I'm trying to figure out if I have a tuning issue or just need to practice more. At 20 yards I can keep a pretty good group. I only have a few groups at 40 yards under my belt, but they aren't too bad. But at 30 yards I'm a mess. My groups are generally several inches left and open up considerably. I don't think I'm doing anything different at 20 and 40 yards than I am at 30, so I can't help but wonder if I'm the issue or if something is out of whack? I'm not going to have my feelings hurt if y'all tell me I just need to practice more. Just not sure what's going on.
Groups tend to open up with distance. To have a group open and then tighten with distance makes me want to watch the shooter to see what they are doing to cause it.
Could be several things. But if you make changes, make one at a time. Look at your grip and your form.
If you think a issue might be you needing more practice. You need more practice. Aside from the obvious as stated above. what colors are your pins. I use a 3 pin slider and i use all red pins because i have trouble focusing as well with other colors. Im NOT recommending someone that hasnt shot much to use all the same color pins. or you will break arrows and miss animals vitals, but could that be your issue.
First, i know i need more practice. I didn't mean to imply that i didn't. I'm new and that's I'm sure a good part of my problem. I was more wondering about things opening up and then tightening. Mr. Bryan Jeffrey, i wondered about pin color. I'm using a Black Gold Rush. Red, green and yellow for 20, 30, and 40. I like the red pin best.
I'm the same way. 30 yards is the hardest distance for me to shoot at. It takes extra concentration to put a group together but I can do it and it's a lot easier now than it used to be. My theory is that the the target is close enough that part of my brain aims like I'm at 20 while it's far enough that another part let's the pin float like I'm at 40. I say, if you can put groups together at 20 and 40, then practice at 30 is what you really need.
90% of my backyard practice is at 30 yards. Anything closer is a chip shot and 40 is close enough to 30 that it isn't that much more of a reach. (I've also never shot at an animal over 37 yards!)
Can you see you arrow in flight? If so what is it doing? Seeing that may help you some Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk
Put up a black target face. You dont even need a dot on the target to aim at. Just aim at the center. Set up a camera right next to you and film the arrow as it goes to the target. We do this a lot now that we are developing a new type of arrow fletching to see how it performs. You can see a lot of details when you watch the video and slow it down. You can really see it well enough when you are shooting.
"Pretty good" groups at 20yrds isn't acceptable if you're going to be shooting at deer, or any animal for that matter. You should be shooting very good groups at 20yrds before you start shooting farther out. jmo
How well can you see your arrows in the target at each distance? Sometimes 40 is easier because you cannot make out your previous shots where you can at 30 and subconsciously you do things to try and correct what you saw as a bad shot. Do different things. Shoot with your 20 yard pin at 30 yards (make sure your aiming point is higher). Your arrows will miss where you were aiming but should still end up in a good group low if you are shooting consistent.
If I had to list the things I did to tighten my groups and more importantly improve consistency were: 1) Draw Length - I was over drawing and found I was not consistently holding against the back wall this caused huge changes in point of impact (POI) 2) Anchor Point - I thought this was set but I found that as my arrow count increased I noticed small changes but it was not until I got a kisser button and a IQ site that I really solidified my anchor point. This was my biggest variance that caused changes in POI. 3) Grip, I was choking the bow. 4) Walk Back Tuning (or Broadhead Tuning or Paper Tuning) The neat things about Bow tuning is your local pro shop can tune your bow up to the point of getting it hitting where you aim but they can make it group in the same place for you. So don't worry about tuning of you bow focus on form. I know my archery range is on a path I cut into the woods behind my house 20/30 yards are sloped one way slightly 40-60 yards the other 80-90 yard are near a big old tree and 100-160 yards is near the house. So unless is your 30 yard location have a specific environmental influence that could change your form I think it could just be a fluke that your 40 yard shots are better than your 30. Inconsistency with form is the biggest factor in effecting your groups, not just size but location. My Form issues centered around my anchor point and grip but I had a really odd situation. I had tight groups but my POI would shift from group to group. A friend diagnosed me with anchor point issues. What I was doing was shooting all my arrows (6 at a time) and they would group nicely because I was standing still shooting one after another with little to no body movement. Then I would go retrieve my arrows. By the time I got back to my firing line and starting shooting again my form had changed and my POI would be different but the group would still be tight. This drove me insane until I shot enough to develop a consistent anchor point, plus a sight that helped. Note you might think your form is not changing it only takes a small tweak to change things. Fortunately or unfortunately practice practice practice is the only cure, I'm a relatively new comer to the sport so I understand your frustrations. I shoot about 50-100 arrows a day but I work from home and have a 100 yard range in my back yard, so I have an advantage over the average guy in the sport.
Don't get me wrong guys, i won't argue for 2 seconds that i don't need to practice more. I try to shoot at least 4 days a week, more if my schedule allows. I Just wanted to make sure i want missing an issue. Watching my arrows i initially thought my arrows were fishtailing, but the fact that they're all pointing the same direction makes me think I'm seeing the fletching rotation. Im not sure. Ill keep practicing and see where what i come up with.
Might sound stupid but are you sure your 30yard pin is sighted in correctly? I mean if you're off that bad at only that distance, maybe your pin is off?
Sounds like you need some more practice.But remember practice doesn't make perfect,good practices makes perfect. Have you had your bow tuned ? Could very likely be a form issue also.it only takes a very small difference in form to make a big difference in grouping.Try to make absolutely sure that you are anchoring in exactly the same spot every time.
Good luck! It took me a little while to get used to 30 yards but if your bow is tuned and you're determined enough, you'll get there. And this is just my opinion but I don't think your fletching is going to affect much at a short distance like 20-40 yards. I shot a half dozen helical and a half dozen straight fletched under (same brand/vanes) 40 yards and really didn't notice a difference.
Do you have a local bow shop that has quality employees or an owner that is an instructor? It might be worth a few $ to take a lesson and have your technique analyzed, bad practice equals bad results, nothing is gained from repeating bad form.
Maybe post up a few videos of your shot routine. One way I like to practice is by shooting an arrow, and then not looking to see where it hit, otherwise I'll be tempted to compensate for the miss. Only make adjustments after shooting a group.
Great idea. When I first started I would film all of my shots to make sure my anchor point and everything was consistent. I did the same thing starting out and my groups were horrible when I wasn't aiming at the same spot.
Also make sure where you're shooting at 30 is actually 30. I was getting some wonky yardages about a month ago and my range finder battery was going dead. Mine takes those camera batteries CR2(?) man are those things expensive for what they are. Could only find them in 2 packs for $15.
