Reflections on my arrow tuning journey

[Jake Scott]

I would like to express some thoughts on arrow tuning, at the urgings of JC.  My hope is not to offend anyone, or to imply that I am some sort of expert, because I certainly am not.  That being said, I believe that there is never an excuse for less than perfect arrow flight.  

In reading many posts here on Tradgang regarding proper arrow tuning, there seems to be a certain contingent of folks who believe that O.L. Adcock's method of bare shafting is some sort of voodoo, and does not yield results.  There also seems to be a good many out there who simply screw on whatever head they want to shoot, and scratch their heads wondering why their arrow flight is less than desirable.  My journey with arrow tuning began some months ago, after a discussion with fellow tradganger JC (Joe Coots), regarding some shafts he had listed in the classifieds.  Rather than selling me shafts that may or may not work from my set up, he counseled me on proper tuning, and introduced me to Adcock's method.  He even sent me a selection of trial shafts, for experimenting with, which was a huge help in setting me on the right path.

So, revolving back to the point.  Regardless of the method you use, I encourage any bowhunter (traditional or otherwise) to take the time to tune their arrow properly.  I can promise that you will never one time say "Man, I sure wish I had spent less time tuning my arrows".  It is an undisputed fact that properly tuned arrows contribute greatly to an arrows efficiency at killing game.  So why not take the time??  If for no other reason than to increase your chances come deer/turkey/hog (insert relevant game animal) season.  Do we not owe it to the animals that we pursue?  We should never go afield without doing our best to prepare ourselves and our tackle to the best of its capability.  If you have questions, bring them here.  The wealth of knowledge on this site is unbelievably valuable.

I would also like to take the opportunity to thank JC, once again.  I'm sure many here already know of his outstanding kindness.  

Shoot straight gentlemen, and good luck afield,

Jake Scott

[Hermon]

Well said.  Whatever method one chooses, tuned arrows are a must.  Especially when we go afield after game.

[Brianlocal3]

Originally posted by Hermon:
Well said.  Whatever method one chooses, tuned arrows are a must.  Especially when we go afield after game.

X2

[Sockrsblur]

Great post! Would not mind hearing more details of the process, adjustments you made if you get in the mood to type it

[Jake Scott]

Give me a little while to get off work and I will be happy to post all the details.

Jake

[Jake Scott]

In the meantime, here is a link to a step by step article for the Adcock tuning method.

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

Jake

[reddogge]

I have a friend I shoot with and he and I have been involved in archery for over 4 decades. I bare shaft tune and he doesn't. His arrows fly as true as mine but he can still outshoot me or anyone else in the group.

I think in his case he knows what works in different arrow material and just sets them up that way. On one target last Sunday he had carbons and two sizes on aluminums in ONE target.

[Jake Scott]

This man certainly seems to be an exception.  If he can achieve perfect flight without bare shafting, that is fantastic.  He is obviously doing some sort of tuning, and I'm sure his arrow set ups are far from arbitrary.  The point is to achieve great flight through one method or another.  I find the aforementioned method to be the easiest. His method obviously works for him.  Four decades of experience probably doesn't hurt either.

Jake

[Bladepeek]

I get a bit fanatical about my arrow tuning and love playing with bare shafts. In fact, sometimes I shoot a whole group of bare shafts to see just how tight a group I can get. They definitely magnify any release errors, but if the release is good, the group is pretty tight at 20 yds.

We have one member of our indoor league team that is way ahead of the remaining two members. He shoots arrows that are grossly overspined, never tunes his arrows and whups the heck out of of me.

I'm guessing Moebow would say something to the effect that a good archer can shoot just about anything to an acceptable level, but the best tuned equipment out there is no better than the person shooting it. Life just ain't fair  

[kill shot]

I'm emberassed to say that I spent much of my early archery life shooting arrows that were not properly tuned. All my friends did the same. Tuned arrows make shooting much more enjoyable. Also you can kill with a lighter poundage bow easier than a heavier poundage bow that don't have proper tuned arrows.

[Stumpkiller]

Some bows and individual's release techiiques are MUCH more forgiving of a wider range of spines.  Center cut helps a lot.  

