How to Sight in a Bow
Before you head into the field, it’s important to make sure your bow and sight are aligned for reliable accuracy. The process of aligning your bow’s aim with your bow sight is called “sighting-in” and is a crucial step to get ready for your hunt. Learn how to sight in a bow with our guide and keep your arrows on target this season!
Adjusting Your Bow Sight
If you’ve ever sighted in a rifle scope, the process of sighting a bow will be familiar to you. There are two adjustments you’ll need to make—one to adjust the horizontal aim of the sight and one to adjust the vertical aim.
If your bow has a multi-pin sight, you’ll need to adjust your sight pins for your desired ranges. The top pin will be set for the closest range you plan to shoot, while the bottom range will be aligned with the farthest range you plan to shoot. If you’re using a single-pin sight, adjust your settings based on the markings on your sight tape.
Sighting-in a Multi-Pin Sight
To sight-in a multi-pin sight, begin by shooting a three-arrow group while aiming at the center of the target with your top pin. Shooting a group rather than a single arrow helps reduce the effects of human error or inconsistent shooting on your adjustments. Once you have a group you’re happy with, adjust your sight body based on the center of the group. Many hunters find “following your arrow” a useful rule for adjusting their sight—if your group is to the left of your target, adjust your sight to the left. If your group is below the target, adjust your sight down.
Start at five yards to make sure your arrows will hit the target as you move farther away. Once your sight is aligned here, move back to 20 yards (or the closest range you want to sight-in at), shoot a group using the top pin to aim, and adjust your sight until you can shoot a tight, accurate group at 20 yards.
Once you’ve adjusted your sight at this first range, you can move back to the next range (usually 10 yards farther away) and sight-in the next pin down. Repeat this process until you’ve sighted in all your pins.
It’s also a good idea to practice and check your aim a few times before the season—your form can change day-to-day and cause small variations to your accuracy and aim. By extending the sight-in process across multiple sessions, you can adjust your pins to the right place over time as you settle into a consistent shot.
If you’re using an adjustable multi-pin sight, you can also sight-in the pin using sight tape. To do this, choose a pin to use for your point of aim (most archers choose the middle or bottom pin), then follow the steps below for sighting-in a single pin sight.
Sighting-in a Single Pin Sight
If you’re using a single pin sight, you’ll sight your bow a little differently. If you already have sight tape installed, simply set the dial to the lowest range (usually 20 yards) and adjust the pin until you shoot a tight group. When adjusting, remember to follow your arrows: if your group is to the left of the target, adjust the pin to the left.
Once you have the lowest range sighted-in, go to the farthest range you plan to shoot (commonly 60 yards) and sight-in the pin at this range. Once you’ve sighted-in, you’ll want to test the aim at a few intermediate ranges to make sure the tape is aligned correctly.
If you don’t have a sight tape on your bow, you’ll need to choose a sight tape. To find the right tape, attach a piece of masking tape where your sight tape will go—this will allow you to keep track of your yardage marks. Move your adjustment all the way up (the indicator should be at the top of the tape). This is your 20-yard mark. Sight your pin at this range, following your arrow for any adjustments, then make a mark on the tape. Move the dial down to about where the 60-yard mark will be, sight-in the pin, and make another mark. Move the dial back to the 20-yard mark, lock it down, and remove the tape. Using the tape you made your marks on, find a sight tape that best matches your sighted-in 20- and 60-yard marks and your bow speed. Once you’ve found the right tape, attach it to your sight, aligning the 20-yard mark with the indicator. Check your accuracy at a few different ranges and make any adjustments as needed.
Adjusting Your Peep Sight
Once you’ve sighted-in your front sight, you’ll need to adjust your peep sight if you’ll be using one. While up to your preference, many archers find a peep sight helpful to keep a more consistent aim. A peep sight is a small hollow circle piece installed in your bowstring that allows you to “peep” through your string and narrow your field of vision through your bow sight. If you’re familiar with gun sights, peep sights are a similar concept—you’ll align the rear sight (the peep sight) with your front sight to get the most accurate aim.
Once you’ve attached the peep sight, put an arrow on the string and draw to your anchor point. Using small adjustments, align the peep sight with your eye and the sight pins when the bow is at draw.
Just like your sight pins, you’ll need to make small adjustments to your peep sight over the course of a few days. The string will stretch and settle as you use it, changing the peep sight’s alignment. Once the string has stabilized, your peep sight will stay in place and aligned with your pins as long as you have a consistent anchor point.
If you want your bow professionally set-up and adjusted, ERLEBNISWELT-FLIEGENFISCHEN bow technicians can tune and pre-sight your bow as well as install any components like pin sights or peep sights. Our technicians will shoot your bow at our archery lane and make sure everything works properly and that your sight is close to sighted-in. You’ll still want to go through the process of sighting-in yourself since small differences in form can change the aim of the bow, but a tune-up will make the process of sighting-in much easier. Have questions for one of our Archery Experts? Stop by or contact your local ERLEBNISWELT-FLIEGENFISCHEN for advice on getting your bow ready for the season.