O.K. I know i`m gonna get a beating for this question. :knothead: Since i`ve been shooting trad bow style for about 5 years now and still miss, I gotta ask about sights. If for no other reason in a hunting situation. I`ve been checking out a few sights that are used on recurves. I shoot a reflex/deflex and see no reason why sights wouldn`t work on these bows too. So, who uses sights ? Also, I don`t understand how they work on a trad bow using a cant. I used to shoot compound bows but you held the bow pretty much straight up and down. So can anyone explain how sights work on a trad bow ?
Burch
Many years ago I "thought" I needed a bow sight after losing one of my eyes to compensate for a lack of depth perception. I used both pins and pendulum types and had good success with both, but as you noted you will need to shoot the bow vertically. I later discovered I really did not need them at all and went back to a bare bow. It has been so long since I even looked at a bow sight I don't know what's out there to try.
I don't use them but you will have to hold the bow straight up and down vertically. What about gapping or string walking?
Far as I can tell, sights is sights. You need to have the bow straight up and down or everything changes.
Maybe if you have one pin, you can use that for , say, fifteen yards and learn how to hold around that. With a single pin, you can set it for almost any angle of cant BUT you have to maintain that angle every shot. Tough enough to do with holding the bow up and down.
ChuckC
I`ve also heard of using a rubber band on the top limb or placing a mark on the top limb. I just can`t seem to grasp how all this works. Can anyone explain these sighting systems ?
QuoteOriginally posted by burch:
So can anyone explain how sights work on a trad bow ?
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Exactly the same as on a compound bow or fully worked Oly rig .
I have a few recurves that are fitted with sights [ hunting pins ] , and grew up using them , and it was quite normal back then . We even had our , very popular competition division for 5 pin hunting sights ...
But i'd no more put a sight on my longbow tha fly !!! :scared: :scared: :scared:
But if you think it would help , more power to you ... its your bow , your shot and your hunt ...
Nothing at all wrong with using a sight. Rusty tells me that back when he was young most folks shot sights on there curves. Only the weird few shot barebow. LOL
Mike
:campfire:
No beating here.
My boys shoot their longbows barebow, but early on I helped them learn how to aim somewhat by putting a pencil mark on the riser a couple inches above the arrow for them to use as a guide when shooting. "Put the target right next to that mark," is what I would tell them. Of course, they needed to hold their bow vertically for it to work. We've also taped matchsticks onto the riser to use as a sight pin at times.
I shoot a longbow barebow and hold the bow in a canted position, but I shoot my recurve with a few simple sight pins and hold the bow vertically.
If shooting with sights makes you a more accurate shooter then go for it. Forget all the nonsense that "sights aren't traditional" and just have fun and use what works for you. :archer:
I`ve really tried hard to learn to shoot trad bows. One of my main problems is keeping the same cant. I have no problem sighting down the arrow for elevation but my windage stinks.
In the early 70's alot of people had sights on their bows when I started shooting. We didn't call it trad then cause there weren't any compounds! If that's how you perfer to shoot it is up to you, not how someone else feels about it.
The SPF sights by three river for their DALA bows are widely adaptable. They are hoop sights and really just a focusing mechanism. I've used the small version a couple times when I got down on my confidence and it helped to focus on my form and give me a tighter sight window. You can use them with a cant if you practice that way. You'll be amazed how tight the groups are when you take it off and try bare-bow again.
Don't listen to anyone that gives you a hard time about a sight on a trad bow. If sights give you the confidence to make an ethical shot, then use them. In the end, each of us has make the choice that works for us.
There are lots of known tricks or techniques used to shoot better. Every time you add an aiming aid it COULD increase your accuracy. You still have to do the rest.
Read some of the older books on shooting. I am guessing that almost every single time you start adding a sighting method you are gonna need to hold your bow upright. . . and that's OK.
Something as simple as aligning the string with the arrow shaft (you need to anchor in the right spot to do this) can help you with some windage problems. Put in the effort. read some older books. Try out different techniques and see if any help you.
