Seems to me that if you shoot thru paper starting at point blank range all the way back to lets say 20 yards and the tear is perfect you have accomplished the same thing. After all, if the arrow is misbehaving at any point the paper tear will show it and help you decide what tuning is required. I did this yesterday with my Alpha Elite and then shot a from 20 to 80 yards. All the different distances held the same left/right line and the bow grouped 6" at 80 yards.What so good about paper tuning?
The main reason, I prefer bare shaft tuning to paper tuning is you can't argue with results. If I can shoot an arrow straight into a wall at 20 yards and keep it on target. Then when it is fletched and shot, it is not losing speed trying to get straightened out. Paper only tells me what the arrow is doing at one point in its flight. It also help hunting arrow tune easier to field points because if the head is straight, the arrow already want to go there, the fletching can control the head better without having to control the shaft too.
Bare Shaft Tuning
This technique is used for release shooters. The primary requirements are a target butt that will hold an arrow the way it entered the target. I usually use a foam wall at my local club, but a block or some other such target will work too. The cable(s) and string need to be of the correct length and the bow should be within specifications. Dual cam bows should have the cables of equal length. This tuning process may not work for floating yoke cable bows.
The other requirement of this process is to using properly spine arrow shafts. A computer program should be used to determine the proper spine, arrow shaft length and point weight. These shafts can be float tuned prior to assembly to ease this process(see float tuning below). The arrow should be match for overall weight prior to fletching. The arrow should be properly aligned and squared on the bow. A Golden Key Futura, Tru-Center Gauge should be used to align the rest.
The purpose of bare shaft tuning is twofold. The first part is to adjust the bow for an ideal launch. This means trying to stick the arrow in the butt without the nock being kick up, down, left, right or some combination. All of this shooting HAS to be done with the target at shoulder height. The purpose of this is to reduce drag by relieving the correctional control of the fletching during the launch and flight. This also allows the use of smaller fletching to reduce flight drag and trajectory loss. The second part determines the high spots in the arrow spine and allows the grouping of the arrows to improve. Float tuning provides this same benefit, but is static. The type of tuning is dynamic and therefore is the final step. Basically, float tuning will get you close, but bare shafting is conclusive.
To start, shoot a couple of arrows at 10, 15 and 20 yards to get an approximate sighting adjustment. It is not necessary to pinwheel the target but to try to keep the arrows on the target. After you have sighted in at 20 yards, notice the way the arrows are hitting the target. If the nock is high-left we need to start making adjustments. Leave one arrow in the target as a reference.
Why the nock is high and left is because of sight timing or tuning problems which is causing the string to push the nock a little up and to the left. The arrow eventually stabilizes, but is now in this nock high left flight attitude. Without the benefit of the fletching to correct it, it will remain in this attitude. This attitude is causing a lot of drag because the arrow surface area is wind planing.
To correct this we will added a half twist to either the top or bottom cable(s). Shoot a couple of arrows at the target. Compare these arrows to the reference arrow, if the nock is lower then you are on the right track if the nock is higher you are on the wrong. If you are on the right track, added another half twist to the cable and shoot the arrow again until it becomes level. If you end up with an arrow is either a little high or a little low, keep the slightly high setting. It is better to go over the launcher than through it.
To correct the left-right flight we will added a half twist to the left side of the split cable(s). If you are using a shoot through then add a half twist to each of the left cables. Keep shooting and twisting until the arrow is gong straight into the butt.
The next part of this tuning is to group tune the shafts. This would be best done with a Hooter Shooter, because your results will vary with your skill level. Assembling the arrow by float tuning may to some degree make this tuning method unnecessary, but if a consistent flyer is found it can be correct to some degree based on the shooter’s expertise.
I would use several targets during this procedure. I prefer the NFAA single spot target. Start at 10 yards and shoot a couple of arrows. If they seem to be in a common group remove them and set them aside. Shoot a couple of more. If they impact in the same holes as the first two, set them aside also. If one is out, shot it again. If it consistently is impacting away from the others set it off by itself. Continue shooting the arrows until you have separated the ones which group together from the one which don’t.
Now, move the nock on one of the non-grouping arrows by turning the nock a quarter of a turn. If it come into the group then set it with the others, if it doesn’t turn it another quarter and continue shooting and turning the nock until it does. If it refuses then change the nock and try again.
Now, more to 15 yards repeat this shooting and rotating the nock until you have all the arrows grouping. At this distance you should move the nock only about an 1/8th of a rotation. Finally, move to 20 yards and repeat this process this time rotating the nock about a 1/16th of a rotation.
If you are a reasonable shot, this process is quite amazing. You will almost want to forget fletching arrows. But, fletched arrows do work better. Once you have established the nock position, mark the shaft with a permanent marker. Use this mark as a reference for you cock feather when fletching.
Bare Shaft Tuning,
How Do You Do This The Right Way, I Have Heard People Doing It, And Is It That Much Better Than Paper Tuning Or Is Uit A Waste Of Time When You Can Just Paper Tune And Be Done, Please Any Imfo Would Be Great....
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Seems to me that if you shoot thru paper starting at point blank range all the way back to lets say 20 yards and the tear is perfect you have accomplished the same thing. After all, if the arrow is misbehaving at any point the paper tear will show it and help you decide what tuning is required. I did this yesterday with my Alpha Elite and then shot a from 20 to 80 yards. All the different distances held the same left/right line and the bow grouped 6" at 80 yards.
I always group tune my set-up for target shooting. I just eyeball the center shot and set the nock at 90*. Grab some arrows that are close on the chart and cull,cull,cull till I get as identical a set of arrows as is possible . I normally group tune in the 40-50 yrd range. If my set up is stringing arrows vertically, I make slight nock set(string loop) adjustments till the vert goes away. Horizonal stringing, I move the rest in or out till the left right fliers go away. Tuning this way finds the MOST FORGIVING set up for the way I SHOOT. The results on tuning this way usually leaves terrible tears on paper and bare shafting will usually result in an arrow that wont stick into the foam!
But in broadhead tuning, I try to paper tune for the straightest arrow flight to improve penetration , but I feel that I loose some forgiveness in doing so. Using the group tuning method has rewarded me with some nice accomplishments in 3D archery, where nerves can cause you to maybe not shoot as well as you do in your own back yard
Good example of this is my set-up in 2000. I shot a darton cyclone LD and after group tuning,my paper tears were 2" dead tail low at 10 ft. That bow almost shot itself. It was an unbelieavably forgiving set up that way ,and if I paper tuned it for perfect tears, I couldnt shoot it to save my life. Paper tuned, it showed every little flaw I had in my form. Group tuned, it was amazing! Proof of the forgiveness of that set-up was the ASA shooter of the year in 2000 in the open B class. Just my .02.
But in broadhead tuning, I try to paper tune for the straightest arrow flight to improve penetration , but I feel that I loose some forgiveness in doing so. Using the group tuning method has rewarded me with some nice accomplishments in 3D archery, where nerves can cause you to maybe not shoot as well as you do in your own back yard
Good example of this is my set-up in 2000. I shot a darton cyclone LD and after group tuning,my paper tears were 2" dead tail low at 10 ft. That bow almost shot itself. It was an unbelieavably forgiving set up that way ,and if I paper tuned it for perfect tears, I couldnt shoot it to save my life. Paper tuned, it showed every little flaw I had in my form. Group tuned, it was amazing! Proof of the forgiveness of that set-up was the ASA shooter of the year in 2000 in the open B class. Just my .02.
21 - 23 of 23 Posts
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