Sight position in or out?

[Davros]

I have always extended my sight ring out as far as is possible. At 100 yds I had to move it back a couple of inches though. I always believed this leads to greater accuracy. Some archers prefer to position the furthest out where it is not necessary to adjust for longer distances as I do. I know that fully extended small movements in the bow arm are accentuated and this means there is more chance of trembles in the bow arm being apparent. BUT someone recently said to me that it is more accurate having the sight ring in close to the bow? Any opinions- facts-evidence to support this view?

[Furface]

I think it is a matter of geometry. The closer to the eye the sight ring is, the greater area of the target it will appear to cover. You should therefore try to position your sight ring at the distance from your eye where it exactly coincides visually with a ring on the target.

[Flying Whale]

I have been playing recently with a sight ring from Gehmann that has an adjustable aperture (bit like the f-stop on a camera lens).

I can now set the aperture to cover the same proportio of the target at any distance.

It seems to suit me well.

I was fortunate to have it on loan for a couple weeks from an archery shop to evaluate, but will not promote them openly on this thread, so as not to break sire rules on endorsements. Anybody who wants more details can PM me.

[WhitehartFB]

I have set my sight so that I can shoot all distances without having to move it in or out, one less thing to forget when changing distances although depending on your eyesight I found there was a setting which also felt more comfortable (for me about 6" from the front of the bow which still allows me to shoot all distances).

[PaulT]

Davros, I believe that the idea is that the closer sight ring/pin allows for less perceived movement in the bow arm (similar to using a ring instead of a pin) and therefore is more accurate between your ears.( the most important place.)

[Davros]

Good point, PaulT. Percieved not actual being the key to the issue in my book. A deviation of say 1/2mm when the ring is close to the bow may mean an error of 30cm at the target face. Whereas, 1/2 mm when the ring is furthest away you can get is much much less of an error, say 2 inches. Making the furthest away position more accurate. (And it encourages you to try to hold the bow more steady?)

[Big Boy Blue]

My sight is mounted with about 80% of its length out. If I put it all the way out I cannot get a sight mark at 18M on the scale. Thus at 80% I can get a sight mark at all ranges for all rounds and this gives me the best balance between theoretical accuracy and sight mark range. As somebody else has mentioned it gives me another thing that I don't have to try and remember.

[Jerry Tee]

The further out the pin is the more sensitive it is to deflection. You should get it far out as you can and still reach the distance.

[goa dan]

mine is always in the second to last hole and have found i never have to moe it in for getting further as it makes practically no difference

[geoffretired]

This is a complex issue as several things need to be taken into account when the sight is moved in or out.
At the right distance, effects of torque can be greatly reduced. At the right distance, an aperture sight can cover just the right amount of the target to make aiming appear easier.
When the sight is fully extended it can,in theory, be aimed with greater precision. This works in practice IF the archer can make good use of that increased precision. For many archers the sight is moving further across the target at the critical time of the shot. This extra movement is more off putting to them and off sets any extra precision.
Try different positions and see what happens to the way you feel about the aiming process. When the aim requires too much effort, there is an increased chance of the draw being left to take care of itself and a collapse often results.