ChuckC
Getting the elevation right is harder than getting the correct windage. Make sure your anchor point allows the arrow to be directly under your eye. Post a video of yourself shooting and post it in the Shooter's forum. I'll bet you can get that windage problem sorted out pretty quickly.
After reading this thread I think I will go ahead and put some sights on my Black Widow. I know that sights are nothing new on recurve bows and the first Bear bow I hunted with back in the late 1970s had sights on it and I used them. I have shot barebow for 15 or 20 years and frankly could never really get the hang of it. I've killed a few deer and missed a ton more. I can't throw a rock or a baseball worth a darn either LOL. I believe that the God-given hand-eye coordination that some people have is exactly that, God-given. Some have it, some don't. Ya'll don't hate me. I'm not giving up on traditional archery. I just need to find a way to hit my target consistently. I plan on keeping my old Bear bows bare-bows if you will and shooting them that way. Maybe I could find some old vintage sights and install them on one of those old bows? That would be kinda neat.
Ross
x2 on trying gap shooting.
I actually do gap shoot past 15 yards or so. I really enjoy shooting my old Bear bows and POC arrows instinctive and will continue to do it this way. My main problem is that first, one and only arrow that has to find it's target. This is where I think the sights will help. I'm going to give it a chance anyway. Been shooting this afternoon with a matchstick taped to my bow and have been pleased with the results. Oh well, I'll see how it goes.
Ross
I say shoot the way you want, back in the early 70's many people shot with sights.
My question would be is at 15-20 yds. what is happening when you shoot without sights ?
Burch says his windage is bad, if so, why ?, there is a reason for it at short distances. I could understand that you take a 35-50 yd. shot and are wide left or right but not at 15-20 yds.
I have friends that should shoot very well yet they don't, but it's for a reason that can be corrected. have you guys tried getting some lessons ? or take a video of yourselves shooting and post it up here, I am sure the Trad family could help you out.
Again, do whatever you want to do, I just feel that it might be at your finger tips and for some reason it's escaping you.
Good luck whatever you do.
I shoot bare-bow pretty well most of the time but as I said my consistancy has always been lacking. I've always thought that this could be caused by my left/bow arm being crooked. I shattered my left elbow when I was 6 years old. I have full range of motion, played football and served in the Army for 9 years so I have no true disability. My arm is just a bit crooked which makes it hard for me to truely line up my arm, arrow, anchor, etc.
No beating, but it's hardly traditional shooting once you put on sights. If your going to use sights you may as well grab a compound and put the sights on. Nothing wrong with a wheelie bow. I don't like them personally but I got nothing against guys who shoot them. I just figure what's the point of sights on a trad bow.............no longer a trad bow.
You can cant the bow; however, with most types of aiming apparatus, the cant will need to be consistent. You may want to consider apertures such as the ones in the picture below. These are nice in that you can perfectly see the target you intend to hit. The target will naturally settle itself in the middle of the circle without any focus on the aperture itself. There are styles of mountable sights that will take these apertures and can be attached to the bow with double faced tape.
Also, do what you want, don't let others influence your decision.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v166/BobCo/Stuff/DSC00360.jpg)
I may try some sights like that in the future. Right now I'm having problems just finding a old time sight bracket for old time pins. LOL My BW has the AMO sight bushings installed so mounting is not a problem. Guess I'll just have to order one from 3Rs. This is all just an experiment. I'm going to keep shooting off the shelf so I can shoot instinctive anytime I want. Maybe set a pin for 20yrds and shoot bare-bow at anything under.
I do not care to get into the "traditional/not traditional" p****ng contest. I am having problems with consistency due to a physical abnormality that is beyond my control. I could use a little help and support not a beat down because I dare put sights on a recurve and maybe offend the "Traditional Gods". If I wanted to shoot a c**pound I would buy one.
Widow son, ignore those that know not what they are talking about!. When I started shooting bows back in 1962 most people who shot recurves used some form of sight. I was 12 at the time and my uncle taped a red toothpick on the bow so I could use it to hit at 15yds. I used sights for about a year until I got a feel of the yardage and how to judge. Do whats best for you and let the fools talk!
