News

By: Tracy Breen

If you have ever attended an archery tournament and watched a few of the pro shooters compete, you will likely notice one thing. They all use a peep sight. At a national tournament that brings out the best of the best shooters, it isn’t uncommon to have hundreds of shooters competing and every last one of them uses a peep sight. Why do they all use a peep sight? Because it increases their accuracy.

A pro shooter once told me that the difference between using a peep and not using a peep is like the difference between shooting a pistol and shooting a sniper rifle. Even the very best marksman who shoots his pistol daily can’t hold a candle to an average shooter with a rifle in his hands. The reason there is such a difference between the two weapons is the distance between the back sight and the front pin. The greater the distance, the more accurate the weapon.

When using a peep sight, you are forced to put your front pin dead center in the middle of the peep sight. Since the hole in the peep is so small, if you cock your head slightly, torque the bow a little or don’t anchor it in just the right spot, your front pin won’t be centered in the peep. In most cases, we notice this problem when aiming and we fix the problem before shooting.

Without a peep sight, consistency is difficult. Most bowhunters know being a consistent shooter without a peep sight is difficult but most bowhunters who don’t currently use a peep stop using them because they had a bad experience with them in low light conditions. When a bowhunter can’t see through his peep just before dark and takes a shot and misses it, he curses at the peep and removes it from his bow. (Maybe this story sounds familiar to you.)

There is no question a peep sight can take away a few good minutes of shooting light, but remember being accurate is one of the most important aspects of archery and bowhunting. If I have persuaded you to try a peep sight, let me offer one word of advice: go big. Buy a large diameter Nitro Peep from Pine Ridge Archery. My favorite size is a 1/4-inch. A 1/4-inch peep is large enough to see through in low light and provides plenty of accuracy. Most pro shooters use extremely small diameter peep sights when shooting at tournaments but they are trying to split hairs at 100 yards. I am just trying to puncture lungs at 30 yards. If you have never used a peep sight or are considering trying one again, buy the largest peep sight you can find. After you are comfortable with that, try a smaller one. A large peep lets in lots of light so at the moment of truth just before dark, you can still see the deer. A large peep sight is the way to go. After all, bigger is better.

---

About the Author:

Tracy Breen makes his living as an Outdoor Writer. In the past several years, he has been blessed to hunt and fish all over North America and has been able to do things he never thought possible. In addition to being a diehard outdoorsman, Tracy has cerebral palsy; a disease that affects much of his right side. The possibility of a guy this young with a major disability making a living in the hunting industry is almost impossible, unless Christ opens the doors...Read More