archery pro shop vs stu miller cacl? who is right?

[kevshin21]

Hey guys I got a question for you here. Yesterday I went to a archery shop and bought my recurve and my friends horse bow to get some arrows for it. I played with stu millers cal and it came out easton epic 600 st with a 225 grain point. Now the Recurve shoots 49@28 and its 58 long. The horsebow has no shelf and it shoots 40@32. My draw is 29 so the guy recommended me the easton epic 500 because they did not have any 600 st left that is past 28. So when I bought it back home I checked the calculator and its a few numbers off. Should I be concerned that he just wanted to make a quick sale? I also noted I have a self bow that draws 30@28 that has no shelf and he just said my arrows are fine with all the bows I have at hand.

[Bjorn]

I would say the so called pro shop is as accurate as they usually are          

[lpcjon2]

Pro shops are for wheels with light heads and thin shafts and allen wrenches.  Stu 's calc is for trad arrows, heavy heads and single string's and men to pull on them.

[Rooselk]

I can't tell you with certainty which is right, but I do tend to agree with Ipcjon2. I will say this: I used Stu's calculator for my aluminum arrows and they were spot on for my bow. I was VERY pleased with the results. That calculator sure made a believer out of me.

[Looper]

I've been helping a buddy tune his setup.  He's new to traditional archery and didn't have a clue what arrows to get.  He went to a well known archery shop in New Mexico, where he works occasionally.  He's shooting a 55@28 Viper longbow, but only draws it 26". They put him in some GT 3555 with 100 grain heads and the arrows cut to 27.5".  He was thinking that he was just a terrible shot and that his bow was supposed to be loud.  I gave him some 250 grain field tips to try and his groups instantly shrunk to about a 1/4 of what they were.  His bow really quietened down, too.  He's now really excited about shooting his bow and is really improving.  Before, the setup was so unpleasant to shoot, he never did.

So, don't trust Pro shops that don't specialize in trad.  Stu's calculator can get you in the ballpark, but perhaps the best way is to call one of the sponsor's here who deal with these decisions all of the time.

[cbCrow]

I would go with Stu's calculator. It has been right on for me on several occasions.

[Night Wing]

I trust Stu's calculator. Tuned both of my bows with the arrows his calculator suggested. Just had to do a little tweaking with point weight and adjusting the brace height.

[mcgroundstalker]

Stu's calculator is right on the money, so long as you put in the right information.

... mike ...

PS... I used to work for a "pro-shop" with a small sign posted inside that read... "If we don't have it, you don't need it."

[Bowwild]

If the shop owner was using Stu's calculator, I'd say he was likely right.

Seriously, I just discovered Stu's from you folks on this sight this past winter after 45 years of using Easton/Beman charts. Stu's has worked my son and I very well to date.   Recommending something because he didn't have the specified item is a huge red flag in my book.

[Victory Rider]

I trust Stu. Make sure you have the right shelf measurement, it makes a big difference. Also if you are using brass inserts use the footing input.

My arrows were dead on what Stu's calcs said. Almost scary!!!!!!!

[metsastaja]

Sine I maintain the page for   Stu\\'s Calculator  I would have to say go with the calculator.  

I order all my arrow shafts and parts on line and build my own.

[Buckeye Trad Hunter]

The pro shop guys are almost never right and always want to make a sale whether you get what you need or not.

[Breakfast Boy]

I'll add another vote for Stu's calculator.  It was dead on right for me when I bought my new longbow over the summer.  Not only did the calculator work great, but Stu was kind enough to help me get the exact info put in via e-mail.  Great guy and the calculator is now a valuable hunting tool for me.

[snag]

Stu's calculator has never stirred me wrong. It provides me with a great starting point. If the Pro Shop guy doesn't deal with a lot of traditional bow setups I'd be very suspicious. The statement you make about not having any 600's so he recommended 500's leads me to believe he isn't interested in best, just what is best for him.  Maybe not...

[cedar]

You stated,"My draw is 29 so the guy recommended me the easton epic 500 because they did not have any 600 st left that is past 28"  I think you answered your own question.  Most pro shops will sell what they have instead of you walking out the door empty handed.  I guess that figure if you have to ask, you won't know the difference anyway.

[hvyhitter]

I dont trust pro-shops at all and I havent been in one for over 6 years. The last one I visited looking for some glue on nocks and feathers, I had Mr Eyebrowring almost get beligerent when I told him I wasnt interested in buying any carbon arrows and wasnt about to get rid of my "prehistoric" bow and get a compound.

[OS]

The problem is I don't think there is a know all method to determine correct arrow spine for your set up! I have two bows same leangh, same draw, both reflex deflex limbs, but different Materials. One shoots 11 fps faster than the other!  They both have different arrow spines that shoots best out of them!  In my opinion overall all the charts and such can only give you a starting point.  Your bow, your grip, your release can change everything!

[highPlains]

My Dad got to rub shoulders with some of the bigger pro-shop owners from back east a few weeks ago. They were all compound shooters, all pro shop owners, and all believed that recurves and longbows just didn't shoot arrows straight. They thought that was just the way they were. These pro shop owners were amazed that the arrows out of my Dad's recurve shot straight.

Kind of goes to show the misunderstanding or total lack of knowledge that most "pro-shops" have about traditional bows and arrows.

For what it's worth...Stu's calculator is ten pounds off on two of my "perfect" set ups, and exactly spot on on the third. 1 out of 3 for me. I shot what it recommended on the two set ups that it was way off on and the arrow flight was quite poor. I'm glad that you all are having good luck with it but I am still skeptical. It's probably a great starting point for somebody without all the materials on hand.

I am fortunate enough to help a lot of people match arrows and I have had lots of customers shooting poorly matched arrows that they bought off of the results on Stu's calculator. Could be they didn't enter the information correctly...but like I said, I'm still skeptical.