Paper tuning vs bare shaft tuning

[jonsimoneau]

When I first started with traditional archery I learned how to paper tune and had great results. Then I heard about bare shaft tuning and did this for years. I still got good results but bare shaft tuning was always more complicated. Tonight I was tuning a new set of arrows by bare shafting. I was having trouble and getting annoyed. It ain't like this is my first rodeo!  Then I rememberd paper tunning. It only took about twenty minutes to have my arrows flying perfectly.  I'm not gonna say one is better than the other but for those of you having trouble with the bare shaft method I say try paper tunning. It's much easier in my opinion. A good place to learn how to do it is at  www.elitearrows.com.  Try it. It really works.

[overbo]

Jon,
Are you paper tunning bareshafts????????
I do know one can put enough fletch on a arro to shot thru paper very well.
IMO,if you want optimum performance from your rig.Bareshafting not only gives you that but also helps in shooting form.Especailly if you shoot minimum fletch size coupled w/ wide broadheads.

[jonsimoneau]

Overbow I'm shooting fletched shafts through the paper. Part of the reason I have trouble with bare shafting is that I shoot the way Rick welch taught me in that I use the end of the cock feather on my nose as a double anchor. This makes bare shafting tough for me. I can still get pretty close with a bare shaft by only using my single anchor point which is my thumb nail on my ear but it is kind of inconsistent.

[Brianlocal3]

Jon,
I think you just solved my bareshaft problem. I also use the cock feather as an anchor and when it's not there I'm lost. Thank you for that, I was beating my head against the wall trying to figure that out.

[Caughtandhobble]

I've done both... I prefer bare shaft all the way. I too use the cock feather on the nose but I have two other anchors that I trust. I trust 20 yards bare shaft more than 6 feet paper, just my way of doing things???

[ishoot4thrills]

I'm a bareshafter myself. I use the method outlined on O.L. Adcock's website and it works very well for me. I used to use paper when I shot wheelie bows but I prefer bareshafting with trad bows.

I don't think anyone can say one way or another is the best way but there's at least one way that will work best for anyone. Try both and see which one works best for you.

[Bjorn]

Bareshafting is where it's at for me. Both methods will work.

[jonsimoneau]

Yea. And when I paper tune I start at three feet and keep moving back to thirty yards then to forty yards. When I get identical bullet hole tears at all ranges I know I'm there.

[Scbenton]

I have tried bare shafting and also had trouble with hitting my anchor.  The shafts were doing all sorts of crazy things and I always ended up with inconsistency.

Now, I'm still new to trad archery and always learning from reading forums, articles and watching youtube vids.  

But, I tried paper tuning like I do with my compound and have had better results.

Now like I said I am in no way an expert and consider my self still very green.  But in archery you want the same consistent form every time.  So wouldn't this hold true as to tuning arrows?  

Why bare shaft when you will be adding fletching and changing the arrow.
Why also hold the bow straight up and down when tuning when you actually cant the bow some when your actually shooting?

I recently been playing around with paper tuning again and was getting a tear left. ( I am left handed)  I changed from a 3 finger to split finger which for what ever reason gave me a better anchor longer draw and it straightened out the arrow flight and gave me bullet holes. I also put the paper tuner out to 15 or so yards and checked flight which also seemed to be spot on.

Arrow flight seems to be spot on from what I can tell, and when I am doing my part the arrows go where I want them.  

I think the next thing I'm going to do is throw on my Grizzlys and see how they fly through paper and see if they hit where my field points hit.

I don't know, I'm probably all wrong and butt backwards but it seems to work for me.

[rjackson]

Hey Jon, I paper tune also at the distance you do. It makes sense to tune with what arrow we hunt with. I would hate to see what a bare shaft would do with a simmons head on the end of it.

Shoot strait,
 Randy

[Bowwild]

I've paper tuned for a couple of decades, all kinds of bows.

Works great for me. Final proofing is done by shooting broadheads and field tips at my hunting distances to make sure all are the same.

[Biathlonman]

I'm with bow wild.  Papertune then shoot broadheads to make sure all is well.  I've done some bare shafting, but find papertuning to be quicker and easier for me.

[Gator1]

I like paper tuning as well.  There are a couple of wood arrow smiths that have great explanations. To me it is especially spot on when it comes to Nock height.

[Jim Wright]

I bareshaft to obtain BARELY weak spine then fletch and paper tune. Then I shoot 4 or 5 three arrow groups at 25 yards, marking the center of each group then note center of those marks to see if any final tweaking is needed. If so it has always been windage and slight enough that it can be done simply by adjusting brace height or changing the strike plate thickness.

[KentuckyTJ]

I've always paper tuned. Hard to teach an old dog new tricks. Its worked for me so never saw a reason not to.

[Jim Wright]

I forgot to add that I only combine the 2 methods with carbon, when shooting wood I do not bareshaft.

[Caughtandhobble]

Originally posted by rjackson:
Hey Jon, I paper tune also at the distance you do. It makes sense to tune with what arrow we hunt with. I would hate to see what a bare shaft would do with a simmons head on the end of it.

Shoot strait,
 Randy

You should NEVER shoot a bare shaft with a broadhead!!! Broadhead tuning is done exactly like the bare shaft tuning, only with feathers, it works well for me.

Jon, that's cool; I've never tried paper tuning a different distances. I'll give that a try, thanks for the info...

[Green]

I use both.  I'll paper tune with woods to make sure the nock point is correct.  With carbon I'll do the same, but then use bareshafting to fine tune.

I do have a question though for those that shoot high FOC arrows.  When bareshafting out to say 20 yards....are you okay with the bareshaft impacting well below the fletched as long as the fletched fly fine and the vertical impact (spine) is the same?

[Caughtandhobble]

Originally posted by Green:
I use both.  I'll paper tune with woods to make sure the nock point is correct.  With carbon I'll do the same, but then use bareshafting to fine tune.

I do have a question though for those that shoot high FOC arrows.  When bareshafting out to say 20 yards....are you okay with the bareshaft impacting well below the fletched as long as the fletched fly fine and the vertical impact (spine) is the same?

Green, when I use high FOC I tune them exactly the same a 12-14% FOC. If the bare shafts are low, I lower the nock. I do not modify anything for high FOC, I hope this helps.

[Green]

Thanks Ben....guess there's an excuse to go shoot some carbons.  Lol.  Hope to meet you sometime.