PDA

View Full Version : Number of site pins?



Sitkaspruce
04-18-2006, 12:23 PM
I am just getting back into archery and am wondering what sight pins to use, more specifiaclly the numbers of pins? I shoot a Hoyt Vtec 58#, 29", 255 fps. I have a 5 pin Fuse sight but alot of the time I find it confusing on what pin to look at and it takes me a second or more to find the right pin. A good friend of mine says he had the same problem and went to a single pin. He says that his bow shoots flat enough, that all he has to do is site in at 20 tards and then move up or down as distance dictates, out to 30 yards. My questions are what type of pin set up do you like and why. Is my bow flat shooting enough to go with one pin? or maybe just three pins?
Thanks

oldtimer
04-18-2006, 12:38 PM
Sitka. I use 5 pins set at 20, 30, 40, 50, & 60. I need these for 3D as targets can be out to 55 yards.
1 pin for a 10 yard gap may be alright for some but my bows are shooting close to 300 FPS and I would choose multiple pins any day.
Are your pins colored ?? I know that top red is 20, yellow is 40 etc. find it comes naturally after a while
My 2 cents Mike

Bow Walker
04-18-2006, 02:16 PM
I agree with oldtimer - for the most part - on the use of multiple pins for hunting.

I differ a bit when it comes to the numbers though. Sitkaspruce, if you are just hunting then you can get away with just 3 or 4 pins maximum. Set your first pin at something like 12 - 15 yards. How to come to this number is relatively easy.

Start with shooting at the target from about 10 yards. Zero in on the bullseye and then pace back to 12 or 15 yards. Shoot the same pin at the same bullseye. With your setup you should be still hitting the bull from 12 to 15 yards.

Pace back a bit more (a yard or two) shoot the same pin at the same bullseye. If the arrow is starting to miss on the low side then pace forward to where you can hit the bullseye. This is your farthest distance for your first pin. Now you know that anything from 8 - 15 yards is dead if you shoot your first pin.

Repeat for the rest of your pins.

Sorry if I am giving a simplistic "lesson" to someone who doesn't need nor want it, but since I don't know where you are starting from I just thought to mention the sighting process from the beginning.

If you are going to be shooting strictly 3D then you will most likely need 5 or 6 pins. Oldtimer is right, some targets at 3D shoots are set out at 55 or 60 yards. Seems like a mile when you are at the stake getting ready to give it a try!

Good luck in your come-back.

dan.

bwhnter
04-18-2006, 02:37 PM
I use 7 pis (20,30,40,50,60,70 and 80) but the last three are for target only. I find that when you shoot 80yrds it improves your form and when you step up to the 50 yrd target it seemd close and adds to your confidence.

huntwriter
04-18-2006, 04:07 PM
My self imposed maximum shooting range is 30 yars. Use two pins, one set at 10 yards, (for 0 to 18 yards dead on) the other pin set at 25 yards, (for 18 to 30 yards dead on).

Never needed more for hunting. I use my bow strictly for hunting and do no target archery shooting.

sealevel
04-18-2006, 04:15 PM
If you only hunt a 3 pin would be all you need i like 15 30 45. I don`t like more than 3 for hunting cause i`am easly cofussed and i like a big enough gap between the pins that i can see clearly between them. I use 5pins for 3d.

Fred
04-18-2006, 08:16 PM
I was set up with only 2 pins and it seemed to work well for me. Then I went to the first 3D in Penticton this spring. 2 pins did not work, not atall! I set up with 4 pins for the next 3D up there and improved a fair bit. Next time I might have to sneak my rangefinder onto the course though to get much better! :frown: Fred

cowboy-up69
04-18-2006, 10:41 PM
I find it confusing on what pin to look at and it takes me a second or more to find the right pin.

Im the exact same way! I got 3 and thats bad enough! But when I get more confident with my bow, and arnt gettin consufesd any more, I'll get maybe one more for 5o yards, but we'll see.

Bow Walker
04-19-2006, 07:54 AM
Cowboy , Sitka........
I started out the same way. I had a single movable pin on my first bow. It did me fine until I took that bow out for a walk in the woods - wasn't long before I changed to a 3 pin sight.

Shortly after that I went to a four pin and now I am settled at a 5 pin sight. It doesn't take very long at all before you get used to finding the correct pin for the yardage that you estimate.

The trick is in the estimation. Still working on that after all these years.

huntwriter
04-19-2006, 11:09 AM
Cowboy , Sitka........
I started out the same way. I had a single movable pin on my first bow. It did me fine until I took that bow out for a walk in the woods - wasn't long before I changed to a 3 pin sight.

Shortly after that I went to a four pin and now I am settled at a 5 pin sight. It doesn't take very long at all before you get used to finding the correct pin for the yardage that you estimate.

The trick is in the estimation. Still working on that after all these years.

I mark the trees for the shooting distances with a small tack. One tack is up to 18 yards, two tacks for 18 to 30 yards. I put the markers on the trees when I scout for the stand location. I also take a range finder with me on every scouting and hunting trip. All this eliminates a lot of the guess work and gives me confidence to shoot and not worry.

I tried three pins and it is to much clutter in the sight picture. Again I do not want to think about what pin to chose or worry about anything when I pull the string back.

Sitkaspruce
04-19-2006, 04:53 PM
Thanks for all the info.

