Five pins make a strike

Five pins make a strike

IN last month’s article on hunting hare I mentioned the Trophy Ridge sight I use in conjunction with my Hoyt Faktor compound bow.

This month I’d like to go a little deeper and take a look at this quality bowhunting product.

Many people will have seen the high-tech approach to bows and sights associated with competition archery in events such as the Olympics and Commonwealth Games. Hunters, while looking for accuracy, have to keep in mind the tough environment where this equipment is used. The rocky ridges, scrub and tropical wet low-lying swamp areas are just a few places that will challenge the durability of a product.

Before I discuss the features and toughness of the Trophy Ridge React sight, let’s explore the variants that need to be consistent before you attempt to buy and set up a bow sight. Depending on the strength and technique of the hunter, you have to determine a comfortable draw weight to set up your compound bow. For example, my Hoyt Faktor has a draw weight of 60lb.

This gives me an efficient hunting weapon that has the ability to provide a swift and clean kill. The poundage then determines the spine weight of the arrows I use to achieve an accurate and consistent combination. I choose to use appropriate Easton 330 Bloodline arrows. This balanced marriage between bow weight and arrow spine lays the foundation for me to build an effective and accurate result.

Another component in the equation is the broadhead. Broadheads come in various weights but the more popular ones are 100, 125 and 150 grain. I use a 100-grain Muzzy broadhead.

Once you have all the components together you can start work on creating consistent and accurate results. The combination of the above ingredients determines the flight pattern of your launched arrow. Now distance travelled comes into play and you need to change your trajectory as target distance increases.

I hope this basic explanation helps you understand the overall calculation and realise the features available and mathematics involved when buying and setting up your sight.

You will notice the close-up picture of a basic TRUGLO sight available for about $100. The five pins help you achieve accuracy over various distances. Setting your distances is a simple case of adjusting one pin at a time.

Start with the top green pin and set to say 20 yards, the second red pin to 30 yards and so on until every pin is set at 10-yard increments. This exercise can take up valuable hunting time while the five pins are honed, so it’s best to set up your sight before actually heading out on a hunt. Every pin is locked by Allen key after you achieve a tight and accurate grouping of arrows.

Note the bracket length on the React attached to the author’s Hoyt Faktor 34.
Note the bracket length on the React attached to the author’s Hoyt Faktor 34.
The author’s basic TRUGLO sight. Every pin on this sight is individually adjusted by Allen key.
The author’s basic TRUGLO sight. Every pin on this sight is individually adjusted by Allen key.
The Trophy Ridge React sight including micro adjustment and tool-less locking devices.
The Trophy Ridge React sight including micro adjustment and tool-less locking devices.
Five pins make a strike
Five pins make a strike

This is where I can start to explain the feature of the Trophy Ridge React sight called Smart Pin Technology. When I first heard of this feature I admit I was wary and sceptical of its capabilities. All the archer has to do is manually sight the first pin at 20 yards and lock it in. Then as you sight in the 30-yard pin the gearing mathematically adjusts your third, fourth and fifth pin at 40, 50 and 60-yard intervals.

Well I need not have worried. I was so happy with the results and my 60-yard groupings have improved drastically. Even if I fine-tune my 60-yard pin manually, the gearing will automatically fine-tune the 50, 40 and 30-yard pins in minute increments.

The Smart Pin Technology allowed me to be more confident with my longer-range shots and the $400 price tag soon disappeared from mind. To make precise and minute adjustments with this sight, no tools are required. Generous-sized locking devices make it easy to adjust and lock the pins with a minimum of fuss.

The sight is predominantly made out of ballistic polymer, making it extremely tough but light. Keeping your hunting bow as light as possible helps too, especially when you’re hiking for the day with bow in hand. Each individual sight pin is a .019” fibre optic item and together with a rheostat light provides excellent identification when targeting an impact point on your prey, especially in low-light situations.

If you look at the side view of my Hoyt bow with React sight attached, you may notice the extended length of the sight bracket. At full draw and sighting through my peep, the extra distance to the sight pin helps provide a forgiving but accurate result. In the future I may change my bow but it will be hard for me to change this sight.

Let’s face it: most hunting expeditions are in rough terrain and I admit when travelling in the truck my bow is mostly secure in its hard Plano case but when the adrenalin is pumping and urgency becomes a priority it isn’t always possible to store your equipment out of harm’s way.

So far the Trophy Ridge React sight has survived every situation I’ve dished up and remains an accurate bowhunting tool. I believe this product has enhanced my bowhunting experience and simply made it even more enjoyable. Thanks to Abbey Archery (abbeyarchery.com.au) for convincing me to give this product a go.

Next month I will give you a run-down on Borumba Dam as well as provide all the details for the upcoming Lions Mary Valley Family Fishing Classic. It was a great comp last year and I hope 2016 will be even better.
Stay tuned. Cheers, Chief.

About Paul 'Chief' Graveson

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One comment

  1. Wow. Great post. Thanks for sharing. Can you tell me? Which site I could Best Bow Sight Under 100 Dollars?

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