CBE Elite 3D sight review

I have had my CBE Elite 3D sight for a while now, so here is a quick review and photos. Overall this is a very solid, workman like sight that has a real feel of quality to it. Its built like a tank. The vertical track adjustment feels really nice, there is zero play in it. There is no quick release to change distances but to be honest you dont need it. The vertical track has 1 7/8" inches of travel. The C3 the sight is currently on needs about 1.5" and my Monster 6 about 1.2" for 30m to 90m of sightmarks. I struggle for sight marks normally due to my strange head, so normal people should be fine with the amount of adjustment. The vertical block's height relative to the extension bar can also be adjusted as it has two sets of holes that the 3rd Axis block bolts onto. Mine (see photos) is set to the highest, to push the vertical block downwards. Also, the 3rd Axis block can be turned around and then upside down to push the vertical block even further down (again, this is how mine is set). So wherever your sight mark range falls, you should be able to find a position that fits. All of the axes are adjusted by slackening bolts, moving the parts around then tightening the bolts backup. I little fiddly but once done, its done. The windage adjustment is nice and positive, and is locked at the front using a small lever. There is a really wide range of windage adjustment so there is no danger of running out. A word of warning about using MAC scopes with this sight. The scope thread is too big, despite being a standard 10/32 thread. Either the MAC thread is too big or the sight is made too small. I use a Beiter scope thread that screws in perfectly to the scope and the sight with no problems. The sight overall is quite heavy, but is down to the build quality and I don't mind that. Overall, I am very pleased with it and can't see my self moving away from CBE sights in the future.

Practice update and things to work on

Have shot an indoor Portsmouth for the second time this indoor season, and put in a 579. It was OK, but got stuck with repeated 10,10,9 sequences and could not find the level of consistency to get over the 580 mark. However, like the FITA 18 round the previous week, I finished strongly, with really good, positive trigger usage.

Shot a little on Saturday morning, but again the weather was freezing, and my hands froze after each end. I decided to practice a 3 doz @ 30m, and put in a tidy 357, one off my practice PB, so was pleased considering my hand were like blocks of ice. Again, the very best shots were those where I was positive with the pre-load on the trigger, and allowing the scope to float around the gold without trying to over aim.

Later in the week I will be shooting another Portsmouth round, and hope to get my first 580+ for this years indoor season. Next weekend I have the traditional trip down to the south-coast for the Arundown Triple Worcester. I normally do well in this, but the competition this year is going to be fierce, but I am really looking forward to the challenge, and will look to be mentally strong and shoot without fear.

So my goal over the coming weeks is to remain strong and positive throughout the shot, and not try and control the shot or wrestle the dot in the X ring. Relax, let it float!

Relax and try not to think!

Shot a FITA 18 for the first time in a while on Wednesday night. I had high hopes of a good score, and wanted to hit a 575. However, the indoor range was freezing and I could not relax and remove the tension in my bow arm. It was only the last dozen that I forced myself to relax that I shot well, and put in a 117 dozen, to finish on an average 565.

The positive from this was that when relaxed, this has a direct correlation to shooting well.

Today I shot some 90m outdoors, and again, I was cold, damp and generally fed-up of the crappy weather at the moment. I had the worse practice 90m for a long time, shooting two 306 and 310, 3 dozen practice ends. I normally hit 320+ almost every time.

Any positives? Yes, had some great shots, but some strange ones as well, where the shots felt on the money but ended up in the red. There was a variable wind down range so maybe this was the reason. But generally I think my shot sequence slowed down causing tensions and bad shots.

A day to forget and look forward to the next indoor session.

Happy New Year 2011, and time to set new goals

Well its 2011, and now time to really look forward to the outdoor season. Having looked back at 2010, I achieved all my goals, mainly getting to MB, with some bonuses on the way.

Another feature of 2010 was despite doing well, I was still negative about my achievements. My train of thought up until now has been to never be happy with anything so that I will never stop trying. This is wrong, and only reinforces negative thoughts. I will try and focus on the positives only, and there is no reason why this will stop be from trying. If I set goals, and reach these, then I can set more to keep up the motivation.

Here are my goals for 2011:

• Win the Triple Worcester in February (my only indoor comp this year)
• Win the Surrey County Champs in July
• Gain GMB status by October
• Be selected for the Surrey County team at the Intercounties
• Win the Surrey Indoor Champs in November
• Shoot the highest score for the County team in each match I attend
• Try and win every competition event I attend
• Always complete every round and attend every shoot I apply for, and not give up when things are not going well

OK, some of these goals are very high (i.e. winning WRS comps), but at least go into each one with the attitude that I have the ability to push myself further up the leader board.

I have now got my Mathews C3, and coupled with some second hand X10's, its looking promising. I have decided that this year I am going to invest in some X10 Protour's. Having shot with Cartel Triples pretty much all my compound career, its time to see what the best money can buy can do.