Is there any shame.........
 

........in using a "sight" with a recurve or longbow?

Here's my reason for asking. I'm shooting pretty good gap style and with practice will get better I'm sure, but I got the weird idea to make a small reference to help my shooting so I taped (with a small piece of electrical tape) a piece of a toothpick to the front of the sight window of my Bear Kodiak Hunter.

Two3 arrow groups later and my simpletoothpick was "sighted in" by simply taking my consistent anchor and putting the tip of that toothpick on the dot.............my accuracy was instantly improved by an almost embarrassing amount.[:-]
I didn't get out to any distance but I was easily keeping 3 and 4 arrow groups in a 1/2 dollar at 12 yards. (distance corner to corner in my basement) My confidence went wayyyyyyyyyyy up.

I could easily see setting something like that at say 15 yards dead on and then learning to hold accordingly a little further or closer.

The problem is I feel like I'm cheating.
Why is that?
If I go down that road to kill an animal am I no better than if I was using my compund with a pin sight and a release?

[&o]

RE: Is there any shame.........
 

What it really boils down to is what you are personally trying to accomplish.

It sounds like you are getting some gratification (having fun) with what you are doing. I'd say keep doing what you are doing and assess things later.

I wouldn't worry about that.

RE: Is there any shame.........
 

Cheating who Matt? If you're okay with it, that's all that matters. Maybe after you use that spot where the toothpick is located for long enough, you can remove it and visualize the same spot "down and out from the riser cutout. If you think you are going to use a sight of some kind to hunt with, my advice would be to put a simple one pin sight on your bow and don't risk losing or wounding an animal due toa toothpick that moved on you.

RE: Is there any shame.........
 

I shoot cross-dominant ...... impossible for a pin for me

Shoot whatever you like man. I like the challenge of instinctive shooting. Can you throw a baseball to someone 100 feet away ? Can you throw a football to a guy running a slant route ? Can you shoot a basketball on a fadeway from the baseline ?

If so ...... so you can shoot a recurve instinctively. Its just difficult, and time consuming to get good at.

A pin took you from so-so to really good in a hurry, right ? Add a mechanical release, some wheels and get REALLY accurate (compound) but uh ......... isn't that what you went AWAY from compounds ? The challenge ?


Do what you like ......... I'll likely shoot a compound this fall myself

RE: Is there any shame.........
 

Just look at all those old Pearsons,Bears,Wings,etc that have holes in the risers from sights being out on.There's nothing wrong with it and don't let anyone tell you it's not traditional

RE: Is there any shame.........
 

Well, if I am paying for it, there is not much shame in much I do. So I say if you want a pin, its none of my business

RE: Is there any shame.........
 

MATT,
If a sight will get your arrow more consistentley where you want it to be SPECIALLY on game ?? "NO SHAME to YOUR GAME " In MHO ,, The animal is the most important equasion of the end result!
Tj

RE: Is there any shame.........
 

When I 1st started shooting trad I used a tooth pick untill I got used to shooting then I removed it.Used it more for a referance point.

RE: Is there any shame.........
 

matt,back when there was just archery and "traditional" archery had yet to be invented, a lot of people used sights.Why do youthink you see all those old bear bows on ebay with holes in the risers?In truth using a gaping system is notmuch different that using a sight.The arrow tip is ineffect your sight.One thing it will do is let you know that when you miss it was due to bad form and not a mis alignment or sighting error.It really dependson what your goals are.The sad part of it is that in todays "traditional" circles sights are not accepted.

CB

RE: Is there any shame.........
 

somewhere I have a picture of my Dad shooting a '59 Grizzly with a matchstick taped to the back of the bow...

this is also the guy that could shoot pheasants on the wing with that same bow..