By Jeff Johnston, FE Hunting & Shooting Editor
I’m not sure how archery sights have become as complicated as riflescopes, but it’s happened. Several years ago the entire Western archery world—which is to say the long-range archery world—gravitated to slider-style sights. Now if you don’t have one on your bow, you might as well be shooting a Whisker Biscuit by the way the bow shop technician will laugh when you bring your bow in to be serviced. There’s little doubt that the 2nd- and 3rd-axis-adjustable, dial-to-yardage, micro-pin, micro-adjustment, target-style sights have the potential to make you more accurate at long range, but they also add to the odds of screwing you if a couple screws come loose during a long stalk. (No shit, I counted the screws and bolts on my otherwise excellent Axcel slider sight and there are 32.)
Recently my western-dwelling buddy and FE’s Associate Publisher Joe Ferranato turned me on to a new dialing slider-style sight called the Arxos from Dialed Archery that he described as the Tesla of bow sights. At first it just looked like another overpriced piece of over-engineered archery equipment for guys who like to fondle their equipment more than they like to hunt, but after using it, it’s growing on me, mainly because it’s now evident that the company used engineering to simplify its sight rather than complicate it, all while incorporating every feature a bowhunter could need.
The Arxos design centers around a giant, hollow, range-dialing wheel that the company calls its Void Dial. No doubt they wanted this giant donut-of-a-dial to stand out amid a sea of similarly high-priced bow sights at bow shops and on 3D archery courses, but in practice it actually serves a function. It allows hunters to find it without looking and quickly dial it to the exact yardage even while wearing gloves. Its second main feature is its unique, geared slider system that is angled so that it moves the sight slightly toward the shooter as the sight is moved down for shooting at longer ranges. Basically this decreases the vertical movement needed to make an adjustment, thereby increasing its adjustment range. It comes with 45 yardage tapes making it easy to select an accurate match. Sure, it takes some time and focus to get it dialed, but this isn’t a sight for the guys who buy a bow and one pack of Rages at Bass Pro and go hunting. Its windage adjustment features both micro and macro adjustments. It has really simple 2nd and 3rd axis adjustment capability for guys good enough to need it.
As a lifelong bowhunter who has taken countless beatings from Old Man Murphy during the moment of truth, I love the fact that the dial has a brake button, which increases the tension required to turn it by 50 percent. This means that it can’t get turned accidentally, but if I need to dial it in the heat of the moment, I can. When target shooting, the brake stays disengaged so the slider is smooth.
I chose the three-dot model that features three fiber-optic aiming dots on one vertical post. I chose this for its capability of having multiple pins from which to choose without having to move the slider, though I’m sure other guys will choose it to extend the sight’s max range. The fiber optics can be brightened or dimmed via a sliding top cover, and are totally protected within the housing. The bubble level is mounted at the top of the sight ring rather than the bottom, which some shooters say is more intuitive—it certainly increases the sight’s range by allowing more space at the bottom of the sight.
Finally, the Arxos has multiple attachment methods, including a sliding dovetail, a traditional-style mount that adapts to the dovetail, or via Picatinny rail. In sum, this bowsight has everything a target shooter or a bowhunter could need, yet it remains compact and user friendly while hedging against Murphy’s Law as much as a slider sight can. Robustly made, it has 10 external screws in total.
What the hell; I guess it’s finally time to remove my Miles Keller Pendulum sight—circa 1987, max range 36 yards—and give this Dialed a full-season trial. I’ll be sure and tell you if it shits the bed just as a bull steps into range and turns broadside, but chances are, it will be me and not the sight.
Price: $500
Pros: a slider-style dial sight that may be simple enough, and durable enough, for hardcore hunters who are prone to breaking stuff.
Cons: the lower two fiber-optic pins on the vertical post do not show up well in all lighting conditions and cannot be silhouetted; expensive AF!
