Most people have a tendency to chase the arrow when sighting in a crossbow. This is not what you want to do. You want to follow the arrow with your eye, not try and physically move your head in the direction of the arrow.
This is an easy mistake to make. It’s natural for us to want to turn our head and eyes toward something that we’re looking at. When we don’t get what we want, we naturally increase the pressure on whatever it is that we’re trying to control until it works out for us (or breaks). This causes us to overshoot our intended target and can even lead to injury if done improperly.
Sighting in a crossbow can be tricky because most of them come with an adjustable scope that allows you to change both windage and elevation settings. This means that your sight picture may need adjusting after each shot if you aren’t hitting where you want to hit.
It’s not always necessary to “chase the arrow” when sighting in a crossbow.
There are a number of factors to consider when sighting in your crossbow.
The first thing you need to do is make sure your crossbow is properly adjusted and tuned. If this is not done correctly, it can throw off your accuracy by quite a bit. This adjustment process also includes making sure that the scope and mount are properly aligned as well as making sure that there are no obstructions on the scope lens or scope mount. Once these things have been taken care of, you can begin sighting in your crossbow.
It’s not always necessary to “chase the arrow” when sighting in a crossbow. In fact, doing so can be counterproductive because if you do not hit the bullseye after three shots, then all you are doing is wasting time and ammunition. The best way to sight in your crossbow is by using a marker such as a pencil or pen cap at 20 yards away from where you will be shooting at 20 yards away (if it is closer than 20 yards away then use 15 yards). Once you have done this, adjust your scope until the crosshairs line up exactly with the marker on both sides of center.
It is uncommon for the actual trajectory to change after the first 10 yards or so, so if your arrow is off from the very first shot, your scope will likely adjust to correct this.
The first thing you need to do is set up your bow and determine where your sight pin needs to be placed on the target. If you are using a target with a 10-ring, simply place your sight pin in the center of it and shoot. If you don’t have a 10-ring, then use a tape measure or yardstick and measure out 10 yards from your target. Place a mark at that distance and shoot at it with your bow.
Once you’ve done this and determined where your sight pin needs to be placed on the target, you can begin adjusting it with the windage knob until you see where it hits best (either in center or slightly left or right). Most scopes have two knobs: one that adjusts windage (left/right) and another that adjusts elevation (up/down). You want to adjust both of these until they’re on point before adjusting anything else.
Adjusting while shooting can be dangerous.
If you’re trying to move the sight while the arrow is in flight, there’s a good chance that the arrow will hit something (or someone) else.
If you want to adjust your point of aim, then do so before shooting.
Adjusting for windage and elevation is easy if you use a quality sight system that has windage and elevation adjustments built into the bow itself.
For example, if you have a sight controlled by Allen screws on top of the riser, then you can make these adjustments without moving from your shooting position or changing your stance or draw length.
If you are hunting at short distances, it often isn’t necessary to shoot at distances longer than 20 yards.
There are several reasons for this. First, the longer the range, the less accurate your shot will be because of the effects of gravity on your bullet as it travels downrange. Second, as you increase distance, your point-blank zero changes. This means that at longer distances, your bullet may impact low or even below the target.
The third reason is that most hunters do not have time to get a good sight picture at long ranges. If they do have time, they often don’t have a chance to correct for any errors in their sight picture before pulling the trigger.
The more shots you take at longer distances, the more likely your scope will become misaligned over time.
The problem is that the scope’s alignment isn’t always consistent. It can be slightly different each time you use it and over time it can become way off.
This is especially true if you’re using a scope with an adjustable objective (or “AO”) lens to focus your reticle on target. When you adjust this lens, there’s a possibility that it can get out of alignment.
When this happens, even if your reticle looks like it’s properly centered in the middle of your field of view (FOV), it may not be actually lined up with where the bullet will strike when you fire the gun.
When sighting in your crossbow, don’t chase your arrows.
When sighting in your crossbow, don’t chase your arrows. You will be using a paper target with the center marked, so you can see where the arrow lands. If you have to move the arrow closer or farther from the center to get it to hit dead on, then do so. Once you have all three bolts landing in the same area on the target at 30 yards, you’re ready for shooting at game.
Maintain your posture and hold the crossbow perpendicular to the target. Place a crosshair or bulls-eye on the target, align that with your nocking point and the point of aim, and let the arrow fly. You will achieve greater accuracy this way than by chasing your arrow.