I`ve ask this qestion before but know body answered.Can some body explain to me with the tecnology of a pendulum sight why hunters are still using fix pins? I first started W/fix pins and after missing a few deer,I change over to a pendulum and not miss one yet,and that was along time ago.I use a sniper pendulum now and it also has fix pins for the ground.I bought the sight last year and took 6 deer with it and one was on my way back to my truck on the ground.This sight gives me the best of both worlds.I can under stand using fix pins if you ground hunt.But why guess at your distance or use a exspencive range finder.some times you dont have time to fiddle with any thing but shoot.My sight is dead on out to 35 yds (exscuse- I pick the wrong pin or I guess he was farther than I thought!)By practicing at differnt distance I know what my sight and bow is capable of doing,no guessing.Why take a chance at at a miss or wouding the deer.Dont we buy and practice with the best gear we can aford so we can be the best shot and hunter we can be?

Many folks shoot one fixed pin out to ranges of up to 35 yds, with plenty of success. I have no problem killing any deer I shoot at with my one (fixed) pin...treestand or ground. I see no need for a pendulum, when I can do the same fixed pin(s). Personal preference I guess.

bullsi, I' m just wondering do you generally hunt on flat land, or have you ever hunted in the stand (say 20 feet high) on the side of hills, ridges, or creek bottoms, where in front of the stand 35 yards out is actually 45 feet below your stand, behind you i35 yards out is actually 10 feet above your stand, and to your either side of the stand 35 yards out you are still at 20 feet. Here I could see the either side of the stand shot being right on, but what about the behind and in front shot. Will your sight be right on in these instances? I have never used a pendulum, so I don' t know. Or do you still have to compensate?

Well put WV Hunter and that is the way I hunt.

I' m with Taz and wv hunter, one fixed pin to 35 yards. I' ve got a fixed tree stand in my yard and I' ve tried every conceivable situation, downhill, uphill, level, etc and I just put my one pin on it and hit where I' m aiming if I don' t screw something else up.

Up front I will say that I have never used one in the field. I have looked at them and listened to others talk about their experience with a pendulum sight. Like anything else there are pros and cons and a person has to decide which fits their style of hunting the best.

There are a good number of hunters (myself included) who hunt more than one type of terrain. From what I am told if a person isn' t hunting on level ground the shot may not hit its mark when shot from a treestand. That alone would eliminate the use of the sight for me.

For those who chase elk around in the fall there are plenty of fixed pin sights that are built rock solid that will fit the bill nicely. Certainly hunting out west the shots can be farther than what we normally experience in the eastern deer woods so a multiple pin or an adjustable pin system is normally preferred.

The older pendulum sights also were labeled by some as noisey when the pin would vibrate in the housing after the shot. I imagine the sight makers have addressed this issue and improved it, but anything that is loose would have a tendency to vibrate therefore the potential for noise would certainly be there.

However as you have enthusiastically pointed out they do work and work well in the proper environment. If it ain' t broke, don' t fix it!

One reason I don' t use them is because I have enough stuff moving on my bow - without having the sight move also

And the most important is I do 90% of my practice from the ground - either in the range or in my back yard. I like to shoot 5-spot targets at 40 yds - and the percision of a good fixed pin sight(spot-hogg) cant be matched by a pendulum. Also I often practice out to 60 yds or so and the fixed pin is just much better for this.

I use one pin for hunting out to about 35 yds, and another set at 40.

No reason to change.

What' s best for one isn' t necessarily best for the next guy. I quit using sights at all because of my aging eyes. Side benefits are no peep to worry about turning right at the moment of truth, no pin for the game to hide behind in low light and, as long as the critter is within 30 yards, I don' t have to concern myself with yardage at all. If I can see it, I can hit it. And I can hit it where I want to.

I also dumped about $300 worth of releases into the junk drawer and went back to shooting a $5 tab. I shoot fixed, cut on impact broadheads on hefty arrows. My #1 compound is a 46" axle to axle round wheel bow. My entire setup is a complete antithesis of current thinking, but it' s simple, practical and works perfectly well... FOR ME.

My pendulum pin is just like a 35yd fix pin and at differant angles thats when the pendulum comes into play.The problems you guys heard are with old low poundge bows. I hunt at differt hights and angles and the pendulum compencates for all of it.When Im ready to shoot Im steady and my pin does not move.The fix pins are adjusted out to 45yrds far enough.But like I said I`ve not miss one yet or made a bad shot(knock on wood) can u say this.With todays fast & flat shooting bows one pin is all u should need but the pendulum take the guess work out of angles-height and distance.Like I said I practice behind my house and my land is not flat and have tride to make it miss and wont.I`ll never go back to just fix pin.I just wanted to know why thats all.

Over the years, along with fixed pin sights I have used many types of pendulum sights. From the simple and average cost pendulums to the very sophisticated and expensive types. Most did a reasonably good job and some were noisy. Some were fairly accurate on uneven terrain, and some were horrendously inaccurate. Additionally, I use several stands of varying heights and most pendulums must be calbrated to a particular height. I found none to always be an absolute cure for having to estimate yardage that exceeded 20 yards.

If you are on terrain that does not have to many irregular slopes or rises in your shooting zone, some pendulums are on the tack out to 20 yards. Regardless that some say accurate to 30 or 40, I never found one that I would trust to that distance.

With today' s bows, a single pin will usually do the job out to 30 yards if shooting, IMO, 65# and up, or a little less and a dash of " Kentucky Windage." My 3 newer bows sport 1 pin. Even my 1979 PSE Pacer sports 1 pin because I use it for 0-20 yard max.

Nevertheless, as it is with most gear, if it fits the shooter' s bill, gives confidence, and enables success for the shooter, it is a personal call…..like the " Whacking Basket" and " No-Peek."