Contributors to this thread:
I know this topic was brought up some time ago.. But I am kicking around the idea of going from a 5 pin to a 3 pin sight.. I have shot and currently shoot a 5 pin 30-40-50-60-70 set up.. I am thinking of going to a 3 pin 30-50-70.. For a couple of reasons.. 1. it seems like my sight window is getting cluttered b/c pins are so close together. 2. I figure a 3 pin might be quicker target acquisition with less clutter. 3. When shooting big animals with a larger vital area, its not like you MUST hit a 2 inch spot to be deadly, so quick guestimation between pins would get the job done.. thoughts please..
Black Gold, three pin slider for me. Set for 20,30 and 40 yards. Then I use the slider in 10 yard increments to 100 yards. Easy peasy.
5 pin was to much clutter for me. I took off one and now have 4 pin sight. It is a slider so I can go longer. I have my pins at 20, 30, 40 and 50.
I was always a 5 pin guy, then I went to 6 and now I have an IQ 3 pin with the 40 being a slider like Charlie... Not sure if I like it yet. Kinda scared to have to think about moving the pin... Most of my shots are less than 40 though. Ed F
Seven deadly pins by spot hog here. If you're asking just between a 3 or 5 it's a 5.
Agree with JTV....same setup...
Here is a tip. Attach the pins as close to the bow riser as possible. It widens the pin gap.
I tried a 5 pin system that had the pins set at 20, 40, 60, 70, 80. What I found is at 50 yards, I needed a pin. So, I went with a 20, 40, 50, 60, 70. I set the sight up as close to the riser as possible and, I got a decent gap between the first 2 pins which helped with clutter. At longer ranges the target is small enough the gap causes no problems. Give it a try. God Bless
I went single pin and love it. Got sick of the clutter from five but I'm also 55 and my eyes aren't what they used to be. Three is a god compromise if you don't want to go to single for whitetails. Shoot a single pin if you can see how you like it.
MBG rush 5 pin - 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60.
Hmmmm. I’m old school I guess. The more pins the better. I shoot a 7 pin sight.
I'll be the one to open my beak here because someone will eventually. I used a single pin set up in the past. In Western States hunting it proved to be the biggest pain in the ass . A bull running in bugling or moving checking cows or gets spooky and bolts and stops, same goes for any other species I've hunted. It's pointless to have an adjustable sight for different distance when a multi pin set up has all the yardage right there in front of you, range draw shoot!
4 pin for me. 30,40,50,60. The 20 pin is not needed. 30 and 20 nearly shoot the same.
I find 4 pins is nice compromise of multipl pins but open sight picture
I did shoot a single pin for awhile. I killed a few critters with it. And while I liked the open sight picture. I didn’t like how much I had to move it ended up costing me a bull one season. I switched back after that. Ok
Personally, I wouldn't want to be taking a 58-63 yard shots with 50-70 yard pins. That'd take some thought process in a potentially high-pressure hunting scenario and I wonder if your group size around those distances isn't going to suffer a little.
5 pins too much clutter. I like 4 pins at 30, 40 50,60 here out west. When I was hunting whitetail out east, 3 pins at 20, 30 40 were fine and even one at 25 would of been fine.
One pin slider HHA - 0 to 30 bottomed out - then adjust as needed. To much clutter with all those pins for me. Even labeled with yardage on the pins.
Go to the new 2-pin slider sight it groups the 2 pins on the turn wheel
MBG Ascent 3 pin slider. It's the best set-up out there IMO and that's the only one that matters! LOL!
None of the above :)
I'm with PECO and Ermine. I use 4 pins at 20, 30, 40, 50 with the 50 dead center of the housing on a Black Gold Accent slider. All normal heat of the moment hunting situations are with the pins. Long range 3D's and the occasional hucker with the slider, where the 50 pin adjusts for those long ones where you have time to set it up. By having the 50 pin centered in the housing you get perfect concentricity for the long range shots and still have pins when that elk swings in out of nowhere and you don't have time to set slider.
This has become incredibly important now that I'm only shooting 60 lbs with my 27" draw length. Getting your distance right in the heat of the moment is much more important when you get oldmanitis and bow speed starts to become an issue in your hunting world hahahahahhaha
Just my $0.02
Cheers, Pete
5 pin for me, set at 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60.
Here is the newest from Spott Hogg
Spott Hogg 3 pin slider. I forget which model
"Personally, I wouldn't want to be taking a 58-63 yard shots with 50-70 yard pins. That'd take some thought process in a potentially high-pressure hunting scenario and I wonder if your group size around those distances isn't going to suffer a little." Never been an issue with me . My pins are so close.
I've tried from 1-5 pins over the years & have settled on 3 being the best for my abilities! Much less confusing in crunch time! It's the same as using a mouth reed, I use one reed that's my All Purpose reed for all Bull & Cow sounds, no switching out needed!
ElkNut/Paul
3 Pin MBG for me on three of my bows...25-35-45. I float the middle pin for anything over 45. I also have the new Garmin and I using that with the single pin option. I can see it replacing all my sights providing it legal in the state I am hunting.
Anything spott Hogg and as others have said... 3 pin slider.
