Bow Sights: Our Pick Is PSE’s RS Glo Fiber-Optic Sight

It’s a better all-round item than the Orion VersaSight and Keller Pendulum Sight, in our opinion.

PSE RS Glo Fiber Optic Sight is a variation of fixed-pin sights, in which light-gathering fiber optics are substituted for the pins.

Three popular styles of archery sights include the standard fixed-pin sight, fiber-optic pin sights, and pendulum treestand sights. Each type has its pros and cons, as a recent comparison of three different sights shows.

Over the past year, we have been looking at three products that have a wide following among bowhunters: the $42.99 pin-style Orion VersaSight from Golden Eagle and Satellite Archery Products, the $69.95 PSE RS Glo Fiber Optic Sight, and the $69.95 Keller Pendulum Sight. We have used the three sights extensively on hunts throughout North America as well as for shooting 3D and the Dart interactive system targets. All have been used under a variety of weather and light conditions, and all three were paired with a string peep sight as a rear sight. After using the sights, we’ve identified several things we like—and don’t like—about each one, which we relate in the following paragraphs:

Fixed-Pin Orion VersaSight
Solid-pin sights are the most common bow sights in the hunting woods. They can include several variations, but all fixed-pin models are simple and strong. Most of the variety occurs in the pin design itself, ranging from the T-Dot with a plastic tip that is very visible under field conditions to the fine-bead sights that some companies market for target shooting. These small pins are poor choices for hunting because they disappear under dim light conditions, just as the larger pins can be too coarse for target work. Also, there are battery-powered pins that illuminate an LED on the end for use in poor light conditions. Most sights have a guard that protects the pins from damage. Many have individual adjustments for both windage and elevation for each pin, while others have individual elevation adjustment only. On these, the entire pin group must be moved for windage adjustments.

For this test we mounted the Orion VersaSight on a new Iron Eagle bow from Golden Eagle and on a Golden Eagle Pro Carbine Hawk bow that has seen several seasons of use. This sight comes off to allow the bow to fit in a travel case. It uses a dovetail male section that slides into a female receiver that is permanently mounted on the bow’s riser. The male part has four holes drilled that accept a thumb-wheel screw with a rounded point that indexes with one of several holes on the receiver end.

The sight comes with five pins. They are relatively small brass heads that have been dip-coated with different colored paint. These pins use an unusual elevation-adjustment system. While rough adjustments are made by sliding the entire sight bracket up or down in the sight frame, the pins are designed with an offset “bend” in each pin so they can be rotated to allow for fine-tuning adjustments. Windage adjustments are achieved by loosening a set screw for each pin and sliding it in or out of the bracket. This system allows precise adjustment and is excellent for target shooting or for hunting small game that requires precise aiming. The pins are protected by a heavy wire (0.190 inch) guard that can be moved in or out to change the distance of the window gap.

The beads on the pins are only about 0.05 inch, which is excellent for target shooting. For most deer and bear hunting, however, we find that they tend to disappear in poor light. One hunting use where this sight excelled was for turkey hunting when we were restricting our shots to the bird’s head.

Field Tests Recommends: We like this sight for its excellent design and construction. We highly recommend it for target shooting or for hunting small critters in good light. However, we think the pins are too small for a lot of deer and bear hunting. In our view, this sight would be improved with bigger pins, and a fiber-optic pin would be even better for low-light hunting.

PSE RS Glo Fiber Optic Sight
We have this $69.95 sight mounted on a PSE LR 1 bow. Because Pope and Young does not recognize trophies taken with the aid of artificial lights, fiber optics offer an alternative to battery-powered lighted sights. They are usually a variation of fixed-pin sights, in which light-gathering fiber optics are substituted for the pins. To work properly, the sight requires that a certain amount of the fiber optic be exposed to ambient light. The fiber optic then “gathers” this light and condenses it to a bright point on the end of the fiber. This particular sight uses a loop of fiber-optic material about an inch long, fastened on each end to a plastic sight arm. The outside end is exposed with a slight knob on it to serve as the “pin.” This pin is held in place with a screw that fits into the back.

