Most hunters struggle to hit their target because they don’t have the right equipment for their bow and arrow. If your hunting becomes a pain in the neck, you must purchase a crosshair bow sight if you care about improving your aim or killing more game. In this article, I bring to you a curated list of the best Crosshair bow sights for you to purchase.
I based my selections of crosshair bow sights on three different criteria: reviews, price, and performance. After all, it’s important for any product to be able to deliver well in terms of quality even if the price isn’t that high but you have to consider its specs as well since some products may come at an expensive price but they won’t offer what they say they will.
Main features:
- Sight Dimensions: 1 x 1 x 1
- Weight: 0.75 Pounds
- 120 pre-marked yardage tapes
- PWR-DOT LED
- Second and third adjustments on illuminated
- Battery life of 700 hours
The Apex gear pro sight features a reticle resembling the rifle scope model in the place of sight pins. The reticle on the sight helps you locate your target. In addition, the Apex gear has an illuminated dot that can be micro-adjusted (which includes second and third adjustments); further, this sight can be regulated with a gear drive elevation control.
You gain all the feathers present in a long-range sight with an added feature of the PWR-DOT LED. The PWR-DOT gives you eleven types of illumination (Green color), the sight also comes in dual illumination (Green and red). The apex does not have physical sight, this is an advantage as there is nothing to hinder your view.
The Apex gear has a rear fronting yardage tape that you can adjust to allow you to reach up to 120 yards approximately. It is suitable for folks who are ambidextrous and can be adjusted with one hand. An added benefit is that it has a battery life of 700 hours.
Things We Like
- Easy adjustment
- LED technology
- Compact
- Great battery life
- Target location
- Improved accuracy
- Better performance
Things We Don't Like
- Hard to understand instructions
- Tiny screws
Final verdict:
The Apex gear is a simple yet innovative and versatile crosshair bow sight that allows you to make easy adjustments.
2. TRUGLO RANGE-ROVER PRO LED Bow Sight
Main features:
- Sight Dimensions: 10 x 9 x 3 inches
- Weight: 1.06 Pounds
- The sight is fashioned from CNC Made aluminum
- PWR-DOT LED
- Zero-in Technology
- CR2032 battery
- 80 pre-marked yardage tapes
- The sight has a black circle that you can use as a reference to take a better aim.
The Truglo Range Rover Pro LED crosshair bow sight also uses PWR-DOT LED technology in a traditional sight pin like the APEX gear. The PWR-DOT enables the user to have improved target sight and visibility throughout the hunt. The Truglo is a two-dot model that uses its crosshair reticle to portray the target accurately.
The Truglo Range has a zero-in technology that allows you to make micro-adjustments on the elevation. The crosshair bow sight comes with 80 pre-marked yardage tapes; the sight has a black circle that you can use as a reference to take a better aim.
You get Green and Red options of LED light that has been fitted to be inclusive of all eye needs and capacities. The Truglo is equipped with a CR2032 battery.
Things We Like
- Good build
- Durable
- Sturdy
- Easy adjustments
- Ambidextrous use
- Toolless adjustments
Things We Don't Like
- May interfere with arrow flight
- Glare
Final verdict:
The Truglo is a great crosshair bow sight, although it does have its shortcomings. Purchase your sight with the help of a retailer who can help you with understanding the mechanics and initial workings.
3. AXCEL AV-31 Crosshair Bow sight
Main features:
- Sight Dimensions: 8 x 5.25 x 2 inches
- Weight: 3.68 Ounces
- Fashioned from aluminum
- Crosshair insert diameter: 31 mm
- T-bar connection
- Torque ring indicator
- Sight bubble
The AXCEL AV-31 is known to provide precision to hunters. The crosshair insert is easy to see and use, having a diameter of 31 mm. It has been fashioned from aluminum and has a stable and sturdy build. The adjustable fiber cover rheostat allows you to gain better visibility; this ensures that you can locate and stay on target.
The sight is designed to have a sight bubble to allow the user to locate targets with ease. The sight bubble paired with the torque ring indicator will enable you to better view the target. In addition, this sight has a T-bar connection that helps you assemble the product with ease.
Things We Like
- Good build
- Sturdy
- Compact
- Easy installation
- Easy use
- Simple
- Straightforward
Things We Don't Like
- Lack of advanced technology
Final verdict:
The AXCEL AV-31 is a straightforward and simple crosshair bow sight suitable for novices and experts alike.
