What would you do?

[Soilarch]

I'm finally getting to where I can tune my arrows a little.  

Nock's high...easy fix.

Spines too strong....dilemma

They're still full length.
My strike plate is a 1/8" sheet of closed foam.
I already have 200gr in weights plus a 125gr head.
Already have a FF string.

I wanted to stay with 125gr points for convenience and selection of broadheads.  Doesn't look like that it'll be an option.  So what weight of "heavier" broadhead seems to have the largest selection? 200gr? 250gr?  

...Or should I try to find a thinner strike plate first?

If it's of any use the bareshafts are "generally" (because I'm not that accurate) about 10" right (I'm left handed) @ 18yards.

 Does a poor release often show as stiff spine or weak spine?  I know it could improve, but I spent some time shooting today and the bareshafts were consistently right, and had a pretty consistent "waggle" in flight.  Not a one found itself anywhere near the others.  Always low and always right.

[Bear Heart]

Strike plate is pretty thick.  I would take it down.  Plenty of broad heads to choose from but try a piece of thin leather first.  I like pig skin on mine.

[McDave]

A thinner strike plate seems like an easy thing to try, like Bear Heart said.  How do you happen to be using a 1/8" closed foam strike plate anyway, did your bow come that way?

If you're still getting too-stiff action on your bare shafts, maybe you should try a weaker shaft.

As for broadheads, my favorite is the Wensel Woodsman 150 grain screw-in broadhead, which I think comes in the same weight in a glue-on broadhead.  If you shoot 145 grain target points, it works out about right because you end up sharpening off about 5 grains from the broadhead.  Most people also trim a little off the sharp point and make it into more of a pyramid point.

[Soilarch]

I took the plate off.  That definitely gets me much closer.  Close enough I need to wait until I get a "good" session to see which way to go now.  I also need to find the right nock height before I go any farther.

I'm just starting so would like to stay with one set of shafts if at all possible.

The bow came with a hard-side velcro plate.  It was blue, and not done quite to my taste so I used some of the black foam I have for tying topwater flies. (Panfish love 'em).  Didn't think it was much thicker...but perhaps it was.   The foams not quite a full 1/8"...more likely 3/32"...but I don't want to claim I can eyeball things down to a 1/32!!! lol

[Bear Heart]

If you line your string up with the center of your limbs and take a look at the tip of your arrow how much closer is it to center now?

[Soilarch]

It's really hard to come up with an answer to that.  So I put a sheet of foam back on there and off...and on...and off.

On a full length shaft (31") there's a little over 1/2" movement at the tip.


Without the strike plate the string still isn't "on" the end of the arrow when view from the center of the limbs.

[O.L. Adcock]

"Does a poor release often show as stiff spine or weak spine?"

Poor release can shot as either from one shot to the next. Form problem have nothing to do with tuning, all form issues does is make your groups bigger or smaller, with or without good tuning...O.L.

[Soilarch]

O.L. thanks, it's actually really good to hear that.

I know there'll come a point when my groups will be limited by the tuning.  So I figure I need to start working on it as best I can.


Besides, I know that shooting a tuned bow is much more enjoyable.  (At least in the compound world. "Feels" right and you get to watch your arrow "fly" instead of "flounder"! lol)

[firewater100]

If you need a striker peice to be real thin i have used a peice of teflon tape that lancaster archery ( maby others ) sell that is used to put on your fletching clamp to keep glue from sticking to the clamp, i have also seen people wrap it around the fingers on there rest on a compound bow.
     It is super slick and long lasting but doesnt offer much cushion, but it will protect the bow and is thin as a peice of paper.
     For what its worth...

later

scott

[Bradd]

Oh Oh...maybe some wrong advice given.  

If you are left handed and hitting right, then you need to build the strike plate OUT to move the arrow over to the left...OR...your arrows are too stiff to begin with!

Try a heavier point first and see what that does.  Also, make sure your nocks are a loose fit (SLIGHT click to keep them on the string.)  

