Sight pins - How many yards?

[PackerFan]

Hey all,

I went to the range the other day and was trying to dial in my sights and it got me thinking - what do you think is the most versitile yardage setting for 3 pins when hunting in the Michigan woods? I'm set at 10, 20, and 30. 20 is my center pin. Although I'm not sure if I'd ever need a pin for a 10 yard shot, that's where I had it set when I first started shooting. If I was ever to take a 40 yard shot, I'd almost feel more comfortable knowing that I had a pin dead on. I'm just wondering what seasoned veterans think.

Thanks!
PF

[Michihunter]

I set my pins like this- 1st 28 yards(that's the yardage my bow will shoot flat to). Next(2nd) is set for 36 yards because that is a 6" drop to my target with the last(3rd) being 42 yards for the same reason.;)

[GVDocHoliday]

You shouldn't need a 10 yard pin...your first pin should be set around 18-22 yards with a second pin probably around 28-30yards with a final pin at 35 yards.

That's for a 3 pin setup.

[BUCKWIZZARD]

I like 1 pin but when I used 3 it was 15 25 35. I liked it that way because I wasnt great at judging distances. If it wasnt 20 I used the 15 if I thought they were more than 20 but not 30 I used 25 if they were 30 or more I used 35 and just aimed at the middle of the deer:confused::confused:

[chris_kreiner]

My three pin set up is 20, 30, 40.

[KalamazooKid]

My three pin set up is 20, 30, 40.

:yeahthat:

[Corona]

I have a 4 pin but my first three pins are 20 30 35 (4th pin is 40)

[wolfgang510]

I like having the first pin set for as long of a shot as possible while still being accurate at any shot shorter. For my bow thats around 20 yards. At 240fps I'm still shooting high around 15 yards but pretty close to dead on back at 10. I used to have the first pin at 25 yards which workd pretty good for really short shots and for 22-28 yard shots but at 15 yards I was shooting way to high. The faster your bow the further away you can get away with setting your first pin. Flat to 28 yards must be blazin!

[Michihunter]

I like having the first pin set for as long of a shot as possible while still being accurate at any shot shorter. For my bow thats around 20 yards. At 240fps I'm still shooting high around 15 yards but pretty close to dead on back at 10. I used to have the first pin at 25 yards which workd pretty good for really short shots and for 22-28 yard shots but at 15 yards I was shooting way to high. The faster your bow the further away you can get away with setting your first pin. Flat to 28 yards must be blazin!


292 fps!!;)

[Backwoods-Savage]

20, 30, 40

[jjc155]

20, 30, 35 for me. 35 is my self impossed max.

J-

[uptracker]

You shouldn't need a 10 yard pin...your first pin should be set around 18-22 yards with a second pin probably around 28-30yards with a final pin at 35 yards.

That's for a 3 pin setup.

:yeahthat:

Look into this and you'll find it's the best way to go.

[KS up north]

20, 30, 40. Although 40 is for practice only, until proficient.
I dont want to stir any hives, but I strongly advise against aiming at "the middle of a deer". :eek: :(
Please have a little more respect for the animal, and only shoot at yardages you are proficient at. Believe me, you will feel terrible if you wound an animal and cannot recover it due to a poor hit.

just my 2 cents....

[jstfish48162]

1 pin....good out to 20 yards....my self-imposed limit. also, where i hunt, 20 yards is the maximum clear shot i have. so, it all takes care if itself.:fish:

[thebellman]

I liked one pin set at 20 yards, most I would shot is 25 yds.

But it is dependant on where you hunt, and how you hunt.

Obviously hunting along the edge of a field affords longer ranges.

I hunt just off the edges of fields (crops), natural funnels to and from the fields/bedding areas, creek beds, thickets on runs, scrapes, and rubs.

Experiment, and practice, practice, practice!!!

Error is just another word for Education!

[archerjustin]

You shouldn't need a 10 yard pin...your first pin should be set around 18-22 yards with a second pin probably around 28-30yards with a final pin at 35 yards.

That's for a 3 pin setup.

Docs got it right. Unless your bow is extremely fast, then you could go 20 30 40.

[fasthunter]

It's just my preference, but everyone on here has a point. I have a 10 yard pin. I do tend to hunt VERY thick nasty cover frequently. Alot of the time 15 yards is far for where I hunt. So I use a 10 yard pin as well.

[PackerFan]

Well I think I'm going to try 20, 30, 40 tonight. My problem is my sight is so far low just to get a 10 yard pin, I think I'm going to have to move the individual pins to get a 20 yard top pin. Is this a problem? The range at Al and Bobs is a 20 yard range so I'm not sure where to go to sight in 30 and 40 yards. The only other thing I can think of is to go the the high school football field near my house and use the yardage markers and shoot into a foam block.

