I've been through 5 different sights in the past decade. Like most things in archery, hunting sights run the gamut from el cheapo specials to top of the line engineering that has a price tag to match. The el cheapo models will be plastic or cheap aluminium; offer little to know adjustability in terms of truly fine tuning your sight; have pins that can easily be damaged, screws that can be stripped, and pin rails that can get wollered out. The top end sights will offer true micro tune capabilities; are built to last; come with several features you cannot find on cheaper sights; and will generally fit the old mantra "you get what you pay for". From my experience, the sight is the last place you should skimp when building a bow.
If you have never visited Hunters Friend before, they have a great generalized guide to sight selection and long several other helpful articles:
Hunters Friend Bow Sight Buyers Guide. You can read over this article to get familiar with all the options out there to see what really fits your needs. That being said, here is what I currently have, why, and what I like/dislike about the sights.
On my Mathews Switchback XT, I have a
Viper MicroTUNE that I purchased new in 2007 and completely overhauled in 2010. My opinion is that the name of this sight is a misnomer and that what it truly lacks, is real micro-adjust capabilities. While the windage and elevation can be adjusted in a micro manner, the pins cannot and that has been a sore spot for me since purchasing the sight. I have equipped it with a 3x Zeiss lens and a sunshade which make it great for shooting 3D and indoor. With 7.5" fiber optics, the 5 flo. green .019" pins are plenty bright. However they are very vulnerable to being broke and I have broken several pins while walking through brush with my bow. IMO, this is often one of the most over looked things when buying a bow sight and that is pin durability. My other major beef with this sight has been the dovetail lock. It can be difficult to find the right notch in the dark. Overall, the Viper has been a B or B+ sight for me and their service has always been top notch. They are an Ohio based company and make some other great sights.
I just bought a
Spot Hogg Hogg-It for my Strother Infinity. At $246 it was not cheap, but it was built to my specs and should last me a very long time. IMO, the Spot Hogg sights are arguably the best sights on the market. With the Hogg-It, I get virtually indestructible pins; full 2nd and 3rd axis leveling; vertical aiming wire; individually micro-adjust pins; and 5 pins in a custom set up with wrapped fiber optics. I am shooting 5 flo. green pins with the first 3 being .019" and the last 2 being .010". This sight is the #1 ranked bow sight for pin shooters in the world and it leaves little doubt as to why once you get your hands on one. I really like the Axcel Armortech that Greg has on his bow and it is very comparable to the Hogg-It. My major reason for choosing the Spot Hogg over the Axcel was the wrapped pins and the more streamlined look of the Spot Hogg.
As evidenced by my two hunting sights, I prefer a dovetailed sight. I shoot a lot and rarely do I stay in the same groove. My peep is a Specialty Archery Super Peep with interchangeable apertures and I will change them several times over the course of the summer to fit how I am feeling or shooting at the time. Being able to adjust the distance between my eye and my pins helps with accuracy and pin clarity. If you have never shot a sight with dovetail adjustments, it is certainly something to look in to.