I do bare shaft tune, but I get "good enough" rather than fanatical.  If my arrows are flying better than the tuning seems to indicate I don't argue.  One of my bows throws a bare shaft in a wide curve but with the same arrows fletched they fly true and to where I want.  At 10 or 15 yerds it indicates overspined but is on center at 20 yards???  I gave up trying and am happy with the good flight fletched shafts display.

I have also noticed a snap-on nock doesn't bare shaft test as well as a loose fitting nock.  Could be just me.

[Jake Scott]

I believe that many out there, including myself, not very long ago, take mediocre arrow flight as good.  Maybe I am wrong.  Perhaps it is just my personality, but "good enough" is not enough for me.  I think the relentless pursuit of perfection is a resounding theme of traditional archery and bowhunting.  If pie plate sized groups are good, are tennis ball sized ones not better???  I was frustrated with poor arrow flight for a very long time.  Thanks to Joe and the Adcock tuning method my equipment now performs flawlessly provided I do my part. It's personal.  The purpose of this post was more to make folks aware that it isn't some mythic legend, but a process that is repeatable and can be done by anyone.  If you have poor arrow flight, give it a try.  If you are happy with your arrows performance, so be it as well.  

I will be happy to help anyone needing or wanting to improve their arrow flight any way possible with what I have learned.

Jake

[Sockrsblur]

Thanks Jake. It's an interesting read to me. I'm very new to anything approaching a procedural approach to arrow tuning. A new setup for me always ment a trip to Roy's archery shop! Having spent my youth with a very poorly tuned setup I'm am now keenly aware and particular of arrow flight but admittedly only with fletched arrows. I still remember well the jaw dropping shock of shooting my hunting broadheads for the first time at 16yo and seeing them hit everywhere but where my field tips did.
More to the point your experience is interesting to me because it was new to you.

[tracker12]

Bare shaft tuning is great but if you are a new shooter and can not shoot well enough to group fletched or bare shaft arrows the process will not work for you.  That's why I always recommend new shooters have an experienced shooter set up there first bows.

[JC]

Jake, I'm glad it worked out for you, though all the credit goes to you taking the time and dedication to follow the method….and of course OL and all the others who helped develop the method itself.

Tracker, I respectfully disagree. I've seen guys who were shooting paper plate size groups at 10 yards because that's all they thought they could shoot. One bareshaft tuning session, even at those accuracy levels, made a huge difference in that their bareshaft was falling well outside that "paper plate". All of a sudden the groups made improvements and arrow flight was noticeably better….which did two things….it made it a LOT more fun and gave them a much needed boost of confidence that both actually help shrink groups further. I've seen discouraged new archers, and even "old hats", get reinvigorated because of equipment that at least was in better tune (not necessarily "best") than before. You don't have to be a great shot to at least "get in the ballpark" tuning, and it might just improve the shooting itself. Then as the shooting improves, so can the tuning to the mutual benefit of both.

The dangerous other side of the coin is when it's taken "too far" or someone doesn't follow the method and really gets turned around. It most certainly can have the opposite effect and my hope is those who do fall into that trap will see posts like Jake's that there is something they've missed or misinterpreted, not that it's too difficult for their level or "doesn't work" etc.

I am firmly convinced anyone, new and old, can gain worthwhile improvements if they follow the systematic procedure. Like learning to shoot itself, or tracking, or sitting in the stand, if you put in the time and effort, there is a reward. If you don't want it or need it, more power too you bro. But it's easily attainable if you're looking for great arrow flight, especially with broadheads.

And in the end, a perfect flying arrow is a piece of art that soothes the soul and brings a smile to even the most grizzled archer's face….and that's what it's all about in my opinion.

[slowbowjoe]

JC, nicely said.

[Sam McMichael]

I can attest to the thoroughness and effectiveness of JC's tuning. He and I were shooting in the same group at a very wet TBG shoot several years ago. As feathers got wet, many began to have very erratic arrow flight, but JC's arrows were very well tuned and flew like darts even in the pouring rain when all feathers were flat.