Bad time to be frustrated

[Jarrod Reno]

So for a year I shot a 62" Caribow Featherhorn R/D 56@28 and I draw 30.5". Shot it wonderfully, super confident out to 30 yards, shot 3D fantastic, was confident all hunting season. It shot smooth and fairly fast,,, 650gr arrow at mid 170's from what I recall.

Not sure why but I got the ich to go recurve and had Dan toelke build me a Chinook, which of course came out beautiful. It's 58" and 56# @ 28, I'm still pulling 30.5". I don't notice and stacking, feels smooth. It's shooting a bit faster, 630gr at 196fps.

Well for the first month I stuck to my back yard as far as shooting, shot every evening for the most part but only maxing out at about 18 yards. Finally get myself to a longer range and then a 3d course and totally suck at 20+ yards. Arrows just all over the place. Then I was thinking, maybe I'm out of tune? So next trip, bareshaft out to 40 yards, flys great.

Maybe I need to practice... We'll, I've been practicing and it's not getting any better. The more I concentrate on what's going on, I feel like the bow is twitchy in my hand. Problem is I don't have the Featherhorn to compare it to anymore.

Long story short... What's your gut thought?

Is it the 58" length? Just being less stable with my draw length?

Season is just over a month away and I'm sweating bullets.

[Bud B.]

Some bows you really want just aren't for you as far as shooting goes. I really love Hill style bows and shoot them OK, but I shoot recurves better.

[maineac]

I am certainly no expert,and there are so many factors to consider.  I love a shorter bow myself, and even a lighter one, but for many these two factors cause a big difference.  Is there more finger pinch that could be affecting your release due to the shorter length? Does the bow have less mass, if so maybe a bow quiver full of arrows will help some.  Or could you be thinking so much during each shot your form and focus have slipped?  My first thought would be just relax and shoot like you always did, without over thinking.  I know if I really focus on my form, my shooting consistency decreases until I relax again.  Just some initial thoughts, good luck.  Remember it should be fun!

[ChuckC]

Could be as simple as getting the grip right, could be too short for you, could be almost anything.

As above, I really like the mystique and simpleness of a Hill style (ASL) bow, but frankly I shoot my recurve much better ( more consistantly).  

I do know that both require different grip location and heeling and canting to reach best effectiveness.  Hopefully that is the only issue for you too.
ChuckC

[MnFn]

Yeh, funny how we get used to certain bows.  For instance I have decided recently I am a recurve guy at heart. I have tried shooting five or six different longbows and I think gave them each a fair try, over a period of years.

It may be the weight, may be the grip, or maybe my shooting style,  but whatever,  I have come to  the conclusion that I just shoot a recurve better and that is the way it is for me.

[Jarrod Reno]

Yeah I feel like I'm to the point that I'm overthinking it. It's in my head and I'm not relaxed. Finger pinch, I do feel more string than I used to. Maybe that is messing with my release.

[Pete McMiller]

My gut reaction to your post is - It's not the bow.  If it's bare shafting out to 40 yds - It's not the tune.  That only leaves one thing - It's you.  Sounds like you are thinking way too much and not just going out to shoot.  Relax and get the pressure off of yourself.  It's a cycle we all go through, we have a bad day or three and all of a sudden we are in our critical mode and over analyze everything.  Sure there are things that go wrong in our form but putting everything under the microscope isn't necessarily the answer.  Take a few days off or shoot fewer arrows a day for a week and see what happens.  Good Luck.

[Orion]

I agree with Pete.  Been there.  Still am a lot of the time.  But, I think the bow is contributing to your problems. IMO, 58 inches is too short for a 30.5-inch draw.  The string angle becomes acute at full draw, and whether you feel finger pinch or not, it makes it more difficult to get off the string cleanly. That messes up your release, which messes up your accuracy.  And it's a downhill slope from there.

[sveltri]

Get into RMSGear, put the Chinook up for sale and pick one of the awesome hybrids just sitting there begging to go to a good home.

[Jarrod Reno]

Originally posted by sveltri:
Get into RMSGear, put the Chinook up for sale and pick one of the awesome hybrids just sitting there begging to go to a good home.

