I started shooting a new bow this year. I am shooting the Martin Onza III; it was a present I received from Martin Archery. It is the same bow many pros have shot for the past couple of years. I am on my own to fine tune it in.. I started setting my bow up and got ready to sight it in. I went to see the local archery specialist. He fixed me up with a new sight, stabilizer, arrows, tips, the works. I was ready to go, no, not really, not quite ready yet. Now I needed to sight the bow in.
Sighting in a bow is actually pretty easy, just take your time doing it. I have done it so much it has become second nature.
Before I even start shooting my bow to sight it in, I utilize a quick way to save some time and effort that works really well. Something that is going to save me a lot of time at the range is pre-setting the pins – left and right, also setting them up and down. This is to help ensure my comfort zone with the new bow.
To get the pins set left and right before I start shooting I will try to set them with the string and arrow rest. Point the bow down range. Now I align my eye directly behind the string so appears to line up right down the center. Remember, my eye is right behind the bow.You want to move the pin left or right until it falls in line and looks even.
The next step before I start shooting targets is to get the pin in the best vertical, (the up and down), position I am looking for. I set the 20 yard pin first. Once this pin is sighted in the others seem to fall in place pretty easy.
All bows are made with two side holes to mount sights. The 20 yard pin on most new bows are just about horizontal with the top hole of the sight mount position. So I move the 20 yard pin right at the same position as the top hole for mounting the sight. That should put it pretty close to the sweet spot I am looking for.
When you are sighting in a bow, the best advice I can give you is to follow the arrow. If you’re shooting to the right of your target, you move your pin to the right, if you shooting under your target, move your pin down a bit, etc. Since I pre-set my pins before sighting in the bow, I will be in the ballpark of where I want to be.
I only make adjustments in small increments. According to people in the know, at 20 yards 1/8 of an inch adjustment at the release point can move your arrow over 12 inches at the point of impact. Now you don’t have to be a physicist to figure this stuff out. Just be patient and it will work!
That’s it! It’s not rocket science. If you are going to shoot longer distances, you would want to move one of the pins right underneath the 20 yard pin you just set. That will raise the bow a bit when aiming and compensate for the drop of the arrow in flight. Each bow will be different depending on the speed and kinetic energy created by the bow. When moving back to say 30 yards, you will carefully repeat the same process you did at 20 yards. Adjust the sight accordingly. That’s sighting in a bow in a nutshell. It’s nothing overwhelming, just pay close attention to what you are doing and you will get it done. Be patient when doing this; believe me, it will all come to you and make sense when you put it into practice.