Peep Sight

What a peep sight does on a compound bow

Bowhunting.com puts it in rifle terms: the peep aligns the bow's front sight the way a rear sight lines up a rifle's front bead. Without that second point, the front sight isn't guaranteed to be accurate. If your eye sits a little low behind the string, the arrow can miss high even with the pin right on the target.

Bowhunter's reference-points article calls the peep the most important reference you have, ahead of your anchor. Its reason: the peep locks the relationship between your line of sight and the arrow's path.

The goal at full draw is simple. Archery 360 says to center the sight housing inside the peep so you see two concentric circles, the peep on the outside. Small head movements change how the housing sits in the ring, which is exactly why the peep helps: it shows you when your head moved.

The table on this page lists every peep sight we track: tube, tubeless, hooded and self-aligning. It shows each peep's aperture, style, string angle, material and weight as the makers list them, with the Amazon listing filling most columns where a maker is silent (the table marks listing values). A dash means neither states it.

What to look at when you pick a peep sight for a bow

Here's what changes from one bow peep to the next, in the order I'd check it.

Aperture size: light and view against precision

The "Aperture" column is the inside diameter of the ring, in inches. Bowhunting.com says peeps run from 1/32 inch to 1/4 inch, and Bowhunter's author mentions models as large as 5/16 inch.

The trade is straightforward:

• Smaller rings: more precise. Bowhunting.com says target archers favor them.
• Larger rings: more field of view and better visibility in low light, which is why hunters lean bigger.
• Most common for bowhunters: 3/16 and 1/4 inch, per Bowhunting.com.

Bowhunter's author notes the cost of any peep: it reduces low-light visibility. Larger apertures reduce that drawback. That matters for deer, because the first and last minutes of legal light are when a lot of them move.

Bowhunting.com also says there's no exact formula linking peep size to sight-housing size. Your anchor, draw length and other factors change how far the peep sits from the housing. Some peeps take interchangeable inserts, so you can change the hole without retying anything. The size question gets its own page: peep sight size.

Quick math on why small sizes feel smaller than they look: 1/4 inch is 4/16, so a 1/4 is a third bigger across than a 3/16. That's a bigger jump in light than the fractions suggest, because the area of the hole grows faster than its width. (The difference between a 3/16 and a 1/4 is the difference between a garden hose and a slightly better garden hose. In the last ten minutes of light, you'll want the better hose.)

Tube or tubeless: who does the aligning

The "Style" column is where peeps differ most.

Tube peeps use a stretchy tube from the peep to the bow's cable. Bowhunting.com says the tube's tension pulls the peep into position at full draw, so it faces your eye the same way every time. One peep maker sells its tube kit with 16 inches of silicone tubing and a small aligner piece.

Tubeless peeps have nothing attached. Bowhunting.com says bowstrings have become stronger and more stable, so rotation has decreased and tubeless peeps have become more popular. No tube means no snap at release and nothing to break, but the string has to hold the peep straight on its own.

The downside of tubes is in the patent record. A US patent for a self-aligning design describes hollow tubing that breaks or slips and stretches, typically within a few months, and says bigger tubing costs arrow speed through drag. That's why some archers check the tube every time they pick up the bow. (I check mine before every sit. It's the same energy as checking that the stove is off. It's always off. I check anyway.)

Self-aligning peeps pivot into line at full draw

"Self-aligning" is a maker's description for a peep built to turn itself toward your eye when you draw. The patent above does it with a thin, solid tether to the cable instead of hollow tubing. When you draw, the tether tightens and pivots the peep in line with your eye, the front sight and the arrow. The patent says the thinner solid tether also creates less drag. Read each maker's description to see how its version aligns.

Hooded or open: glare and lenses

Hooded peeps have a short raised rim around the hole. One peep maker's FAQ says the hood reduces glare on lenses and shields them from dust and moisture, and it recommends a hooded peep if you'll use a lens.

Those lenses come in two kinds. That maker's product page says verifiers sharpen the sight pins, and clarifiers, used with a scope lens on the sight, sharpen the target face. Its FAQ says people in their early 40s can often start with its mildest verifier lenses, and that stronger lenses blur the target downrange. I'm 36. I've bookmarked the page anyway.

