Can you effectively tune arrows to a bow that are fletched?

[Stringslap16]

Hey guys, I was wondering if one could effectively tune fletched arrows to a bow.  Couldn't you just adjust tip weight and/or length to get them to fly true?  Or is bareshafting the only way to go?

[McDave]

I think most of us who bare shaft tune do it because we love to get our arrow flight as perfect as we can.  It is part of the joy of archery for us.

As to whether you need to do it, my eyes were opened when I attended Rick Welch's class.  He doesn't bare shaft tune, as far as I know.  He watches the arrow flight and mainly adjusts the fletched arrows to eliminate obvious bumps and to fine tune where the arrows impact. It's extremely unlikely I'll ever be able to shoot as well as he can, so it would be presumptuous of me to say bareshafting is the only way to go.

But I'll keep doing it.

[Leo L.]

I heard about Rick's way of tuning, and I honestly don't know how he does it.  With fletchings on the arrow, it is sometimes very hard for me to see any flaws in flight.  I shot a bunch of 2219's for over a year before I found out they were WAY overspined.

[Don Batten]

I think there are alot of differant ways to skin a cat. I bareshaft most of the time but will shoot through paper occasionally. with paper method, you can use fletched arrows. I guess you could put a big broadhead on and see how it flies out to 30 yds or more. I have never tried ,tunning with the side plate until a few days ago. I was able to get acceptable arrow flight out of a bow I was messing with and a particular arrow ,that I wanted to shoot out of it.DB

[Don Stokes]

Shoot big broadheads. When you get them flying right, you're tuned! Bare-shafting just eliminates a lot of the trial-and-error.

[AllenR]

Originally posted by Leo L.:
I heard about Rick's way of tuning, and I honestly don't know how he does it...

I suspect that Rick has better eyesight than most of us.  In my case that's not saying much.  

But for those of use that can't tune by watching the arrow fly, bare shaft and paper tuning are about the best ways to get good arrow flight.

[Daddy Bear]

I look at it this way:

If my end goal is to have my hunting arrow with a broadhead and fletching tuned as perfectly as possible,  that is what I’ll tune, my hunting arrow.  I’ll do this by shooting at a distance, for me this is at least 30-40 yards, and I’ll adjust until my arrow recovers and flies straight down range to my target.  Once you have the hunting arrow tuned to fly straight downrange at a distance, changing to a similar weight small game head or field point will shoot to the same POI because they are more forgiving than the big broadhead.

I’m not a big believer in attempting to tune your hunting arrow with broadhead and fletching by replacing the broadhead with a field point and removing the fletching ,and then tuning based on the results of a fletchless field point arrow.  When your done, you’d have your bare shaft perfectly tuned for no feathers and a field point, but when you add feathers you’ll be changing the dynamic spine, and when you replace the field point with a broadhead, you’ll be changing the dynamic spine further.  In the end, you’d still need to  confirm and retune by shooting your hunting arrow with broadhead and feathers at a distance because with bare shafting alone, you’ll probably be off with your hunting arrow as the broadhead is not as forgiving as a field point.

DB

[Steve B.]

Sounds like someone needs to invent some field points with big, unsharpened fins that will help exaggerate any tuning flaws.

[Bonebuster]

This is a very good question!

I do what Don Stokes and Daddy Bear describe.

A big, fat broadhead will show you what is going on.

Through trial and error, I have gained some experience, and I usually am able to get very close right from the start.

Once I get a broadhead to fly straight from a distance of thirty yards, I then shoot it through paper starting at ten yards and decrease the distance. Because I shoot carbon arrows, I can get amazingly close to the paper, and my arrow has already corrected itself.

[Stringslap16]

Thanks

[Terry Green]

No...you do not have to bare shaft to get good flight.

[Jeremy]

Bare shaft tuning can get you close when you have no idea where to start, but the final step in the process (the planing method of tuning) is to shoot broadheads and fieldpoints together and see where each groups in relation to each other (just like where the bare shafts group in relation to the fieldpoints).

I normally just go straight to broadheads and fieldpoints now, but I know I'll be starting out pretty close to where I need to be.

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

Of course you can tune with fletched arrows. Paper tuning is very effective.

[O.L. Adcock]

Paper tuning and the "kick" method of bare shaft tuning are the same thing. But yes, wide broadheads will tell you exactly the same thing as the bare shaft planing method without having to strip feathers and works very well....O.L.

[adirondack46r]

I look at it this way. If you get a bare shaft tuned to the bow and flying well, when you fletch it up it will only get better.

But the reverse is not necessarily true - if you fletch it first and get it to fly well, and THEN strip off the fletchings, there is a chance the spine may be off.

Of course this is my opinion and completely unencumbered by data or the support of anyone who has any data. ;-)

[adirondack46r]

By the way, I see the logic behind the "planing method" but to me that would be the equivalent of using the "skidding method" to learn how to drive. It just sounds a little strange to me. If ya got planing going on that sounds like a bad thing to me.

[Rob DiStefano]

no bare shaft tuning for me - definitely not needed and ymmv.

[flint kemper]

When you guys say use wide broadheads any particular width? Thanks Flint

[stalkin4elk]

Is anyone using fur tracers or lighted nocks to aid visually seeing the arrows flight giratins?

[O.L. Adcock]

Flint, "When you guys say use wide broadheads any particular width?"

The wider the better, 1 1/4"+. Snuffers work well. Shoot 2 or 3 in combination with 2 or 3 matched field tips from as far away as you can keep the field tips on the target. When finished any matched weight head will shoot....O.L.