I have been hard at work shooting many arrows and trying to build up good form. I am feeling pretty good out to 15 yards right now. That is up from 7-8 yards two months ago. I have been playing around with my brace height and found a BH right around 8 inches to feel pretty good. But since I upped my BH I am slapping my bow arm a lot more, not sure why. I am looking to up my arrow length from 27.5 to 30 inches based on some numbers I ran and from talking with people. So how is everyone else doing this summer in regards to their shooting and in tuning their bow? Best of luck to you all.
Upping your arrow length or you could also try lowering your spine and keeping your length. If you lower the spine you can start at full length and cut as needed until you hit the flight you're looking for. Also you can front load your current arrows with weight to reduce spine. Here's a how to I did to add lead weights inside shafts. http://forums.bowhunting.com/showthread.php?t=13348
Rob, I videotaped myself yesterday while I shot. I naturally have about a 28.25 inch draw. My arrows were cut for my compound at 27.5 BOP. I saw on the video where I am literally pulling the field point up onto my rest before I release. I am drawing around 27 3/4-28 inches and that won't cut it with a broadhead as the broadhead will not go cleanly on the rest like a field point. I noticed that, then I ran the numbers on my arrows through Stu Miller's spine calculator. I have 400 Bemans that seem to shoot the best, but a spine calculator showed me to be off a good amount because my 400 arrows were only cut at 27.5, thereby stiffening their spine. I need to up the length of the arrows to weaken my spine, to get my arrows matched up with my set-up. I want to shoot 150-175 grain heads and the Beman 400's cut at 30 inches show it to be almost a perfect match. I will purchase them in a couple of weeks and see how they fly as compared to my current set-up. I want a good marriage between my bow and arrows so I can analyze any issues I have with my shooting. I don't want to keep having to worry about my arrows shooting inconsistently, when in reality it is just me and my form. I want it all to boil down to my form and my consistency, not my set-up.
OK all that makes sense. I didn't realize you were drawing your arrows that deep. Your draw has probably increased over the months now that your muscles have gotten used to the bow. Remember to use the spine chart as a guide and not gospel, tweaking will still be needed.
Your hitting your arm after lengthening your BH? Are you bending your bow arm/elbow at all? Does anything feel different now then It did before you extended your BH? As for my shooting, haven't done hardly a thing all Spring. Fricking pathetic I know!!!
Arm slapping should be reduced (I know where Steve was headed) as your BH goes up, if I'm not mistaken. Arm slap is kinda a way of life in the LB world. Recurves? Not so much. I still haven't shot the first arrow out of my new bow.....lol. It's THAT riveting!
I figured the arm slap would be reduced as my BH, but it did not, it actually increased. I put a new string on last night and put my BH at 7.75 inches. I am going to shoot the string in today and modify the BH as I go, to get a good balance. I filmed myself shooting the other day and my bow arm is very straight. I actually feel I am torquing the bow to the inside on the shot. Do you feel I need to cant my bow slightly to avoid that string slap? I feel good shooting in an upright position with a straight bow, but I am getting punished on my forearm. JEFF, shoot the dang bow, dang it.......!
You don't need to cant the bow to get rid of your arm slap. You will get arm slap though If your elbow Is coming In Instead of out. I position/rotate my elbow out Instead of In.
I shot the Bear Magnesium Take Down yesterday. After loading the arrows FOC my shooting a was just ok. I have qualifications for Suburban Whitetail Management on Saturday so I've been shooting the Mathews Monster alot more. As I've mentioned before they only allow compounds and crossbows. Summer squirrel season is open now so I will be getting some humbling practice in.
I shoot a good bit last night and was shoot very well. I had been messing with string walking the night before and last night I went back to my normal instinctive and was very please. I shot well and the shot just felt better.
Busted out the long bow last night for the first time since last fall. She's a stout beast @ 60# but shoots great! This was the very first three arrows out of her since the fall, @ 15 yards. I was quite pleased
I'm still shooting pretty much everyday and havin fun goin to shoots on the weekends. I tell ya, I recently switched from carbons to Douglas Fir shafts I'm really lovin the wood shafts 10 fold compared to the carbons. Out of 2 dozen arrows there are only a 4 grain difference in all of them, pretty impressive, didn't have to straighten one of them!!!!
Its all in the way your gripping your bow! I never wear an arm guard except to keep hunting clothing out of the way. I can shoot any bow, straight up and down, canted, recurve or longbow and never have a problem. Fool around with your grip, rotate your wrist by twisting your thumb downwards. This will move your arm out of the way of the string! It might take some getting used to but will help out big time, it did me!
Thanks BHF...I messed around a bit with my grip and bow arm and have not had a slap in 4-5 practice sessions. I think the other day my form was collapsing prior to the shot and I was torquing my bow somehow.
I've been giving the Bogan a good outing this year and also the Yarra and it shows in my shooting too , I'm having an alteration to Yarra so I'm sending her to Russ this week , so I get her back in time for Colorado .
Mine, I assume sucks. I have not shot a bow since the last deer I shot last season. I really need to get a bow out and shoot some.
