Sight pin alignment

[Nocturnal Paralysis]

Greetings,

I have been confused as to why my bow was originally setup with sight pins not aligned with the string & arrow shaft. Once my sight pins were dialed in, they were over to the left of the string & arrow shaft. When I questioned this with my proshop, I was told some bows setup this way. Although this was an experienced guy who I would trust, I have had other people comment that whoever setup my bow should get their eyes checked... which left me questioning the setup.

This evening, I finally got off my hump and started tweeking the arrow rest and sight pins, to bring my arrow shaft, string, and sight pins into perfect alignment. I got to the point where my sight pin housing was about to jump out of its track, and my shot grouping was still off to the left, so alignment was not possible. Becuase I this, I was forced to return everything back (or close) to its original settings.

I am shooting an APA Viper w/fall away rest, Extreme 4 pin sight.

My old bow setup perfectly with the site pins inline with the string and arrow alignment, so why would it be that on this bow the sight pins do not fall in alignment with the string and arrow shaft? I have not paper tuned my bow yet, and it was never tuned in the shop... I was present when all the hardware was installed and handed over to me for posession.

Please help me understand my equipment better.

[bowhunterbruce]

you can try giving kory a call at hardcore archery in kelowna,the owner of apa was just there at the shop showing him a thing or 2 about thier complete line of bows.he should be able to help you out

[Ambush]

Google " walk back tuning" and follow that procedure to get the centre shot set on your bow. It will involve moving your rest and sight in increments untill your arrows hit in the same vertical plane.
Tons of good info, with video on the various bow sites.

[Nocturnal Paralysis]

Thanks for the info... will try that walk back tuning.

The Proshop I got my bow from was an official APA supplier... the guy who sold it to me and put the hardware on was even a pro shooter for APA (or they were trying to get him on board). Great guys, the guys from APA, had a chance to meet them in Calgary (where I got my bow).

[Bow Walker]

Quick question(s) - have you checked for fletching contact? Is string perpendicular to the arrow when the arrow is in shooting position on the rest - as in when the fallaway rest is in the "up" position?

OK - sometimes it depends on your style of shooting. If your shooting form is not perfect then for you to hit the target it might be that your pins/string/rest do not line up.

"Normally" the pins, the arrow shaft, and the rest will be cut-in-half by the bow string if every thing is lined up correctly. But, if your anchor is a bit wide (out from your head/face a bit) but stil consistent then your Point Of Impact will be a bit off - all the time.

Are your groups always in the same place? Is your P.O.I. off either to the left or right when you aim at the X?

Were it me I'd start by getting my sight pin fiber dots so that they are hidden by the string. In other words, line the sight up so that the bow string splits the pins right down the middle.

Then I'd go and shoot a group of arrows at about 20 yards. Check the P.O.I. and if it's off I'd begin by adjusting the arrow rest (either left or right) to bring the P.O.I. back into line, or closer to where you want it to be. Make small adjustments because as the distance increases the margin of error increases as well.

[Nocturnal Paralysis]

The thing is, that when I align my sight pins, string, and arrowshaft (sight pins hidden by the string, string in line with the arrow shaft), then my arrow grouping hits left. As I adjust the arrow rest to the right, and realign my sight pins, grouping stays to the left. I can keep adjusting until my sight pin housing is about to fall out of its track.

I am shooting with a short'n'sweet w/d-loop & peep, so release is consistent. my grouping is fairly consistent too. Will see what happens tonight with the walk back tuning and report back.

[Bow Walker]

Just adjust one thing at a time. Move your arrow rest and leave the sight pins alone. Adjusting both the sight pins and the arrow rest won't get you the results that you're looking for.

If you're adjusting your arrow rest to the right, there is no need to also adjust your sight pins. The arrow adjustment rest will bring your P.O.I. back towards center but by also adjusting your sight pins you're defeating the adjustment to the arrow rest.

It's pretty hard to do this over the internet - I wish I could get my hands on your bow so I could really see what's happening.

[Geo.338]

I think that the guy probably had it pretty close .You cannot really eyeball a bow to see if it is sighted or tuned properly.

