I am new to bow tuning, meaning until now i have always had shops do it, but doing it myself now, and running into problems (not surprisingly...). Shooting a Hoyt RX-1, #2 cams, 55-65lbs (currently running it about 59lbs) 27" draw (the shortest on the cams) Hamskea Hybrid Pro Rest Shooting Beman ICS Hunter Elite arrows 340, 9.3 gpi, 27" with 125 gr field tips I bought the bow used, from someone with a 30" draw length, so I shortened the draw length and removed the old D-loop and center serving, which was pretty flattened. I then re-served the string, adjusted the rest so that the arrow passed through the center of the berger button, then used an arrow leveling kit to set the arrow square to the string (90 degrees), tied nocking points above and below the nock, then tied my D-Loop. Keep in mind, this is my first time doing all this, but I have reasonable attention to detail, so I think i did a pretty good job. I do NOT have a vice, so setting the arrow level was done with some creative use of rags/pillows, so i could hold the bow plumb and steady. I do have a press, so I also checked cam timing, which is now synced, as well as set the cam lean parallel to bow strong at rest (i.e. NOT at full draw). Well, when i went to do my first bare shaft tuning at 6 ft., i was shooting nock high tears pretty bad, like an inch of tear. To overcome this, i had to raise the rest significantly. By raising it about 1/8+", i still have a slight high tear with bare shaft, but shooting bullet holes with vanes. However, when i put the level on the arrow, it is now way off, with the arrow tip significant higher than the nock, which i just don't like. With vanes, walk back tuning seems to be OK, meaning no major left or right shots, but the arrow shot WAY higher than i expected at both 5 and 20 yards. I got athletes foot spray to and I see NO evidence of vane contact with the rest. SO... What should I do? I feel like there is something going on, but I have no idea what. I would love you advice. Thanks in advance.
Personally I get to broadhead tuning as soon as I'm sighted in, No paper for me. Something is off arrow should be at 90° or slightly nock high. Check timing and tiller maybe. If bhs and fps hit the same not close but same at 20 & 40 yards should be good.
Personally I think you should have 400 instead of the 340 spine. You should check your actual draw weight as 125 gr tip adds 3 lbs to your draw weight and changes you spine. You are on the border line from what I can see and a pound or two makes the difference on your spine.
I would agree that you're probably better with a 400 spine than a 340, however, spine issues typically manifest in left/right issues and not up/down. I doubt that's the source of your problems and it would be the last thing I worried about. First thing you should do is get a bow vise. You can find some pretty good, inexpensive ones on eBay these days. It's going to make this process a whole lot easier for you now and in the future, as you'll likely need to use it several times during a setup and tuning session. After that, I would start back at the beginning by setting your arrow to be level when it passes through the center of the berger hole and try the whole process again. In my experience, if something looks and feels wrong with your setup, it probably is. So just start over at the beginning and see where that leads you. It sounds like you have a good understanding of what you're looking for as high/low tears are typically caused by your nocking point/rest location or cam timing. If you find that you end up in the same spot again, with the point being too high in order to get proper paper tears, my guess is you've got a cam timing problem. Speaking of which - do you have a draw board or just a bow press? You really need a draw board to check cam timing at full draw. I know many bows have timing marks on them that you can look at when the bow is at rest, but in my experience, they're not all that reliable. The best way to check is at full draw.
Yeah, that doesn't seem right.... I agree with Justin. Sometimes its a good idea to cut off the dloop, and start all over.... Just a personal preference - I've sometimes found that nock sets can sometimes cause pinch so maybe try without them... Most Hoyt high/low tear issues seem to be result of nock level or cam timing - one twist can make a huge difference sometimes.
FWIW, I use the QAD Ultra-Nok XL. Used one for years. Doesn't pinch the nock. Getting one for the wife's bow to replace the loop. I've used the bow square and set the nocking point about 1/4-5/16 inch high. Do the same for Genesis bows that need a new nocking point. Opinions and personal experience are welcome. BTW, I'm far from an expert...but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express. I know- big deal!
IMHO it's a perfect opportunity to take it to the shop and watch what they do and how they approach it. Teachable moment my friend. Having the equipment and knowing how to use it are far apart. Good luck.
