Tuning Bow

[mscampbell75]

This is my 1st time tuning a primitive bow.  I've looked online @ (A&H Archery) sites that give you the rundown.  My ? is specific to bare shaft tuning.  

Will a tune bow shoot bare shafts straight or do the still porpise up and down?  

I've read that you make nock adjustment comparing the point of impact(grouping) of bare shafts in relation to fletched shafts.  They dont make mention of porpiseing (unless I've over looked it).

In the pictures on the site, it shows bare shafts angled in high or low. But again, they dont mention that, only what relation they are in compared to fletch shafts( high or low).

thanks for helping a newbie

[Friends call me Pac]

Newbie to trad myself.  I have been shooting one bare shaft along with 4 fletched arrows for about two weeks now.  From what I have seen once I got the bow set up my bare shaft shot straight and true as long as I did everything perfect.  ie same anchor, smooth release.  If I am not consistent the bare shaft lets me know by erratic flight.  

So far I have only shot bare shaft out to 25 yards and at that distance it gets kind of iffy for me.  At 20 yards it shoots identical to my fletched shafts provided I do everything right.

If you post what size arrows, leangth, draw weight and draw leangth I bet one of these folks can help you figure out the problem.

[mscampbell75]

60" Iron Mountain Longbow  53@28", alum. 2016 @ 28.5" with 125grn, field points, I draw to 27"

As far as left and right,  my bare shafts are in line w/ fletched.  

Up and down, my fletch arrrows are consistantly grouping higher than bare.  With that being said,my fletched arrows are impacting target nock level.  My bare shafts are impacting nock high.  From what I've read I need to lower my string nock.

Is this correct?

[Friends call me Pac]

Sounds like everything is fine with the arrow selection.  From my understanding you will have to lower the nock some just like you said.  

Just make small adjustments until you see either level flight or you go to far.

Also I shoot into a hay bale and I am told it isn't the best thing to use for bare shaft tuning.  When I shoot my hay bale my bare shaft is often nock high but if I shoot into a foam target the shaft is straight.

Like I said I'm new to this myself and will help the best that I can.  I'm sure others with more knowledge will chime in.

[Friends call me Pac]

When I shot a compound I use to paper tune at my archery club.  I don't have a archery club anymore so I was trying to think of a way to adapt my backstop to paper tune without building a paper tuning rack.

This is the simple solution that worked for me.

I tied two strings across the backstop. These strings are about 16" in front of the hay bales.
 

I then used clothes pins to hold a page of newspaper to shoot through
 

After looking at tears going down I moved my nocking point up.  I was also tearing to the left but after cutting my 30" arrow to 29.5" this is what I ended up with.  I was shooting a bare shaft at 10 yards.
 

I'm shooting a PSE Impala recurve.  50 lb @ 28".  My arrows are 2016s cut at 29.5".  

My next step is to see how my broadheads shoot.  I'm wondering if they will be fine or if more tinkering will be involved.

[Widowbender]

You should be able to see your arrows flying and you can tell if they are flying nock high or low. Its usually better to start off with the nock point too high. Sometimes if your nock point is too low the nock end of the arrow will hit the shelf and cause the arrow to rebound and fly nock high. If you have started off with the nock point really high to begin with then you just move the nock point down a little at a time until your arrows fly straight. I always have one bare shaft in my practice quiver. at 25 yards it flies right with my other arrows...If your bare shaft is flying into your group at 20 yards you should be in pretty good shape.

David

[Aztec Hunter]

Hey, guys!  I'm about to bare-shaft tune my bow also, and was wondering if you should hold the bow vertical or cant as usual?  It seems that a vertical hold would show any flaws in setup better than if you introduced a cant.  What do ya'll think?  I've not found anything on this yet.

[Friends call me Pac]

I shot mine with the same cant as I usually do.

[wolfinshadows]

I'm new at this also. What about brace height? Should that be set first, or should the nock set be set first? Please help. I think you can tune brace up or down a little to tune also, but I dont know for sure.

[Friends call me Pac]

You might try a search on tuning and brace height if you haven't already.  That question is beyond me.  

All I did to tune was buy the correct leangth string and left my bow strung over night to eliminate stretch.  Then I started with the nocking point.

[Cecil]

I start with nock around 1" high. I find my brace height. I leave my bare shaft shooting a little nock left when you fletch it it will stiffen it a little. I shoot three under.

[Sticks2117]

This is the most help I have gotten on the web
very detailed site

 http://www.bowmaker.net/index2.htm

[fyrfyter43]

Pac, to paper tune you need to move the bales back further. The arrow should pass completely through the paper before hitting the bales. When the arrow hits the bale it can cause the nock end of the arrow to deflect, giving you a false reading.

Also, you should be holding your bow vertical. I spent a couple of hours last weekend trying to figure out why my arrows suddenly were barrel-rolling. I tore the feathers off one of my arrows and shot it about 10-12 times. Every time it was showing nock left (stiff for me as a lefty). Why the heck would my arrows suddenly be too stiff - they were fine just 2 days earlier? Then I realized that I shot every one of those bare shafts with my bow canted over pretty hard - just like I normally shoot. Held my bow vertical and shot a couple more. Every one of those was nock high. Checked my nock point and it was nearly 1/4" higher than it should be. Problem solved!

[wolfinshadows]

I don't paper tune for the simple reason that the arrow will give you a different result at different distances.The arrow osolates. I tune at 20 yards bare shaft. nock point for up and down, and spine for left and right. But thats just my opion.

[wolfinshadows]

You want just a little nock high at 20 yards on the bare shaft. When you fletch the arrows they should fly good and flat. Let us know if this helps at all. Good luck

[Keuka]

Once you get your bow tuned and your form down, a bare shaft will fly as good as a fletched arrow.

I practice with only two arrows, one fletched and one bare shaft. I shoot out to 50 yards with the fletched and 20 to 30 yards with the bare shaft. If my shots are not dead nuts, I think about what I did wrong as I walk up to get my arrows.

The bare shaft will tell you when anything is wrong with any part of your shooting or bow. It will also tell you as soon as you begin to tire and your form sags. When you tire, stop shooting!

My advice, use your bare shaft as you practice and don't use more than two arrows. It will keep your form tuned. Remember, it's not how many arrows you shoot but haw many you shoot correctly. The longer you shoot with a form problem, the harder it will be to correct that problem.