Today's bow setups are to those first fiberglass bows I shot at youth camp what a fighter jet is to a horse and buggy. Yet the objective of bowhunters hasn't changed since the first shaft was put to string thousands of years ago: Send the arrow into the target. Whereas archers had to rely on instinctive aiming techniques throughout most of history, today there are precision instruments available to help them guide the shot. One of the latest such instruments is the G5 Outdoors Optix LE bow sight.

G5 is known for the quality, durability and dependability of the products it makes. The Optix LE is certainly no exception. I recently had the privilege to test an Optix LE prototype and couldn't wait to take it out to the local archery range.

Assembly of the sight was incredibly quick and easy, thanks to detailed instructions, and the fit and finish of each component were exceptional. Installation on the bow was equally fast, and the Optix LE came with the wrenches necessary to mount the sight and make adjustments.

The first thing you'll likely notice about the Optix LE is how incredibly light it is. This is a benefit of its all-magnesium construction. The entire sight system weighs less than 6 ounces, significantly less than sights of similar size. Magnesium construction also gives the sight great strength and corrosion resistance that's reassuring to archers who hunt hard all day in extreme conditions or over rugged terrain.

The Optix LE is a five-pin sight that incorporates Smart-Pin technology. Adjusting the pins initially is not complicated, but it does take some time. Smart-Pins use a single-screw adjustment feature that prevents a pin from ever deviating from the sight's vertical centerline. This means individual left and right pin adjustments are not necessary. In my case I set the 0.29-inch pins at 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 yards. The sight's 3X microadjustment feature made fine-tuning downright pleasurable. Once all was set, the pins were dead-on.

When shooting the Optix LE you'll see that the sighting system was obviously engineered with input from bowhunters. The pins are stunningly brilliant. I had the sight out one evening as darkness was falling over the range, and I can tell you that the pins on this sight will be ready to engage a target anytime during legal shooting hours. For those who wish to have a bit more light in the pin during those critical first and last five minutes of the hunting day, the Optix LE will accept G5's optional pin light (sold separately). Midday sun wonýýýt hamper your sight picture, thanks to a built-in hooded visor.

Hunters also will appreciate the rubber arrow bumper on the bottom of the sight. Who among us who have spent a number of seasons in the woods hasn't at one time or another had a game-spooking clank from an arrow coming off the rest and hitting the bottom of the sight? Not a worry with the Optix LE.

Other options standard in the LE model include a harmonic dampener integrated into the sight to reduce noise and vibration. A bubble level reminds you to center things up consistently before each shot, and third-axis tuning lets you tailor the sight to your shooting style.

There are many features and adjustment options on the Optix LE, and some may find all of this intimidating. But the reality is that all the features are well explained in the documentation that comes with the sight and, with a bit of getting used to, you'll probably use and appreciate all of them.

Just how accurate is the Optix LE? I'll put it this way. I have six primary practice arrows, and after my most recent session shooting with the Optix LE, I have to replace the nocks on two of them because I shot them off. Groups do widen a bit at longer ranges, but they do with all sights. The groups I shot with the LE at 30-50 yards were still well within what I consider to be ethical limits for taking big game.

If you appreciate having more options in a bow sight while actually making your setup a bit lighter, check out the Optix LE. And while you're at it, order some extra arrow nocks.

Click here to purchase the G5 Optix LE 5-Pin Sight.