Thank you Sir.
Sights on a stickbow? I'd say they're more traditional than fiberglass laminated limbs, but to each their own. ;)
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/Bowhunter-August-1950-1_0.jpg)
There's a reason 75% of the old recurves You pick up have a couple of holes drilled in the riser. Because someone put a simple pin sight on them.
Shoot what makes You the best with Your chosen equipment. Period!!
No beating here either. You will need to be consistant with the bow being verticle, otherwise you'll have left/right issues. Once you feel more confident in your shooting, holding the bow vertically won't bother you at all. It's your shooting and your tag. No need to worry about what others think about your gear. Enjoy yourself!
Widow's Son, I sent you an email.
Frankly it sounds to me like a class or reading a couple of books on form and practicing form are what is needed. It is your bow, use it any way you want.
So can anyone help us non traditionalist ( i think i spelled that right :help: " OR " maybe a web site where they still make `em :D
I`d like to check `em out and i`d install `em on my bow and not care what others thought. The way i`m seein` this is - i`d rather make a clean kill than have to take a chance on wounding something just to let it run off and die and never retieve it. To me that`s worst than trying to stay with the " in crowd "
QuoteOriginally posted by Jason R. Wesbrock:
Sights on a stickbow? I'd say they're more traditional than fiberglass laminated limbs, but to each their own. ;)
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/Bowhunter-August-1950-1_0.jpg)
well put Sir :thumbsup:
I don't use sights but seeing them on a long bow or recurve doesn't pitch me into a fit. I happen to prefer the instinctive method and see advantages (no need to do math) and disadvantages (takes lots of time & confidence) to it. There is no question sights are traditional, as are gap and string walking techniques. Whatever works best for you works for me.
Get yourself some Gorilla tape and take two match sticks the top longer than the bottom. Hold your bow up at a slight cant and aim at your target and look at your bow where about the two match heads would be if they were there. Then tape them on, hopefully the longer top match stick will work for a ten yard shot and the bottom shorter one for somewhere around twenty, the exact distance does not matter nor the exact cant you will use as long as there is some cant. Then shoot at a distance between the two match heads, you will see that one is too high and the other is too low, look at the target not the match heads. After a short while you will not need them and you can that tape off your bow.
However, no aiming gimmick will help you if your form is all over the place.
pavan, that makes a lot of sense, good idea!
I have a light bow that I have rigged that I can slap a sight on with velcro when I am teaching someone that has mastered form and still does not know where the arrow goes. I have used it with some quicker than that to save the siding on my garage when they cannot hit my 6' by 4' target from 8 yards.
Don't use matchsticks, use hat pins. You can get them with different size heads and paint them the color you want. Killed my first recurve deer, guess I can't call it trad anymore, :p like that. Worked great on my Kodiak Magnum.
I shoot my BW longbow without sights pretty good. A combo of gap shooting and instinctive, I guess. But my BW recurve I shoot with sights, and an elevated rest. It's a great little homemade set-up, and gives a lot of advantage over shooting barebow. I learned good form with a sight, because that pin gave me a solid reference on where the arrow should go. I knew things were going wrong, and started to learn WHY, based on those sight pins.
I wonder how many people who balk at using sights are wounding animals but never tell anyone about it? It isn't exactly "acceptable" to make that kind of post! I say that if you would prefer the confidence that sights can bring to a trad bow, go for it!
Hat pins stuck in a thin piece of cork would work pretty good. Except I have not seen any cork for sale any where in my town and I would use hat pins if I could ever figure out where my wife hides them, we maybe don't have any.
The idea is to not really use the pins like a sight just a zoning guide to help develop an instinctive pointing ability.
