How To Fix Peep Sight Rotation

One of the most common problems where peep sights are concerned is that as the bow is drawn time and time again, the peep sight may not return to its original position. As you can well imagine, this can cause issues with the aim and precision.

This is no surprise, since if you have ever tried to look through a peep sight that is out by even a tiny bit, it can be incredibly frustrating.

But before you throw in the towel, there is some good news. There are ways to avoid and fix peep sight rotation and it is not as complicated as you might think.

In this article, we are going to show you how to avoid this issue and fix it quickly if it ever does happen to you.

Read more:

How Is Peep Sight Rotation Caused?

What many new archers don’t realise is that when you install new bowstrings, they must be broken in. This break in period usually involves releasing at least 100 arrows, but of course, this might vary either way. Essentially, the most important thing is how this relates to peep sight rotation.

As you break in your strings, this causes them to stretch. If you have installed your peep sight during the break in period, it will move with the strings as the fibres stretch causing it to become misaligned. You may also be interested to know that if you are using strings that have lower quality fibres, this can impact how your peep sight sits within them.

However, this is not the only cause of this common problem. If you have stored your bow in a hot or humid environment, it is not uncommon for the strings to react in an adverse way which can again cause peep sight rotation. The same can be said for cold weather as this can cause the fibres of the string to contract.

How To Prevent Peep Sight Rotation

Prevention is better than cure, or so they say and in the case of this idiom, it is true. It is far better to avoid peep sight rotation than it is to have to spend time fixing it. When you begin shooting, it is a good idea to educate yourself on every aspect of archery.

When you purchase your bow, it may already be fitted with a factory string and if this is the case, you will need to break it in with 100 arrows and see what happens. There aren’t any other choices in this case.

Alternatively, you might decide to take off the factory string and have a custom string fitted. Doing this will allow you to completely eliminate this problem and so might be a good idea if you have had issues in the past.

You will need to go to your archery shop to be fitted for the string and these will often come pre-stretched. This means that the break-in period is hugely reduced. You may only need to do 30 cycles as opposed to 100.

What’s more, this method will also mean that your string will not twist for the entire time that it is on your bow.

It is also true that using the bow more will mean that you are less likely to have problems with peep sight rotation. We must point out the importance of the first 100 cycles once again but even using your bow regularly after this is important.

You must also think about how you store the bow if you won’t be using it for a period of time. As we have already discussed, extreme temperatures can have an adverse effect on the bowstring, so be sure to store it somewhere that this will not be an issue.

When you are initially installing your peep sight, you must make sure that you place it in the center of the strings. This will give it equal pressure and twisting on each side, so the basic rules of physics would dictate that it would not sway to either one side or the other. What’s more, this could cause the string to weaken.

How To Fix Peep Sight Rotation

There are four main ways that you can fix peep sight rotation and each of them is slightly different. Depending on whether you have access to a bow press and where you are will depend on which method will be best for you at the time.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at each of these peep sight rotation fixes in a little more detail.

Method One – The D Loop Twist

If you are out in the field and suddenly realise that your peep sight is out of place, you might worry that you won’t be able to fix the issue until later. Fortunately, there is a way that you can do this quickly and easily.

That being said, it is worth keeping in mind that this method is the least-favored out of them all. This is purely because it is a temporary fix, so if you do use this one, be sure to address the issue in a bit more detail later down the track.

To do this, you will first need to loosen the D loop at both ends and then twist this in the same direction as the peep sight rotation. As you do this, you will notice that the peep sight turns

back into position. However, as we said, this is not a permanent fix.

This method doesn’t cost anything and this is why many people go straight to it. However, you may notice that you need to adjust the D loop several times before you get it right. If you are happy to go through a bit of trial and error for the convenience, then this would work well for you.

It is also worth keeping in mind that this method is not designed to be done during the break-in period as the string won’t have enough stretch and you may do more harm than good.

Method Two – String Silencer

Another good way to fix the problem of peep sight rotation that does not involve having to use a bow press is to use a string silencer. OK, you will need this additional equipment but this is small and relatively inexpensive. What’s more, string silencers can be purchased from almost any bow shop in the world.

If it is the case that you peep sight is tied, you will need to untie it to attach the string silencer. Once done, you can retie your peep sight and this takes very minimal effort. You will then need to move the silencer up and down until the peep is where you need it to be.

A word of warning, however, some people like to use cat’s whiskers as their string silencer and this is fine. However, in this case, you will need to make sure that you do now move it around as much as this could cause the fibres of the string to become damaged.

Method Three – Using Yarn Or String

Once again, you will not need to use a bow press for this method which makes it easy to do on the field and without any additional equipment.

This method is very similar to the previous method but instead of using  a string silencer, we will be using a piece of heavy yarn or string.

As before, you will need to untie your peep sight if it is tied in order to slip the yarn between the strings. Once there, you can move the yarn until the peep sight falls into the correct position.

This is an incredibly affordable and easy to execute option which is why so many people favor it. Of course, you will likely want to trim the yarn down so it doesn’t get in the way but this is about as much ‘after-care’ as you would need.

Method Four – Using A Bow Press

Because you will need to use a bow press, this is a method that should be planned in advance and will not be able to be done out in the field. But that does not mean that it is not pretty straightforward once you know what you are doing.

You will take the bowstring off the bow in this case and twist it. However a lot of people do not have a bow press at home so for the most part, you will need to go to a professional to have this done.

If you are doing it yourself, you will need to remove the string and twist it half a turn in the direction that you wish to move the peep sight. Reattach the string and now take the top part of the string off and do the twist again at this end. When the peep is in the position that you want it to be, you can reattach the string and check to make sure that everything is as it should be.

It is important to keep in mind that when you are using this method, you will need to make sure that the string has been correctly broken in.

When breaking your string in, it is also crucial that you do this by firing 100 arrows and not simply drawing the bow as this will not have the same effect. Furthermore, you should never use dry-firing as an option for breaking in.

Once you have executed your chosen method, it is important to check the use of your bow and peep sight as there is a chance that the issue could come back.

The best way to do this is to fire the bow at least 20 times, this will give you enough time to determine if the peep sight will fall out of line again.

It is better to do this now than risk going out onto the field and facing problems while you are there.

Conclusion

A peep sight is a handy little piece of equipment to have on your bow but for something so small, great problems can ensue if it is knocked out of line.

On drawing your bow and looking through your peep sight to your main sight, you may notice that your view is obstructed; it is likely that you have peep sight rotation.

While this is annoying, there are several things that you can do to eliminate the problem and prevent it from happening again in the future.

About Brad Harris