? re: bareshaft results

[Rossco7002]

This afternoon I took my longbow out and shot my best ever indoor 300 round (222). I was shooting a combination of fletched and unfletched shafts @ 20 yards and I noticed that my fletched shafts were falling about 2-3 inches to the left of the 'X' and my bareshaft right on top of it.
This leads me into a bit of a chicken/egg question as follows: Are my shafts slightly stiff and causing this or are they slightly weak? My understanding of bareshaft tuning is that unfletched arrows should be slightly weak to allow for the weight of the fletching - this would appear to be the case here. If so then I'm set up well and only need to work on bringing my arrows onto the 'X'. OR would it be the opposite case - my bare arrow is perfect (and subequently hitting were I look) and the addition of the fletching is making the arrows slightly too stiff.

My understanding is/was that fletched arrows go where they're pointed so they are the baseline for the bareshaft process and you should judge where the unfletched land in comparison regardless of the positioning on the target.

Can anyone confirm my thoughts on this or offer some insight? Thanks.

[Stumpkiller]

I'll toss out some ideas.  The arrow paradox says the arrow has to bend upon release to clear the shelf.  So, you have to use an arrow properly spined to get good performance.  With a recurve or recurve handled longbow you can cut in more of the riser to reduce that paradox.  So, while a longbow is more forgiving of release faults it does require a well matched arrow spine.

You're mixing bare shafts with fletched and looking to match the fletched to the bare?  That's backwards of how I learned.  Start with a bare shaft and adjust brace height, nock point and spine until it flies as well as possible.  We did this shooting at paper 5 yards away and seeing how the tears were shaped - trying for a round hole.  Then repeat with fletched (which will show which end is hitting where by the holes the feathers make in the paper).

So here are the "tells"

Arrows hitting left - too stiff (overspined)

Arrows hitting right - (underspined)

Brace height too low - feathers hit shelf and kick the tail out, string slap on bow arm.  Has the effect of lowering spine.

Brace height too high - loss of speed.  Has the effect of increasing spine.

Tail up or tail down (porposing) - adjust nock point.  

Brace height also effects the arrow impact a tad, and canting the bow differently will also move shots around the target.

[Bowmania]

Stumpkiller,

"Arrows hitting left - too stiff (overspined)

Arrows hitting right - (underspined)"

Don't you mean bare shafts, not arrows???

I think what you really mean to say is bare shafts hitting left of fletch shafts.

Correct???

Bowmania

[Rossco7002]

Nope - bareshafts hitting right of fletched BUT the bareshaft is nailing the X and the fletched landing in the 4 ring.

Hence - is this a form/shooting issue or a set up issue?

[L82HUNT]

Originally posted by Stumpkiller:

Brace height too high - loss of speed.  Has the effect of increasing spine.
 

I dont believe this, and my bareshafting has shown differant. When you increase brace height the arrow has more time to go around the riser.  Usually you get little change by moving a 1/2" up or down because you will loose or gain power stroke but will then have to go around the shelf more or less.
 

[Encino Man]

at 20 yds or more, bare shafts grouping a little low and right is perfect because fletching makes a shaft react slightly stiffer.  ~O.L. Adcock
 

I'd say based off what Adcock says. The shafts are ever so slightly over spined. Or acting over spined.