choice of sights

[d91]

Anyone using pendulum sights?
Do they really eliminate the need for judging yardage?

[ToddP]

I've never used pendulum sights but using some scientific thought here are my feelings. ###I'm not saying this is correct but just my thought process.

I wouldn't think pendulum sights would eliminate the judging of distances because each bow shoots differently. ###A slow arrow speed needs more of an arch to reach it's target at longer distances. ###A fast arrow speed would need less of an arc. ###How does a pendulum sight adjust for speed of the arrow and the arc it produces getting to it's intended target? ###

Does anyone follow me?? ###

Tell me I'm wrong and explain how these sights work. ###Like I said, I haven't used one before.

ToddP

[kuff]

I use a Keller and love it. It has really helped me be more confident than fixed pins.
It is real simple to set up. You just sight it in from the ground at 20 yards. Then when you are in a tree (I think it says you need to be at least 12 feet up) it compensates for the distance. I guess to answer the questions above it just will be tuned to each bow to be accurate for the speed and weight and distance, the same with any sight.
This is also just my opinion- but I won't go back to any other style of sight.
The sight came with a video so maybe you could take a look at it if you know someone who has one.

[Fletch]

I also use a kelly pendulum sight and it was fairly easy to set up. It has mounting positions depending on bow poundage (45-70 and 70+). As Kuff said sight it from ground @ 20 yds. for windage and then the elevation is adusted from elevated position 12' or more high. Adjustment are simular to conventioal sights with the exception being moving the sight assembly instead of just a pin. Shooting from a treestand is dead on but ground shots requires some guess work. The pendulum locks into several positions for shots from the ground so it's as simple as selecting the correct one for yardage you need. Like any other site it needs tweeking to get it just right but when it's on it's deadly. Once adjusted it good for 0 to 30 yds. from heights of 12' to 30' without touching any adjustments. It's pretty cool how it works. I was sceptical too Todd before I tried it but I'm glad I did.

[ToddP]

Looks like I might have to try one of these out. ###Anyone have one I can borrow for a little?

Todd

[Gun Docc]

Howdy feller,s

hang on as this is gonna be either ###interesting or boring....hehehe


d91,
the Keller sight mentioned is a decent pendulum as well as many others and yeah they help to eliminate the need for judging yardage.


i have used the pendulum type of sights for well over 25 years and pendulum sights do work to eliminate judging the distances to your target but they all work differently dependant of the bow setup you have.

some work better than others and even some of them can be individually tuned for your bows speed which does affect most all pendulum sights.

say for instance take two different manufacturer's design of the pendulum and compare the pivit arm length on the sight , ###if it has a long pivot arm then the sight will work best for a slower arrow speed but then again if the pivot arm is short then this sight will work the best for bows with a lot higher arrow speeds.
other words if the arm is long then it moves the floating pin more so as to compensate for arrow trajectory at further distances which is needed for slower arrow speeds (same thing as holding the bow higher to hit where you aim, giving it ''more'' arch

then if the arm is short then it will not move the floating pin as much to compensate for the arrow
trajectory at further distances which is needed for faster arrow speeds (same thing as holding the bow lower to hit where you aim, giving it ''less'' arch

now with a pendulum sight that is tunable to your bow setup and its arrow speed .
the length of the pivot arm can be lengthened or shortened to make it tunable for your setup and your given arrow speeds

using a pendulum sight without this feature , you can do some of the same thing by controlling how far away from the bow the sight is mounted(making your sighting plane ''longer'' or ''shorter'' ) this has an affect on how the sight works out to certain distances.

for an example take any given bow with a decent arrow speed and mount the sight out away from the riser(longer sighting plane) then shoot this setup to get it zeroed in dead on at 20 yards. next start shooting at longer distances moving the target out each time if you can still hit your target . keep doing this until you find that you can no longer hit your target . this will show you your maximum range.
(say you hit your target at 27 yards but at 30 yards you shot low) well then this 27 yards would be your maximum effective range with this setup.

follow ?

next take this same bow setup that you have shot and found your maximum effective range to be 27 yards.

now take the sight off the bow and mount it as close as possible to the riser (shorter sight plane)and re-zero the sight and then do the same kind of shooting as before .

(say you hit your target at 31 yards but at 35 yards you shot low) well then this 31 yards would be your maximum effective range with this setup.

you will find that with pendulum sights that the shorter the sighting plane is , the farther it will effectively reach and stay on target.

to explain this from my experiences with different bows and different sights.
when you have a ''long'' sighting plane, it don't move the sight as much for compensation in comparison to the ''short'' sighting plane which moves the sight more.
kinda like back to changing the pivot arm length, it all works to certain capability's and there are many things that can make a difference as to how these type of sights work .

bottom line:

pendulum sights do not work while on the ground unless it has a fixed ground pin that can be set at a certain yardage

the pendulum sights will work as long as you are above your target and most of them are good to about 30 yards with it allowing you to use only 1 floating pin to use for your aim which is a lot less confusing when the opportunity to make that
''perfect'' shot count when needed.

there is a lot more to this from what i have learned over the years shooting pendulum sights but you can benefit from a pendulum sight if you hunt from an elevated tree stand.

myself i shoot both a fixed pin set for dead on at 15 yards which i use to make any shot within the 15 yard setting then i use the pendulum's swinging pivot arm pin to shoot out to my Maximum yardage of 40 yards.
my bow is set to 85 lbs and sends the arrow downrange at 320 fps is how i get 40 yards from the setup.

they work!


hope this explains a little......hehehe

and i will hush fer a while since i have been so long winded......hehehe
Later,

[ToddP]

Yeah... ###what he said.....

