Your thoughts on bare shafting

[Ryan Rothhaar]

Honestly, for me it is a waste of time.  I've made a dedicated effort a couple times to keep an open mind and try it and I end up WAY underspined for hunting arrows.  Maybe things change when I put a big Snuffer up front or the 4 X 5 1/2 inch high profile feathers on, maybe I release strangely, I don't know, but it just doesn't predict a good hunting arrow for me.

I guess I'm bullheaded about some things in my hunting arrows - 1.  I know what broadhead I'm going to use so changing point weight is not feasible and 2.  I use big feathers - cheapest insurance you can get for a mistake under duress and 3.  I refuse to shoot an arrow that sticks 2 inches off the front of the shelf - I cut my arrows 1/2 inch past the shelf so changing arrow length is not an option.

I do have plenty of aluminum arrow sizes, though, and even changing field point weight with those hasn't gotten me to an arrow that bareshafts acceptably that I can use for hunting - always weak spined.

So I'll just keep working up my arrows with feathers on, what flies good to "my eye" with a broadhead.  

Oh yeah, and I guarantee I'll continue to shoot completely through animals with my moderate weight, non-bareshaft tuned arrows with inefficient, non-single beveled big broadheads!  

Never bareshafted for 25+ years and all went well, so I figure it will work for me for at least another few decades.

Ryan

[highPlains]

Originally posted by Protege Longbows:
I prefer to bareshaft.

The ideal fletched arrow should bareshaft either perfect or SLIGHTLY (very slightly) weak...but it should not be too stiff at all. When you fletch an arrow, you add weight AND wind resistance to the nock end of the arrow...and that in effect causes a "stiffening" of the arrow's dynamic spine.

I agree with this premise but I would like your opinion here. I have always tuned bareshafts to be perfect, but never worried if they were the slightest bit stiff. The reason being that you get a small feather bump with the fletched arrows causing the arrow to act slightly weaker. This is evidenced by shooting a slightly stiff arrow with the cock feather in, and receiving good flight.

Am I wrong in my thinking?

Practically speaking, I have tons of experience that tells me a slightly stiff or slightly weak bareshaft equates to perfect flying fletched arrows. So within human ability I am very confident with an arrow that is super close either way. But in a perfect world, can you or anybody else comment on my line of thinking?

[David Mitchell]

In 50 years of bow shooting I have never done it, don't need it, but if you just love tinkering around with this stuff go ahead.  

[Bobaru]

Jason R. Wesbrock wrote: "I wouldn't even consider hunting with a setup that I had not properly and extensively tuned in advance. Honestly, I believe proper tuning is why one guy can shoot clean through an elk or moose, and another person with a similar setup can't get through a whitetail."

I second that.

Ever since I dug an arrow head out of a deer that had walked away from someone's direct hit to the spine, I'm a big believer.  I sat that head on the kitchen window sill and looked at it for a while (while I washed dishes) before I realized the bend in the head was from a poorly tuned arrow.  It missed penetrating the spine by millimeters.

I'm also with NightWing.  Stu Miller's calculator is really a great time saver.  But, then I bare shaft tune also.  Finally, I won't shoot a broadhead unless it's been tuned.  ...  I've had setups in the past I thought were great, only to have broadhead flight erratic.  So, that has to be the final test.

[daveycrockett]

Originally posted by Ryan Rothhaar:
Honestly, for me it is a waste of time.  I've made a dedicated effort a couple times to keep an open mind and try it and I end up WAY underspined for hunting arrows.  Maybe things change when I put a big Snuffer up front or the 4 X 5 1/2 inch high profile feathers on, maybe I release strangely, I don't know, but it just doesn't predict a good hunting arrow for me.

I guess I'm bullheaded about some things in my hunting arrows - 1.  I know what broadhead I'm going to use so changing point weight is not feasible and 2.  I use big feathers - cheapest insurance you can get for a mistake under duress and 3.  I refuse to shoot an arrow that sticks 2 inches off the front of the shelf - I cut my arrows 1/2 inch past the shelf so changing arrow length is not an option.

I do have plenty of aluminum arrow sizes, though, and even changing field point weight with those hasn't gotten me to an arrow that bareshafts acceptably that I can use for hunting - always weak spined.

So I'll just keep working up my arrows with feathers on, what flies good to "my eye" with a broadhead.  

Oh yeah, and I guarantee I'll continue to shoot completely through animals with my moderate weight, non-bareshaft tuned arrows with inefficient, non-single beveled big broadheads!      

Never bareshafted for 25+ years and all went well, so I figure it will work for me for at least another few decades.

Ryan

       

[Zradix]

I like to add paper testing to the tuning process.

Like having a still action camers.

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

Originally posted by Ryan Rothhaar:

So I'll just keep working up my arrows with feathers on, what flies good to "my eye" with a broadhead.  

Some people's eyes are extremely good about judging their own arrow flight. A buddy of mine, Bob, is the same way. He can tinker and tune his bow by watching his fletched arrow fly, and they will end up as good as any other tuning method. I wish my eyes at 39 were as good as his at 68.

