Single VS Multi pin sight
Equipment
I am just trying to figure out what are some of the PROS and CONS are with single pin VS multi pin sights. Which one is better for spot and stalk hunts. I don't really do much tree stand hunting.
I prefer my Black Gold Ascent 3-pin slider. Best of both worlds IMO.
+1 for the MBG ascent 3 pin slider, best sight out there!
I just changed to the HHA optimizer. Never going back to multiple pins. To each.....
Ditto wyo and Brotsky. MBG 3 pin slider is a real good system.
HHA single pin. Can't stand the clutter of multi-pins. Keep mine set at 30 yds and am good to go from below me out to 40 yds with no changes. Been shooting single pin for 10 years now.
I have a mobile sight pin on all three compounds(25 yr old type), of course the recurve and long bow don't have one.
I've used single pin sliders for years (Sight-Master & Sure-loc), I prefer the cleaner sight picture of a single pin. I set it at 30 and know how high it shoots at 20 and how low at 40 but usually have time to range and adjust for accurate yardage.
Looks like the general consensus is in favor of the slider. I will join in with that crowd. Been using mine for at least 10 years. Started out with a 6 pin, using the bottom for the variable distance, too much clutter, changed to 3, still too much clutter and finally settled on 1. More accurate and very clean. The time it takes to adjust is nothing.
I too am in the single pin group using a HHA. I am however trying a Spot Hogg 3 pin right now and may go to a 3 pin slider.
The most functional sight I have ever owned was a 3 pin MBG slider. It was the perfect balance in my opinion. However, I am at the point in my life where my vision isn't as great as it used to be. I have found that my target acquisition and accuracy is WAY better with a single pin. I have also found that I don't really even need to be able to see the pin to be accurate. Just familiarity with bracketing the scope provides unbelievable accuracy even when the pin is less visible. For distances from 35 yards and less the single pin is a no brainier. The only negative to the single pin for me is the times when you are at full draw and an animal bounds off 10-15 yards and then stops to offer a shot.
I never had anything but one pin, set at 25-yards. I was good out to 40 with that. As to the brand, mine was everything from a simple screw I bought at a hardware store to one of the fancy ones. I never used an adjustable. Mine were always fixed. All three of these bows are set up exactly the same. One pin at 25.
I have always used multiple pin sights. Currently I have 5 pins with ranges for 20, 30, 40, 50 & 60.
I have listened to Gritty Bowmen podcasts on which they say - DO NOT USE A SINGLE PIN SLIDING SIGHT! Its too many variables. Some people can use them with great efficiency, but the majority screw it up. Stalking an animal at 50, set sight, animal winds you & runs off. Forget to reset the sight, get EASY shot at an animal at 25 and watch the arrow go a foot over its back.
One of the guys on the podcast is an outfitter, he said the same for the big target style turrets on gun scopes that are the rage these days. They never had a client miss a 200 yard shot on a black bear - until the turrets started showing up. The guys aren't proficient with them, or maybe they get bumped. Whenever someone shows up & brags about such & such a shooting school and they can shoot 1,000 yards, they cringe. The people that can afford the $5,000 guns adn scopes, don't have the time to learn to use them. The guys who have the time, usually don't have the big cash for a purchase like that. Of course, there are exceptions to all rules.
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Definitely pros and cons of both.
I switched to a single pin this year. I can shoot MUCH better. There was just too much clutter with my old 5 pin sight. Part of it is age. As my eyes get older, I just can't see as well.
I do worry about forgetting to adjust it. But guys can just as easily select the wrong pin...
I like one pin, the only issue I have is the way I anchor I can only get it to adjust out to 60 yards or so. I would not shoot that far at big game but if I hit one and can get another arrow in them, I want to be able to shoot that far.
