Sight Rings

[4ptbuck]

I am curious how many of you use the sight rings in aiming your bow.

To be perfectly clear, centering the sight ring in the peep, and then aiming with the pin. Centering may be miss-leading, as most I've seen create more of a halo on the edge of the peep.

This seems very counter intuitive to me, and honestly, not the way I do it.

When I shoot my bow, I always center my pin in my peep. Exactly the same way you'd shoot an apeture sight gun. I have found that the pin naturally centers itself, and i can stay focused 'inline'. ie without having to keep the ring centered.

I have tried centering the ring, and found it difficult to do, while aiming the pin. Natural tendancy is to center the pin as I am aiming, and it's akwards.

I've heard the arguments that it changes your anchor point. It doesn't change mine. Always knuckle on the jawbone, nose on the sting. It does change the vertical postioning of the bow arm, as you adjust to center the pin. How much does it move,... not very much.

I can see the theory here. Change elevations with your waist, and always keep the bowarm gemotry the same. That way you'll have consistency. Who really does that? I betcha those that center the ring use their arms/head to adjust vertical alignment.


thoughts?....

[Bow Walker]

The "proper" way that it is supposed to be done is to have the sight ring visible inside your peep aperture - then all your pins are centered. Choose the pin required and then lift or drop the bow-hand (while keeping the upper body in a "T-like" posture) to bring the desired pin on target. Let out half of your breath and release gently.

Centering just the chosen pin (without having the glo-ring or the sight housing halo-ed in the peep aperture) can, and will likely, result in shooting either high or low of your intended P.O.I.

You should also pay attention to the sight level and make sure you aren't canting the bow. It's all part of the draw-aim-shoot routine, and it will become habit after a short while. It also leads you towards better and more consistent accuracy.

Seeing the halo-ed sight ring or housing is another visible anchor sign. It lets you know that you are drawing and holding the bow the same way, every time. A solid, repeatable shooting form is critical to consistent accuracy.

[4ptbuck]

I hear you, and I know exactly what you mean.

Fact is that tif the ring is 'halo-ed', the pins are not centered. Only 1 pin may be. Pin gaps.

Ever shoot an aperture gun sight, the principle there is that you naturally center an object in the ring.

What I am saying is that it more 'natural' to center you poi, rather than a sight ring.

Regardless, I'll experiment, but my groups are good enough for me for hunting.

Maybe if I was shooting competitively things would be different.

[Bowzone_Mikey]

really depends upon who you talk to ....Mike Braden for exaple teaches that you anchor and bent at the waist ... George Ryals teaches to draw on target .. center and anchor... Reo Wilde teaches a combination of the 2. (all 3 of those people are way smarter than I ..and better shots than anyone on this site of the 3 .. Mike Braden is the only dedicated 3D shooter.. Ryals is a paper puncher ... Wilde shoots alot of paper and Field with the odd 3D) I dont agree with the form having to be a perfect T ... as long as your release elbow is in the same plane as the arrow you are good (not off to the side but straight back ... elevation doesnt matter)
as Far as centering the ring ... If you center the ring around the inside edge of your peep your pin will be natuarally centered as well... if you cant see the the sight housing in your peep I suggest getting a sight that allows you to move the sight out in front of your bow a bit more or get a bigger peep(I dont like the idea of bigger peep for accurate shooting)

Regardless of how you center your pin the key is to do it consistantly. 4Pt... please dont take this the wrong way ... but I find it hard to believe that you are consistant in your shot execution ... the anchor might be consistant with the 2 points that you mentioned ... But think of it this way, What is more stable? 2 points of contact ... or 3? Stand on your tippy toes and be stable .. dont wiggle .. stand absolutly still .... Hard aint it? now stand on your tippy toes and bend slightly at your waist and place your hands on the desk in front of you .... way easier to stay still huh?
As Bowwalker pointed out ... the ring on the sight housing is a visual cue for consistantcy and stability ... without it .. you might be close to centered all the time but could be up to an 1/8" out of center ... at 30 yards that could translate to 4" or more.
when was the last time you shot a 300 30X paper or an up round of 3D (200 plus on a 20 target 3D course)?
have you ever?

if the anser is "not last time I shot those rounds" or never ... then you have work to do my friend ... Like all of us.


Just my opinion on the subject at hand

Cheers

[4ptbuck]

Hey, don't get me wrong. I really do understand the concept behind it. Just bringing this up for discussion.

Have I ever shot a 300 30x on paper, or a perfect 3D round? Nope, and I have no plans to.

For me I bowhunt. What does that mean, Minute of Deer. If I can place my arrows into a nice tight minute of deer group at 60 yards, I am happy.

What's minute of deer?.... that changes for everybody, but for me, it's within 4-5" at 60 yards.

I just bring up the question.

I do understand the consistency of a perfect T, and bending at the waist.
It's just that I truely do not believe this.

If you center the ring around the inside edge of your peep your pin will be natuarally centered as well.

Both of you have said it, and well, nope, that's not the case. Extreme example, would be maybe your 20 yard pin is perfectly centered, but then your 50 yard pin will be towards the lower edge of the ring. I can see how you can tune that in to hit your POI. But the natural tendancy, as your focusing on the pin on the target would be to center the pin in the aperture.

Again, I understand the technique, and theory, and am playing devils advocate.

[Bow Walker]

4pt - centering the sight ring or housing within the peep aperture will not center all of the pins. What it does is to make all the pins visible - whether you shoot 3, 5, or 7 pins, they should all be visible in the peep aperture.

Then you put your selected pin on your P.O.I. (kill spot, 10X, or bullseye, whatever) keeping your upper body in the "T" shape by bending at the waist.

Yes, the only pin that will be "centered" in the true sense of the word, will be the middle pin. But don't center the 20 yard pin (if you at shooting at 20 yards). Doing that will throw your form off and make it very hard to be consistent. Whether you only hunt animals, paper bulls eyes, or 10X's - consistency is the key to accuracy.

[Bowzone_Mikey]

your pins will be centered if you use the sight housing ...
once you center the sight housing then you place the apropiate pin on the what you wanna shoot ...

if you center the apropiate pin in your peep ... your anchor will never be the same .... I have no doubt in my mind that you can shoot 5" groups at 60 ... but at 40 I highly doubt they are like that because your anchor is totally differant ... as you would have to move your head slightly ..your arm slightly and possibly your hand slighly to center the 40 pin from where you held those things when you centerd the 60 pin
But if your are hitting that "Minute of Deer" ... and your happy with it ... fly at er... BW and I are more happy with "Minute of Mosquito Nuts" accuracy and thrive for that ...
Practice hard ... Hunt easy