What is the Best Intermediate Recurve Sight?

There are a lot of Olympic recurve sights available today but which is the best for intermediate archers? It’s likely that you started your archery journey with a plastic beginner sight. But as your skills get better, you’ll notice that a basic plastic sight might not be solid enough.

Lucky for you, we’ve got a summary of the best intermediate Olympic recurve sights available today.

These sights vary in price so you can buy one depending on your budget. Let’s get started.

If you’re new here you can learn about the basics of recurve archery in our Recurve Shot Cycle and Recurve Archery Basics guide. Then, you can learn How To Train for Archery and find specific archery drills and exercises in our Drills & Bow Training Library and Archery Exercises Library. You can also find loads of detailed videos on our Online Archery Academy YouTube Channel. And lastly, if you’re interested in private coaching you can read about our online recurve archery coaching.

Why you should upgrade to an intermediate recurve sight?

Beginner sights are enough, if you are a beginner. But, as soon as you improve and start shooting longer distances, you’ll notice that a starter sight has its shortcomings. You will then feel the need to upgrade to a more advanced recurve sight.

So why exactly should you upgrade to an intermediate curve sight? Here are the reasons.

Better build quality
- Manufacturers create intermediate sights out of aluminum or carbon fiber. These materials are more durable than beginner sights.
  Plastic entry-level sights break easily compared to aluminum and carbon fiber sights.
Stability
- Advanced-level sights are more stable since their locking mechanisms are more complex and better engineered than beginner sights. Excellent Olympic recurve sights should not wobble or move while in use. They should be stable for higher accuracy.
Micro-adjustments
- Beginner sights offer basic elevation and windage adjustments but that’s it. Meanwhile, intermediate recurve sights offer micro adjustments and are crucial when shooting over long distances

If you are a beginner, then these reasons might not make sense yet. But, again, as you get better, you will fully understand why small things matter in archery.

Best Intermediate Recurve Sights

Shibuya Dual Click Recurve Sight | $160

The Shibuya Dual Click Recurve Sight is one of the best Olympic recurve sights available today. It is the sight of choice by elite archers for a reason. The old version (with an aluminum extension bar) was used to win Women’s Individual Olympic Gold at the Athen Olympics in 2004 by Park Sung Hyun. More recently the new version (with a carbon extension bar, pictured above) was used to win Women’s Individual Olympic Gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics by Chang Hye Jin.

Its build quality is top-notch with an aluminum construction and lightweight design. It has a 5.7-inch vertical adjustment. Just squeeze the lever to adjust the elevation rapidly.

Moreover, the windage can be adjusted through a hex wrench. There is also a knob for micro-adjustments on either up, down, or windage changes.

The micro-adjustment feature is a god-send since it has double the amount of movement per click. This means it encourages you to move your sight enough, which is more important than you might think. The vast majority of archers don’t adjust their sight enough when their group is off centre, so they end up losing vital points. But the Dual Click, as the name suggests, helps solve this.

The sight pin comes in at 8-32 thread, which is the standard size for recurve sights. You can change it to a different model if you want to as long as it has the same thread size.

The micro-adjustment is similar to the more expensive Shibuya Ultima. It lacks the Ultima’s locking mechanism for the sight block but, for its price, it is worth the money.

The Shibuya Dual Click Recurve Sight is available for $160 at major retailers.

Avalon Classic Pro Recurve Sight | $70

The Avalon Classic Pro Recurve is an inexpensive intermediate-level recurve sight. Avalon makes elite-level Olympic recurve sights and it carries over the premium features to this budget offering.

This recurve sight features large knobs to secure your sight easily. The vertical knob also helps in quick vertical adjustments.

Like the Shibuya Dual Click, the Avalon Classic Pro has an 8-32 aperture windage. You may also swap it out with a different model that you prefer. It’s a decent sight at a decent price.

Lastly, it comes in black, silver, blue, and red colors so you can personalize the look of your bow.

Decut Sius RE Recurve Target Sight | $120

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The Decut Sius RE Recurve target sight is an intermediate bow sight that is lightweight, and compact. It has similar features to the Avalon Classic Pro such as the large adjustment knobs.

This Olympic recurve sight features a fast travel button on the side of the windage block. It also has a quick-release aperture so you can pack it up easily.

There is an 8-32 thread aperture like the Classic Pro and the Dual Click.

Overall, the Decut Sius RE recurve sight is a good-quality and reliable sight that you may use for Olympic recurve archery.

However, it is a little more expensive than the Avalon Classic Pro. $50 might not be much for some, but that price difference may already be used for a different sight pin or extra accessories.

The $120 price tag of the Decut Sius RE makes it closer to the Shibuya Dual Click. $40 more and you have an Olympic recurve sight that is durable, lightweight, and comparable to $400 sights.

This is why the Sius RE is third on our list and is hard for us to recommend. If you want a sight that is under $100, then there is the Avalon. If your budget is higher than $100 then your the Dual Click is a far, far better option.

Cartel X-Pert Carbon Target Sight | $50

Cartel is an established archery company and has been around for several years already. The Cartel X-Pert Carbon Target Sight is an affordable intermediate site worth considering.

Some of the features of this recurve sight include precise windage and elevation adjustments, an 8-32 thread aperture, and a 9-inch extension length.

The best feature of this sight is the price and material combination. It’s made of aluminum and carbon, so it’s lightweight and durable.

Although the main structure is fairly solid, the sight block does let the Cartel Expert down. It’s mostly plastic and not as well built as the other options. The adjustment knobs are smaller compared to the Dual Click, Classic Pro, and Sius RE. So if you have large fingers then you might have a bit more challenge adjusting the sight.

Other than that, the Cartel X-Pert Carbon Target sight is a decent option at an affordable price range. It’s a wise choice for archers looking for a lightweight, cheap sight setup.

Now that you know the best intermediate recurve sights, check out the below video to learn the proper way to use your sight. You can also find out more about installing and setting up your sight correctly, as well as tuning your bow in our How To Tune A Recurve Bow guide.

What is the Best Intermediate Olympic Recurve Sight?

The Shibuya Dual Click Recurve sight is the best intermediate recurve sight. It has excellent build quality, great sets of features, and is comparable to more expensive Olympic recurve sights. It has several competitors at its price point but, it is clear-cut above the contenders.

Shibuya has been the top choice of many elite archers and the Dual click is the perfect model for intermediate archers. it has top-notch features without breaking the bank. Indeed, we’d actually recommend the Dual Click even for advanced or international level archers, it’s that good.

The Bottomline

Ultimately, your budget will dictate which sight you would get. Each sight mentioned here has its own pros and cons and it is up to you to decide in the end.

Do not forget to check out our archery training section and do some archery drills while waiting for your new sight to arrive.

Have fun shooting!