On the single pin moveable sights, if you have a hard time seeing in low light small numbers (a problem for some of us older guys) you had better know what your site is set at before you go out
Keith in CO, whether you use a single-pin slider or multi-pin slider, the pin should be set at it's predetermined yardage at ALL times. That's the only way you'll get used to how much to hold over/under at ranges different from that yardage. Only time it should be moved is when you need to adjust it for longer shots, whether hunting or just practicing. Word to the wise...ALWAYS return the pin to that predetermined setting or you'll have a most unwelcomed surprise when you take your next shot! ;-)
For those that have a hard/impossible time seeing the sight tape (made even worse in low light), you can find the solution at your nearest sporting goods store. The cheap little magnifiers that are used for fly tying work great. They clip on the brim of your cap, so they can be tucked out of the way when not in use. Just flip them down when you need them.
I've used a single pin for the last 12yrs and love it. My last four bows have had MBGs. Is a single pin for everyone no. Most of the time folks don't like them because they don't put the time in to get familiar with it. I never had a problem with multi pins but I really like the sight picture with single pin. I also agreed a 3pin is good choice. Can't go wrong with either.
Also had a lot of friends who used 7 pins or more and pick the wrong one at the moment of truth.
I've been contemplating this decision for a while. The single pin sounds so good but, I'm stupid. And, I KNOW I'd screw it up. But, I've been stupid and picked the wrong pin before. Being I'm just now getting back into the compounds, I'm really trying to figure out if I need to start over or, try to refine what I know already. Keep them coming. God Bless
I've never shot single pins sights, but have shot many multi pins sights. For multi pins, I prefer verticle pin sights. The pin arms don't block the deer's body. It's much easier to pick up the animal and center the pin where it needs to be using verticle pin sights, IMO.
If you have no difficulty focusing on multiple pins I don't understand the reasoning behind a single pin site. How many times dose an animal move between the time you range it and adjust the pin? Stand hunting might not be as bad but when I'm elk hunting I usually have to range multiple times. So if this happens do you guys just aim a little low or high depending upon how much the animal moves?
I've owned both but only hunt with a multi pin and no longer own an adjustable single pin for the cons listed below.
Multi pin pros: -same anchor point at every distance -Pins are always set exactly where you left them! -Nothing to mess with in the "heat of the moment" -durability (less moving parts)
Multi pin cons: -10 yard incriminates vs. an exact yardage. -last pin usually set to 60, 80, etc. Have to get creative when practicing past 100.
Single pin pros: -Able to set pin for an exact yardage, usually past 100 yards (speed dependent) -No chance of using the wrong pin
Single pin cons: -more moveable parts=more things that can break -anchor point changes as you move your sight ring. -potential to not have enough time to make an adjustment. -Could have your pin set on 50 yards and forget to move it for that 20 yard shot.
All i have used was a single pin sight. No clutter no confusion.
I've shot some sort of single pin sight for years and a slider for about 4 years. I love the slider single pin. I just set it at 35 and leave it. If an animal is past 45 or so then I range and adjust sight. If it moves further out or comes closer I just aim a little higher or lower as needed. Who really has time to take multiple ranges on a moving animal? If you can range that many times then you can adjust your sight too. If it keeps moving quit ranging and either take the shot when it stops or keep stalking in closer.
Back when I watched hunting shows, I saw the " pros " miss lots of animals or hit low or high. They always blamed it on their single pin sights. :) " I ranged him at 43 yd. but he moved and I shot over/under him ". I never considered a single pin for that reason, but these days, my eyesight being what it is, I could probably set the one pin at 20 yd. and make it work. My days of over 30 are just that......over !
When debating the merits or the single pin versus a multi-pin sight, I think that the archer first needs to decide what their maximum comfortable shooting distance is. Many bowhunters are comfortable taking 60 yard shots at pronghorn antelope, as well as other big game. If you are going to be taking longer shots, a single pin sight loses its effectiveness faster than a multi pin sight....even if adjustable.