String angle has to match your bow

The "String angle" column is the angle of the grooves the string sits in, in degrees. At full draw the string isn't vertical; it bends at an angle set by your bow's geometry. If the peep's grooves don't match that angle, the hole tilts away from your eye.

Bowhunter's install guide says every bow has its own string angle at full draw, based on axle-to-axle length, cam design and brace height. One peep maker's chart picks the angle from your bow's axle-to-axle length and draw length, with brace height rounded to the nearest inch. Its worked example: a 36-inch axle-to-axle bow with a 7-inch brace height and a 27½-inch draw falls on the boundary, so either a 37- or 45-degree housing works.

That maker also notes its largest 1/4- and 5/16-inch housings come only at 37 degrees. Some peeps carry more than one groove angle on one housing. If neither the maker nor the listing states an angle, check its chart before you buy.

Material and weight: small numbers on a fast string

The "Material" and "Weight" columns describe the peep itself. Weight is in grains (437.5 grains to the ounce). One maker lists its hooded aluminum housing at 9.5 grains and its open version at 7.5 grains, with apertures adding about 2.5 grains. Those are tiny numbers, but they ride on the string. The same maker warns that high-powered bows vibrate enough to loosen inserts. It advises tightening apertures before each use and says a buzzing sound is a sign one has worked loose.

Set your peep height for the yards you shoot most

Archery 360 defines peep height as the distance from your string's nocking point to the peep. It suggests setting it for the distances you shoot most. Its example: an archer who shoots out to 60 yards but mostly at 20 or less might set the peep for about 40 yards, to keep alignment steady across that range.

To find the spot on the string, Bowhunter's install guide and Archery 360 describe the same test. Come to full draw with your eyes closed and settle into your anchor. Have a helper mark the string across from your eye. Archery 360 says a well-set peep lets you open your eyes and look straight through it without moving your head. Measurements from another bow are only a rough start, because string angles differ.

How to install a peep sight

Bowhunter's install guide lays out the job. You need a bow press, a marker, serving thread, scissors and a lighter.

1. Press the bow. Compress the limbs until the string is relaxed.
2. Split the string evenly. Most modern strings are two-colored. If yours isn't, count the strands and divide by two.
3. Seat the peep. Sandwich it between the two bundles at your mark, string fibers in its grooves.
4. Serve it in. Tie a small serving bundle just above and another just below, each about 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick.
5. Shoot and check. Draw, look and see whether the hole faces your eye.
6. Fix rotation in the press. One full twist of the string's end loop turns the peep about 1/8 turn; two twists, about 1/4 turn.
7. Mark it. Trace the peep's outline on the string with a marker so you'll spot movement later.

The guide says the string should be mostly settled after about 30 shots, and to make all adjustments in the press, since nudging the peep by hand can damage the string. It also describes an extra wrap of serving around the peep as a fail-safe in case the bow is ever dry-fired. If you don't own a press, a pro shop can do this in an afternoon, and a new bow string is the usual time to do it.

How to aim without a peep sight

Plenty of archers aim with no peep at all. A traditional bow has no sights to line up with, so the anchor point does that job: the same spot on your face, every shot. It works fine at close range. I would not bet on it at 40 yards.

That's the honest picture. Recurves and longbows are normally shot off an anchor point with no rear sight. On a compound with sight pins, Bowhunter's author says a kisser button is a useful extra reference but not consistent enough to let serious archers drop the peep. He adds that if the tip of your nose touches the string, a kisser is unnecessary.

My one opinion on this page: on a compound with a pin sight, keep the peep and spend your effort on peep size, not on getting rid of it. The reason is the rifle comparison above. A front sight with no rear sight is half a sighting system, and the low-light cost of a peep shrinks as the aperture gets larger.

Who should skip a peep sight

Skip it if you shoot a traditional recurve or longbow off the shelf; those bows aren't set up for one. Skip shopping for one if your bow came with a peep that already sits at the right height, faces your eye and lets you center the housing. A new peep won't improve that.

Everyone else, check the sight first. The pins and housings you'll be centering are on the bow sight page.

Write the peep height and aperture in the logbook. Walt will ask what a peep is. Tell him it's a rear sight. He'll understand that one.