I'm really working to shoot better and more consistently this year. Part of that is practicing more. In doing so, I have been shooting two different bows that I have. One with fingers and one with a release. My main hunting rig is with the release however, I want to have both dialed in so I can pick and choose either one each hunt. Both of these bow sites have a level. I have noticed that when in my comfortable shooting position, both level bubbles are all the way to the left (not perfectly level). It does not take much to center them however, it does not feel that great in my hand. While shooting, I have not been able to pinpoint the impact this is having down range. I'm hoping to get a bit of insight from this crew. I think my questions are: - Is it OK to shoot in the most comfortable position if it is not completely level according to the bow sights? - What type of grouping might I continue to experince? - If there is an impact, will it be seen at a particular range?
Theoretically, if you aren't level, your POI will be opposite of the bubble because the rest is below the sight. It may not be noticeable for several yards depending on how fast your arrow speed is. Eventually though it will start to show. For me it doesn't seem to make any noticeable difference until I get to 40 yards. I have had it where the level was off and had no means to adjust it. I took it off altogether on that sight. My current sight has adjustment screws for the level if needed. To answer your main question, if you can hit the target accurately within your effective range without using the level then I wouldn't worry about it.
I sight my bow in and get it hitting where I point and then I look at the level. I always was an instinctive shooter and I tend to fall back to repeatability and so when I get my bow dialed in, if the level is on too, bonus. I know all of the reasons why you should pay attention to your level but as a hunter who shoots 40 yards or less, I don't see any difference.
Being able to shoot consistently is the biggest thing. Problem without being level is when you sight in. If you are shooting left, you can't just adjust your sight left, because that would also throw your elevation off also. To resolve this you need to adjust the balance of the bow so it naturally is level. Otherwise you have to put torque on the bow to get it level.
Its all about consistency. Does your sight had 2nd and 3rd axis adjustment? if so then you can adjust the axis to match how you hold the bow. As long as you do it the same every time you should be good. When things work out and things feel natural you are generally more accurate. So if you can adjust the bubble so that it level when the grip feels right to you. You may of course have to make some sight adjustments afterwards.
Thanks for the thoughts here. It helps my education and thinking process a bit more. I run a standard truglo basic sight with vertical and horizontal adjustments only. I max out between 30 and 40 yards for hunting situations however, started to shoot out to 50 yards in the yard to help make the other shots easier. I'm going to see if I can go a whole practice session with it perfectly level and see if it becomes more natural to me and if I see much difference in placement.
If you correct it enough and practice it will eventually become muscle memory and feel right. Just have to work a little harder at it. Good luck.
If I just pull my bow back comfortably my bubble goes left as well, which makes sense (to me) as a right hand shooter. The weight is on the right side of the bow - site and quiver w/arrows. If the weight on the right side tilts the bow to the right, the bubble will go left. I went with a 10.8 stab system. I have the 10" up front with 2oz of weights and a side stab 8" with 4oz of weight. You'll have to play with the weights first off to see what works best and then the positioning of the side stab - whether it is up or down and far out from the bow. The longer the stab and the further out the weight is from the bow, theoretically the less weight needed. I was able to play with mine enough that when I drew back comfortably the bubble naturally fell into place.
I've had two rounds now with ensuring that I am level each time. Distances from 20 - 50. Mainly 30-50. I'm starting to feel like I'm a bit more consistent so far. Even from 50 where I am not grouping well, it feels good. I'm shooting without my quiver on so, this might not be the best test however, I'm going to keep trying to shoot as level as I can be for a few more rounds and see if I can make it stick. I do not shoot with a stabilizer. Never have. I'm not against them. When I add the quiver back on it is way out of balance, I might consider it. I dislike the idea of adding weight however, could be well worth it.
pick, you may want to try a doinker tactical or a dead level hunter, they hang off to the side and have fixed my out of level issues.
