what am i doing wrong? (update)

[jt85]

Can anyone give me some shooting advise, with my old bow I could shoot consistent groups out to 20 yards I got a new bow this week and can not seem to get my arrows down I am consistently shooting high even at 10-15 yards and even when I focus on aiming lower I might get one arrow to find its mark but my next one will be right back up about 8" high. Im starting to get pretty frustrated cause I cant figure it out. My old bow was 45# my new one is 53# could it just be the difference of weight and im just used to the old bow?
Any advise would be greatly appreciated!!!

[Rob W.]

Could be a number of factors. I would see how your arrows fly after bumping the nock point up a bit. May shoot them both through paper if you haven't already.
The 53# is going to shoot flatter but usually your brain adjusts pretty quick.


Rob

[jt85]

my nock point is at 5/8 now would you go higher than that?

[Rob W.]

On certain setups I have been higher than that. You shootin three under?

[jt85]

no i shoot split finger

[Robert Honaker]

If they are fling good, but hitting high I would say the poundage diff is whats happening. 8lbs is a big difference. try moving nock up a tad, but if flight gets bad move it back down and practice till your brain adjusts to the new bow. Good luck!

[ChuckC]

Is the handle (hand) different between the bows ? I mean, the shelf, is it lower on one of the bows and raised on the other ?  Also, by pivoting the contact point of the bow hand you can make the same bow shoot low or high (don't ask me how I know).

Lots of things it COULD be.

ChuckC

[Looper]

I'd suggest a couple of things. First, add a double nockset, one over and one under the arrow. Make sure to leave about 1/16" gap so your arrow isn't pinched at full draw. This will insure your arrow isn't sliding down the string upon release, which will drive you crazy.  If that doesn't fix the problem, start over and go through the whole tuning routine.

Make sure your bareshafts, broad headed arrows, and your field tipped arrows all hit in the same spot. At that bow the bow is tuned to your arrows. It's only then that you'll be able to determine what the real issue is. It might be that you have to just have your eye become accustomed to the arrow flight of the new bow.

As a side note, whatever you do, pick one bow and stick with through the hunting season. If you are switching between bows that have different impact points for you, that could create some problems for you in the field.

If you need help on the tuning process, first, go to this link and learn all you can:  http://www.acsbows.com/bowtuning.html

[Tater John]

Fair amount of weight to increase if your not use to it. Sometimes I don't get my head over the arrow with the nock under my eye or I'll lift my head to peak and hit high

[John146]

JT, I just went through the same thing. Went from a 47# longbow to a 55# recurve. Was shooting well with the bow and put a different string on it and things went south. Inconsistent and was hitting 8-10" high. I first checked on my arrows just making sure bare shaft flight was good. My wife suggested going back to the string that came with the bow and I started shooting much better again. I am leaving it like it is this hunting season. I do not know what kind of string came with this used bow but I know the one I put on it was not the ticket.

[D]

John I had the same thing with the string thing.  I always used a B-50 and then a buddy made some.  I had one out of 8190 and one out of D-97.  The 8190 shot WAY high.  I moved my nocking point up and fixed it but I still wasn't consistent at all.  I tried the D-97 and set my original nocking point and it shot great and that's what I have been shooting.

[jt85]

First of all thank you to everyone for taking the time to give me some pointers.
ChuckC, yes the shelf is quit a bit lower on my new bow putting the arrow closer to my hand but I would think that would have the opposite affect on where my arrows would hit but I could be wrong.
John, I never thought about the string my old bow has a Dacron string and my new one has a ff string.

[AH-hunter]

I think looper might have the ticket here.  I'm fairly new to trad but have seen it a lot w/ compound where if your nock is slightly loose or you pull more with the middle/ring finger than index(while shooting split), then sometimes you have an arrow that shifts down the string during the release, resulting in inconsistent groups and stray high arrows.  Locking it in from both sides with string or a nock fitting may help.  Also could be what was happening with Todd and D when they switched strings, because the new string not being the same diameter at the nock.  There are come cool slow motion videos on youtube that show what I'm talking about.  Hope this helps.

[Cherokee Scout]

This is a reason why a person should shoot a bow before buying it. I know it is not always possible but there can be a big difference in how bows shoot and when you buy one without shooting it first, you can have issues.

[Charlie Lamb]

If I had to guess I'd say it's the increased poundage of the bow. Not trajectory or anything to do with arrow speed.

I'm guessing you hold for a little bit before releasing the arrow. If so then your bow arm is rising a little as you approach release. It's a matter of strength.

As you get use to the weight your point of impact will settle back down.
Don't be discouraged. Just keep shooting and develop your strength.

[Bobaru]

I've had the same problem the opposite way.  My new bow is 48# while my old bow is 58#.

One problem I've consistantly had with the heavier bow is shooting high.  

This is my best explanation for myself (may help you or not): The way I control shooting over has been in the way in which I draw the bow.  My normal draw is to have the arrow tipped slightly upward as I begin.  With a lighter weight bow, I spend more time at anchor and I have more than sufficient power to keep good form.  With the heavier bow, I believe, I may be slightly over bowed.  And, with the heavier bow, I release soon after I come to anchor and before I completely aim the bow.  

Why do I think this, for myself?  Well, I shoot the heavy bow very well when my muscles are rested .  And, I shoot the heavy bow well when I think that, regardless of the draw weight, I am required to have good form before release.  But, I shoot high when I'm tired or sore or when I'm not focused on making sure that I have good form in spite of the heavier draw weight.

I'm thinking this is just a different way of saying what Charlie is saying.

[Bobaru]

I've had the same problem the opposite way.  My new bow is 48# while my old bow is 58#.

One problem I've consistantly had with the heavier bow is shooting high.  

This is my best explanation for myself (may help you or not): The way I control shooting over has been in the way in which I draw the bow.  My normal draw is to have the arrow tipped slightly upward as I begin.  With a lighter weight bow, I spend more time at anchor and I have more than sufficient power to keep good form.  With the heavier bow, I believe, I may be slightly over bowed.  And, with the heavier bow, I release soon after I come to anchor and before I completely aim the bow.  

Why do I think this, for myself?  Well, I shoot the heavy bow very well when my muscles are rested .  And, I shoot the heavy bow well when I think that, regardless of the draw weight, I am required to have good form before release.  But, I shoot high when I'm tired or sore or when I'm not focused on making sure that I have good form in spite of the heavier draw weight.

I'm thinking this is just a different way of saying what Charlie is saying.

[kat]

How about total arrow weight?
Adding that much draw weight will affect your impact point to a greater degree if you are shooting arrows that are on the heavier side.

[Tajue17]

for me if people KEEP hitting high at any range I'm not pro but I always will first suspect they are aiming off their hand or arrow..  

put some light on the target and shoot in the darkness so you cannot see your hand and arrow and go by feel.  see if the arrows group together somewhere or if they are all over the place.

[jt85]

Ok guys im ready for the stupid newbie comments,      
 since i got my new bow last week i havent picked my old bow up one time so today after church i strung both bows and headed out back to shoot. I grabbed the old bow first and shot 6 arrows and it just felt natural i hit my anchor held for a second then shot,then i picked up the new bow drew it back and realized when i got to my anchor i was about a half inch higher on my face than with my other bow which im guessing was causing my bow arm to come up as well, I then corrected my anchor point issue shot 4 groups of 3 with only one arrow going high oh and my arrows quit trying to fall off my shelf maybe killed two birds with one stone only more shooting will tell!!