As a couple people have mentioned, if you have a single pin sight, and it is set at a specific distance and your animal doesn't give you a shot that distance before bounding off another 10-15 yards, you increase the chances of making a less than perfect shot. Additionally, if the animal sees you on its approach just as you draw your bow, odds are it isn't coming any closer. You can't let down and reset your sight without busting the animal....with multi-pin sights, you just select the appropriate pin for the distance.
If the archer is getting into their late forties or early fifties, not only would I suggest a multi-pin sight (I currently use a MBG five pin). I would also suggest alternating green and yellow pins (no more red pins for this sixty year old).
I personally use a MBG five pin sight which has a dovetailed sight arm.....meaning that you can slide the sight further away from the bow. I have found this to improve my accuracy considerably....just like a longer gun barrel improves accuracy (think rifle versus pistol). However, if you use a hard bowcase, understand that you may have to loosen the sight, and retract the sights before it will fit into the case. It's no big deal.....as long as you marked the sight arm. When you get to your destination, you simply slide the sight arm back out and tighten it back down. The process takes a few seconds.....it is a personal preference issue. I feel that the improvement to my accuracy outweighs the time required to simply slide the arm out a few inches and retighten. Others may not be comfortable with anything involving moving their sights...it is a personal decision.
I am 62. To reduce clutter, I started using 3 pins set at 20, 35, and 50. Best of both worlds for me. Enough gap between for clarity. Everyone is different.
I've never tried a single pin. However, the above comments about pin colors and reducing clutter are spot on for me.
I had a fixed 5 pin site set at 20-60 yards (green, red, yellow, red, green).
Now, I'm still pretty young (36), but I'm right handed, right eye dominant, and have very poor vision in my right eye due to optic nerve damage. Shooting accurately beyond 40 yards doesn't seem attainable for me, and the red pins were almost impossible to see, so I recently removed both red pins and set 20-40 at green, yellow, green.
My groups at 30 and 40 yards are much tighter, much more consistent, and everything in the site just seems cleaner and sharper.
Everyone will have a different opinion on this but for me, I switched to a single pin last year after 10+ years of having 7 pins. I did it for one reason - to have a clear field of view on an animal. With the fast speeds, the 7 pins almost blacked out half of the animal. Now, I just leave it on 35 yards and slightly compensate for shorter or longer distances. Anything over 50 and I will adjust the sight.
It is working so far (having shot multiple animals last year) and I dont plan to go back to multiple pins any time soon. Just my .02
I switched to a single pin MBG two years ago. I have never shot better but there is a downsides to it on moving game. It has taken me time to get good with it and plan on sticking with it for at least the time being. Mistake I made was setting it at 20 yards. I now keep it set at 30 yards which has increased the number of shot ranges I can shoot with one pin setting. Totally love the MBG and if a do any changes it would be to add a 3 pin to the slider.
Single pin set to 30 yards I don't have to touch it from 0-40, which is probably 90-95% of my shots. Past that is also about where my accurate yardage guestimates start to get sketchy anyway.
Under 30 I guess the yardage and my hold low..... over 30 guess the yardage and my hold over, I'm still on the animal with my pin either way. If a person is thinking they have to constantly slide their sight to the exact yardage within a certain range they are using it wrong.
If I shoot much past that, I range and dial in to the exact yardage. If the animal is moving around much at longer ranges I'm not taking the shot anyway. Calm and stationary only. Multi pins and longer shots..... rare the animal is at the exact yardage your pin is set for. You are going to have to hold over or under the majority of the time..... an educated guess to a degree. If the animal moves.... so does the estimated hold over or under, or which pin...... or re-range and slide.... In a good many years I can't recall it being an issue in the field.
If you use the wrong yardage...... doesn't matter if 1 pin or 7.....
I started off using sights with 5 pins, went to 4 and liked my sight picture better, then just 2 pins, one at 20 and one at 40 and liked it even better. Then went to a single pin and never looked back. The sight picture is unbeatable and has an advantage at longer known yardages. To me those outweigh any disadvantages to them.
