Consistently hitting to the right ... shelf adjustment?

[RK808]

I've always taken away great experience from this forum.  Maybe the experienced folks can help out here.

I'm a convert from a right hand to left hand shooter for little over a year now.  I'm left eye dominant.  My consistency has never been better, but it is my accuracy that is the problem.  I'd say I'm more an instinctive shooter as I do not consciously notice the shaft in my vision.

I am consistently hitting just right of center a majority of the time.  Not off enough to make a poor shot on game, but I feel if I could just adjust the bow to work with my style; I could really see some great shooting.  It does however hurt me on 3D.  The animals I frequently hunt have very small vitals and I'm really looking at trying to hit a 4" circle every time up to 25-30 yards or so.  My consistency tells me I can do it ... but I need to get my shots to move over left just a bit.

What I've noticed:  The closer I move my anchor to the center of my face (ie. middle teeth) I can get my shots to impact more left, but not enough.  I anchor just in front of my eye tooth.  I've cut down the material on the strike plate above the shelf to move the shaft closer to centerline of the bow.  The shaft is now sitting pretty much dead center and this has got me much closer without noticeably affecting spine.  However, I'm already at the point where I got almost nothing between the wood and shaft.  

I feel if I could get the shaft over a bit more maybe even past center some, that this would get me more perfectly and naturally on target.  But something in my gut tells me this is weird.  I'd obviously need to remove some wood now to get past center and am afraid to consider that.  

Does this thinking even make sense?  Anyone else out there have a problem similar and find a solution?

Thanks Gang, -Ryan  

[wingnut]

Sounds like your arrows are a little stiff.  Try adding some weight to the front and see if it brings you to center.

Mike

[AWPForester]

Wingnut got it right.  Just in case he didn't, you need to look at how you are anchoring.  If I tuck my thumb under my jawline, i hiit perfect, If I tuck it under the palm of my hand and anchor it against theside of my face it causes me to hit left.(I am a righty).

I am willing to bet that you mimicked the anchor on the oppside but yoou are doing that with your thumb.  To check if this is the problem, take the time to look down your shaft when anchored, if it is not perfectly in line with the target, I am willing to bet that is your problem rather than the spine of your arrows.

If you try the anchor trick and it is truly in line it is your spine.  To check your spine to make sure, line the arrow up with the target and put your point on a spot and release.  You are going to hit high, but it will tell you whether or not your arrow spine is correct.  Right for the lefty is stiff, left is weak from that spot.  If it hits well you are really close.  Try a broadhead to make sure.

God Bless

[oldtimerbow]

You may also try canting the bow a little.

[The Whittler]

Bring your brace hight up a little at a time until your arrows come to center.

[BOWMARKS]

"Shorts Adjustment" Got a buddy that insists that is how he adjusts his right and left sights.   :eek:    :eek:

[twistedlim]

Take a few days off shooting and come back to it.  It seems to solve a lot of my problems.  When I shoot too much I tend to make my bad habits worse.

[RK808]

Thanks guys!  I will try ALL of those.

I don't think I got a stiff spine though as my broadhead flight is identical to field tips, paper tunes show I'm a little weak if anything, and bareshafts hit just a couple inches left of fletched shafts out to 30 yards.

Maybe my eyes are weird and what I call straight to target isn't.  I guess not much can help that haha!!  I was just thinking that if I could get what I "naturally" do to work ... then just maybe it'll be the ticket.  Even if my "internal sights" are crooked ...

[kawika b]

Squint your naturally dominant eye and see if that helps... or was it the other way arround?

[Hud]

The two methods to tune equipment are the paper test and the bare shaft.

 http://elitearrows.com/proper-arrow/

 http://www.acsbows.com/bareshaftplaning.html

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Are you sure you are left eye dominant? That sounds like the same problem i had learning to shoot cross eye dominant.

rather than switching to a left handed bow, i eliminated the problem by moving my anchor point lower on my face and bring the string to the tip of my nose. i shoot right with a left eye dominance.... kirk

[kawika b]

"Little over a year"... have you experienced the right impacts over the duration of the year or just recently?

[BenBow]

I'm a lefty also and I have the same issue. I am left eye dominant but not by much and what I find is if I squint my right eye I'm on target but shoot slightly right with both open. I put a cushion plunger on my bow and played with the arrow plate distance and can't make it change that way. My bow is cut an 1/8" inside of center so I've got room to test it. So try squinting your right eye. Kind of a pain to remember but it's worked for me.

[SCATTERSHOT]

If you're shooting left handed, right impact at the target would indicate a too stiff arrow. You can compensate with a weaker or longer shaft, or more point weight.

[RK808]

KirkII : I'm certain I am left eye dominant.  But the funny thing is ... it doesn't take much for me shoot on the non-dominant side for bow, gun, anything really.  I was an all-american rifle shooter during my years in college and I've experimented with this frequently.  I feel as if I am not fully left-eye, but would more favor that side naturally.

kawika b : It happens actually when I used to shoot both right handed and left handed ... just opposite of each other.  However, I am way closer left handed than I will ever be consistently on the right side.

BenBow : I think you explain the very same thing.  I will certainly try a slight squint on the right side and see what happens.  Never really tried that.  When I try to do a few dominant eye tests ... I do see that I am not always perfectly lined up on the left eye ... just slightly right and maybe that is it.  Maybe the problem isn't with my eyes but a few inches behind it?      

Thanks for the great input.  I certainly have a some good ideas to try now!

[Orion]

You've been offered lots of possible solutions.  If none of those work, here's one more to try.  Open your stance a bit, i.e., turn into the target a little more.  I find that when I get too perpendicular to the target and stretch out my draw, my arrows often shoot left. (I'm a rightie.)  Good luck.

[jhg]

Never mind- re-read the original post.

J-