Factors to consider before purchasing crosshair bow sights
To get the most out of your crosshair bow sight, you must find the one that suits your needs best. Here are a few helpful tips to guide you through while shopping around for crosshair bow sights:
Durability
The first thing you need to look at is the durability aspect; if it is made up of cheap materials, it won’t last long enough. It should be easy to use, rugged, and should be made up of quality materials.
Simplicity
Another factor you must look into while buying a bow sight is its simplicity; it should have easy operation settings so that the user can easily adjust it without any hassle, which ultimately saves time.
Adjustability
The adjustable settings are important as per your needs; you might need a slight adjustment depending upon your shooting style or style of hunting. Pick out the one that fits your personal preferences.
Ease of Use
Compared to other sights, crossbow sights have various parameters involved in their manufacturing, making them very complicated for the average user who has no prior knowledge about them. Therefore, a crosshair bow sight must be user-friendly and should easily fit your preferences.
Price
Last but not least, you will have to consider the product’s price; ensure it is within budget so that you can save up for other accessories required.
Benefits of crosshair bow sights
Crosshair bow sights are constantly being compared to the newer and more modern pin-and-ring style of bow sight. There is a lot of controversy over which type is better for hunting, as well as competition.
Both types have their ups and downs, but through my own experience with crosshairs, I can say that they definitely can be beneficial in numerous situations.
What is a crosshair bow sight?
First things first, let’s get some definitions out there before we talk about how these help your accuracy. A crosshair bow sight has two horizontal lines on the aiming window that intersect at a fixed point within the shooting range.
The intersection point doesn’t change unless you adjust it manually by moving the screws on either side until it’s aligned with the pins.
Most manufacturers of crosshair bow sights use a five-pin design, where there are three horizontal screws and two vertical screws to alter the pins. Usually, the furthest-left screw will move all the ‘X’ pins up or down by about one inch each, while the center and right-hand screws may only move them an eighth of an inch.
These adjustments allow for minute changes to occur between each point on the target, making it much easier to line up your shot with perfect accuracy every time you let loose an arrow from your bowstring.
Crosshair bow sights serve as an advantage when you’re aiming at specific parts of your animal’s body, such as vital organs (heart/lungs) or even heads. However, within a pin-and-ring style sight, it’s very hard at the moment to decide where exactly you want your arrow to hit on the animal.
This may take experience but can be extremely difficult as you’re focusing more on simply lining up the pin with the target than deciding what part of the target you want to shoot at.
However, crosshair bow sights allow for a great deal of accuracy compared to other sights of similar style; they provide an easier way to measure hold-offs and different yardage points, which gives any archer with average skill an edge over their competition.
Because of this, crosshair bow sights work well in both hunting situations but become even more useful when you’re trying to make a pinpoint shot at the animal and put it down as quickly as possible.
Disadvantages of using Crosshair Bow Sights
The disadvantages of crosshair bow sights are mainly due to archers who use them incorrectly or don’t know how to adjust their pins properly when making a new yardage point.
Since the X-pins can only move by about an eighth of an inch, if you want a long-distance between each pin, you’ll need to buy different pins for that specific range (most manufacturers provide their own set of pins).
If you try to rely on the same pins for multiple yardages, accuracy will suffer greatly because of misalignment, and constantly having one eye closed through squinting can be painful after a while!
Another thing I feel that has been a hindrance to the success of crosshair sights is their size, which is usually two or three inches in length.
Compared with newer pin-and-ring sights that are much smaller and easier to use, it makes it harder for archers who like a compact setup to find a place on their riser where they can mount the sight without making it too bulky.
In some cases, it might even require one or more riser modifications for you to have enough room for everything on your bow!
Nonetheless, this doesn’t mean that there aren’t ways around these matters, and I feel they’re relatively minor if you can deal with them when choosing what style of sight will be best suited for your own hunting needs.
Conclusion
Crosshair bow sights improve your accuracy by providing a valid point from which you can easily see whether or not the arrow will hit where you want it to. They’re great when used with traditional and compound bows alike but aren’t very beginner-friendly due to their bulky size and complexity in design.
However, if you’re willing to put in the time before your hunting trips where you practice setting up shots at certain yardages, these sights will make it much easier for you in low-light conditions or when behind a tree stand or blind!
In terms of picking out the best crosshairs for your bow, I recommend using only the best manufacturers to get a set of pins that will be able to hold their alignment throughout use.
