So I figured i would get out and tune my bow today with all the helpful information i have recieved from you all. Well it did not go so well. I first tried bare shaft tuning. had good success and got both sets of arrows to group together. Then i tried to paper tune. This is where the trouble started. The bare shaft tune was good but the arrows were way off acording to the paper tune. so i played with the rest and nock for a while making adjustments one way or the other. but it didn't really seem to make a whole lot of difference on the paper. I adjusted my weight down because they were tear to the left. Weight was at 59lbs. i dropped it to 55lbs. i don't dare go any lower than that. but the arrows would still tear left. I adjusted the rest and still couldn't dial in the fishtailing problem. I also adjusted the tiller but maybe i screwed up the tiller and thats my problem. I am very frustrated. Sorry for the long post. Hope someone can point me in the right direction. thanks.
This probably will sound alot easier than you will find it to be but I'll give my opinion on what I would do. Go ahead and max out both limb bolts until you cannot tighten them anymore. Once they are tightened down (bow at max poundage) I take a dab of paint and "dab" it on the bolt and somewhere off the bolt as a reference. Its easier to keep track of how many turns you turn each limb bolt that way. Now back them out to your desired draw weight. That's my tip of the day. :D Then "I" would papertune and try to get a good tear. BTW....I used to be a bareshafter but like I said in my other post. I had a difficult time with it this last time. So...I normally paper tune to get the arrow leaving the bow correctly or close to being correct. This gets me close. I then proceed to broadhead tune. The objective here is to get my BHs hitting with my FPs. When that is accomplished, what else is really needed? Nothing. If my FPs & BHs hit the same spot and my arrows fly correctly....I'm done. Go kill deer. Good luck! BTW...theres a few different ways to accomplish this....some bareshaft, some walkback, some papertune, etc. I just told you what has worked for me.....I'm no expert.
I tried to paper tune but couldn't ever get the arrow to hit right. I went through like 10 sheets of paper. each sheet of paper was filled with holes.
Have you verified there is no fletching contact with the rest? I am assuming you are shooting right-handed. Spray-on foot powder is a good method for checking proper clearance. I believe that your bare shafts striking the target squarely is a good starting point. The paper tells the whole ugly story. Do not drop draw weight as this will affect shaft flight (I'm also assuming you have correctly spined shafts for your draw weight, point weight and shaft length).
not sure. it's what i got from the pro shop. I would asssume they sold me the right stuff. Where can i check for myself?
How long are your arrows from the throat of the nock to the end of the shaft? Are the Gold Tip XT Hunters 5575?
Finch and konrad both gave you good advice but I would certainly look into the fletching contact withyour rest that konrad suggests. You arrow setup, spinewise, looks to be good for your DW and DL. If the bareshafts went ok and then papertuning with a fletched arrow went awry then, as konrad suggests, check fletching contact. One other thing to check. Reset your bow back to original, 59#'s with an even amoutn of turns on the top and bottom limb bolts. Don't worry about tiller right now. Redo your bareshafting and, if that goes well again, shoot a bareshaft through paper, then a fletched arrow through paper. If the fletch does something differently then I would definitely look into the rest contact, as konrad suggested. Bareshafting can be a way to tune all by itself. The paper seems to be revealing a problem with the fletch creating an issue.
i also notice once i was done tuning that the arrow is on a slight incline in the rest. I started with it at a slight downward angle like i've read they should be. is it bad for it to be on an incline?
I also do not see where i could have contact. plenty of clearance unless there is enough of a change in the characteristic of the equipment once in action.
One of the problems most new folks have is they tweak everything at the same time. To get accurate feedback on your adjustments, you must only do one thing at a time and then verify that any difference you see in shot pattern is not due to poor form (technique), frustration or fatigue. My nocking point is 1/16 inch high with a brass nock set below the nock and a BCY string loop knotted below the brass and above the arrow’s nock (Bohnig Super Nock). Once again, that setting was arrived at through extensive experimentation (one month of daily shooting). That’s one of the things I like so much about this sport. It’s a perfect outlet for an “Inveterate Tweaker” …my sweet wife’s words, not mine. Bear Archery states my bow should have no tiller as measured from a string pulled between the axles to the point where the limb enters the pocket. I believe most parallel limb designs are close to this spec. I’ve never needed to fool with this adjustment on my Bear. My last PSE was a different animal. Remember, one thing at a time. It’s too late to be thinking about setting up for early archery season this year. Give yourself some time and enjoy this part of the process. You may also find as your technique improves, you will continue to make fine adjustments.
i think i was shooting better before touching the tiller. I think i need to start all over. Thanks, and keep the advice coming.
To me it sounds like it could be a vane contact issue (what kind of rest do you use?) or a spine issue with the arrow. Just because the "pro" shop sold them to you in no way means it is the correct arrow for your set-up. Pro shop doesnt always mean what it should. Just curious what kind of shop did you go to big box store (Bass Pro, Cabela's, Gander, etc) or a mom and pop local store?
brucelanthier said the arrows sounded good for my setup. also it is a privately owned small pro shop. I'm out to go shoot again. later
Results! Tonight was better than yesterday. I reset everything. I powdered my flecthings and there was no sign of clearance problems from what i could tell. I bare shaft tuned and they were perfect. no adjustment needed. Paper tune: Moved the rest up about 1/16". the paper tears were not perfect but better than they have been during this whole fiasco. So i let it be. but the groups still aren't as tight as i'd like. About a 6" group at 25yds. but at 35 there doesn't seem to be anyconsistancy. plus the arrows keep shooting below where i am aiming. yesterday i could literally watch the arrows fishtail as soon as i shot. Tonight i could not notice anything to the naked eye. However most of the time when i retrieved my arrows from the target they were all tail right. It's a dead stop target so the fill is kinda loose. Does that mean anything? I also noticed tonight i had a lot of wrist slap. I don't know how much more you guys can help but i appreciate everything so far. Thanks
I was actually thinking about your post on the way to work this morning and was thinking that there might also be a form issue. Sounds like you could have some torque on the bow when holding it. Inconsistency like what you are stating could be coming from form. How do you place the bow in your hand? Does the bow rest in between your thumb and finger with all your fingers out and relaxed or do you actually grip it like holding onto something? As for the arrows hitting low, once I was sure my form was correct and had both bow and arrow tuned, then I would adjust my sights for that.
i hold it open palmed, or i guess you could say i don't hold it. Thanks for the help keep the advice coming.
I shot my bow again tonight. No tuning. Just shooting. My first set at 25yds. was a 2" group. I continually shot 2" at 25yds with the exception of a few bad shots. I figured out what i was struggling with. It was my form. Since i have been shooting for two hours a day for the last 3 days my muscles were fatigued. Combine that with the fact that our opener was today and my bow was not shooting right i guess i was not focusing enough on my form. As i stated earlier i shot open palmed. however i was locking my elbow because of the muscle fatigue. Tonight i shot with a slight bend in the elbow and there was no wrist slap and i was shooting near perfect. Thanks for all your help. Any more advice is appreciated.