Thanks for taking the time to type that up Gun Docc. ###This kind of follows what I was saying but explains why. ###Once I'm done shooting my video league I just might have to try a pendulum sight out. ###I shoot a Hoyt Havoc with arrow speeds around 250fps, it's not cranked down right now. ###I'm guessing I'm looking for a short pivot arm. ###Any recommendations on P-sights?

Thanks,
Todd

[h2obobh2o]

Hey guys,

with the exception of this year, I have been using a Keller pendulum sight for app. 6 years. I have never had a problem, I just aim right on, and hit where I was aiming out to 30yrds. There is a manufacturer in Florida, I think it is called ABC sight company, they offer a pendulum sight, with fixed pins in the same sight, they also claim that with a bow shooting 285 fps. they were shooting water balloons out to 65yards, holding right on....the sight is around 100.00, I was skeptical.......http://www.bowhunting.net/abc/pendulumsights.html ### ### ###(here's the link, check out these claims!!

(Edited by h2obobh2o at 10:17 pm on Jan. 18, 2002)

[Welby]

Gun Docc hits the mark again!! ###LOL

Pendelums work by a good mix of tuning, like Gun Docc described, and by pure coincidence.

I tried a pendulum one year, nothing fancy, in fact it was just the treestand sight pin available from Cobra. ###It was $4.95 from Walmart and attached right on to your regular slotted sight bracket. ###And it worked very well, but I just didn't feel as confident with it as I did my fixed pin sights.

I sighted it in at five yards on the ground. ###Now, I know this defies the instructions others have posted above, but I did this according to the only instructions I had at the time. ###Now, you can believe this or let it alone, but with my slow PSE at the time, that thing was dead on from five yards out to thirty five yards from ground level up to twenty-five feet!

Now, I know that sounds like quite a stretch, but I promise that is fact. ###It may have been ALL coincidence, not just pure coincidence, that mine worked so well. ###At that time, I didn't know much about tuning anyway.

I made a shot on a varmint with that pendelum sight that I still regard as one of my best shots to date. ###Thirty yards and in a dense thicket, I picked out the kill zone and let it fly. ###It was a near perfect shot, and one I couldn't believe I made. ###Later, before season closed, I made the mistake of second guessing my pendelum and paid dearly for it. ###A deer walked by my stand just out of my normal bow range (about 35 yards at the time) and I picked a hair to split. ###Just before I released, I decided to aim a little higher to compensate for the range (which is what I would have to do with my fixed pins) and I let it fly. ###Lo and behold, the arrow hit just what I was aiming for...an oak tree that I could see just over the deer's back. ###Had I not second guessed that shot, it would have been right on.

I used it one season and then went back to my fixed pin sights. ###Like I said, I just had more confidence in my fixed pins. ###And besides, you can't shoot uphill with a pendelum sight, another advantage of the fixed pins.

I have since acquired a Predator IV pendelum sight (it was a gift), but just haven't got the nerve to put it on yet. ###I hate to mess with what works for me.

Gun Docc, I am longwinded too...but at least you have useful things to say!!! ###ha ha

[STR8SHTR]

I use fixed pins now and I'm thinking of buying a new bow this year with all the fixns. ###I have been debating that issue about fixed or pendelums. I'm thinking about sticking with the fixed pins cause I like to hunt from the ground.

[Brad]

Some real good info on pendelums, I shoot fixed pins and think I'll stick with what I have. Hey, I'm hitting what I aim at !!

[knobby]

(Edited by knobby at 9:49 pm on Feb. 17, 2002)

[nobuckkev]

I have a friend that uses one and I don't see the benefit in it. Like Todd said, if you are shooting a fast bow and not too high up, it shouldn't matter. I never get more than 25 feet up and have taken many a practice shot at differrent yardages and do not see the big differenc as opposed to shooting at ground level. I shoot 252fps last time I checked and it shoots flat even from above. I would think that the farther out the shot, the less effect it would have on a flat shooting bow. I also try not to have any moving extra parts on my bow that can cause noise and the pendilum sounds like it might shake a little when shooting. It all comes down to personal preference like any thing else I guess. I'm not big on changing when I get used to a set-up that works for me. I personally recommend the "Montana Black Gold" tri-lithium(or something like that) sights. Like knobby said, my yardage pins are only like a milimeter apart anyways so if you are a little off in judging the distance, you still hit the kill zone.