What's the big deal with paper tuning???

[jonnyboy]

Why do you paper tune your arrow flight through paper?  
What does it tell you about your arrow flight?  Does it matter(should you not try it) if you can still hit the spot you are looking at?

[Cory Mattson]

By using paper you can "read" the arrow flight - and might be able to read - even though an arrow might have gone too quick to follow with the naked eye. Most times with stik bows I can see all I need to see in flight - and then certainly confirm with an arrow into bails sticking out - nock right or nock left. paper tuning would allow someone to "perfect" an arrow - knowing exactly how much head weight to add - or trim a little - arrow - whatever the case may be. Not sure "paper" is necessary for traditional bows - but bare shafting is essential in my opinion - gets your groups from pie plate size to grapefruit size - and penetration is improved a great deal.
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[BLACK WOLF]

I use paper tuning to fine tune my equipment after I have bareshafted my arrows.

Once I have bareshafted my arrows...I'll fletch them and double check with paper tuning and tweak my set up if need be. Usually by adjusting my brace height a little bit in one direction or the other.

Most people don't need or want to go to that level of tuning...but it just gives me that much more confidence in my equipment that I strive for.

It really boils down to personality and goals...but I do recommend at least some form of tuning for anyone striving to get the most out of their equipment and their abilities.

Ray  

[O.L. Adcock]

Some with lots of experience or skill can do a good job tuning by eyeball. Those that can't should use a tuning method of some kind to help them. It's an ethical issue, tuned equipment is more accurate and will penetrate better. Good tuning takes time and effort. Our equipment may be "simple" but that's not to be confused with "easy".

3 basic methods, bare shaft "kick" or shaft angle tuning, paper tuning, and bare shaft planeing methods. The "kick" and paper tuning are the same thing and are poor methods IMO. Because they do not seperate your form and shooting quirks from equipment issues that can be fixed. Many wind up with "kicks" or "tears" they can't get rid of no matter how hard they try and even if successful in shooting shafts straight or bullet hole tears, they find later they are over spined with broadheads.

The planeing method can be done with either bare shafts or fletched wide broadheads. The problems it shows you are equipment related, not form, so it works very well. Here is a description of it:   http://www.bowmaker.net/tuning.htm   Hope that helps....O.L.

[Tater John]

O.L.,

 If you happen to read this, could you give me a clue why my bareshafts 'always' angle down, even though verticle and horizontal alignment is perfect, except for occassional fliers, relevant to impact point to fletched shafts.This happens with both my bag targets and a foam block as well.
Broadheads group with field points of like weight. Fletched shafts stick targets straight. Target distances 5 to 20 yards.

 I've had nock point from 1/4-5/8 and currently at 7/16 which seems best, but trying to resolve the angled down bareshaft is driving me nuts    Is it a release problem?

Rusty

[O.L. Adcock]

Rusty, could be several reasons, nocks too tight, release, bow tiller. That's why it's more important to look at the groups and not pay any attention to the angle.....O.L.