Monday, June 15, 2009

June 15th: Review of the 2008 G5 Outdoors Optix XR Sight

For the 2009-2010 season I decided to put a new sight on my bow. After putting a new Trophy Taker Rest, and Winners choice string on last year, and the G5 Optix XR sight this year I'm about out of upgrades, without purchasing a new bow.

First let me say that this is only the second sight that I have ever used, and while this sight is new, it is a 2008 model.
I went with the 2008 model because it was instock at my local shop and the 2009 model was coming at an undetermined time, I addition the 2008 model was a little less expensive and added bonus for me. I did a little bit of research before purchasing the the 2008 model and felt comfortable that the upgrades to the 2009 model would not be enough to make me regret the purchase of the 2008 model. Additionally I went with the .019 pin diameter.

Having the sight on my bow for the last month or so, I have to say that I like the sight. I had a few problems at first that were more attributed to user error than the actual product. Once I got the sight pretty dialed I noticed that I was shooting better.

PROS
I'm not saying anything new here, but the ability to have three fixed pins and a floating pin are really a great option. I have had a little time to mess with the floater and it works great. The reduced clutter in the sight housing of 4 pins and the ability to shoot at longer distances with only 4 pins makes this a very versatile sight. The 2009 XR with a single fixed pin, and floating pin will add even more options for hunters looking for flexibility in their sight.


I like the sight level on this bow, the blue color stands out well, and the bubble moves easy within its housing. I haven't had time to adjust it yet but the sight has third axis levelling as well.



The large sight housing with white ring. I find that the relatively large and hooded sight housing and the white ring embossed on the front of the sight make it easily to align and center with my peep when at full draw.

Micro adjustable gang adjustment for vertical and horizontal windage. These adjustments are very sensitive and allowed me to really dial in the sight.
Cons
I did not like the micro adjustability of the individual pins. First a hex screw is loosened a quarter of a turn and then the pin is moved up or down with a hex screw on the side of the sight housing. Once the pin is in the appropriate place the first hex screw that was loosened is re-tightened. I found this method to be a bit nebulous and I did not think that it provided the level of precision that the rest of the sight offers. I haven't had a chance to examine the 2009 models but I hope they will change the pin adjustment in the future.

There was a small piece of rubber with the sights name on it that as far as I can tell served no purpose. It immediately began to peel off of the sight and get grass caught in it. I have since peeled it off.


Conclusions
I think it is pretty hard to go wrong with this sight. The floating pins brings plenty of options to the table, while still keep within bounds of what many bowhunters are used to in a sight. When mounting the bow I had problems getting it high enough the L bracket that attaches the sight to the mounting arm can be flipped to accommodate high or low high needs. And when I called G5 about this they answered my questions in less than five minutes. I need to get the bow out at last light to see how the .019 pins look. I can not use a light on here in Montana, and the length of the fiber optic cables seem a bit short. I going to a great 3D shoot this weekend and that floating pin will come in handy.

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