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TURN YOUR BOW INTO A GUN

by Alex Crawford

The archery industry is experiencing a true revolution with the introduction of the rear bow sight. Archers all across America are discovering the many benefits of using a rear bow sight for hunting and target shooting applications. Archery enthusiasts and novices alike are at the cutting edge of technology using the rear bow sight with exact accuracy with little or no practice.

Inventor David Giddens of Apalachicola, Florida, designed and built the first rear bow sight prototype in 1987 in his garage. The idea started very simply, as many useful products do, as a basic concept to improve distance and accuracy while target shooting. Several trial and error prototypes, machine shops and patent attorneys later brought the current product to the archery market. Today, FOLLOW-THRU, LLC., REAR BOW SIGHT markets this proprietary product to archers for existing and new bows.

Working in conjunction with front sights, the follow-thru rear bow sight is manufactured out of light weight aluminum alloy with a black anodized finish. Bow hunters appreciate the reduced weight in the field, as well as the benefit of no shine and cammo-blending.

Installation takes 5 minutes with two screws and an Allen wrench provided in the package. When mounted, the bow looks unique, as though it has sights extending from both sides of the riser. Aiming is accomplished by placing the Follow-Thru pin on the pin of the front sight, thus giving a rifle sight aiming affect that allows two reference points away from the shooter's eyes. It helps eliminate the errors that can occur, as a reference point gets closer to one's eyes. With the old conventional peep sight, this can occur if the pin is not centered in the circle.

Being able to acquire the vitals on a sight pin quickly in low light, may make the difference in getting a shot at a trophy or passing up a chance of a lifetime. This is one of the most important benefits of the Follow-Thru. By not having an enclosed sighting mechanism, like a peep sight, you can extend your shooting time, as well as lock onto your target, much like the open sights of a rifle. Tests have confirmed that acquiring a target is much quicker in low-light circumstances, especially in heavy canopy woods. The glowing reference pin helps significantly in the line up.

The pin guard on the Follow-Thru acts as a string stop. This will allow the arrow to leave at the same point independent of your anchor point, nock type or release you use. The stop will also aid in suppressing string vibration and will not affect arrow speed.

The reference pin also enables the archer to extend the yardage of the pins on the front sight. The twenty(20) yard pin will be more effective from a range of 8 to about 28 yards by placing the reference pin above and below it. This will aid in eliminating the number of pins needed on a multiple pin sight, as well as confusion as to which pin to use. With alternate yardage settings off a single pin, archers benefit by having the sight field condensed.

Having a firm grip on the brace, allows aiming after the string is released, thus creating the Follow-Thru concept. By eliminating the need for an anchor point, one essentially eliminates the need for a peep sight. The real advantage here is faster target acquisition, especially on moving targets.

New technology in the archery industry is moving faster than greased lightning, or at least as fast as a speeding arrow. Who would have ever dreamed that today we can essentially convert our bows into guns with accuracy to shoot 6 inch balloons at 100 yards.

Alex Crawford is a freelance, outdoor writer based in Apalachicola, FL.