I Guess I’m Just a Recurve Guy??? Struggling

[Fletcher]

Arrow flight at close range is very hard to see and what looks to be great flight might very well be off some.  My suggestion would be to first check the tuning by shooting thru paper from 6-10 FEET.  It won't take but an arrow or two to tell if your tuning is on or not.  Sure is quicker and easier than tuning by the shotgun method.

[xtrema312]

Screw in some field points and shot just for the fun of it. See what happens.

[ron w]

What grip is your ACS, it maybe just the way you are holding at the moment of release. If grips are similar I can go back and forth recurve to longbow and it's not much of an issue......I don't do a high wrist well!

[chanumpa]

All advise above is good advice.I too have struggled with some long bows/self bows over the years and wasnt as accurate/consistant as with some of my recurves.I may be stating the obvious here,but have found that it the bow must fit my bow hand first and foremost.Then,even some of my very close to center shot longbows were consistantly more finicky to arrow spine than my recurves.
So,Im in agreement with Ron W and also with what Magnus and Fletcher said as well.Hang in there,you can always turn that ACS into a down payment on a new lower poundage Widow.

[Orion]

Ibow:  I missed the reference to the Bear weather rest.  That should have straightened the arrows out if they were close to begin with.  

Are you saying the 2016s seem to be shooting clean and impacting where you want them to, or are they still going high and right?  At 60# static spine, the 2016s should be heavy enough for your set up.

I have several 64-inch ACSs from 50# through 56# at my 28-inch draw.  Easton Axis .400s (about 80# spine) shoot well out of all of them with 250 up front.  Gold Tip 35-55s (about 60# static spine) shoot well out of my 50# bow, but are too light for 52# and up at my draw length.

Ron W raises a good point.  The standard grip on an ACS is very close to a medium recurve grip.  It is a rather small grip, though, and you could be torquing the bow as you grip and/or draw it.

Also, the arrow may just align differently vis-a-vis your eye with the ACS vs your Widow.  I.e., you may be holding your bow hand in the same place, but that hold may move the ACS riser/arrow more to the right, and even higher, than the Widow with the same grip/hold.  That little difference is one that a lot of folks find hard to get used to as they switch from one bow to another, particularly recurve to longbow or vice-versa.  Your brain is placing your bow hand in the right place, at least where it's always placed it, but that is no longer the right place for the way the second bow is cut.

Try this, next time you draw on the target, look down the arrow and see where it's pointing.  There's a good chance you're unknowingly pointing it right and probably high of the target.

Of course, there could also be something in your style that's throwing off the arrows. For me, a right high hit is usually associated with a pluck.  When I pluck, I seem to also push the bow a little at release.  Keep at it.  It will come around.  Good luck.

Of course, if your 2016s are not only flying straight, but also hitting where you're aiming, you've already solved the problem.

[nineworlds9]

Keep tuning and give it more time.  Try paper and also try some longer shots for sure.

[rraming]

I am tired of messing with longbows myself, even though I just bought another. Recurves for me

[J.Williams]

Originally posted by nineworlds9:
Keep tuning and give it more time.  Try paper and also try some longer shots for sure.

x2

When I'm hitting high and right, I aim lower and left.  

   

Seriously, try raising your nock point a little and go with a lighter tip.

[Gordon Jabben]

Interesting topic. Ibow I know you are shooting very short distances but how are your groups? I reread the post and hope I didn't miss this.

[Ibow]

Originally posted by Orion:
Ibow:  

Are you saying the 2016s seem to be shooting clean and impacting where you want them to, or are they still going high and right?  At 60# static spine, the 2016s should be heavy enough for your set up.

Ron W raises a good point.  The standard grip on an ACS is very close to a medium recurve grip.  It is a rather small grip, though, and you could be torquing the bow as you grip and/or draw it.

Also, the arrow may just align differently vis-a-vis your eye with the ACS vs your Widow.  I.e., you may be holding your bow hand in the same place, but that hold may move the ACS riser/arrow more to the right, and even higher, than the Widow with the same grip/hold.  That little difference is one that a lot of folks find hard to get used to as they switch from one bow to another, particularly recurve to longbow or vice-versa.  Your brain is placing your bow hand in the right place, at least where it's always placed it, but that is no longer the right place for the way the second bow is cut.

