If you have purchased a new compound bow or you decided to upgrade to a new bow sight, I know you are itching to start sending some arrows down range to test it out. Before you’re completely dialed in, you need to sight in your bow.
Sounds easy enough, right? Just secure your bow sight to the bow’s riser and start moving the pins around so the arrows hit where you aim. But wait, do I move the pins to chase the arrow impact? Or the other way around? At what distance should I sight in a bow? Let me help clear things up.
What Do I Need to Know Before I Sight in My Bow?
Make Sure Your Bow is in Tune
A properly tuned compound bow is a fancy way of saying that, when released, the arrow flies dead straight without veering left or right, fishtailing, or otherwise corkscrewing wildly about.
If you begin to sight in your bow with your bow out of tune, you may end up chasing your tail since your arrow flight isn’t straight and consistent from shot to shot. Take the time to tune your bow (with the help of your local archery shop if needed) prior to sighting in your bow.
Make Sure Your Bow Sight is Properly Mounted to Your Bow
Ok, your bow is in tune and your sight is screwed into your riser – ready to go! Well, not exactly…
One more thing to verify before sighting in your compound bow is that your bow sight is mounted level. You bow sight needs to be mounted level in order for the vertical adjustments and horizontal adjustments to function properly.
If your bow sight isn’t level, the vertical adjustments you make when sighting in your bow may not be moving the sight housing perfectly up and down (and the same goes for horizontal adjustments left and right).
With your bow in tune and your sight leveled, we’re ready to get to work.
Sighting in a Multi Pin Bow Sight
First, we’re going to decide what yardage we want to use for each sight pin in the multi pin sight. A good place to start is 20 yards, so we will sight in our top pin for that distance. Most modern compound bows shoot arrows at speeds great enough to render setting the top pin at a shorter distance irrelevant.
Sighting in the Top Pin
To sight in the 20 yard sight pin, begin with a large target and shoot at no more than 10 yards. This will make sure the arrow impacts the target, since we aren’t sure where the point of impact will be for this sight right out of the box. Take a shot or two and note where the arrow(s) impacted the target in relation to your aiming point.
This point should be highlighted and in blinking text: Always move your sight in the direction that your arrows are impacting. For instance, if your arrows are impacting left of your intended target, move your sight to the left. Same for missing high, low, or right.
Move your sight in the direction of your arrow impact until your point of aim is the same as the point of impact. For the first major adjustments, move your entire sight housing. As you make more minor adjustments, you can move the individual sight pins to fine tune.
Sighting in Sight Pins for Longer Distances
Once you have your top pin sighted in at 20 yards, move on to your second pin. A common distance to use for your second pin is 30 yards, but you can set this pin to any distance you’d like. For a multi pin sight with 3 sight pins, I suggest sighting in your pins at 20, 30 & 40 yards. For a multi pin sight with five pins, you can sight in the longer pins for 50 & 60 yards.
Step back to 30 yards and repeat the same process we used for 20 yards. If you notice that your arrows are missing your intended target in different directions, consider taking a break. Fatigue can cause your form to suffer and can negatively impact your accuracy.
Sighting in a Single Pin Sight
To sight in a single pin sight, you will follow the same initial steps of sighting in the top pin of a multi pin bow sight.
Start with a Blank Sight Tape to Find Your Marks
Start with a blank sight tape and note where your sight indicator is pointing after you sight in your pin for 20 yards. Back up to 40 yards and repeat the process. Shoot several arrows and adjust your sight housing up or down to move your point of impact.
Once you have dialed in your sight pin at 40 yards, make another mark on your blank sight tape and move back to 60 yards.
Repeat the process at 60 yards, making a final mark on your sight tape. Walk back to 20 yards and 40 yards to confirm your marks.
Compare Your Sight Tape with the Sight Tapes Provided by the Manufacturer
Most single pin sights come with several sight tapes for varying arrow speeds. Take the blank sight tape you used to make your 20, 40 & 60-yard marks and compare your tape to the provided sight tapes.
You should choose the printed sight tape that matches your blank sight tape. Now you have a bow sight that has yardage markers for many distances.
Recap: How to Sight in a Bow
Tools you need: compound bow, bow sight, allen wrenches, large archery target
Before beginning, make sure your bow is in tune and your bow sight is mounted level
Shoot a few arrows at 10 yards and move your sight housing in the direction of your arrow impact (if you miss left, move your bow sight to the left)
Move back to 20 yards and shoot again. For major adjustments, move your sight housing, and for minor adjustments to your sight, only move the sight pin. Shoot three arrows at a time and consider the entire arrow group when making adjustments to your bow sight.
If shooting a multi pin sight, move to your next pin distance and repeat the process until all of your sights pins are sighted in.