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A Guide to Compound Bow Laser Sights

A bow sight is a device that is mounted on a compound bow’s riser, which helps an archer aim an arrow. The sight simply helps tell the shooter where an arrow is pointed.

As much as it is possible to shoot a compound bow without a sight, it can be rather difficult especially at long ranges. Thus, almost all modern bows are fitted with some kind of a sight. Archers can choose from various types of scopes including a reticulate scope, a red dot sight and a laser bow sight.

A compound bow laser sight is ideal when an archer is aiming at a moving target. The laser assists the shooter to predict where the arrow is likely to strike the target. Such a sight can be attached to the compound bow’s underside or in some instances it can be attached to the scope’s upper portion. If the shooter is using the laser bow sight together with a high quality scope, it will go a long way in determining mid-range targets with unerring accuracy. Some bows can be fitted with iron sights as an alternative. These sights happen to be the most basic and are made using durable metal materials. For the case of a crossbow, two sights are usually mounted. One of them is placed on its front while the bow’s front, is a bead, a ring or a post. The other sight is located on the bow’s back and is fitted in a way that it is perpendicular to the bow’s line of sight. In some instances, iron sights contain features that allow adjustments to be made on the windage and elevation.

The earliest innovation to hit the bow sight market was a tiny flashlight utilized in illuminate pins when there are low light levels. As much as it is a simple and effective tool, it uses batteries and has to be switched on and off. A common problem occurs when the illuminator is not switched off as it results in dead batteries that do not get detected until when it has to be used again.
Light is gathered by fiber optics and then transmitted to the fiber’s tip. This creates a bright light point with no batteries under marginal conditions, and offers an even brighter illumination where there is daylight. Another option worth putting into consideration is a radioactive element known as Tritium that is added to paint. It gathers light in a manner similar to a watch’s luminous dial. It is possible to get a combination of fiber optics and Tritium.
The brightest fiber optic bow sights utilize long fiber lengths wrapped around the sight a number of times in order to improve their ability to gather light.

A laser sight for a compound bow that can easily be adjusted is of great importance. A sight has to be adjusted both horizontally and vertically, in addition to adjusting the individual pins. Once adjustment has been made, the moveable parts have to be retightened. It is advisable for an archer to go for easy-to-access lock screws that are sufficiently large to withstand the pressure needed to remain tight under intense vibration. Being in possession of wrenches that are the right sizes to tighten all screws and bolts is recommended. Should a loose fastener be detected before it moves, no harm can happen. However, it is left un-tightened, it will eventually become loose.

Another notable feature on many laser bow sights involves the addition of a level aimed at maintaining the bow as vertically aligned. As much as this is advantageous to use when doing target practice, not many archers remember to check out a level when lining up a shot. All in all, if an archer uses it routinely during practice, he or she should have developed a habit of shooting correctly. Fast compound bows that shoot arrows with a relatively flat trajectory can often set up a pin that works for distances of between 10 and 30 yards. Only slight adjustments have to be made up or down for variances from the best possible setting. The archer will find single pins oriented from different sight frame positions.

If an archer is not in possession of a fast bow, or is planning to shoot at a target that more than 35 yards away, either more pins or an adjustable sight will be needed. There are a number of ways in which multiple pins can be configured, however the way that works best for the archer will influence which way they will go.

Both ways are equally accurate, with the main difference occurring in the sight pattern. In the case of vertical inline pins, the archer basically observes a series of bright point of light stacked on top of one another. The second option involves a series of vertical series on the sight’s side, staggered at a number of distances that will be determined by the archer’s setup process. With any of the two designs, the shooter still has to remember what pin has been set for what distance, and utilize the proper one corresponding to his or her yardage estimate.

Prior to getting a laser bow sight, it is advisable for an archer to check the local regulations. This is because some areas in Australia restrict the use of laser or electronic bow sights. Such sights that project a laser beam to the target being shot at are rather effective in areas having low light levels of light. However, if used in bright daylight, the shooter could be hamstrung. The problem becomes even worse as distance increases and brightness of the beam diminishes. A better and more practical approach involves use of red dot sights that project the light beam back to the archer. Red dots are more effective and versatile, given that they are quipped with shielded sight lens while also having variable beam intensities. Laser bow sights have no pins to break or bend off, do away with peep problems, are extremely durable, and are easy to use. They thus solve a lot of problems to do with compound bows.