Try this, next time you draw on the target, look down the arrow and see where it's pointing.  There's a good chance you're unknowingly pointing it right and probably high of the target.

Orion - yes, those 2016's seem to be flying very clean from the bow and they also have been grouping very well but they all seem to be about 2-3" right and 2-3" high from the spot I am aiming at.

There may very well be something to your thoughts re hand to eye in going from the Widow MA's to the ACS. It's indeed different.

The riser is a standard cut ... below is a pict of the riser.

Thanks so much for your well thought out suggestions and advice ... much appreciated. I'll keep them in mind the next time I shoot. I'm a little frustrated but not ready to quit.    

 

[Ibow]

Originally posted by Gordon Jabben:
Interesting topic. Ibow I know you are shooting very short distances but how are your groups? I reread the post and hope I didn't miss this.

Groups have been good ... just good n' right/high.   :D

[The Whittler]

Have you tried lowering your brace hight a little at a time and it should pull your arrows back to center.

[LC]

Yeap I'm a recurve man myself. LOVE the looks of those longbows and how well they shoot just not well for me. Like a good buddy always called them "wrong bows".  I envy those who shoot them but to honest I'm just a recurve man. lol

[Ibow]

Originally posted by The Whittler:
Have you tried lowering your brace hight a little at a time and it should pull your arrows back to center.

Yeah, I've had it as low as 6" which is quite a bit out of range.

About the only thing I haven't messed with is point weight... I may experiment a bit with that.

Thanks.

[buckeye_hunter]

It's funny how bows differ for people. The last 3 piece ACS I shot, I had to intentionally not hit the arrows I had already shot. It was that accurate for me. Not that I'm a great shot, but that bow sure did make me look good for once!

Good luck and shoot what works for you. I have been shooting a recurve for 5 years now.

God bless,
Charlie

[Ibow]

Originally posted by buckeye_hunter:
It's funny how bows differ for people. The last 3 piece ACS I shot, I had to intentionally not hit the arrows I had already shot. It was that accurate for me. Not that I'm a great shot, but that bow sure did make me look good for once!

Good luck and shoot what works for you. I have been shooting a recurve for 5 years now.

God bless,
Charlie

Yup, I don't know. Especially frustrating when I'll grab that Widow for a second and clang arrows together.

I'll keep at it for a while but with turkey season closing in, I'll have to figure things out pretty quick!  

[Gordon Jabben]

I guess I have always thought different bows just hit different depending on how centershot they were and how they were tillered and the archer had to make the adjustment to where they grouped.  Like someone else said "aim lower and to the left".  LOL  Ibow, I hope it doesn't sound like I'm making fun here, I'm really not and I'm interested in your outcome with your new bow.  I know I have a new bow that shoots higher and a little to the right for me compared to my old bow but now after shooting it about everyday for three weeks, I'm hitting pretty well with it.

[Ibow]

Originally posted by Gordon Jabben:
I guess I have always thought different bows just hit different depending on how centershot they were and how they were tillered and the archer had to make the adjustment to where they grouped.  Like someone else said "aim lower and to the left".  LOL  Ibow, I hope it doesn't sound like I'm making fun here, I'm really not and I'm interested in your outcome with your new bow.

Not at all. I think you're right. It's frustrating yet kind of fun trying something new.    

I've been shooting those Widow MA's for many, many years and this is a whole new ball game. I'm pretty certain it's the centershot thing as Orion eluded to above with his reference to the difference in hand/eye between the two bows.

[larry]

I've owned nearly a zillion different bows. I could get every one of them to shoot good groups, but not every one of them shot where I was looking. Now if I shot them long enough, my brain would adjust, but that doesn't work so well when you have more than one bow at a time. So for me, no matter how nice a bow it is, if it doesn't shoot where I'm looking from the start...down the road it goes.