Sight Ring Location.

albatross

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Reading a couple of articles on recurve setup. Assuming a RH archer and the arrow centershot in line with the string. One article states the sight ring should be inline with the string (which makes it in line with the arrow). Another article states it should be just to the left of the string.

Any suggestions?
 

Timid Toad

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Suck it and see.

Seriously: Prof Jim says to find the correct spine stick a matchstick in your button and set centreshot dead centre and sight over the arrow. But it's usually not a shootable setup. It's just a check to make sure you have the right spine as a starting point.
After that you would have the arrow outside the string by a variable amount, and the sight, for a right handed archer would be out to the left of the string by a variable amount. The "variable amounts" are dependent on how much it takes to get your particular arrow to tune.
 

Rik

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My advice is (more or less) in line. As a starting point. But the arrow set on centreshot is not the normal starting position for setup. More normal is the point outside the string. Unless the method is doing one of those daft stiff button or "matchstick" things.
 

ben tarrow

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Surely, if you align your sight ring with the string, when you draw the bow and align the string with the center of your bow, your string will be in the way of your sight?
I've always set the sight ring up so that its slightly to the left (for a RH archer) of the string with the bow at rest, and then align the string to the right edge of the sight ring at full draw to ensure that the arrow (string) is actually pointing at the target
 

ben tarrow

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Surely, if you align your sight ring with the string, when you draw the bow and align the string with the center of your bow, your string will be in the way of your sight?
I've always set the sight ring up so that its slightly to the left (for a RH archer) of the string with the bow at rest, and then align the string to the right edge of the sight ring at full draw to ensure that the arrow (string) is actually pointing at the target
 

Rik

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It's a starting point. I think the perfect sight position is slightly out of line, but the difference is tiny, probably difficult to set, and certainly difficult to measure, so you may as well start with something you have a hope of setting without too much trouble.
 

geoffretired

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I would set the sight so the string lines up with the right hand side of the sight aperture, when viewing the bow so that the string is also down the centre of the limbs. That way, at full draw, if the string lines up to the right hand side of the aperture, the sight aperture is clear of string blur and the bow is facing the target.
After that, if I needed to adjust the spring tension or centre shot, I would try to get the arrows landing centrally at all distances.
I wouldn't want to find the sight well away from the string blur because at full draw and on aim, I would need to judge the gap between sight and string blur and that's a distraction.
 

Bill412

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There are many variables in play here, in particular head and face geometry, how far you turn your head towards the target, the angle you hold your head, your anchor position, and where you want the string shadow in relation to the sight. Any of the suggestions so far in the thread would be fine to get you started but you will most likely finish somewhere else. As so often, there is not really a right and a wrong solution. - Fitz
 

albatross

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Fiddling with archery equipment is great fun. Trying to get the 'perfect setup'. I love trying out other peoples interesting ideas to see how 'suitable' they are and if they will improve my accuracy. Some do, some don't. But if things don't work out I can always go back to my default settings and await the next 'setup suggestion'.
 

ajh499

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I've wondered about this for a while as there doesn't seem to be a consensus on what the correct setup is.

As I have new limbs to set up, I thought I'd have a go with one of those daft stiff button setup routines as I'd never tried it before.

It turned out that to centre my arrows with the stiff button, I had to move the sight left (I'm right-handed) until the string lined up with the right-hand edge of the aperture. I had previously had it set up straight down the centre of the aperture.

However, once I put the spring back in, I had to wind on so much tension on the button to get the arrows back into the middle that I was almost back to a stiff button. Or I was going to have the point of the arrow WAY off to the left of the string.
I wasn't comfortable with that and it felt like it would make for an unforgiving setup so I undid it and went back to having the sight in line with the string and a softer button.

I'm not sure if that's the best setup or not, but it feels a lot better.
 

albatross

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I tried a couple of ends today with the sight in line with the string. I did not like it. To keep my arrows hitting reasonably close to where I was aiming I would have to completely alter either my string picture or end up with a very soft button. Thank goodness I could quickly return to my default bow settings.
 

Timid Toad

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I'm not sure why the sight ring has to be in any particular place. Tune your bow as best you can according to equipment and ability. My preference is 30m bare shaft then out to 70m shooting for groups. Where your sight ring ends up is a function of your tune, your preferred string picture, lighting conditions whether you cant the bow and the weather. Once bare shafting and shooting for groups is complete move your sight so the arrows go where you are aiming and forget about it.
 

ajh499

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I tried a couple of ends today with the sight in line with the string. I did not like it. To keep my arrows hitting reasonably close to where I was aiming I would have to completely alter either my string picture or end up with a very soft button. Thank goodness I could quickly return to my default bow settings.
So exactly the opposite of me then.

I wonder how much the setup and arrows plays in this and how much is down to the archer.

If we had the same draw length and I shot your bow with your arrows and you shot mine with my arrows, I wonder if we would hit different points, left and right?
 

Timid Toad

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So exactly the opposite of me then.

I wonder how much the setup and arrows plays in this and how much is down to the archer.

If we had the same draw length and I shot your bow with your arrows and you shot mine with my arrows, I wonder if we would hit different points, left and right?
Yes. Correct.
 

albatross

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I'm not sure why the sight ring has to be in any particular place. Tune your bow as best you can according to equipment and ability. My preference is 30m bare shaft then out to 70m shooting for groups. Where your sight ring ends up is a function of your tune, your preferred string picture, lighting conditions whether you cant the bow and the weather. Once bare shafting and shooting for groups is complete move your sight so the arrows go where you are aiming and forget about it.
Yes I agree. It proved the point today. I was curious as to the two differing sight ring locations were quoted in different articles. Mine is now set just on the LH edge of the string (as suggested in the 'Art of Repetition').
 

geoffretired

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TT Iam not saying any method is wrong, but what if the last adjustments put the sight directly in front of the string blur? You will see a blurred target in the sight ring.I' m thinking that isn't such a good idea.
 

Timid Toad

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I'm saying there is no right place. Whatever works consistently and gets the arrow in the custard will do.
 

ben tarrow

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I'm saying there is no right place. Whatever works consistently and gets the arrow in the custard will do.
There is no "right" place, as long as it is the same place every time to achieve good consistency, which leads to the argument that some "places" are easier to achieve consistency with than others
 

ben tarrow

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I'm saying there is no right place. Whatever works consistently and gets the arrow in the custard will do.
There is no "right" place, as long as it is the same place every time to achieve good consistency, which leads to the argument that some "places" are easier to achieve consistency with than others
 
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