I have spent a lot of serious time reading and replying to threads on this site. I think this is the best traditional forum I have ever seen, I belong to several, so I feel that I want to share some of my observation with my friends.
I have read a number of threads regarding the bare shaft tuning of arrows. I have been using this method for the last seven years with great success. On more than one ocassion, I have read where the archer was having a great deal of difficulty in getting a particular shaft to tune, even when that arrow should have been perfect for them.
I spent a little time last week experimenting with arrows that I know can be shot without feathers out to twenty five and thirty yards. These are my proven hunting and target arrows, these arrows group with my field points, and broadheads at those distances.
I cut the nocks off and replaced the same size nocks. The difference was the new nocks were of a design that caused them to bite the serving tighter. What I got was the same thing discribed by many who are having such a rough time getting there bow bare shaft tuned.
Arrows were all over the place, my bare shaft was flying side-ways as it went down range. Not to mention the excessive noise I got. It just confirmed what I had already known to be true, many of us are shooting nocks way too tight. This factor is often omitted when advice is passed on to others about bare shaft tuning.
Having said this, it should be considered no matter what kind of tuning you might do. It seems such a small thing, but it can cause so many false reading when you attempt to see if the shaft is the right one, at the right length, at the bows draw weight.
I am a firm believer that making sure your quills are not striking you arrow shelf(rug rest)can give you the same false readings as nocks too tight. Take the time, sacrafice an arrow, by cutting the feathers off and leaving the quills. Any wear on the rest should be of concern. I know that everybody has a different shooting style. You can reduce the wear by nock point adjustment, and turning of the nock to get the least wear as possible. The nock point adjustment should be done in concert with the bare shaft tuning, however the nock should be checked for tightness before the tuning process begins.
When you have done these things, you will get a true picture, a true reading of what that arrow is doing. Think of it this way, you will be allowing the arrow to work for you, not against you.
Try this, you might find that some of the arrows you have written off, are the best ones for the job.
Word of Caution!
It is not suggested that you open up nocks you have, by spreading. This can weaken them, increasing the potential for breakage, thus dry fire. If you must keep the same ones, take some fine sandpaper and work the nock, slowly sanding it in the areas that contact the string. I perfer Bohning nocks, classics. When I can find them, Speed nocks are my choice. Your nock should just be tight enough to stay on the string when you turn the riser toward the ground. It should release when you tap the string above or below the nocked arrow.
I hope this helps, traditional archery is fun, we should eliminate the frustation as much as possible. I hope I did this for some of you here.
Shoot often, shoot straight, and never forget the Lord, God, who makes it possible.
Topic: Tuning woes! (Read 821 times)