Hunting 3 pins, 20-30-40. Target 5 fixed pins. I shoot as many NFAA Field Rounds as possible 10 thru 80 yds & Target 40 thru 60 yds in Bowhunter class & not allowed to move sight pins during tournament. Only need 3 for 3-ds.
Don't understand the clutter thing. 3 pins 30, 40, 50. If it takes practice to get used to hold over or under, then the same is required to get used to using the right pin without the distraction of the "clutter".
It boils down to choice. That's it, and that's all.
I'm "old school" like others have chimed in: 7 for me; 20-80. I laughed my arse off recently watching Levi on TV ranging a caribou, then changing his slider, then re-ranging, re-changing. He made so much movement I'm amazed he didn't spook it. Then again carbibou are pretty darn curious. That much extra movement and time with most other game and the critter would have been long gone.
I shoot a relatively heavy arrow so my pin gap may not be as close as others have with light arrows.
It's all a matter of what you're used to. I've had the same setup for decades so clutter, estimating gap between pins, etc. is all second nature to me.
Going to a 3 pin option site with dial pin if they ever get assembled. :-(
I'm with you on this Carl 100% I saw the same show. Waste of time!
I also noticed alot of guys with three pins only going out to 50.
If I didn't have five pins I wouldn't have my biggest elk on the wall.
I really like my 7 pin on my elk and moose bow, I used the 6th to harvest my biggest moose a few years ago and my bull elk last year
All great info. Thanks guys for all insight. Here's what I think I'm gonna do... Keep my 5 pin, but change to 30-50-60-70-80.. rationale is I can use my 30 pin for anything 0-30 yards, I can make a very good estimation from 30 to 49 yards and be good enough to kill elk or mule deer.. then have better points of reference beyond that. In my experience majority of my shots will be under 50 yards, but on a rare instance it's beyond 50, I would be more comfortable with fixed pins at those distances and have quicker target acquisition without fiddling with a slider.. kinda the best of both worlds IMO.
My MBG has 5, but the older I get, the less I need. Pins too.......
The 5-pin on the wheel dial (Spott Hogg), you can leave it your usual 20,30,40, 50,60, but by one turn put the 20 on the 50 and it is instantly 50,60,70,80,90. Personally, the farthest I've ever killed an animal was 49 and 50 yards (Bighorn Ram and Moose), so friends and guys I know that practice to like 140 are shooting 80 yards like I shoot at 20. But I pretty much shoot so that I am ready to bowhunt, not competitive 3D shooting.
Would you rather have a pin at 40 that you would likely use often or one at 80 that you might not ever use?
"I also noticed alot of guys with three pins only going out to 50."
Splitlimb, starting an argument certainly isn't my intention as I will never tell someone to change what works for them. Since I use a 3-pin slider for hunting, I'm curious what you mean. Thanks.
Wyo, I see you're a western guy. Just simply stating the culture difference from east side to west side. A lot of guys from the East come to the west and do not realize the distance a majority of us are comfortable shooting because our hinting culture is so different. I rarely have to shoot over 50 yards for elk , but antelope and mule deer I do . My last archery buck was at 90 yards. Just giving a heads up if people unfamiliar with hunting Western States like Wyoming might want to try and extend their range .
If you're sliding a single pin for every yardage you're using it wrong. I set mine to 30 and won't touch it unless something 50 and over which I gonna range and it ain't gonna be moving all over the place.
20 I hold a touch low..... 40 a bit high. I'll shoot 4 or 5 animals without sliding. I will say the biggest problem is when you do slide, you have to be diligent about sliding it back.
Went from 4 pins... to 3.... then 2..... now one. Every change was a definite improvement. Would never go back to that mess of pins.....
I agree with TD. I went from 5 to 1 and drastically Improved my shooting. The uncluttered sight was huge for me and the confidence in “the” pin was a real boost. BUT, I found myself to be a chronic dialer. 27, dial, 33, dial, 41, dial, 18, dial, shoot already!!!!!! It is certainly all mental (i never claimed to be the sharpest knife in the drawer).
I bought a new bow this year, and have gone to 3 pins (20-30-40) on a slider. Past about 45 I really should be ranging and sliding anyways, as I’m no great shot.
So for me it’s a balancing act between clean sight pic, and not feeling the need to slide for every shot. We will see how this goes for a bit, but I feel I’m on the right track. Maybe...
—jim
5 pin you can always remove pins. I don’t know if someone already said this. Also try a single pin then you won’t focus on the other pins.
Uno for me. So far so good. I messed up a shot when I had 5 pins because of clutter. So far no issues with 1.
5 for me 20-60. I wouldn't mind more pins. Having a pin every 10 yards is so automatic. It's all I've ever had was 5 pins. I couldn't imagine trying to think if this was the gap where I had 20 yards between pins or whatever. 95% of hunting shooting is prob gonna be 60 and under, so not sure why I'd sacrifice my bread and butter shooting to take a pin away and use it at 70,80.
I am with Apauls. My mind can deal with 10 yard increments much more naturally. As far as clutter, one of the things I like about multiple pins is If I get multiple pins landing within the vital it tells me I am good to go. However, I do shoot a slower bow and my pins are not as close together as a lot of other shooters.
Starfire is exactly right! At times I have 3 pins on an animal.
