Kicking around idea of a slider....
Equipment
I've been kicking around the idea of a slider sight, but just haven't done it. Those of you who have made the change from fixed to a slider what do you think? Any suggestions on which sight to go with?
Tried a single pin slider for a couple years, then switched to a 3-pin Black Gold Ascent that I’ve been using for 3 or 4 years with zero complaints.
I’ve enjoyed practice with a Black Gold Ascent Verdict, first with the 4” dovetail base, and recently converted to the Whitetail base and adjusting wheel. Bought a new Whitetail Ascent for my other bow. The Whitetail pins are bright and the sight is light, short and durable for Mt. Bowhunting. I really don’t dial yardage hunting but can shoot as far as I want in the yard and enjoy practice out to 100 yds or so use it most days around home.
I still like the 5 pin old school head as I’ve shot them for 4 decades. As I’ve gotten older I find green pins easiest (yellow is OK too) to see and avoid red. Also only use 0.019” pins as I can’t see 0.010” pins in many lighting conditions.
Good luck with it.
No downside and allows for 100+ yard practice which is tons of fun and will improve short range accuracy.
MBG, 3 pin slider is the best all around combo for me. 20,30 and 40 fixed which covers most all my shots then a slider from there. Green pins are best for older eyes.
I shot the Total Archery Challenge a week ago in Killington, VT. All 3 of us were thinking of a slider sight for the future. Like Charlie, I think a 3 pin sight with the slider would be a great option. And I agree that green pins are the brightest. I figured out 30 years ago that red pins sucked in low light; surprised that sight manufacturers never got that note! ;)
I use a HHA slider which I find really handy as I usually hunt with only 1 pin when whitetail hunting. Out west I do as JTV and set it at a medium distance....if a long shot presents itself I have a option.
The HHA I have has the 4 black posts surrounding the green pin, which is the brightest pin I have ever used. The sight is almost like a scope reticle....I just love it for fast action shots.
One of the best things I’ve ever done for my shooting. Just practicing at 80-90 yards has really improved my close in shooting
I lov my HHA single pin.....
I love my single pin. Unless I do something stupid like shoot at 80 then shoot at 30 and watch my arrow blow by the target! Doh!!!
I went from a 7 pin fixed to a Spott Hogg Fast Eddie XL slider and will never go back. Mine actually has 2 pins and it works awesome. Got two bucks and a bull with it so far and haven’t had to touch it once.
MBG 3 pin with slider for me.
I can’t imagine using a single pin slider for open country stalks, especially scenarios like caribou hunting.
That said there are zero negatives about using a multi pin slider. I kept my 5 pin setup, although now I can practice way further with accuracy and in rare instances, crank the site down in hunting scenarios such as putting a second arrow in something.
3 pin MBG ascent here as well. Absolutely get a slider. Super effective and fun!
I switched to a 5 pin Black Gold Slider and love it.
Love the open and clean, uncluttered sight window of the single pin!!! I won't go back to a multi pin sight.
I love my 3 pin MBG. It’s set up for 30-40-50 for hunting and I can still hold on the top of the deer to shoot 60 without sliding. If I’m making a long follow up shot or something I can slide and I slide during practice to shoot long range.
4 pin slider and love it.
I have shot sliders for several years now. I actually prefer and shoot better with a single pin. But as Trevor states it just doesn’t seem practical for a lot of hunting situations. I just couldn’t see going back to 5 pins though. I settled on 3 pin Spot Hogg Tommy Hogg. Extremely solid, good pins, I like he adjustment wheel. I’m not sure I’m a huge fan of the adjustment method of the individual pins, but once set is solid and good. I run 20/30/40 then slide out to 100. I have been tempted to try their single pin with 2 dots on it though, looks like an interesting option.
Really the only disadvantage I see is sliding and forgetting to put it back. Just gotta make sure you reset it to your starting yardage and you are golden.
—Jim
I bought a 3 pin Fast Eddie this year to mess around with. I quickly threw in 2 pins to make it a 5 pin, as i couldn’t get over the 3 pins. My theory is for most hunting, I think a fixed setup is so stupidly simple, and I’m already used to looking at 5 pins. The 2 pins don’t weigh anything.
I have my 60 pin set as my floater, and when it is returned to “zero” my pointer says “60” on my sight tape, because the 60 yard pin has returned to 60. I do not have the zero stop in. This way I can actually dial my 60 pin to the exact yardage anywhere from back up at 20 yards (should i feel like dialing in a 44 yard shot for example), all the way down to 120.
When I set up my 5 pins I moved my 60 yard pin to where I thought it was a comfortable spot for floating, and then sighted in backwards up from there to my 20 yard pin.
I now really feel like I have my 5 pin fixed with the benefits of a slider I’d needed. Hope this helps
I appreciate all the feedback. I have a 7 pin Hogg and like it, but like the idea of less pins with the option of the slider. The MBG 3 pin looks like a happy medium.