I would try to get the rest back to where it was .If you are grouping left
then move your sight pin in small increments to the left .By doing this you should see your sight and groups moving closer together.

There are several aspects to tuning and one is your rest this will affect how your arrow leaves the bow .It is hard to see but if you shoot through paper you will see if your arrows are flying true .Once you get the arrows leaving the rest nice and straight you should be able to get those pins dialed in .

Good luck

[Bowzone_Mikey]

Have you cheched:
Your Grip ...you could be torquing ...APA have narrow grips even more so if all you have is side plates
the center shot,
Your anchor and release ... If you are plucking and punching the trigger you will go left if you are right handed


You are certain that your rest is centered? and level???

I would also look at your release aid ... if you have a hook style release witch way does it open?

But at the end of the day ... ( with no offence intended) ... I would look at the technique of the shooter first before I looked ath the equipment.

[oldtimer]

Just adjust one thing at a time. Move your arrow rest and leave the sight pins alone. Adjusting both the sight pins and the arrow rest won't get you the results that you're looking for.

If you're adjusting your arrow rest to the right, there is no need to also adjust your sight pins. The arrow adjustment rest will bring your P.O.I. back towards center but by also adjusting your sight pins you're defeating the adjustment to the arrow rest.

It's pretty hard to do this over the internet - I wish I could get my hands on your bow so I could really see what's happening.

The first 6 words say it perfectly. Too many time we "tinker " with 2 or more things at once and we never ever know which "tinker" either solved the problem or made it worse, which is usually the result. Mike

[saddlemaker]

I would tune the rest first to get perfect arrow flight.. then adjust the sight to get point of impact right. don,t worry about everything lining up. It is right when you get perfect arrow flight and are hitting what you are aiming at.

Correct form , is imperative for consistent shooting. have fun!

[hardnocks]

first thing i would do is measure and figgerout what my center shot is. And set the rest there. With an apa you will be real close. then set your nocking point with a bare shaft. Shoot a bareshaft tell it is ends up level in the target . i go 20yds. then do the walk back tuning from their.

[Bow Walker]

I had another thought about your problem. Are you shooting through an APA rest? Is it a Safari Twister?

Are you shooting with the cock vane down? That is critical with the APA's style of rests.

[Nocturnal Paralysis]

Yes. I am using a twister safari rest, and yes, shooting cock vayne down.

I did the walkback tuning to about 30 yards and my shots are more consistent now. Makes sense now as to why my grouping started to go when I was first starting to try 30 and 40 yards. In the end I did have to move my rest a fair bit to the right.

I think my technique is okay. Not saying it's perfect. I leave my hand open to avoid torqing the riser, and I try to use back tension with my release so I don't punch the trigger. But overall after these adjustments with walkback tuning, my grouping seems to have improved at both 20 and 30 yards.

I am starting to wonder if maybe when I raise my drop away rest to check string, arrow and sight pin alignment, it doesn't reflect how it is at full draw. My sight pins are still to the left of the string when sighting down the string and shaft.

Thanks for all the help and new things to think about! She seems to be shooting better than even before I started to touch things.

[Muledeerjohn]

with sites chase your mistake. shot 3-5 arrows to get a grouping and go from there. also make sure everything is centred and your bow is tuned. Any archery dealer should know how to tune your bow.

[Ambush]

For walk back tuning you need some space. Place a strip of tape or flagging tape in a vertical line on your target. Don't worry about elavation, simply concentrate on hitting the vertical line.
At fifteen yards, shoot several arrows at the line. Adjust your sights untill you are bang on the line. Now move back as far as you can. I prefer sixty yards. Now carefully shot several arrows at the line. If your arrows hit left of the line, move your rest a little to the right. Opposite for opposite.

Keep moving your rest, in small increments, untill all your arrows seem centred on the line at sixty yards.

Now move back to fifteen yards and do it all again. You will have to adjust your sight again now to centre on the vertical line.

DON'T keep shooting untill you are tired. Over tired arms make for poor form and you can't tune a bow if you are causing problems.

A horizontal line on the target is also a great way to set pins for yardage.