distance for paper tuning?

[Bradley Holley]

I was wondering at what distance or distances from the front of the bow to the paper do you guys do your paper tuning on arrows. Thanks.

[Alex.B]

start at 8-10 feet. once they fly like a bullet at this distance, move to 15 yards and repeat test

[Bradley Holley]

Thanks Alex. 8-10 ft. is where I've been doing it so far, just wanted to see if I was right.

[ks_stickbow]

Here's an article...they recomend 6' between you and paper and 6' between paper and target.
  web page  

Here is another good one that describes the type of tears you could encounter
  web page  


  another good article

[Kingstaken]

I use 6' to paper and a bare shaft.
Basically if the tear is into the riser (whether left or righty) the arrow is stiff and of course if away weak.
You should paper shoot with no cant by holding the bow straight up and down. Bad nock will show as a stiff/weak arrow with those like me with a cant at either 10:00 or 2:00 o'clock

[Dave Worden]

I've always heard 6 - 10 feet.  I set the stand up at 3 paces (about 8 feet).

[UKarcher]

Paper tuning is only accurate on compound bows where the arrow is centre shot and a release is used. An arrow from a recurve is still going through paradox at 10 feet so all the results would be false. You're better off bare shaft tuning with a traditional set up.

[Alex.B]

Bradley, I bareshaft tune myself. I don't papertune. I was merely quoting TJ Conrads from his book : The Traditional bowhunter handbook

[Floxter]

Olympic archers who papertune do so at 15m with bareshafts. This allows the arrow to recover from its initial paradox. For a description go to the Texas Archery website and look in the documents section for "Tuning for Tens."
 www.texasarchery.org

[Saltydog]

Google A&H archery website. Another good description of how to bareshaft tune your  bow.

[Bradley Holley]

Thanks for the input guys. Looks like I have some more experimenting to do. I have been testing with feathers on the shaft and also shooting with a cant. I'm right handed and have been showing a tear to the right with heavy points and closer to a bullet hole with lighter points, but that sounds backwards from everything that I've heard. Maybe it is all false information the way I've been trying. I'm still fairly new to the traditional ways, but I like to learn.

[snapper1d]

I do paper tuning with a bare shaft.It worked extremely good for me.It has really helped me.My arrows were wood and were spined correctly for my bow but when I paper tuned them as bare shaft I had to sand the down some to get them to bare shaft right.Man there is a big difference in my shooting now.

[bgram]

I've found paper tuning is a good way to get a ball park estimate starting out.  I've had mixed results with bareshafting myself, but I still try to do it.  If a shaft with feathers is making a bullet hole at 6 feet through paper, it's pretty well close.  I know it's still possibly in paradox, but, especially carbons tend to have a shorter paradox than wood and aluminum.  Main point is, one way can be better than the other, but everybody is different.  If you are getting bad tears with heavier points, you are most likely weakening the shaft to much, the arrows you are shooting may be right about spined or right under all ready.  Try both, no harm in it unless you hit the neighbors cat or something.

[Bradley Holley]

bgram,
      One reason I think that my method of testing so far is wrong is because I have moved all the way up to a 5000 blackhawk vapor, which is their stiffest shaft, and still not getting the results I wanted. I'm only shooting 50#@28" from a great plains recurve. I've cut one shaft down to 28". Time to change methods I think.

[Widowbender]

There is a section on paper tuning on the new "Master's of the Barebow DVD". I have not personally paper tuned a recurve or longbow, yet. I have paper tuned dozens of compounds, many of them with finger release, which would be very similar to the same launch conditions that you get from a trad bow. I generally start about six feet and then move back in three to five yard increments. This is necessary because the arrow could be in a recovery position and show a good tear at one distance and a bad tear at another. Sometimes paper tuning can be kind of frustrating. A tear that says one thing could actually be the opposite. This usually happens if you start with a nock point that is too low. Or an arrow that is way off in spine. Your form also is important because if you don't get a clean release or you torque the string or bow it will affect arrow launch and show bad tears. Fletching clearance or lack thereof also is something to be aware of. Tuning a bow can make you pull your hair out sometimes, just be patient. Its a good time to work on your form.

David