The Black Gold Modd is Black Gold’s flagship premium bow sight, retailing at $600. Known for manufacturing 100% US-made products backed by a lifetime warranty, Black Gold designed the Modd as an overbuilt, underweight, 10.8 ounce micro-adjustable sight built to maintain strict tolerances and precise performance.
Mounting Configurations and Housing Options
The Modd ships from the factory with options to support multiple riser attachment preferences:
- Dovetail Mount: Mounts directly to the side of the riser. By removing the mounting block, it converts for direct compatibility with the Mathews Bridge-Lock system.
- Picatinny Mount: Mounts directly to picatinny-compatible bow risers.
Two sight housings are available:
- 3-Pin Vertical Setup: Fully adjustable vertical pin configuration using a green, yellow, green color scheme.
- 5-Pin Horizontal Setup: Standard horizontal pin configuration using a symmetrical green, yellow, red, yellow, green color scheme.
Pin Construction, Optics, and Sight Light
- 0.015″ Pin Size: Both housing options utilize 0.015″ fiber optic pins, which offer bright target visibility in low light and crisp aim points during full daylight.
- Pro-Style Pin Design: Pins feature a slim neck and rounded pinhead to maximize fiber visibility while minimizing target obstruction.
- Vertical Pin Travel: The 3-pin vertical model offers extensive individual pin travel, allowing the top 20-yard pin to be set within roughly a quarter of an inch from the top of the housing.
- Squared-Off Washers: Horizontal pin track adjustments use squared-off washers. These hold the pin straight during tightening without tilting, preventing the hardware from scoring grooves into the track.
- Photochromatic Shell: A dark purple light-sensitive cover over the fiber optics automatically controls illumination. In bright sun, it limits light transmission to prevent pin flare or washout. In low light, the shell turns clear to collect maximum ambient light.
- Integrated Sight Light: A custom-designed light attaches directly to the housing with a single screw and is rechargeable via a USB-C adapter. The light can be detached for hunting in states with electronic sight restrictions—such as Idaho—and easily reinstalled for target or 3D practice.
Structural Design, Elevation Drive, and Windage
Build Quality and Drive Rail
At 10.8 ounces, the Modd stays lightweight while incorporating extensive micro-adjustment hardware. The vertical movement rail is long enough to provide ample gang elevation for various bow geometries and anchor points.
The elevation drive wheel features a rubberized grip knob and operates on a smooth rail system. Resistance can be customized using an integrated friction-adjustment lever, eliminating loose or tight spots along the travel.
Windage Adjustment
- Micro-Adjust Clicks: Windage adjustments are toolless, controlled by a triple-wing nut, and feature tactile click increments for precise tracking.
- Offset/Reversible Mount: The windage bracket features an offset layout. Right-handed archers can mount it in-line for extra right-side windage, or flip the bracket to gain additional left-side movement.
Axis Alignment Mechanics
The Modd features 1st, 2nd, and 3rd axis micro-adjustments designed to eliminate mechanical backlash during setup:
- Dual-Screw Lockouts: Both the 1st and 2nd axis use two front-facing screws to lock down settings.
- Backlash Prevention: By loosening a single screw just enough to allow dial movement while retaining frictional drag, the axis moves smoothly with zero play or shift when re-tightening the hardware.
- Tolerance Retention: Once locked down, axis settings remain fixed even after repeatedly removing and reattaching the sight housing.
Sight Tape System and Calibration
- Removable Elevation Wheel: The primary drive dial is removable, allowing archers to swap dials configured with different sight tapes for multi-arrow setups (such as switching between heavy hunting arrows and lighter target/TAC arrows).
- Customizable Pointers: Pointers are individually adjustable, removable, and addable along the sight tape bar. They can be set to any custom distance split (e.g., 20/30/40 or 20/40/60).
- Two-Point Calibration Method: To set up a sight tape, sight in at 20 yards and align the pointer with the calibration scale on the tape bar. Next, step back to 60 yards, dial in, and observe the resulting calibration number. Match that number to the corresponding factory sight tape.
- High-Contrast Text: The included sight tapes feature large, clear numbers designed for rapid readability at distance without straining sight.
The Black Gold Modd delivers durability, repeatable axis lockouts, smooth drive control, and clear optical pins. For 3D shooters and backcountry hunters requiring absolute accuracy and zero shift once set, the precision engineering of the Modd justifies its flagship $600 price point.
