How to Set Up a Sight

Tools and supplies

Tools

• Allen wrench set (sight and mount screws)
• Target at a known, measured distance
• Pen and paper or your phone (to record marks)

Steps

1. Mount the sight securely

   Bolt the sight bracket to the riser's threaded holes and tighten the mounting screws snugly. Make sure the sight is square to the bow and nothing is loose, since a shifting mount makes every later adjustment meaningless.

2. Set a rough windage and centershot to start

   Before shooting, set a starting left-right position by eye: with the arrow nocked, align the sight pin (or scope) so it roughly lines up with the string and the center of the arrow/rest. This rough centershot just gets your first arrows on the target so you have a group to work from.

3. Pick one known distance and shoot a group

   Stand at a single, measured distance (a close distance is easiest to start). Aim carefully at the same spot and shoot a group of arrows with your best, most repeatable form. Use a group, not a single arrow, so one bad shot does not send you chasing the wrong correction.

4. Move the sight IN THE DIRECTION OF THE GROUP

   Look at where the group landed relative to where you aimed, then move the sight the same way the group missed — 'follow your misses' / chase the arrow. If the group is low, move the pin/aperture down; if it is left, move it left; and so on. Moving the sight toward the group walks your point of impact back to center.

5. Shoot and adjust until the group centers

   Shoot another group and move the sight again the same way, in smaller and smaller amounts, until your group is centered on where you aim at that distance. Change only one axis at a time (windage or elevation) when you can, so you can see what each move did.

6. Lock it down and record the mark

   Once the group is centered, tighten the sight's lock screws so the setting cannot drift, and write down the sight mark for that distance (the scale position or pin used). A recorded mark is what lets you return to that distance reliably later.

7. Repeat for each distance you shoot

   Move to the next known distance and repeat: shoot a group, chase the arrow, center, lock, and record. Work through every distance you want a mark for. If you use a peep sight, keep the same anchor and peep alignment each time so your marks stay valid.

The core idea: chase the arrow

Setting up a bow sight is a feedback loop. You shoot a group, see where it lands, and move the sight in the direction the group went — then repeat until the group sits where you aim. Archers call this “following your misses” or “chasing the arrow”: if your arrows land low and left, you move the pin (or aperture) down and left.

This feels backwards if you are used to rifle scopes, where you adjust the reticle toward the bullseye. On a bow sight you do the opposite — you move the aiming reference toward the impact, which makes you re-aim and walks the next group back to center. Remember the phrase chase the arrow and you will never adjust the wrong way.

Mount and set a rough centershot

Bolt the sight to the riser’s threaded holes and snug the mounting screws so nothing can shift; a loose mount makes every later adjustment meaningless. Then set a rough centershot by eye before you shoot: with an arrow nocked, line the pin or scope up roughly with the string and the center of the arrow and rest. You are not fine-tuning here — you are just getting your first arrows onto the target so you have a group to work from. Windage gets dialed in properly once you start shooting.

Sight in one distance at a time

Pick a single, measured distance to start (a close distance is the easiest place to begin), and shoot a group rather than a single arrow. Groups matter: one bad shot can be a form error, and adjusting off it sends you chasing a correction you do not need. Aim at the same spot with your most repeatable form, then:

1. Read where the group landed relative to your aim.
2. Move the sight the same way the group missed (low group → pin down; left group → pin left).
3. Shoot again and move again, in smaller amounts each time, until the group is centered.
4. Change one axis at a time — windage or elevation — when you can, so you can see exactly what each move did.

When the group is centered on your aim, tighten the lock screws so the setting cannot drift, and write down the sight mark for that distance. That recorded mark is what lets you come back to the distance reliably.

Build out the rest of your marks

Move to the next known distance and run the same loop: shoot a group, chase the arrow, center, lock, and record. Work through every distance you want a mark for. Consistency is what keeps the marks valid — anchor the same way each shot, and if you shoot a peep sight, line the peep up with your sight the same way every time so the aim reference does not move between distances. A solid, repeatable nocking point and anchor underpin the whole process: if your form wanders, your marks will too.

If your groups are wide or wandering no matter how you adjust the sight, that points to form or tune rather than the sight itself — that is the moment to have a coach watch you shoot before you keep chasing marks.