Field Tested: Axcel Armortech Lite Sight

As I was preparing for my June bear hunt in Quebec, I was pressed for time, trying to get a new bow ready only weeks before the trip. Hence, I was looking for a bow sight that was well built and dependable, plus easy to set up and adjust, since I literally only had days to practice before my departure.

My choice for the task at hand was the Armortech Lite, a new, fixed-pin sight from Axcel Archery. Designed to fit either right- or left-handed bows, it comes in 3-, 4- and 5-pin configurations (I opted for the 5-pin model), with either .019-inch or .010-inch fiber pins, offering numerous options for bowhunters.

One of the highlights of the sight is its lightweight, compact size, which begins with a lighter mounting bracket that also features several mounting holes, providing flexibility when it comes to setting up the sight on your bow. Like many of today’s sights, the Armortech Lite offers complete leveling capability, with true second- and third-axis adjustments, the latter of which is important to set properly if you plan on taking steeply angled shots at longer distances, such as those you might encounter out West. Each axis has a two-screw locking system to secure your settings, and a bubble level is built into the housing.

Once the Armortech Lite is set up on your bow, making adjustments to windage and/or elevation is a quick and pain-free process thanks to the adjustment knobs on the housing. Each click of the respective knob moves the sight .0156 (roughly one sixty-fourth) of an inch, allowing for easy tweaking of the sight’s position. One thing I love about the Armortech Lite is that loosening the sight is done by simply unlocking the thumb levers that secure the windage and elevation settings in place and then re-locking them once the adjustment is made — there isn’t any fumbling with hex screws or tools.

Setting the pins on the Armortech Lite is also a very simple process, with each pin in the Accustat II Scope (the housing) independently adjustable for dead-on aim at your preferred shooting distances. If you need to adjust a specific pin (or more than one pin), you just loosen the pin a couple of turns using the included 5/64-inch hex wrench and turn the micro-adjust knob on the top of the pin housing to move the pin(s) up or down. Remaining pins remain firmly locked in place.

At only 7.9 ounces, the Armortech Lite won’t add a ton of weight to your setup, something that can be an important consideration if you’re carrying your bow long distances on western hunts or mountain treks. As noted, it’s also fairly compact, with a length of 6.5 inches and pin housing that’s less than 2.5 inches in diameter.

As far as use in the field, I was amazed at how well the fiber optics were able to gather even the faintest rays of light, with each pin having 24 inches of ultra-flex, durable fiber. As a result, I only had to turn my sight light on once, on a cloudy, drizzly evening when there were only 15 or so minutes of light left; that’s impressive when you consider I was in the middle of the Canadian bush in early summer. It’s also worth noting the sight has an adjustable rheostat cover so that you can tone down the brightness and reduce star burst or flaring, helping ensure you have a clear look at your pin and target.

As my first new bow sight in nearly a decade, I was more than pleased with how easy the Armortech Lite is to set up, adjust and how well it functions afield. This sight combines quality, ease of use and exceptional fine-tuning together in one package, making it an excellent choice for almost any bowhunter. — Associate Editor Mark Demko