[Michihunter]

Well I think I'm going to try 20, 30, 40 tonight. My problem is my sight is so far low just to get a 10 yard pin, I think I'm going to have to move the individual pins to get a 20 yard top pin. Is this a problem? The range at Al and Bobs is a 20 yard range so I'm not sure where to go to sight in 30 and 40 yards. The only other thing I can think of is to go the the high school football field near my house and use the yardage markers and shoot into a foam block.

I pesonally use "paces" instead of yardage to determine my distances. A heckuva lot easier in the woods to pace something off than to get out a tape measure.;)

[Joe Archer]

... My problem is my sight is so far low just to get a 10 yard pin, I think I'm going to have to move the individual pins to get a 20 yard top pin. Is this a problem? The range at Al and Bobs is a 20 yard range so I'm not sure where to go to sight in 30 and 40 yards. The only other thing I can think of is to go the the high school football field near my house and use the yardage markers and shoot into a foam block.

I am not sure I understand your question. Your top pins are your low yardage pins. If your bow is sighted in, and you choose the correct pin for the distance you shoudn't have a problem.

I don't think it is legal for you to shoot on the HS football field!

Personally, I have 4 pins set at 10, 20, 30, and 40. These are just for practice. I limit my shots at deer to 20 yards or less.
The 4 pins work for me because of a slower set-up (2216's aluminum, 125 gr broadhead). At 10 yards I will hit about 2 inches high with my 20 yard pin. For 50 yard target shots, I aim with my 40 yard pin, visualize my 30 yard pin and move the 40 yard pin up to that spot. So basically, with a 4-pin set up I am good from 0 - 50 yards.
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[PackerFan]

I am not sure I understand your question. Your top pins are your low yardage pins. If your bow is sighted in, and you choose the correct pin for the distance you shoudn't have a problem.

I don't think it is legal for you to shoot on the HS football field!

Personally, I have 4 pins set at 10, 20, 30, and 40. These are just for practice. I limit my shots at deer to 20 yards or less.
The 4 pins work for me because of a slower set-up (2216's aluminum, 125 gr broadhead). At 10 yards I will hit about 2 inches high with my 20 yard pin. For 50 yard target shots, I aim with my 40 yard pin, visualize my 30 yard pin and move the 40 yard pin up to that spot. So basically, with a 4-pin set up I am good from 0 - 50 yards.
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My sight is adjusted on my bow very low. The entire sight with the pins is movable up and down. It's so far down right now, that if I want to make my 10 yard pin my 20 yard pin, I'm not sure if the sight will drop down any lower to allow it. I think I'll have to adjust the actual pins within the sight to get my top pin to shoot 20 yards. It seems that my bow is shooting real low since I had it tuned. The problem was that my arrow was hitting my drop away rest on the draw so they had to raise the nock point up a hair. To compensate, I have to lower my sights to get it to even out. I'm thinking I'm going to have to lower it even more to get my 10 yard top pin to be a 20 yard pin.

Please correct me if I'm wrong!

[Joe Archer]

Are you even sure that your bow is tuned? I would be certain of that before I did much of anything else. Right now you have room for at least a 20 and 30 yard pin. If your bow is tuned to perfection, and you don't have room for a 40 yard pin. You don't have room for a 40 yard pin...Period! At that point you have to decide how badly you want that extra pin. Is it worth changing your anchor point? Changing your draw weight and arrow weight? For whitetail hunting situations in Michigan, a 20 yard pin should be all you need.
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[bluesun7602]

i've got pins at 15, 20, and 30. if it's not within 30 yards, i'm not killing it.

[Swamp Monster]

My sight is adjusted on my bow very low. The entire sight with the pins is movable up and down. It's so far down right now, that if I want to make my 10 yard pin my 20 yard pin, I'm not sure if the sight will drop down any lower to allow it. I think I'll have to adjust the actual pins within the sight to get my top pin to shoot 20 yards. It seems that my bow is shooting real low since I had it tuned. The problem was that my arrow was hitting my drop away rest on the draw so they had to raise the nock point up a hair. To compensate, I have to lower my sights to get it to even out. I'm thinking I'm going to have to lower it even more to get my 10 yard top pin to be a 20 yard pin.

Please correct me if I'm wrong!


Your arrow hitting the drop away on the draw?? Are you using a peep? Have you thought about adjusting your anchor point? And yes, the actual pins inside your sight are adjustable...or most are anyway. Adjust those before you adjust your whole pin guard. Most sites have enough vertical movement in both the pins and the pin guard to accomodate anything from point blank to 40-50 yards. To me, it sounds like your form and anchor point are a little off. Hard to tell with just a description though.

Thank heavens for the Pollington Red Dot and fast bows thats for sure! Nothing to mess with unless a shot oppurtunity comes past 35 yards and thats a shot that is highly unlikely I'll take. The rest are point and shoot.

[sbooy42]

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