moving the sight, move it slightly to ensure you do not change your aim significantly. Every time you move your bow sight, shoot several arrows. Do this until you get to a point where when you aim for a 20-yard target, your arrow groups land exactly where you expect them.
6. Sight in the other pins
After sighting in the 20-yard pin on your bow sight, you should proceed to sight in the other pins on your bow sight (the 30-yard pin and the 40-yard pin). Once these other pins are dialed in. It is only the first pin that may need lateral (sideway) adjustments.
Once you have adjusted the first pin, the other ones only need vertical (up and down) adjustment. And they should be adjusted individually without affecting the already adjusted pin.
7. Practice
After adjusting all your pins, all you need to do is to practice. Practice shooting at targets at different lengths and if necessary slightly adjust your sight. As you become more familiar with your bow and your bow sight, you may need to make further adjustments to your bow sight. Do not be afraid to do so as doing so will improve your accuracy.