Haha I emailed Tommy asking about this whole thing because what you're saying went through my mind already. We'll see, got a 3d shoot tonight and will see if I can relax and not worry about it, but I'm guessing I'll make a trip to RMSGear anyhow. I'm just trying not to rush into anything haha which I tend to do.

[McDave]

I couldn't shoot a 58" bow drawn to 30.5" accurately. But then I couldn't shoot a 62#+ bow accurately either, which is what I would assume you're pulling at 30.5".  Not saying that somebody else couldn't handle that rig, but the deck would be stacked against me.

It would be interesting if you could shoot a longer, lower weight bow for a while and see if your accuracy returned. Realize you don't have time to do that before hunting season, but it would tell you if it was you or the bow that was the problem.

[Jarrod Reno]

I don't think weights the problem but I guess you never know. I can hold steady for a timed 15 seconds until I feel like I need to release or collapse. While practicing I alternate from 3-10 second holds and can shoot for a couple hours before getting tired. Just took some more shots and focused on the string angle. It does feel tight on my fingers but now want to give another 62"-er a whirl to see how it compares.

In April I was hitting 3d kill zones at 40 yards, (although my limit in field is 25-30 depending on the animal), in May with the new bow I'm missing entire animals at 40 though. That ain't good haha. I absolutely need it figured out before September or I'm not taking a shot beyond 15 yards. Huge hit to my confidence which is the most detrimental part of this.

Really appreciate everyone's input!

[Jarrod Reno]

Talked with Tommy at rmsgear. He's gonna analyze my shot and we'll go from there. Dang, I love those guys at that shop! Thanks again for the input!

[nineworlds9]

I draw 29ish and have tested a 58" Chinook a good bit.  Absolutely brilliant bow, but IMHO it's about on the limit at 30.5".  I bet the string angle at the belly side of the tips is approaching 90 degrees.  If it were 56 instead of 64# at your draw I bet you'd be shooting it more accurately with that kinda force curve.  IMHO you'd prolly have been better off with an SS at [email protected]  Of course like Pete said, it could just be you LOL.  We all have our bad days, also IMHO once you start shooting past 30 yds it takes slightly different aiming approach and also a real solid bow arm and clean release.  Dont get discouraged.  It just takes time to adapt to new bows sometimes.

[JohnV]

Switching bows close to the season opener is risky business.  If you don't have confidence in your new bow you should immediately go back to the old bow that you shot well.

[Sixby]

too long of draw for the bow length. The acute string angle exaggerates any inconsistency in release. I build static recurves and know that you can shoot a 58 in bow without stacking but you will still have this problem so I do not recommend the 58. I would be recommending a 62 to 64 in bow for you.
My recommendation is to either trade the bow or sell it and get a longer one./

God bless, Steve

[Charlie3]

I am a huge proponent of scoring yourself on a paper target regularly...this tells you how you are actually shooting, not just how you THINK you are shooting.

Personally, I can shoot a paper target and feel terrible about how I shot one day, and then the next time I'll feel good about how I shot, but the scores will be nearly the same.

Many factors contribute to how you feel about a shot. You may be having a bad day otherwise, you may be sore which may drop your level of enjoyment, or you may be one of those folks who is unhappy if they miss the 10 ring on a deer at 15 steps, but at the same time are not bothered if they miss the same deer target altogether from 30 (the latter shot is actually easier I would argue, that is hitting the target anywhere from 30 as opposed to hitting a 5" circle from 15).

If you are not scoring yourself somehow you really don't KNOW if your shooting level has changed. Other than that, new bows have an adjustment period if you shot your old bow for any length of time. Anyway, good luck to ya! A month is plenty of time to figure it out  

[indianalongbowshooter]

Sometimes people just cannot shoot a short bow, 62 in is alot more stable..might take you awhile to adapt to it, the more you think about shooting bad the more you will.. traditional is 99 percent mental.

[LongbowArchitect]

Tommy at RMSGear is amazing at analyzing your shot sequence and getting the problem identified and fixed. You'll be shooting great again in no time. Please report back to us after that.

[Michael Arnette]

It's the 58" length and imperfect form (which we all suffer from) I'd get a longer bow at least 62" for your draw length and I think you will be impressed.