 Terzo Optics: Zoptix Bowsight
By: Jason Balazs
The summer of 2008 was the summer of bow sights for me. I must have changed sights about four times. This is not because I wanted to, but because the sights that I was using/testing, were breaking on me. Then, I was talking to a friend of mine in the archery industry and he had mentioned a sight that I might like to test. It is called the Zoptix bow sight and utilizes a reflective glass that shows you the pins. I was wondering if my friend had gotten to much sun, because he was not making any sense. I decided to research the sight for myself and call up the company. After a quick search of the Internet, I found the sight and the website that they have. It was almost as if the sight looked like a halo type of sight that illuminates a dot onto a lens. This however, was not the case.
I called the company and told them I was interested in testing their product and sent my resume to them. After a few weeks, I got the sight in the mail and went to work.
The make up
The model I got was the Z7-029, which meant it was the seven pins with a .029 diameter dot. I had asked for seven-pin sight because in Colorado, we shoot a long ways. Going over the sight I had noticed that the makeup is made from 100% aluminum with only the glass/lens and pins not being aluminum. This makes the sight light and very strong. There is over three feet of fiber optic cable in the area that holds the pins for the sight. There is a piece of shatter resistant glass that reflects the pins in a mirror effect off of the pins that are set back in a protective cover. This way the pins are not sticking out to get damaged when you are hiking all over the woods or transporting your equipment. The pins are also independently movable and can be adjusted for each distance. There is also a line with a circle in it at the top portion of the glass. If you look at the picture, you will see it circling the first pin. This plays in to setting up the sight as well as eliminating a need for a peep sight.
The set-up
At first I was not sure what to think of this sight. Call me old fashioned, but I was so used to having a pin come from the side, that having only a dot was uncomfortable. However, I was going to give this sight a try.
Mounting the sight is just like any other sight. Take the two screws and mount it to your bow. The next step is where it gets different.
With your sight mounted, draw your bow back a few times. When you are at your anchor point, you want to top pin (20 yard pin) to be in the middle of the circle that is in the middle of the line (see picture). If the pin in not in the middle of the circle, you have to loosen the lens from the two screws holding it in place just enough to move it away or towards you. Keep drawing your bow until that dot is in the middle of the circle.
Once your dot stays in the middle of the circle, tighten the lens bolts. Now you need to sight in the top pin to 20 yards. There is a bolt that is on the side of the sight that will let you adjust the whole sight up and down. Just shoot until you have that pin sighted in. Make sure not to move just that pin, but the whole sight either up or down and left or right (With the windage bolt that is on the main sight as well).
Basically, once you get the first pin set, the rest is simple. Just move each individual pin either up or down for the ranges that you want them at. They have their own adjustments on the side of the sight. Just make sure that you do not adjust the first pin, which is your pin that you centered in the middle of the circle on the lens.
To shoot the sight, draw the bow back and ensure that the 20 yard dot is centered in the circle, then place the pin for the desired distance on your target and pull the release trigger. It is that simple. You don’t even need a peep sight while you are using this sight, as long as you have that dot in the circle. For me, I still used a peep sight, because I wanted double correction in case I was off. While testing this sight, I was able to shoot 2-inch groups at 80+ yards with no problem.
Conclusion
The only thing that I would have to say negative about this sight is the line that runs across the top that has the circle in it, should be made from a more visible color. Since it is dark, I found it hard to see when I was shooting at my dark Cube target. I could just imagine how it would be if I was trying to shoot a black bear or something dark like that. If it were a florescent green or yellow, maybe it would be better to see.
However, overall I am impressed with this sight. I would recommend this sight to everyone who wants a free-floating non-blocked view of his or her shot. I used this sight during my elk-hunting trip this year, and plan on using it when I go after Bison in December!!
For more on this sight, please visit http://www.terzoproducts.com
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