How to Sight In a Compound Bow

Sighting in is simple arithmetic once you accept one rule: move the sight in the same direction the arrows are landing. Arrows low and right, move the sight down and right. Shooters coming from rifles get this backwards because a scope works the other way, and that one reversal accounts for most of the frustration on a first sighting session.

Do these things first

Sighting in a bow that is not tuned produces a bow that is sighted for exactly one distance. Before you move a single pin, confirm that draw length is correct, the rest and nocking point are set, and the bow gives a reasonably clean result in paper tuning. Confirm arrows are consistent in weight, because a set spanning 10 grains will not group tightly enough to sight precisely.

Also make sure the sight itself is mechanically sound: mounting bolts tight, second and third axis set if your sight has those adjustments, and the peep at a height where you look through it naturally at anchor rather than by ducking your head. A peep set even slightly wrong makes every subsequent adjustment chase a moving reference. If yours is not right, fix it with the peep sight installation guide before continuing.

Step 1: get on target at 10 yards

Start close. At 10 yards even a badly misaligned sight puts arrows on a large target face, which saves you from losing arrows into the dirt while making the first big corrections. Shoot three arrows, look at the center of the group rather than the best arrow in it, and move the sight housing toward that group center. Repeat until the group is centered.

Step 2: set 20 yards precisely

Twenty yards is the reference distance for nearly everything else you will do. Move back, shoot three arrows with your top pin, and move the whole sight housing until the group is centered on the dot. Take your time and use small movements: most sights move noticeably more than the graduations suggest, and overcorrection is the most common way sessions drag on.

Once 20 is exact, stop moving the housing. Everything after this point is done by moving individual pins up or down. If you find yourself needing windage changes on the lower pins, that is a tuning problem, not a sighting problem, and it is covered below.

A sighting session is only as accurate as your distances. Stepping off 30 yards by pacing introduces several yards of error, which you then permanently build into your pin. Range your target once with a rangefinder, mark the spot, and every pin after that is honest. The same tool is what makes those pins usable in the field, where nothing is measured for you.

Step 3: set the remaining pins

Move to 30 yards, shoot three arrows with the second pin, and move only that pin vertically until the group centers. Repeat at 40 and 50. Work from close to far, and do not skip distances, because an error at 30 is much easier to spot than the same error at 50.

Drop figures assume roughly 280 fps with a typical hunting arrow and will differ with your setup. Estimate your own speed with the arrow speed calculator, because a slower, heavier arrow drops considerably more and crowds the lower pins together sooner. The right-hand column is the point worth internalizing: past 40 yards, knowing the distance matters more than the pin.

When sighting reveals a tuning problem

Watch for these three patterns, which no pin adjustment can solve:

• Windage drifts with distance. If 20 is centered but 40 groups left and 50 groups further left, your rest and sight disagree about centershot. Fix it with walk-back tuning, described in the compound tuning guide, then re-sight from scratch.
• Groups open up dramatically past 30. Usually spine or fletching clearance rather than sighting. Verify with bare shaft tuning.
• Vertical stringing at every distance. Inconsistent anchor, inconsistent arrow weight, or a nocking point issue.

Second and third axis, and why they matter on angles

Second axis levels the sight so the bubble reads true when the bow is vertical. Third axis tilts the sight housing so the bubble still reads true when you aim up or down a steep slope. If your third axis is off, a level-looking bow on a steep downhill shot is actually canted, and the arrow lands off to one side by an amount that grows with both angle and distance.

This matters most to treestand and mountain hunters. If you shoot angles, have third axis set at a pro shop, and read the treestand shooting guide for how angle changes the shot itself.

Confirming and protecting your zero

Once every pin is set, shoot a full round at mixed distances and confirm. Then mark your sight and rest positions with a fine paint pen so a shift is visible without a wrench. Record your pin settings, arrow specification and draw weight somewhere you will still have them next season.

Safety: sight in only with a backstop rated for your arrow speed and with a clear, controlled area behind the target. Arrows skip off hard ground and travel a long way. Never sight in with broadheads into a target that is not broadhead rated, and never adjust a sight while an arrow is nocked.

Related

• Best archery rangefinders: the accessory that makes pins useful
• Angle compensation calculator: why uphill and downhill shots play shorter
• How to fix target panic: if you cannot hold the pin still, sighting will not help
• First bow setup checklist