Can't really help like the others guys on the sight problem but I was having difficulties with my shooting and bought the "Masters of the Barebow" DVD's and they helped out tremendously on my shooting and would recommend them to anyone. Just something to think about...... :campfire:
QuoteOriginally posted by burch:
O.K. I know i`m gonna get a beating for this question. :knothead: Since i`ve been shooting trad bow style for about 5 years now and still miss, I gotta ask about sights. If for no other reason in a hunting situation. I`ve been checking out a few sights that are used on recurves. I shoot a reflex/deflex and see no reason why sights wouldn`t work on these bows too. So, who uses sights ? Also, I don`t understand how they work on a trad bow using a cant. I used to shoot compound bows but you held the bow pretty much straight up and down. So can anyone explain how sights work on a trad bow ?
Burch
To answer your original post.... Call Three Rivers and ask some questions. I think it's Dale's youngest boy that uses a Dalaa with sights for hunting. They are good folks and will help you. I think it is commendable that you want to do what it takes to be a good shot and work toward clean kills on the game you hunt. :clapper:
Years ago a friend gave me a Bear recurve. He had taped a single-pin sight to the back of the bow. You can also use a strip of adhesive foam weather stripping. Stick it to the back of the bow and then use round-head hatpins (easy to find) for sight pins. You can even paint them different colors.
Richard
I didn't know you could still get hat pins. I'll bet some of the younger fellas don't even know what a hat pin is. LOL
I'd like to think all ya'll for your support. I was beginning to beat myself up for even thinking of putting sights on my B.W. I feel much better about it now.
Ross
I have a sight that came on one of my recurves that I would sell for cheap. It's a pretty nice adjustable 4 pin setup.
QuoteOriginally posted by buckeye_hunter:
QuoteOriginally posted by burch:
O.K. I know i`m gonna get a beating for this question. :knothead: Since i`ve been shooting trad bow style for about 5 years now and still miss, I gotta ask about sights. If for no other reason in a hunting situation. I`ve been checking out a few sights that are used on recurves. I shoot a reflex/deflex and see no reason why sights wouldn`t work on these bows too. So, who uses sights ? Also, I don`t understand how they work on a trad bow using a cant. I used to shoot compound bows but you held the bow pretty much straight up and down. So can anyone explain how sights work on a trad bow ?
Burch
To answer your original post.... Call Three Rivers and ask some questions. I think it's Dale's youngest boy that uses a Dalaa with sights for hunting. They are good folks and will help you. I think it is commendable that you want to do what it takes to be a good shot and work toward clean kills on the game you hunt. :clapper: [/b]
Thank ya Sir
They have used sights for years....if you want to try that....do it. Some of the old Bears came with the ability to use them right from the factory...the riser was milled out for sights. Go for it, worse case ...you don't like it . If it works for you ... good!
There is nothing 'non-tradtional' about sights. Sights were used long before the compound bow was invented.
I personaly don't use them, but that doesn't make them 'non-traditional'...and don't worry about any pissing contest....we don't allow those here. :campfire:
Burch,
Give me a call this evening or tomorrow, 698-5316.
I've got an old sight I used to train my daughter to shoot years ago. It's like new, I'll look for it tonight. I can bring it up to your place Friday.
Call me and we can work it out.
Hal
QuoteOriginally posted by Terry Green:
There is nothing 'non-tradtional' about sights. Sights were used long before the compound bow was invented.
I personaly don't use them, but that doesn't make them 'non-traditional'...and don't worry about any pissing contest....we don't allow those here. :campfire:
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JUST ANOTHER REASON WHY THIS IS THE BEST HUNTING SITE ON THE NET TERRY !TY :clapper:
There's nothing wrong with it...go ahead if it gives you more confidence in your shooting...I remember my dad had taped a matchstick onto his bow back in the early 70's...and lots of other people did similar things. A former co-worker who's husband had hunted back in the day gave me an old Grizzly with a site mounted on it...they were very common.
shooting three under is kinda like shooting with one very big sight. I like those funny shaped sights that three rivers sold, cannot rememmber what they called them at moment,(the madcow), I often thought about how I could rig one that could be used as a practice/removable mount. I think practicing with a zone sight could reveal things that may be going on in the form.
Admins....please don't move this one to the shooters forum. This is a gear topic, and we've been trying our best to keep gear topics off the Shooters Forum.
Thanks.