At what distance do you shoot bare shaft?

[PaulDeadringer29]

I just re- read the tuning section on the ACS site again, it says no bare shafting with broad heads, my mistake. Thanks for the info guys, that ACS site also has good info as well.

[Hud]

Bare shaft tuning was probably used first by target shooters to fine tune light, shafts with small feathers, or vanes. Bowhunters used heavier equipment and larger feathers, and were rarely concerned with bare shafting.
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Most testing was done at 2-10 yds. Shooting further was not necessary. Testing was done with a spot the size of a dime, and shafts of  various lengths (1/4 +/- inch) and sometimes different weight in points. A fletched arrow was used as a control. The objective was to find the best shaft, weight, length, etc.

In theory, you want the bare shaft to hit the feathered shaft, and one or two test arrows usually gave the best results.

Because straw, hay, or cedar bales were commonly used, grain in the bale often affected how the shaft entered the bale, another reason to stay within 30 ft.

Shooting a center shot bow made it easier for target shooters. Early bowhunters shot non-center shot bows and paradox was a problem with older equipment.

If you can shoot a tight group with bare shafts around a fletched arrow, at 10 yds, it is time to fletch some arrows.

[rlc1959]

Macbow is correct.

[Tajue17]

I start at 5 and then if its woods I'll try to make it back to 20yds with decent enough flight where In hit within an 8" circle,, with carbons I try to make it back to 30yds with a bare shaft..

with my personal arrows I like a tad of weak spine nose dive,,,,in a nutshell I put my string nocks on my recurves about 1/8" higher than where it shows perfect flight on the bare shaft test because it gives me more fletch options going from flu flu and banana to 3" parabolics if needed.

the above testing is with the bow straight up and down to read the arrow easier,,,, then I start canting the bow and I noticed the spine is different now maybe its the draw gets shorter because of the hunting stance but try it you should see the perfect flying bare shaft is now showing stiff,,, I tune for a little weaker shaft based on that..  

I took an arrow last year that had a tree shark on it and submerged the fletch in pond water and then squeazed the fletching down with my hand so it was as flat as possible,, I shot that 2" wide tree shark 27yds into a bale and hit 3" lower than what I wanted I was convinced again the bare shaft tuning works for people who at some point mount broadheads

[damascusdave]

Remember that although the A and H site is relatively new the bareshaft tuning goes back to the days when OL Adcock was still involved with the company...some of his ideas could be a little outdated

DDave