What happened to my arrow flight?

[Arctic Hunter]

Okay tradgang....drop some wisdom on me.

I have shot a lot of recurves. Though I've found I shoot a PSA the best, and my 60# PSA is about perfect for me. I made a string for it, tuned it, and had bare shafts flying like darts. Broadheads also flew good, and the set up seemed to work great.

Now, however, all of the sudden something seems off. Bare shafts are flying weak (which is usually an issue with my longer draw, and takes a little time to get rid of). Broadheads seem to be kicking a little as well.

Everything is the same....brace height, nock height, distance the silencers are from the tips (I've found this makes a significant difference in arrow tune), and everything else I can think of to check. Fletched field points still fly great and where I'm looking.

This seems to have happened with all the bows I've kept and shot religiously for any great length of time. Has anybody else experienced this?

Could it be the lack of shooting 40 or 50 arrows every day the way I do in the off season? I still shoot every day, though admittedly, not as much as during the summer (they close the outdoor range during deer season because some people hunt out there). I feel like my form and release are good. And it does seem to help to drop the tip weight some. Leading me to believe I'm doing something different or something has changed to make the arrows that were working suddenly show weak.

What am I missing?

And in case anybody cares, my current set up draws 60# at my 30.5" draw. I shoot a 31.5" Axis 340 trad shaft with a 50 grain insert and 200 grain tip. Arrows weigh 597 grains. I shoot with calf hair and a toothpick behind it. String is a 12 strand BCY-X with the loops padded to 20 with B-50. This set up worked great all summer and through most of deer season.

One other thing....I've noticed the calf hair being worn off the strike plate. I've been told this is a sign of a stiff arrow. Could it be that the arrows are now showing stiff and I'm actually getting a false reading? Either way, it doesn't make sense that a bare shaft that was flying like a dart, is now doing something totally different.

It's frustrating....I can't stand bad arrow flight.

[slowbowjoe]

It's not the arrow that changed, and your strike plate wear does suggest the arrow is bouncing off it.
I have sa similar issue pretty often. I think it's a form thing. Maybe change in draw length, maybe torquing the string (my problem, I think).

More knowledgeable folks will be along with more/better suggestions, I'm sure.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

When I had the same issue as you, I found I was torquing the string.  I shoot split and when I anchored it to the corner of my mouth my hand was twisted making for a poor release and causing the arrow to bounce off the strike plate.

I had to force myself to keep my drawing hand straight and although this bad habit rears itself, I know to correct it quicker.  Also standing up straight helps fix this issue for me.

thats really all I can think of at this point. Good luck

[Biathlonman]

Maybe short drawing a little with colder weather/heavier clothes?

[ranger 3]

Short drawing would make it stiffer I would think.

[ron w]

I'm betting there is something that has changed in your release........concentrate on the shot and talk yourself thru process.....Draw, anchor, focus, release.

[Orion]

Probably a little thing related to your form.  Try opening your stance a little, i.e., facing the target a little more. May bring the other stuff in line.

[ISP 5353]

Little things like that happen to almost everyone who shoots a lot.  Don't be in a hurry to change anything with the bow or arrow set up.

It could be any one of a host of form issues. I had a similar issue and found that my anchor was not as solid or consistent as it should be.  I fixed this and got my shot sequence back on track.

Don't let it get into your head.  Just take a little time and work on different aspects of your form and things will work themselves out.  Good luck!

[Tedd]

You are explaining exactly the reason I use Arrow Dynamics tapered carbon shafts. Paralell carbon is just too finicky especially with long draw lengths. I have spent countless hours, days, years, and dollars testing and tuning. I'm sure there are people who are much better than me with testing and accuracg but my own results show paralell carbon can make for a frustrating bow hunting season.
Any small change in temperature, humidity, clothing, cold muscles, new strike plate, new glove can throw off your tune and ruin your shooting and confidence very quickly. It only takes a minor thing to make it impossible to hit a deer.
The tolerance quality of the AD shafts isn't great and scares some people off.  There is room for improvment there. But still over the course of a year with changing conditions the AD shafts stay tuned.
I'm sure i'll keep trying both types but really wish  I would stop doing that! I have really wasted too many saturday afternoons trying to fix a tune that was perfect the day prior.
A common problem for me tuning a BW is a false stiff so look fot that. Or just order some AD shafts and tune them up once and you are set! You might need a lower nock pt. Look up on here how to tune the tapered shafts.

[tzolk]

I'll put money on your form. Something is off despite your history of regular practice. For example, I stopped shooting for over a week due to vacation and for the last two weeks since I've been home, my string is hitting my nose like it did early on in my trad practice. I don't feel as my form is off however, before I went on vacation, I never had the string hit my nose.

[Tedd]

Everyone has small changes happen to form over time and somtimes it's an improvement. It's nice to take the arrow tune out of the equation.

[Tedd]

Everyone has small changes happen to form over time and somtimes it's an improvement. It's nice to take the arrow tune out of the equation.

[Ulysseys]

Your form changed and probably specifically your release is bad.  Bare shafts are great for showing poor form or release if at one point they were tuned to your bow.  In fact I often shoot a few bare shafts per session for this reason.

[Arctic Hunter]

Well, thanks for the replies. It sounds like a release issue. I guess the question now is, how to fix it.

I'm thinking some blind bale work might be necessary. I will admit, after years of struggling with TP, my release might not be as good without the feather touching my chin as a psycho-trigger.

[monterey]

Maybe your string stretched?