i believe in a combo of techniques.
i try and start with the arrow and point combo that i want- GPP, and % of foc etc
then i start by bare shafting. when i have a field point , bare shaft shooting well, and a wee bit weak, not quite spot on, then i fletch up 6 shafts. and use 3 bare shaft, 3 fletched fieldpoints and 3 fletched broadheads- there after i group tune-until its good- it may just require that last bit of trimming to tweek them.
i have a long draw- 31.5", so out of my #50 bow i take 34" shafts, cut them at 33 1/4" then taper for the point.
i have to use #75 spine shafts to make this work for me.
I, personally, like to take a bit more time tuning a new setup, cos then, if/ when i screw up, i know its me, and i cant blame my equipment.
sometimes this tuning process can take half a day, sometimes just an hour, if you hit the spot quickly.
the more you do it, the quicker it gets.
tons of opinions and variables with tuning, as you will see.- but will list a few.many folk paper tune, i dont. just what works for me. many swear by paper tuning- and it works for them. one of those "each to their own" things.
1.your form needs to be spot on- bad or inconsistent form wil give misleading results.
2.set you bow up as for final shooting, sliencers, quivers etc etc
3. keep your bow vertical when bareshafting- thats what they say- i find if i have to shoot with my bow perfectly vertical- my form suffers- so i cant my bow- then cant my target to the same degree- so that i dont get false answers.
4.start with a good, accurate spine chart- it saves a lot of time and heartache.
5.adding the weight of the fletching and the resistance will "stiffen" a shaft slightly- so another reason to stop with your bareshafts slightly weak.
6. when bare shafting- start really close- 3 yards from the target- then work your way back, making minor adjustments the whole way, this will help prevent broken shafts.
7. use a foam target- a bag target stuffed with plastic, can give false readings.
8. shoot averages- so shoot a few arrows a few times before trimming a shaft.
then when i do my final "group tuning", i dont actually shoot groups, otherwise you will destroy arrows, i put a fresh piece of paper on the target- then shoot my bare shafts- extract them, and mark their P.O.I., then do the fletched FP, do the same , and then the B/H's i shoot individually- but thats just me. wee bit OCD me thinks
9.remember if you are limited with shaft supply, you can always tune your bow to the shafts to a degree- now i dont like to mess with the braceheight- but i will build out the strike plate using double sided carpet tape- under the leather or velcro on the strike plate, to make the bow want a weaker shaft, if i cant trim them anymore- out of space- or i dont have heavier points.
10.beware of Super high FOC- now before you start hollering- just hear me out!!
we all know that foc works and works well, but if you up the point weight that much, in order to chase the high foc, at the expense of your overall arrow weight- you are going to create an arrow that is excessively heavy, and that has a very arched trajectory. It will drop like a stone aftyer 20 yards or so- give or take! imho!
i like high FOC, but i go about it the other way- i use the lightest shaft that i can- thats why i like Sitka Spruce( not the German spruce - mind you!!!) its tough, super tough and light- strongest wood for its weight in the world- fact!!
then i may back taper the last 9" or so, and with a well tuned shaft, i only use 3 x 4" fletches- and they are not super tall either. That way i can still get a nice arrow, still be in my preferred hunting weight parameters- just a wee bit over 10 GPP and with a good foc- best of both worlds!!
this is by far the best bareshafting video i have ever seen- follow his technique and you wont go wrong!
I just take it one step further with the "group tuning"
i have some really great spine tables- that will get you really close, if not spot on, and some illustrations of reading the target- for tuning and form error- just dont know how to get them on here.
i can email them to someone and they can post them on here, if they would be so kind!
and remember, big fletching will repair or hide a multitude of tuning and shooting errors.
i shot 55# shafts out of my #50 bow for years- i stumped, i shot, and i hunted successfully- they had the slightest wag to them- (thats always an indicator that a shaft is slightly weak)- but they hit straight-ish, and where i aimed.
but always knew they werent right- eventually i sat down and got my head around the tuning enigma- since that day the shafts have been flying like darts. so even if you are a bit less than perfect- they will probably still work- i just try and get them perfect nowadays!
good luck- , and watch the rabbithole :D
Topic: Arrow Tuning (Read 1066 times)
