Chris Pillars
Brooks Archery
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Probably around 40 percent. It used to be considerably lower than that, but the internet has created a demand. And along those same lines, I believe the increasing number of slider sights available is directly related to the demand. As long as people are asking for something, companies are going to make it.
We offer slider sights ranging from $130-$700. The three-pin configurations seem to be the most popular this year. We’ve always done a lot of dual-pin setups, but now the three-pin horizontals and even some three-pin verticals are really taking off. A lot of that is influenced by the content people are consuming online.
I don’t keep a ton of sliders in stock because they’re pricey, but I make sure I have enough of the ones that are selling best. Of the sliders I sell, the Axcel Driver is the bestseller. It’s a better quality build compared to most other sliders, and it’s also very lightweight. Those two attributes seem to seal the deal. The HHA Nytrx and Nytrx Pro are also doing quite well for us.
Jake Myers
Rack Attack Archery
Erlanger, Kentucky
About 70 percent, and it seems to be increasing. There are a few reasons for that. First, all of us at the shop shoot sliders. Customers see our bows, and they want to shoot what we’re shooting. YouTube influencers also contribute to the rising popularity of slider sights. Almost all of the popular influencers use them. As popular as sliders are, though, most beginners are still going with fixed-pin sights.
Also, today’s bows are so accurate, and people who’ve been shooting archery for a while want to stretch them out and see how well they can shoot at long distances. This is especially true of people who are attending events that have more long-range targets, such as the Total Archery Challenge (TAC). I attend TAC with my son, and we love it. I encourage people all the time to check it out. It’s fun, challenging, and gives people a reason to sharpen their long-range shooting. Slider sights are almost a necessity at TAC.
There are also a lot more slider options out there now, and over the past several years, they have improved significantly. They’re a lot easier to sight in, too. A lot of customers are nervous about that when they ask about switching to a slider, but we tell them how easy it is, plus we encourage them to come back in or call with questions. All of the manufacturers have instructional videos for setting up the sight and sighting in, which helps calm a lot of customer concerns and increases slider sales.
Rack Attack Archery has been around for a while, but the store has been small, and now we are growing and expanding our merchandise. We’ve added some sight brands to our inventory. For sliders, we offer options from CBE, HHA, Trophy Ridge and UltraView. That covers all of the price ranges.
Determining which pin configurations to keep in stock is somewhat of a guessing game. We keep our ears to the ground and track trends and customer feedback to learn what most of our customers are looking for. We have a lot of single- and three-pin sliders. We have the occasional two-pin, and we don’t really keep any 5-pin configurations on hand because they aren’t very popular. From the feedback we’ve gotten, most customers feel that five pins are too cluttered for a slider.
Overall, the UltraView UV Slider is the most popular. Customers like that one a lot because the wheel is so smooth. CBE sliders sell really well for us, too.
Scott Braaten
Scoot N’ Shoot LLP
Minot, North Dakota
I’d say about 60 percent. That percentage has grown over the years because I’ve been recommending sliders to a lot of my customers. I personally use one, and once I explain the reasons why I do, they get on board with it. There are also a lot more offerings in that category than there used to be, so that has made them more popular, too.
I keep it pretty simple and stock CBE sliders. I special-order other sliders when people ask for them, but my shop is quite small. I can’t stock a bunch of different brands.
I personally run a single-pin slider because of my stigmatism. If I shoot a multiple-pin configuration, it looks like a Christmas tree in my peep sight. The single-pin works way better for me. I’ve noticed that a lot of customers are going with single-pin sliders, but I carry a little bit of everything as far as the other pin configurations. I’ve noticed that the most popular is the two-pin configuration. It gives folks 20- and 40-yard pins, and then they can adjust from there.
As far as which slider sells the best, it’s the CBE Tactic Hybrid. As a dealer, the sight’s ambidextrous design simplifies my inventory. I don’t have to worry about stocking a bunch of left-hand models. This one works for both right- and left-handed setups. It’s also very affordable compared to some of the high-end sliders out there.
