Rear Peep and Front Combos
2008-07-21
No High Technology. No Sex Appeal.
Still a Cost Effective and Deadly Sighting Alternative.
Over 100 years ago, an unknown archer discovered that if he taped a wooden matchstick to the face of his longbow and used the “blue tip” of the match as a front sight, his accuracy improved tenfold.
This basic idea evolved with matchsticks being replaced by metal screws tapered down to a fine ball point for finer aiming and clever brackets designed to hold them to the bow. These brackets evolved too, sometimes holding 6 pins or more to compensate for trajectory at varying distances. This system served the archery community pretty well for many years but lacked consistency.
What the archer needed was a way to consistently position his aiming eye (which was the rear sight) in the same place shot after shot. Then along came an ingenious, inventive type who discovered that a plastic disc with a drilled hole, positioned between the strands of the string, could serve as a rear peep sight.
All the archer needed to do was to look through the hole of the peep, choose the proper pin and hold it appropriately for the distance to the target and let the shot fly. This is exactly the system vertical archers’ use today albeit modern materials, fiber optics, lights etc. Now, turn the bow horizontally and the system is the same for the crossbow. A rear sight combined with one or more adjustable pin sights on the front, pre-sighted at a given distance.
The rear peep combo is usually the sighting system that most crossbow manufactures include as standard equipment with their bows. Why you ask? It works! It is a simple, reliable and effective aiming means. Truth be told, ninety-nine percent of these sights are replaced with a scope or red dot sight before the bow is taken afield. For some hunters though, they would be better served by utilizing this type of sight for the reasons previously stated. Also, if you are an archer already familiar and comfortable with this arrangement and making the transition from a compound bow to a crossbow, why change?
HOW MANY PINS DO I NEED?
The answer to this question lies purely on your hunting/shooting style and the terrain in which you hunt. If you generally hunt thick swamps and never need to shoot over 25 yards, one pin can serve nicely. Sight this single pin at 20 yards and aim slightly low or high to cover 0-25 yards.
TWO PIN SET-UPS
This is a very simple but useful arrangement. Sight your top pin for 20 yards and the bottom one for 40 yards. Use the space in-between to “gap” aim for a 30 yard shot. With practice and knowledge of your bow’s trajectory, you will be amazed at how accurate you can become using this arrangement.
THREE PIN SIGHT
This would be the maximum number I would suggest for hunting applications. More becomes quite cluttered and will block too much of the target area. Sight the top pin for 20 yards, middle pin for 30 yards and bottom pin for 40 yards.
PEEP SIZE
Don’t be too concerned if your peep sight seems overly large when aiming. Your subconscious will automatically center your pin sight. Too small a peep will overly restrict the available aiming light in the woods.
GENERAL INFORMATION
When you first begin to shoot an open sight system, you must determine how you will aim. Will you focus on the pin or will you focus on the target? Your eyes will not allow you to do both! For me, concentrating on the target and seeing the sight pins in my “secondary” or peripheral vision works best. Try both ways to decide which method is most effective for you.
ADJUSTMENT
Because a pin sight is the front sight, adjustments are opposite of your deer rifle, where sight changes are made to the rear sight only.Remember to “follow the arrow”. If shooting high, move pin up, shooting low, move pin down, shooting left move pin left and when shooting right, move pin right.
A sight adjustment of 1/8” will produce a point of impact change of approximately 4 inches at a range of 20 yards.
When setting a pin sight for long range, the lowest (longest) adjustment will be determined by the arrow as it passes the pin upon firing. If set too low, the arrow will contact the pin disrupting flight and accuracy.
If you are a individual who leans towards simplicity or have fallen victim to a burned out battery, maybe an open sight system is just what the doctor ordered.
GOOD LUCK AND SAFE SHOOTING!
About the author: Mark Bower, COO of Horton brings 40 years of archery hunting, shooting and manufacturing experience to Horton. A former National Archery Champion, Mark has hunted worldwide harvesting 19 species of big game and over 100 Whitetails with archery gear. Mark’s passion is helping others to achieve success and to enhance their outdoor experiences. When not working with crossbows and Vertical bows, Mark enjoys fly fishing and bird dog training with his family.
