Over the years, archery has evolved a considerable lot over the past few decades and has gained a lot of popularity as a fun activity people pursue for a hobby. People try improving their aim for games and hunting and something that greatly aids in the same is a bow sight.
There are different types of bow sights available out there in the market, the main types being single-pin and multi-pin sights. A single-pin bow sight has just one aiming pin which you can easily adjust and change using a dial.
Multi-pin bow sights might have 3-5 aiming pins each of which are fixed to aim at different distances. Sighting through multi-pin bows and adjusting accordingly can look complicated, particularly for beginners.
In this article, we explain, in the simplest terms as we can, the steps you can follow in order to sight in a 4-pin bow sight.
How to sight in a compound bow with 4 pin sights?
A quick tip before we start the steps: it would be better to distribute the sighting and adjustment over a period of a few days. The process can be fatiguing and exhausting.
And setting sights in an exhausted condition wouldn’t exactly get you the best results. Another tip is to choose a durable target when sighting, as it is going to take several shots and adjustments.
Step 1: Mount the bow sight
This should be easy; you can simply follow the user annual that comes with the sight to mount the sight. Just make sure that, while screwing the sight in, you don’t work it too tight, or you may end up damaging your bow.
Step 2: Start shooting standing at the nearest mark
After you mount the bow, using an Allen wrench, simply set all the pins to center. Then, aiming for the middle of the target with the first pin, shoot 4-5 arrows. Don’t start shooting from too far, especially if you are a newbie.
Choose to shoot from a point from where you know there’s a good probability of hitting the target. 5-10 yards should be good to be set as the first mark.
It would be best to shoot arrows of the exact same type. Also, you can number the arrows beforehand with a marker so that if an arrow is going off multiple times, you can identify the faulty arrow.
It is okay even if the arrows aren’t exactly hitting the center of the target as long as you get the arrows grouped on the target board.
Step 3: Making adjustments
Adjusting the pins of the sight would be different for different sights. It could be using the slider or you might have to adjust manually.
Either way, to adjust, what you should be doing is “follow the arrow”. That is, if the arrows you shot grouped about, say, 2 inches to the left of the target, adjust the first pin to the left.
In case it is beneath the line of the target, then you have to adjust the pin downwards. Sometimes, you might have to move the pin in both directions- horizontally and vertically.
Step 4: Take the shot again
After you make the tweaks, stand at the first distance mark (5-10 yards) and sight with the same pin again. Fire the arrows again and see if you’re hitting the target now.
Repeat the shots and tweaks with the first pin until you set the pin just right and you start hitting the target one after another.
Sometimes, it may take a good number of shots and adjustments before you’re able to have perfect sight.
Step 5: Work the second pin
Once you’re done perfecting the first sight pin, move further back putting a distance of about 15 to 20 yards between yourself and the target board.
(A quick tip for you: you can use a range finder, if you have any, for accurately marking the 10-yard differences so that you can shoot from the exact same point.)
Aim at the target with the 2nd pin and shoot 4-5 arrows. After you do, do the adjustments and repeat just as suggested above.
Step 6: Repeat the process standing at the further marks for the remaining pins
You need to repeat the same process for the remaining pins. Go 10 yards further back (30 yards for the 3rd pin and 40 yards for the 4th one) for each pin. Take shots and make the relevant adjustments.
Know that this is pretty much a trial and error process. You need to shoot and adjust as many times as it takes to get the aim with the pins perfect.
As mentioned before, sighting a multi-pin bow sight can be an exhausting process. So, take it slow and spread it over a few days!