Accuracy

[Davo]

I just got my bow set up. I am shooting a 45 pound bear grizzly that ends up hitting about 48 when I hit my draw.  I am shooting easton 2016 with 100 grain practice tips for now.  With that I am hitting about a 5 inch group at 18 yards.  Considering I have not shot a recurve in 25 years I am ok but I want to tighten.  Is my bow arm supposed to be strait out or slightly bent. I learned to shoot bent becuase when I was young I never had an armguard.  I do shake a bit when its bent if I hold to long.  Secondly I pull my fingers back to my mouth and hook my index into corner is that an acceptable practice.  Thanks

[Scott J. Williams]

I would suggest that you bare shaft tune your arrows, you can read about the method if you are not familiar elsewhere in these forums.

Regarding straight or bent, I perfer straight, without locking it out.  Remember the most important factor in good shooting is where you point your bow.  When you point at something across the room, you have an extended arm.  Why would you do differently when shooting a bow.  


I know a lot of shooters who use the bent arm, many do really well.  It was my understanding that it was a perfered method before bows were designed to eliminate hand shock.

My recures had no hand shock, and my Black Widow Longbows have no hand shock.  

Regarding the index finger in the corner of the mouth, I use to shoot that way.  I now use the middle finger in the corner of the mouth.  It allows for the arrow to be situated a little closer under my eye.  This allows the bow hand to point, automaticly, at the point the eye is locked in on.

Just a word of advice, I am not sure how long your arrows are, but I am shooting 2016's at 55 pounds with 175 grain tips, you may want to try a little heavier point weight.

[Davo]

Thanks for the input, since you brought up grain weight how heavy hunting heads do you guys normally shoot?

[Scott J. Williams]

My heads, and my fiancee's are 175grains.  Our field points and the broadheads all weigh in a 175 grains.

I use the long broadhead adaptors, and weight collars to get the weight to the right place. I use a grain scale to make sure they match...honestly if you get within a grain or two I can't tell the difference.

That provides for the right amount of FOC, forward of center balance.  I bare shaft until the bare shaft is flying straight and true to a distance of twenty to twenty five yards, that being my self emposed max. distance for hunting.

I like Woodsman as a first choice, she likes two blade Mangnus heads.

As far as the type of head, if they fall within the 175 grain weight limit, they all fly the same for us.