After spending a a couple decades plus watching guys shoot arrows that fly like snakes on crack, I'm convinced folks like Bob are the exception.

 

Originally posted by Ryan Rothhaar:

Oh yeah, and I guarantee I'll continue to shoot completely through animals with my moderate weight, non-bareshaft tuned arrows with inefficient, non-single beveled big broadheads!    

Ryan

[longarrow]

If I could get a bareshaft to fly perfect at, 15-18 yards...why would I put feathers on it?  To slow it down????

[dot 1]

bare shafting saves alot of time and arrows.  neil jacobson has an arrow tuning section on his website that is very helpful in reading and tuning arrows.-  www.bpbows.com.

[Outwest]

I know one thing.
If you don't have good consistent form and release you will drive yourself nuts trying to bareshaft.

John

[Don Stokes]

HighPlains, I'm with you on your logic. I would rather have my arrow a little stiff than a little weak. Dan Quillian believed that arrows a little stiff were more accurate than arrows a little weak, and I've never proved him wrong. I only shoot wood, and sometimes I have some spine variation between my arrows. I don't find that it affects my accuracy IF I am very close either way to the perfect bare shaft match.

That feather bump you referred to is why I bare shaft very slightly nock high. It helps to lift the arrow slightly on the release to better clear the shelf. Too much, though, and it will rob energy from the arrow and affect accuracy.

Longarrow, this site is about hunting. With broadheads you absolutely must have good fletching. If you want to target shoot without feathers, or with tiny ones, that's fine with me. I've seen it done.

[Huntschool]

I have messed with the DSC as a means of check and just playing around.  As to bare shaft, I dont do it.  Couple of things....  All my bows are within 5# draw of each other.  Yes, some are recurves and some are LB's.  I only shoot one TYPE of arrow and thats AD's.  I do shoot several "models" of AD's though.  My arrows are cut to two different lengths but only by 1/2 inch.  I shoot two different point weights depending on what I "see" on my arrow performance.  I have a bunch of "time in" here so I feel comfortable with what I have.

All that being said, I just started working up a set of parallel shafts.  Thus far the DSC has put me just about on the money with these for one particular bow and I did not do bare shaft...

Go figure

[Bjorn]

I just shoot wood, bare shafting is a time saving step in tuning for me. Easy way to check if you are right on- why bother to dip, paint, and fletch something that is not going to give you perfect flight?

[highPlains]

Originally posted by Don Stokes:
HighPlains, I'm with you on your logic. I would rather have my arrow a little stiff than a little weak. Dan Quillian believed that arrows a little stiff were more accurate than arrows a little weak, and I've never proved him wrong. I only shoot wood, and sometimes I have some spine variation between my arrows. I don't find that it affects my accuracy IF I am very close either way to the perfect bare shaft match.

That feather bump you referred to is why I bare shaft very slightly nock high. It helps to lift the arrow slightly on the release to better clear the shelf. Too much, though, and it will rob energy from the arrow and affect accuracy.

Thanks for the comments Don. That is exactly how I tune bareshafts as well. Slightly stiff, and slightly nock high. If I tune bareshafts to have the nocks level then they almost always porpoise with feathers.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I don't bareshaft.. I like to flight (long shot) test and paper tune. I do more paper tuning since I don't have the big open space to do flight tuning.

When I flight test, I start with full length arrows. They start out very weak and I'll cut them down .25" till they recover quickly (to My Eye). I then go to paper tuning... This works best for Me and My style of shooting.

[jhg]

Originally posted by David Mitchell:
... but if you just love tinkering around with this stuff go ahead.        

I can't STAND tinkering. Especially blindly. The Adcock method was not only a revelation, but was the fast track to great arrow flight. I was lost before using it.
 And that is where I wanted to be, not screwing around with all the variables in my tackle, but shooting my bow, knowing that if the shot was errant it was my fault, not the tackle. Bareshafting is a fast and efficient way, for me at least, to tune arrow flight.

Joshua

[Rob DiStefano]

though i've surely played around with bare shafting in the past past with good results, i personally don't see a need for it, for me.

for the very most part, i think by now i know what i'm doing when i build and shoot arrows, and setting up stick bows.  i know how i shoot and how to match most all arrow types to my bows and me.  i know what's "good arrow flight".  when i miss, and i do, it's no secret to me why i missed when that dart straight arrow dusts that porkers butt.   :eek:           :rolleyes:       :D      

everyone's different with bows 'n' arrows and no one's wrong about bareshafting or not bareshafting, unless their arrows really don't fly well consistently and then they've definitely got at an issue to address.

imho, bareshafting is not for newbies 'cause they don't have enuf form consistency to make any rational judgement about their arrow flight.

ymmv.  have at it!    

[Mike Mecredy]

If you have lots of time it's a good idea and will get you great arrow flight once you add fletching.  But it's not neccessary.

[JParanee]

what I see here is the  equivalent  of what I see in the rifle world .

Some guys go buy a box of shells and or even mix shells others painstakeingly hand load the perfect load.  To each his own.  They say God is in the details.

[Arwin]

I do it with my chundoo shafts. I can find which side of the wood grain wants to be up then fletch em'.   :D