What i've noticed using pin sights

[Phatmike10]

Hi guys,

I was doing a Portsmouth round last night and I was using the sight in different ways. I started off looking down the sight closing my left eye (less dominant) and making sure the red of the pin is in line with the gold. (Wasn’t that consistent). Secondly I did the same thing with both eyes open. It was more comfortable but not that different in result to closing one eye. Lastly I concentrated (both eyes open) on the gold and moved the sight in to my line of sight (not taking my eye off the gold and keeping full concentration on the middle of the gold) instead of looking through the sight. This proved to be a lot more accurate! Now I’m only a beginner but I dramatically increased my score when doing that and got a good few golds

[Ffish]

Personally, I cant get on with pin sights. I find I get a good group vertically, but no consistency horizontally. I use a cross hair, which gives a better reference point both vertically and horizontally. I've seen some nice sight pins with translucent frames and red cross hairs which look pretty funky too.

YMMV though.

[Flying Whale]

I had a big improvement when I took eveything out of the middle (no pin, no cross hairs), and just used an open sight ring.

Now as long as I remember to do it properly I don't worry much about the sight, and just concentrate on a small spot right in the middle of the gold. When I get it right it invariably goes there. I think in the end it means my head position is much more consistent and STILL.

Best thing I bought was a Gehmann variable size aperture. I can now immediately open or close the size of the hole to get a similar amount of the target visible at at any distance. If I find I am not focussing on the gold properly, I usually open the aperture some more, and that usually does the trick.

[BowSurfer]

Originally Posted by Phatmike10

Hi guys,

<snip>... Lastly I concentrated (both eyes open) on the gold and moved the sight in to my line of sight (not taking my eye off the gold and keeping full concentration on the middle of the gold) instead of looking through the sight. This proved to be a lot more accurate! Now I’m only a beginner but I dramatically increased my score when doing that and got a good few golds

Keeping that focus on the gold is the key. Actual use of the sight is somewhat secondary. You can hit things without having to use sights - ask any barebow archer, or try throwing a ball at something, or watch a darts player - no sights needed but he can get wonderful accuracy and consistency by looking hard at where the 'arrow' is going to go and letting his body work out the whys and wherefores.
I have long held that it is possible to 'think' your arrows into the gold, even from what felt like a poor loose, but the concentration on that important bit of the target was there - or is it just telekinetcs?

[SVL]

I have also recently transfered to an open aparature sight and a few months latter put more emphasis on focusing on the gold. I have found that putting my focus on the gold has really helped to bring my groups in. So far have only been working on this indoors but will try outdoors at the longer distances soon.

[BowSurfer]

Originally Posted by SVL

I have also recently transfered to an open aparature sight and a few months latter put more emphasis on focusing on the gold. I have found that putting my focus on the gold has really helped to bring my groups in. So far have only been working on this indoors but will try outdoors at the longer distances soon.

Is that a completely open ring? I have a nice compromise which has four small blades, like a cross hair, but stopping short of the middle. The centre of the site is open but the blades give additional aligment cues.

[Jumile]

Originally Posted by Flying Whale

I had a big improvement when I took eveything out of the middle (no pin, no cross hairs), and just used an open sight ring.

This is mentioned in the Archer's Reference, isn't it? IIRC, it talks about getting fixated on getting the intersection of the crosshairs on the X to the detriment of other factors, and how it's incredibly easy to accurately line up the sight ring with the target.

I can see his point, as it's the same idea used in fullbore Target Rifle. Concentric circles based on a variable rearsight aperture, a fixed ring foresight element onto a circular target (the money shots being coloured black). I suspect a similar idea with archery (particularly with an adjustable aperture for distance) would be successful.

It appears Gehmann get around.

[nfinite]

I have always removed the pin from my sight rings.

I had it drilled into me long ago that the mind can match up a circle on a circle very well without any great thought.

I just look though the sight as if it was a window and let my subcon do the rest.

[Phatmike10]

My sight got delivered this morning, is it easy to tak the pin out?

[nfinite]

I just cut the pin out carefully with a craft knife.
Its usally made out of plastic and come off quite easy