I will be strictly hunting and I have a limit of 30 yards max.. I do not have time to travel to 3D shoots. I am looking at a two or three pin sight right now, but after shooting about 100 arrows yesterday, I am starting to get used to the 5 pins. Will just have to keep practising, as that is all the fun anyways. Has anyone ever used the Cobra - King Cobra 1 or 3 pin sight?

Bow Walker
04-19-2006, 05:12 PM
Spot Hogg Real deal 5-pin for myself. I've tried the Trophy Ridge, the Copper John and a very early cheap sight that I forget the name of. The simplest and easiest to set up and sight-in was and is the Spot Hogg. Plus it is as tough as nails. Not the Nails on this site, but real metal ones.

Good luck to you this season.............
Dan.

and don't give up on 3D just yet. It is a ball!

huntwriter
04-19-2006, 07:53 PM
I use Cobra, several different styles in the past, and I am very pleased with them. Until about two weeks ago I used the very old steel pins and now changed to a tree pin with fiber optics, but use only two of the tree pins. I hate not seeing the full deer in the clutter of the pins.

bsa30-06
04-19-2006, 08:20 PM
I use a cobra 3 pin sight set at 20-30-40 yds.

rrfred
04-21-2006, 08:37 AM
when i bowhunted; my compound bow had one pin set at 32 yds; and my recurve had no sights.

The 'Hummer'
04-23-2006, 01:04 PM
I'm presently using a Hoyt Micro Elite with five pins, 20 - 60yds.

3d bowman
04-29-2006, 10:52 AM
I use the Torphy Ridge. 5 pins that are verticle. Lots of room to see the target. Have not hunted with it yet, hopefully this spring for bear. Others later this season. But done lots of 3d targets and really love the sight now. I did shot a Cobra adjustable. Very nice, but the paper to mark the yardage almost came off once and could of ended my shoot very quickly. Thats when I went back to fixed pins...and never looked back. My yardage is set 20 - 60 yards.
Good luck and happy shooting!!

3d

bsa30-06
04-29-2006, 10:54 AM
well after shooting my first 3D i think i'll be adding a fourth pin @ 50 yds.

adam moleski
05-27-2006, 07:36 PM
hello I have done alot of bow hunting and the answer to your question depends on how far you shoot. I shoot alot and shoot up to sixty yards and have taken a moose and a goat at this distance and retrieved them right away. most of the animals I have shot have been under 40 yard though. Last archery season my friend and I were in hudson hope and we were waiting for a group of bucks to come close enough. he liked the idea of a single pin and I really dont. finally three bucks came within 12 yards and he drew back and missed it because in all the excitement his pin was set at 30 yards. I would really recomend using pins from 20-60 yards at in 10 yard incriments. have them colour coded and get used to it. if you only want to shoot close then one of two pins is fine but I have shot alot of animals at around 40 yards and I would reccomend practising at far distances. but lets face it you have to be accurate and having a pin for different yards is much more ethical when buck fever gets you going!
just my thoughts though

chevy
05-27-2006, 09:22 PM
I have 4 pins on my bow 20 30 40 50 my bow shoots 315fps with carbon arrows 50 yards would have to be my max i would use for shooting some say 30 is the max but it depends on how long you have been shooting and how good you are at judging your distances while hunting 3 or 4 pins is plenty you have to remember and most bowhunters will agree with me that you only get one shot with a bow so you have to go with what feels best for you and the best way to judge your pins for me is too shoot gofers with your bow and a judo point that is the same grain as your broadheads then after a while you get used to judging distances and shooting better remember a gofer is a small target and if you miss that gofer by 2 to 3 inches either way then when you shoot at that big animal you are hunting there's a good chance it will be the killing shot

PGKris
05-30-2006, 11:21 PM
hello I have done alot of bow hunting and the answer to your question depends on how far you shoot. I shoot alot and shoot up to sixty yards and have taken a moose and a goat at this distance and retrieved them right away. most of the animals I have shot have been under 40 yard though. Last archery season my friend and I were in hudson hope and we were waiting for a group of bucks to come close enough. he liked the idea of a single pin and I really dont. finally three bucks came within 12 yards and he drew back and missed it because in all the excitement his pin was set at 30 yards. I would really recomend using pins from 20-60 yards at in 10 yard incriments. have them colour coded and get used to it. if you only want to shoot close then one of two pins is fine but I have shot alot of animals at around 40 yards and I would reccomend practising at far distances. but lets face it you have to be accurate and having a pin for different yards is much more ethical when buck fever gets you going!
just my thoughts though

What he said.
I use 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 metre pins. I would only take a 50 metre shot on a moose. What it comes down to, like Adam said, is that you have to practice and be confident in your shooting. I've been doing this since I was 7 and I basically know what I can and can't do.
Kris

CHilko21
05-31-2006, 11:54 PM
I have 5 pins, set from 20 yards on...not confident enough in my abilities, or the weight of my bow to do a 50 or 60 yard shot on a critter though. Target shooting is fine. It takes a lot of practice, I know I'll have to be doing a lot more of as soon as things settle down a bit more. I got my first bow when I was 5 or so, it's just a matter of fine-tuning. I think 5 is the standard # of pins, wish they could be all different colors though, I can definately see what you mean having a second or so delay on which pin to use.