I've use single pin & multiple pin MBG sliders. Never had any issues and out west. Just set it at 30yds for a single pin and aim high or low and you'll be good out to 40yds.
I think a 3 pin slider defeats one of the best features of the slider which is the simplicity of a single pin. A clear sight window really helps me focus and be precise. At 278 FPS I leave my pin set at 30 and I can shoot from 0-35 with no hold over/hold under on elk. At 40 I need to hold 10” high. At 45 I need to hold top of the back. Past 45, and most likely at 45, I’m using a range finder and if I’m using a range finder I’ll also have time to adjust my slider or I’m not shooting anyway. I just don’t buy the “it won’t work in open country”. What you give up in time you make up in precision. Shoot a 7 pin at 77 yards and your hold over of your 70 pin better be perfect because the difference in 77 and 78 is significant. I can dial in to exactly 77 yards and if I do my part and release a good arrow it’s going to hit perfect.
Another option which I wish I had on my spot Hogg is the double pin. You get the simplicity of a single pin but have another pin for longer shots.
I use a 4 pin slider. 30,40,50,60. I like the 4 pins for hunting. And can use the slider to practice (shoot out to 130 yards.). Good practice
Black Gold Ascent 4 pin slider. I use the fixed pins (20, 30, 40, 50) for hunting, and the slider for long range practice.
Another 4 pin slider fan. Honestly, as many pins as you're comfortable with is probably best. 7 fixed is too much for me. Confuses things. Single pin? No doubt the easiest for aiming but things happen fast sometimes and it will eventually cost you a shot having to adjust your sight. Ask me how I know
“Ask me how I know”. I assume for the same reason I do ? ;-)
How do you know Will?
I’ve been there and done that too, but I can pretty much mess anything up at some point ;)
—Jim
Three pin Spot Hogg slider for me. Top, bottom or middle. No more two or three “middle pins” to confuse things in the heat of the moment.
Twinetickler- ck your PM’s
I just keep my Fast Eddie at 50 yards all the time. The second pin defaults to 63 yards. I know if a critter is between 8-45 yards, I just have to aim a foot low and my arrow will end up in a 6" kill zone. I think this method has more margin than estimating the yardage and being off 10 yards. If I think they are 45+ and I don't have time to use the rangefinder, I won't shoot.
C'mon Will, tell us the story. :)
No matter the set up there’s a way to screw it up. I’m using a single pin because I’m too simple minded to shoot 5 pins. Like Will, I have a bone head story to go with my decision.
Surprised no one has brought up the Option sight. I love them, they are best of both worlds.
Hike around with the fixed pins in place and have the option to switch to a single pin slider at a moments notice.
Well built and have held up well for me the past couple years. I changed out all of my Spott Hogg sights for the Option 8's and can't see me changing to anything else.
IMO, a slider is an unnecessary complication to a high pressure shooting situation.
I've used a single pin slider when the rules of some competitions required a single pin, and lost points while shooting a FITA 900 round by getting distracted and not adjusting my sight. A friend (a very good shot) decided to go to a slider for hunting, and missed because of the incorrect sight setting the very first time he had a deer in front of him.
I hunt with a multi-pin sight. For several years, my shortest range pin has been set at 30 yards. Thus with just 3 pins, I could readily shoot to 50+ yards, and with the performance of the Darton bows I shoot now I could easily space 3 pins to 60+. Of course, hunting white tails in the Midwest primarily from tree stands, 35 yards is a "long" shot. Most of the time I just hold a bit low, and let it fly. Getting the pins out of the way for 90%+ of my hunting shots means I am effectively using a single pin the great majority of the time. BUT THE SIGHT NEVER MOVES.
Under hunting conditions, do you have time to adjust a sliding pin to the correct yardage? What about low light situations, can you see the scale well enough to set it at the right mark? Of course there are lots of disadvantages to multiple fixed pins like confusing the sight picture and picking the wrong pin.
If you are hunting in a spot and stalk situation I would say 90+% of the time you have time to adjust your dial. At least that has been my experience. Where things have gotten dicey is when calling animals in or when they are naturally moving past you but even then it has been rare that I haven't been on the exact yardage.
Had a buddy sky one over a target cause he forgot to adjust from the last target at 70 yards down to 25. Too many other things to think about/remember during a shot attempt. Wind, additional movement, stepping on a pinecone, yadda yadda...I can see where a 3 pin slider would be a decent compromise, but wouldn't help in that situation of my buddy. He still would have missed.
Good idea u won’t regret it
Five pin slider for me (MBG as well). Love it and don’t have to move it for the bulk of the shots I’ll ever take but it’s nice to know the slider is there if I need it (and it’s also really nice for practice).
BG that is my biggest worry and why I have chosen to just stick with my fixed pin sight this year. Good thread and a lot of good info. Thanks!
