Trophy Ridge React 5 Pin Bow Sight Review

Welcome to this Trophy Ridge React 5 Pin Bow Sight review! If you are looking for a good medium priced bowsight, this one might be for you. It is extremely accurate, easy to sight in (due to its automatic calibration function) and it will give you enough confidence to try longer distance shots. This model is a good choice for beginners, intermediate and seasoned bowhunters, that don’t want to spend a fortune for a well built and reliable bowsight. If you want to learn more about this option, I suggest you read to the end and decide for yourself if this one is for you or not.

Usability And Adjustability

The Trophy Ridge React is available in a version for right and left handed archers. It cannot be simply switched to the other side of the riser, which means you have to buy each version separately.
 
A highlight is the 100% tool-less micro adjustment. This means that after you have calibrated the first pin to 20 yards and the second to 30 yards, it will calibrate the remaining three pins (40, 50, 60) for the longer distances on its own – and those are dead on. You also can do some final fine adjustments to each one manually, if you ‘d want to.
 
Make sure that the 20 yards pin is dead on, as the accuracy of the following pins depends heavily on it! If you want to learn more about sighting in a model like this, I have a guide about doing it here => How To Sight In A Compound.
 
The rails of this one appear to fall apart at first when making adjustments, but they reset into a tight position once you re-tighten them, so there is no problem in materials or construction.
 
The automatic calibration is a really big deal. It saves a lot of time, because when sighting in pins for longer distances, you need to shoot a lot of arrows to get tight enough groups for making sure the sight is off and not the shooter – which would be you, in this case.
 
The manufacturer recommends to start the calibration with 20 yards, then move to 30 yards and finish up, but a customer recommended to start with 20, then proceed back to 40 to sight in the remainder of the pins to save a lot of time for micro adjustments and for getting the demanded accuracy faster. Maybe you want to try this approach as well to save some time.
 
The Trophy Ridge React is designed to be flipped over to increase the achievable range. For doing so you need to remove the mounting bracket, flip it over and re-mount it. Taller archers with longer draws might have to do this to get additional elevation to be able to configure the sight as it was intended to.
 
This one can be adjusted horizontally and vertically without any tools. The windage and elevation can be adjusted by using the thumb screws. The master adjustment knob spreads the pins (30-60 yards), so there is no need for tools.
 
There is also an instructional DVD included, but a lot of customers complained about minimal set up instructions, which may make it harder specifically for beginners who have not that much experience with compounds and sights.

Features of the Trophy Ridge React Bow Sight

The model itself feels pretty sturdy and I found several comments from customers who stated that they accidentally dropped their gear from tree stands but the hood held the pins in place tightly, which proves a certain quality, in my opinion. The bracket is cheaply made, though.
 
Your model needs to be able to shoot with 240 – 330 fps for the React Technology to be effective. As it approximates an arrow drop based on a parabolic curve and determines that parabolic curve based on the drop from the effective range you want to have (20-30 or 20-40 yards), it won’t work with slow models (pins only spread so far) or with extremely fast ones (pins would be too close together).
 
The Ballistix Copolymer System is lighter than aluminum but – according to the manufacturer – just as strong (or at least stronger than other polymer materials). The bracket seems to be a weak point, though, as I found some statements from customers who said it broke or got cracked. The company sent out replacements as soon as possible, so you are pretty safe, if it should happen to your model.
 
The .019 fiber optic pins are super bright and gather the light extremely well – even without the included rheostat light, so there shouldn’t be any problems while shooting under low-light conditions. The top pin can be adjusted by shifting the entire hood up and down, the second one can be adjusted by using the micro adjustment dials. The rest will fall into place automatically.
 
Overall the pins are very small, so they won’t block your view. Four are green, one is red. It may be a bit nitpicky, but it would have been nice if every one would have had a different color.
 
The included rheostat light can be adjusted from zero to really bright. You won’t need it in most low-light situations, though, as the pins are already very bright on their own.
 
Compared to other models, the diameter of the Trophy Ridge React 5 Pin is huge (around 2″), which means that you may have to switch out your peep. It also has a built in sight level.
 
The whole thing is coated with a Soft Touch Ballistix Coating which helps to reduce vibrations and thus noise while shooting. Maybe not a lot but, it surely adds up.
 
With around 11 oz this one is rather on the heavy side. This won’t bother you if you have a light model, but in case you have a 4.5 lbs beast, every oz counts.
 
The last thing I want to mention is the limited lifetime warranty that you will get. The Trophy Ridge React 5 Pin is covered against breakage due to defects in materials and workmanship from the date of purchase, so better keep your receipt. Abuse, mishandling or alteration voids the warranty.

Mounting Features Of The Trophy Ridge React 5 Pin Bow Sight

This one is quick and easy to mount with an Allen wrench. It has a reversable mounting bracket which allows for increased versatility. Multiple tapped mounting holes make sure that the Trophy Ridge React 5 Pin can be mounted to a lot of risers, so it should fit common models like the Infinite Edge Pro or the Bear Archery Cruzer for sure.
 
In case you shoot too low, there might be several solutions:

• Maybe you need to move your peep down (can you see the sight clearly through the peep?)
• If you are tall and have a long draw you might need to flip it over like mentioned above (remove mounting bracket, flip it over, re-tighten) to achieve a longer range
• Make sure the arrow rest is centered perfectly to the string
• Is your anchor point too high? Check if you are shooting with proper form (read my guide about it here => Proper Form For Compound Shooting)
• Is your compound fast enough? The minimum is 240 fps, the maximum 330 fps

Most standard quivers should work with the Trophy Ridge React bowsight. Just be careful that you don’t over tighten the bolts when mounting the quiver because it is easy to crack the threaded holes because of the plastic. Aluminum would have been a lot better for these parts, in my opinion.

Finishes

You can get this one in a black or a RealTree APG camo finish. The camo coating comes off easily, though.

Suitable For Hunting

Definitely. The pins are bright enough for most situations, even low-light conditions. The rheostat light is a nice addition for really dark situations.
 
Another tip: For hunting it is better to use a larger peep in general, as such a peep will aid in low light situations. For target practising or 3D shooting, use a smaller peep for better accuracy.

Product Price

For around 120 bucks the Trophy Ridge React 5-Pin Bow Sight is a great option for beginners and experts that want a certain quality concerning their accessories. It feels sturdy, seems to be well built and quite durable if you keep the weak points in mind that I have mentioned in the review. To be honest I would prefer an aluminum body over the polymer hood any time, but then it would go up in price and weight significantly.
 
The automatic calibration feature is great, though, and saves a lot of time when used properly. Therefore it is not surprising that this little goodie is used by lots of hunters across the country. If you are on a budget you could check out the Trophy Ridge Volt 5-Pin or the TruGlo Carbon XS as well. Both are very affordable options for entering the world of archery.
 
Thanks for reading and shoot straight!
 

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