Bear Montana point on

[sasquatchshawn]

Hey guys,
I'm fairly new to archery overall and I don't have a good trad shop nearby to field my question to, so I rely on forums and youtube. Anyway, I'm using a 40# Bear Montana with Easton Axis Traditional 600 spine arrows with 145gr tips, weighing in about 405gr total. The nock point is about 3/8" over the shelf and I shoot 3 under off the shelf. I'm trying to shoot instinctive, but I wanted to see what my point on distance with the bow was. It only seems to shoot at 15 yards point on. Is this normal?

[the rifleman]

Where are you anchoring?  The higher up on your face you anchor the closer your point on will be.
Are arrows full length?  The longer the arrow the closer the point on.
Do you have any bareshafts?  If so you can verify if nock height is correct.  For me with 3 under 3/4" is the sweet spot.  Too low can cause arrows to hit high and/ or give false readings if arrow bounces off the shelf.
In short, if you want a longer point on you can try anchoring lower and/ or find shafts that tune at a shorter length.
I like a close point on for hunting.  Split finger will give you an even further point on.

[the rifleman]

Ps an easy way to try a higher nocking point would be to put a small wrap of masking tape a nocks width above the one thats on there and shoot a couple of arrows between these.  I think you are close on your arrow spine, close enough until you develop solid form.  Ive not owned a bear montana, but have read posts where they say upgrading the string makes a big difference.  Best of luck with your new rig.

[sasquatchshawn]

My arrows are 29.5" long. I have a 28" draw length and I anchor at the corner of my mouth. I don't have any bareshafts right now. I hope to have a shop eventually where I can cut and fletch my own arrows so bareshaft tuning will be easier.  I'll try playing with some masking tape as a temp nock to try some different heights.

[the rifleman]

What finger do you put in corner of mouth?  If middle, you can increase point on by dropping to index finger.  The lower you anchor, the higher you will hit and vice versa.

[sasquatchshawn]

I use my middle, but I'll try switching to my index and see if I like that or not. Thanks for the advice.

[the rifleman]

Youre welcome.

[McDave]

Anchoring in the corner of your mouth, with your bow and arrows, a 15 yard point on seems impossible. I wonder what’s going on?

[the rifleman]

McDave, i can' t visualize it--- my cousin shoots the same longbow i do, only he shoots 50# and i shoot 40#.  He is shooting split finger and says that he puts the tip of his arrow right on at 20 yds.  I helped him set up his bow and tune his arrows.  He does not anchor high on his face, so his point on is a mystery to me.  I can't understand what he is seeing in his sight picture thay would make this possible.

[sasquatchshawn]

It's shooting 20 yards point on now, which is probably fine for future hunting and the 3D shoots I want to do more of. I altered my anchor a bit with getting a deeper hook and really seating it in my face. I think I may have been short drawing a bit. I'm still new too so my consistency isn't nearly what I want it to be and I know my release has been affecting arrow flight. Thanks for all the tips guys.

[newhouse114]

I shoot a bit heavier. I have a 60 lb Montana, shoot three under, anchor with middle finger in the corner of mouth and my point on is thirty yards. This is with a 750 gr arrow.

[the rifleman]

Just thought of something else--- any chance you are short drawing the bow?  This is a problem for me--- i get my form down, then at some point i relax and begin to slump forward-- i lose 2"s of draw length.  Then when i get back to proper form my arrow hits a few inches higher than it did w poor form/ short draw.

[McDave]

Originally posted by the rifleman:
Just thought of something else--- any chance you are short drawing the bow?  This is a problem for me--- i get my form down, then at some point i relax and begin to slump forward-- i lose 2"s of draw length.  Then when i get back to proper form my arrow hits a few inches higher than it did w poor form/ short draw.

Good point. I have an arrow cut to length such that I can feel the back of the point when it touches my forefinger at my true full draw.  Can't do this with all bows, but with most of my bows, the grip is close enough to the arrow that I can feel a slightly oversized point I have mounted on the arrow. I practice with this arrow several times a week to reinforce the feeling of coming to full draw.

Of course, I could use a clicker and get this reinforcement all the time, but I tried one and didn't like it after a while.

[the rifleman]

McDave, the oversized point idea sounds like what i need.  I was shooting well the other day when my buddy measured my draw length and found it between 24-25".  I reinstalled my clicker and based on my proper form tried to reinforce my 26 1/4" draw length.  My problem with the clicker is that my bow arm begins to shake badly as it sometimes takes several seconds for me to make it click.  When the clicker replacement tape gave, i removed it and my shooting improved-- but i know from my past that i need to reinforce proper form--- i relax and slump forward.  The oversized point is something i am going to try--- thanks for the idea.  I dont believe im over bowed as i had been shooting 50#s and now shoot a very smooth 36-37# bow.

[McDave]

In my case the back of the point touches my forefinger a half inch in front of where I want to measure my draw length, so to get an accurate measurement, I have to cut the arrow a half inch long, i. e. 28 1/2” for a 28” draw.

[the rifleman]

Thanks!  I did exactly that and can use a woodsman or a tnut behind a fieldpoint or blunt.  Will be keeping that arrow close by.