The fiber optics alternate as red and green colors, and the sight comes with four sight arms. These are protected by an opaque plastic guard. There is a level at the top (or bottom, if you wish) of the sight window to aid in consistent shooting technique.

While the sight arms can be moved up and down for elevation adjustment, all windage adjustments are made by moving the entire sight bracket along a dovetail. There is also a dovetail that allows elevation movement of the entire sight. The sight is on a removable bracket that works on a dovetail similar to the Orion sight and is locked in place with a screw with a large finger knob.

We found this sight to be excellent for all hunting conditions, but it was particularly effective in low-light situations. We used it for hunting whitetail deer and for black bear. We also tested it shooting 3D targets during failing evening light.

When compared to other fiber optic sights, it was at least as bright as most and brighter than many others that were being used by other shooters. It worked well for 3D target shooting under a variety of light conditions and was very effective for shooting the DART interactive shooting system.

We do have some concerns about the durability of the fiber optics under harsh hunting conditions. Any fiber optic sight is fragile and susceptible to breakage. However, after a full season of hunting with this bow, including transporting it several times on airplanes, we have experienced no problems at all.

Field Tests Recommends: We think this sight might be the best choice for use on an all-around hunting bow.

The Keller Pendulum Sight
We have this sight mounted on a Bear Majestic XLR single-cam bow. We found it to be an accurate and smooth item. We used it for a lot of treestand hunting in the past season and were pleased with its performance.

Pendulum sights are uniquely suited for treestand hunting. They feature a sight pin that swings on a pendulum, which moves according to the angle the bow is being held. The theory is that as the bow is elevated closer to perpendicular as shots become longer, the pin will automatically compensate. Keller says that one pin can be used out to 30 yards.

Obviously, that 30-yard mark will vary from bow to bow. We found with our Bear that when we sighted it about an inch high at 20 yards, the arrow’s point of impact remained constant from under the stand to about 27 yards. Beyond that we needed to compensate for arrow drop.

This was tested from a Grizzly ladder stand that is 10 feet high. While extensive tests were not conducted from higher stands, we found that from hunting stands 20 to 25 feet tall, the shooting range may be extended to the 30-yard mark.

This sight features a simple metal bracket that mounts on the bow with two brass screws. There are two slots in it that accommodate the two long screws of the sight. Windage is adjusted by moving the nuts on both sides of the slotted plate in or out on the threaded screws. To adjust for elevation, you simply slide the entire sight up or down in the slots.

The sight is an oval-shaped metal ring about 21/4 inches long by 7/8 inch wide. Mounted about one third up from the bottom is a pin that serves as a pivot point for the pendulum. The pendulum has three pins of about 0.085 inch that are painted white. One is on a long arm that swings in an arc as the bow is moved. This is the primary aiming pin. There are two lower pins mounted on the “counter weight” side of the sight that can be used for longer shots.

However, we found them to be unnecessary. This sight is used mostly by whitetail deer hunters, and any shots beyond 30 yards at these jumpy animals will often result in the deer moving in reaction to the sound of the bow and the arrow missing or wounding the deer. The bottom of the pendulum has a series of notches, and a threaded thumb screw turns to lock the pendulum in any of these notches. This allows the Keller sight to be used as a fixed-pin sight for ground hunting as well as locking the pendulum for travel or storage.

The top of the sight has a batterypowered red LED light that can be turned on to illuminate the pin in poor light. We found that, like most of the battery-powered lighted sights, it is overpowering. The bright light makes it hard to see the target.

For those hunters who like the simple approach to hunting and who hunt almost exclusively from tree stands, this is an excellent sight. It works as claimed, and the hunter need only use the one pin for any shot out to about 30 yards. Also, after a season of use, it has given us no problems.

Field Tests Recommends: If you hunt big game exclusively from an elevated stand, we highly recommend the Keller Pendulum Sight. However, we wish it had a better system for low-light shooting.

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