After checking out the Rebellion Bowsight web page I was excited to receive my XTR model for review. The concept, a single aiming dot with no obstructions, is one that I had pondered on numerous occasions and wondered who would be the first to bring it to market. 

Well, his name is Bob Holvenstot and his company is Rebellion Bowsights. Bob has given much thought to the many details of this sight and has come up with a great low-light condition sight.  After reading through the instructions and looking over the assembly drawing I proceeded to assemble the sight. At first it looked somewhat confusing but it turned out to be a breeze.  The next step was to mount the sight assembly to my bow. There was not enough spacing material to mount it to my Darton Maverick so I gave Bob a call. Three more washers per screw did the trick and I was back in business. This is a rare problem according to Bob as he has tested the mounting procedure on many bows. If you find you have a problem with the mounting process just add a few washers and all should be well. 

A note of praise: Assembly and mounting are accomplished with the use of ONE and only ONE, 1/8" hex wrench! I truly appreciate simplicity when it comes to equipment design. Simplicity generally translates into a sturdy design and a pleasant experience.  There are four basic components to the Rebellion sight. First is the anodized aluminum bow mounting plate. The two types of plates available include the standard version on the Rebellion II and the extended quiver mount version on the XTR. The plate has two mounting holes; the lower one is slotted to allow for alignment of the fiber optic pin to the shooter's line of sight. The mounting plate is also recessed, drilled and tapped to accept the second basic component - the slidebar. 

The slidebar is the key to vertical adjustment. It is machined to accept the sightglass bracket in a dovetail type fashion. There are two countersunk holes on the front of the bar for attachment to the mounting plate and two larger flat bottom countersunk holes on the back of the bar to allow for the protruding screw heads on the mounting plate. The slidebar is also made from anodized aluminum.

The sightglass bracket, also black anodized aluminum, contains a heavy-duty stainless steel insert that accepts a large thumbscrew. The thumbscrew has a plastic tip and provides positive lockdown with minimal torque. The opposite end of the bracket is machined at an angle where the sightglass attaches.   This is done so the glass does not mirror the sky when shooting in bright sun light.  The bracket face has two thumbscrew positions that provide horizontal adjustment. The top of the bracket face is drilled and tapped for a small thumbscrew that secures the rain shield. Last but not least of the four basic components is the plex sightglass. This is the centerpiece of the Rebellion and embodies the very concept of a single, unobstructed, floating sight pin. 

The edges are painted and angled to eliminate the white haloing of the naked acrylic edge and to compensate for the tilt of the glass in order to present a nearly invisible border around the glass. The glass is slotted where two thumbscrews attach it to the bracket face. The slots allow for considerable horizontal adjustment. The center of the sightglass is drilled to accept the provided fiber optic sight pin. The pin fits tight as a drum from simple friction. Testing began by simply sighting in my bow at 25 yards using the Rebellion. The speed of my bow made the one pin effective from 1 to 34 yards. I had the bow on target in less than 5 minutes. 

This gives opportunity for praise: I have never sighted in a bow as fast from scratch! The use of the thumbscrews made all needed adjustments lightning fast.  One of the selling points of the Rebellion is that it gives the shooter the ability to quickly acquire his or her target. Very true! With only one pin and no pin guard or other obstructions to get in the way I was able 

to pick up my target in an instant. The picture was clear and large. You could compare the difference between this sight (no pin guard) and those with pin guards to that you see between a camera with a standard lens and one with a wide-angle lens.  I spent a considerable amount of time testing the Rebellion's effectiveness at varying light intensities. At first I started in my back yard aiming at a couple McKenzie 3-D targets, a Cube target, a rabbit, a squirrel, the neighbor's Jersey cow, the miniature horses in the field next to the house, and Little Bear - our black pot-bellied pig that likes to eat all my grass! The bright fiber optic sight pin appeared sharp and clear on all of these objects during low light conditions. The next step was to climb my stand and test the sight on my 3-D whitetail targets that were placed at various distances from the tree. In low light conditions the Rebellion performed flawlessly. 

4. The edges of the sight glass seemed to disappear leaving a clear image. Also included with the sight is a rain shield. We had a light rain one evening and the shield did the job. I then took the shield off and let the sight get wet and experienced minimal problems. I fired well over 100 shots with the Rebellion attached to my Darton Maverick Express and the thumbscrews remained snug and my aiming point constant. The sightglass withstood two five-foot drop tests.  The only casualty was the fiber optic pin however this is to be expected on any bowsight.

The nice thing about the Rebellion is the pins are inexpensive and easily replaced should you accidentally damage one.  The rest of the sight was unaffected. All in all the Rebellion is a terrific low light, single pin bowsight. I found it to be rugged, well engineered, super easy to operate, and highly effective in low light conditions. 

Design: 4 of 5 Again, this sight is well engineered and mechanically functions as well as any I've used!  

Durability: 4.5 of 5 The Rebellion is rock solid in its general construction.  

Ease of Operation: 5 of 5 Thumb screw adjustments are the key to this high score and I would like to see other manufacturers follow suit.  

Value: 4 of 5 At $109.95 for the Rebellion II and $119.95 for the XTR the sight is on the expensive side but well worth it. As we all know, you usually get what you pay for. 

For more information on the Rebellion Sights and available accessories contact: 

Rebellion Bowsights 2032 University Avenue Madison, WI 53705 Fax: (608) 233-1850 
E-mail: info@rebellionbowsights.com 
Web: http://www.rebellionbowsights.com