Then check your release because 90% of all problems is a direct result of this.

[Bradd]

Lastly, remember to tune he bare shaft slightly weak (hitting 3-4"@20 yards, left in your case) because they will stiffen up when you add the fletch.

[SHOOTO8S]

Originally posted by Bradd:
Oh Oh...maybe some wrong advice given.  

If you are left handed and hitting right, then you need to build the strike plate OUT to move the arrow over to the left.

Bradd...you sure about that? Cause building the strikeplate out on a lefthand bow moves the arrow to the RIGHT, doesn;t it?

[Old York]

Soilarch, I'm right-handed and if I pluck my release, the arrows veer to the right dang near all the time. That 'pluck' is fairly pronounced & obvious, no second-guessing on whether or not it happened.

If my form is not consistent, I cannot "tune" because more than one change is occuring at a time.

How form problems do NOT have an influence on tuning is still a conundrum to me...  

[Bradd]

Sorry rod...thanks for catching that...MY mistake!  Not enough coffee yet this morning and toooo darn cold up here!!!!!

[Soilarch]

So plucking "may" show left hits for me?
I know my release still needs work simply because not every shot sounds exactly the same.  I am getting to the point that I can tell the difference in sound at the same time I can "feel" somethings not right.

(I'm putting a lot of emphasis on this "feeling" thing, aren't I?  Don't know if that's right or wrong, just the way I learned to shoot the wheeled contraptions.)

I probably shouldn't try to give answers on the same thread I'm asking questions on but I think that O.L. meant that if your form is bad your groups aren't going to be good, regardless of tune.  So it may be much harder to "see" what adjustments need made but the bareshafts will still end up "off course" to some degree.  If my shafts are "off course" by 2" but I'm shooting 8" groups I may never see that I need to make the change.  If I was shooting 2" groups I would definitely see the need.  However, if my shafts are 8" off course I'll still see that even with an 8" group.

At least I'm hoping that's what he meant! lol

[freefeet]

Wouldn't it be the case that if your form sucks there's not much point in tuning your arrows anyway?

I'm fairly new to the bow and my form is still fairly lousy and at the moment the last thing on my mind is precise tuning.  First thing for me is precise form.  I'll worry about accuracy and tuning once i've sorted that out.

[Bradd]

Nope...how will you know if you are improving if you don't tune your arrows?  As long as you are as consistent and prepared to shoot a few arrows to relaize a group of some sort, you are good to tune.  

Tuning can be as simple as picking out the right arrow from the charts, then changing the tip, brace or back plate/plunger until it flies well.  Or it can be as complicated as what you want.

If you shoot without tuning, you risk ingraining poor form to compensate for the arrow flight and where it lands on the target.  

Tuning (both bow and arrow) isn't a one-time thing.  As you improve, you tune again and again.  

It's easy to learn, easy to do...no sense in not doing it unless you don't care about your shooting or you are lazy.

[dlprater]

I new to triditional so please forgive me for dumb question. I have papered tuned compound bows, but with a longbow looks like you are very limited with how far you can move the arrow rest to the right (right hand bow) the arrow will have to kick some to the left no matter what arrow combo you use???? before it flys straight???

dlprater

[Bradd]

dlprater: Search some threads on paradox for your answers.  Go to O.L Adcock's website to see the effects of tuning.

[Soilarch]

Diprater, you're right.  We have to go about "tuning" a little different. The very short reply to your questions is that you have to tune the bow...AND you have to tune the arrow.  Don't worry about paper tuning.  Are you familiar with bareshaft tuning with a compound?  If so you do basically the same thing...except instead of left-right adjustments on the rest you weaken or stiffen the arrow to get the bareshafts grouping with the fletched arrows.  You also have to move the nocking point instead raising or lowering the rest.

And "YES" the arrow has to wiggle around the bow, and will wiggle around the bow even with a "perfect" tune.