Factory sights

Dereck · Post by **Dereck** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 4:19 pm

Does anyone use these?
How do they stand up to getting knocked around?

I took mine off the day I got my Vortex just assumed I needed a scope.

B-Logger · Post by **B-Logger** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 4:40 pm

I recall using them when I first got the bow but quickly also got the scope and love it.

pokynojoe · Post by **pokynojoe** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 8:31 pm

I use them, exclusively now. It is simple, durable, and can easily be improved. I have went through three different crossbow scopes from three different manufacturers. All of them suffered from reticle shift, and all failed the fog test, I just assumed they would fail my submersible test, so I didn't even attempt that. They all went back, one manufacturer sent a replacement and this too, failed. The optics on all three were somewhat disappointing, although, they were satisfactory for the price.

I've come to realize that the peep and pin sight is more than satisfactory for the purpose at hand. After thinking about it, a scope isn't really necessary for a short range weapon such as a crossbow. Yes, I know the arguments of older individuals saying a scope makes it easier to see during dusk and dawn, and I guess that it would be so, if scopes were made for "seeing", but they're not, scopes are made for "aiming". Binoculars are for "seeing". I'm an older guy, with vision problems, yet I have no trouble seeing a "deer sized" target during legal shooting hours at 20 or 30 yards. I'm of the opinion that if you need a scope to "see" a deer sized target during legal shooting hours at the typical short ranges deer are taken with a crossbow, then you probably have a serious vision problem that needs to be addressed. I don't know, maybe there are lots of places where it's legal for you guys to hunt deer at night, or in the dark.

The point of all this diatribe is that I don't feel handicapped in any way with a good pair of binocular and the peep and pin sight on my crossbow. In fact, given the rate of failure of my experience with the current crop of crossbow scopes, I believe that I may have a distinct advantage. As usual my experience needs to qualified by saying, to each his own.

Joe

Dereck · Post by **Dereck** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 8:35 pm

Thanks for the input Joe I was thinking of trying another brand of scope but think I will put the pin and peep on and give it a try.

vixenmaster · Post by **vixenmaster** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 9:07 pm

2nd peep/pin for several yrs i used mine fer hunting. i drilled mine out larger hole catch abit more light early mornings. i have a varizone on my e'cet for shooting 3-D shoots

bluemoon · Post by **bluemoon** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 10:07 pm

I'm using the Vari-zone scope, for now. It seems like a pretty decent scope. That said, should anything ever go wrong with it, I'll probably go to the peep/pin setup instead of another scope.

Have always had a healthy distrust towards scopes. Two have gone haywire on me, one with a "floating poi", who knows what with the other. With the secod one, mounted to a 30-06, it resulted in a gut shot doe. Was fortunate to find the deer & salvage all the meat. Couldn't understand how I could blow an easy broadside 30 yard shot by 8 inches right & 3 inches low. Took it to the range the next morning, and sure enough, a three shot group on the 50 yard target was way right & low. Checked the tightness on all screws, re-sighted, and just assumed I must've bumped it hard without realizing it. Went to the range a week later to practice, and this time it was way right & high.

To be fair, neither of these were high end scopes. But I've seen enough reports of those going bad too that I'll never spend the $1K-plus required to own one. Seems like something of a crapshoot no matter what brand you go with.

Peep/pin never felt like a handicap when bowhunting, so I don't know why it would be for crossbow hunting. My "effective range" with the crossbow is no further than it was with a compound vertical bow. The longbow is a different story

Bottom line, don't feel like you have to have a scope. But if you really want a scope... well, that's a different story too

sipsey · Post by **sipsey** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 9:24 am

We cant use any scope with magnification ( go figure) in my state so have shot with the factory sights exclusively--off of shooting stix I have no problem shooting a 3" group at 50 yds.--- good enough for me

raydaughety · Post by **raydaughety** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 10:19 am

I had thought about going to pins but my eyesight have really deteriorated over the last year or two causing me to get glasses this past spring. I have often wondered if you could install multiple miltiple pins for different ranges. Anyone know if this is possible?

Chuck Gravel · Post by **Chuck Gravel** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 10:14 pm

I would like to have a peep sight light the ones you use on a pistol, the ones that are fiber-optic:

Dereck · Post by **Dereck** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 10:20 pm

The front sight that came with my Vortex is fiber optic and the rear is just an aperture.
Will be putting them back on tomorrow to see how they work.

liaf · Post by **liaf** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 10:37 pm

bstout wrote:The main reason I use a telescopic sight on my crossbow is because I don't have 20/20 vision. If your vision is less than perfect it's impossible to have the front sight and the rear sight simultaneously focused when using open sights. One or the other will be blurred.

The older you get the more difficult it becomes to use open sights of any kind.

The telescopic sight puts both sights (front & rear) on the same plane basically. Being able to focus on the crosshairs becomes a non-issue even with poor eye sight.

If it were possible to teach a politician...they could be taught that telescopic sights aren't meant just for shooting long distances but they're also engineered so that you can see what you're doing while shooting up close.

i totally agree which is why I use a red dot for my shooting.

wabi · Post by **wabi** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 4:41 pm

The factory sights aren't the best quality (why put a lot of expense in something 99% of the buyers aren't going to use?) but are durable enough to hunt/shoot with. The fiber optics have come loose in mine a time or two, and the adjustments aren't "micro" for sure.
I like the simplicity and lack of weight of open sights, but I find with aging eyes they just aren't the best choice anymore.
The only real gripe I had with the factory sights was that the fiber optics are useless in a ground blind like my "doghouse" since they don't get enough light to glow in early morning/late evening conditions, and without the fiber optic the hooded front sight is very dim. I couldn't see the "posts" or center "bead" with the crossbow inside the blind.