Bow shooting to the left?

[Tim Nuss]

I am right handed, 3 piece longbow shooting off of the shelf,arrow is straight on impact, it just shoots to the left each time. Does anyone have any ideas what the cause could be?    :confused:

[BuckeyeRifleman]

Even though your bare shafts may be flying true, feathers stiffen arrows. Try a heavier point weight.

[Bjorn]

Might you be tired and not coming to full draw? Mike Fedora says right handed archers will miss to the left when they lose concentration or are fatigued.

[joe ashton]

I am going to say your arrows are to stiff.  Your feathers correct flight but not fast enough to stop the arrows from drifting left.

[Tim Nuss]

So if I increase my point weight would that help with a arrow being to stiff?

[JMG]

Yes,,,sent you a email of a chart that should help you Tim.

[Tim Nuss]

Thank you very much to everyone for help with this.

[Kent57]

JMG would you mind sending the same email of the chart . Thanks

[Arctic Hunter]

Make sure you're keeping your bow arm up.

[gringol]

Try increasing the brace height.  Just twist up the string a bit more.

[D.J. Carr]

I have the issue when I don't keep my bow arm solid.

[KentuckyTJ]

I've had bows do that. Making my sideplate thinner fixed it. Not sure what kind you have on your bow but make it thinner if possible.

[Big Ed]

If it just started happening it could be you are not anchoring into your face as much.

[TradBrewSC]

Try Canting the bow a little more, as that has helped me in the past.

Also add 25 grains to the arrow and see what happens.

[Warchild]

This may sound weird but try it. I was also shooting 8" left very consistently. This went on for 2 seasons and almost cost me a nice doe. This season I had a buddy that works with leather give me a piece of leather to enforce my pinch finger pad in my 8 year old shooting glove. It was killing my finger so I re-enforced the finger to end my pain. Walked out to try the glove and found my self shooting consistently RIGHT. I shot and shot until I was sure but in the end determined that the re-enforced finger was landing me right. I believe that my shot pulled left the past 2 years as I favored my pinch finger as my glove wore out. To test the theory, I bought a new glove (from 3 Rivers) and whamo, perfect alignment. I have played around with different gloves as I was fascinated with the fact that such a seemingly small thing could effect my shooting so much and I have to say that this theory was right on. Try shooting with a different (new) glove or even shoot a few times barehanded to see if it doesn't pull your arrow back right.

[Bill Carlsen]

Most of the time when my arrows start to hit left it means my sting has stretched and I need to raise the brace height. 90% of the time that is my solution. Proper shaft spine can also be the issue. When I was in the custom arrow business self bows needed much lighter spined arrows than you would think. Try the brace height and then try some lighter spined arrows if the first option doesn't work. An  arrow has a lot more paradox to shoot well from a self bow than a modern cut to center bow. You can also try a heavier point to soften the spine.

[Gordon Jabben]

Warchild may have the solution to your problem.  I can change from an American leathers glove to a Bateman glove and my groups will move over a foot at 20 yards.  I had an AL glove that the index finger had worn out.  I replaced it myself with leather that was a little heavier and my grouping moved a bunch.

[Horne Shooter]

I've had the same problem for years.  I've used most of the solutions here.  Coming to full draw, canting the bow more, different glove, pushing through with my left arm through the shot, changing point weight.  One or some of these will most likely work...  I have (though) occasionally gotten "radical" and sanded my riser down some and then used a slimmer strike plate.  That would be a last resort but I have one bow that I just couldn't get right and that solved the problem.

[Sirius Black]

Going to a thinner side plate worked for me. My shelf is cut to center, Velcro was soft but too thick. Tried some leather that I had, and that did the trick.

[beaunaro]

I had this problem and recently re-read a beginning instructional book on my shelf authored by Jay Kidwell.

I don't have the book in front of me so this is not verbatim, but....

Jay says "the good thing about learning to shoot consistently with regard to windage is that you only have to learn this technique once."

He recommends pointing your fist (bow in hand of course) at the target and shooting, paying close attention to what part of the hand, edge of the bow, etc., lines up with the spot you are staring at (trying to hit.)

Once you have that alignment (for that particular bow) just keep it.

Pay no attention to where the arrow is pointing, just hold that alignment the same each time.

Works for me.

Of course each bow is different, so if you are shooting a lot of different bows like I do, you are having to learn a new alignment mark for each bow.

Pointing the fist at the target is an obvious starting point which will need refining.

Each bow could be different depending on a lot of variables including the amount of center cut that each bow has.

Jay says he practices by trying to hit 2" saplings in the woods.

I'm not an expert.

Hope this helps.