I was watching Bowhunting Mag TV the other day (a lot of my questions seem to come from this show ) and they had a segment about using walk back tuning instead of paper tuning. This was the first time I've ever heard of walk back tuning. They didn't really have anything good to say about paper tuning. My question is which tuning method do you guys prefer and why?
Both. When I setup a bow, I'll first put it through paper at about 10 yards in my basement just to make sure there isn't anything horribly weird happening, then I take it outside and walkback tune the bow. Once it's walkback tuned, unless something just isn't right........I couldn't care less what it's doing through paper. I look at paper as a good starting point, and a good way to check things out if you thing something is wrong. I will also papertune each arrow I use for 3D to make sure that each in the batch produces the same tear, this allows me to cull out arrows that may have spine issues, etc. If they don't tear the same, I'll rotate the nock and see if I can make it tune differently, and if this doesn't work it gets scrapped.
I think paper tuning can get you pretty close. But the walk back gets you dead on, no chance for errors there.
Like Rick James, after I setup a bow I shoot through paper to make sure things are close and then I proceed to bareshaft, walkback, group and BH tuning. A lot of that tuning is redundant and likely not needed but, I like shooting and it is a good way of checking things out. I would never just paper tune or even just walkback tune. I think you should at least use two of the methods I mentioned and then check BH's if you are going to be using them with that setup.
OK.. can someone enlighten a newbie? I know what paper tuning is, and understand it... never even HEARD of walkback tuning... what the heck is it, and how is it accomplished? Thanks in advance
Slick I had never heard of it either until I watched this show. The idea is that you get your target have a spot at the top of it and then draw a line straight down. Shoot 3 arrows at 20 yards with your 20 yard pin then move back to 30 yards and shoot 3 more arrows (still using the 20 yard pin) then move back to 40 yards shoot 3 arrows (again still with the 20 yard pin). Ideally your three groups will get progressively lower but will be on the straight line. If the groups move to the left or right then the rest needs adjusting. Try this link it may be better then my feeble attempt to explain it. :d The link explains it slightly different then the show I watched.
Actually, that makes complete sense... and sounds easy enough to do. Now I'm gonna have to go to the range and try it. Darn the bad luck...:d I mean, spending time shooting is such a hassle... With the issues I was having with the kick in flight, I think that might help me make sure that the rest is in line. Thanks for the info and the link as well.
Paper tuning is used to ensure that your rest is set for center shot and that your nock is set to where it is suppose to be. The walk-back tuning or modified french tuning is used primarily to make micro adjustments to the rest as far as deflection left and right goes. Easy to do and well worth the minimal amount of time spent doing it. Regards. B.B.
Save yourself some time, for what MOST of us will be doing, a quick zero'ing of a pin, and a BH tune at 20 and then 30yds will get us as close as we need. For guys who shoot competitions on a high level, paper-tuning may be a bit more important, but I've found that if I BH tune a set-up, it's near perfect on a walkback as well. Almost an end-all tuning in the beginning. I eyeball everything, and then zero a pin, then slap on the BH's and see how close things are, make adjustments from there. Check out this thread from AT.com... http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=539460
I got my bow about 3 or 4 months ago. Just started shooting it out of the bow. Was supposed to be set up by a pro. Probably shot 100-150 arrwos so far. . . seemed to shoot fine. I tried the paper tuning out and my fletching is low and to the left (im a lefty so I heard it opposite for me) do I need to change anything. If so what do I change? and correct me if im wrong but my whisker biscuit wouldnt let me make verticle adjustments, just horizontal. Its a "carolina archery whisker biscuit. (came with the bow)
I'll go a step further, and say that if you really want to get it "well-tuned" throw some BH's on the arrows, spin-test them, and then BH tune it. If BH's and FP's are hitting together at 30-40yds, then it's gonna be shooting well. Not sure for you TARGET shooters how well this works, but for what I do, it works pretty well. My limits are more archer related, as I just can't see as well as I used to, and focusing on a small point at distance of 50-60yds is difficult anymore. A new prescription is on the horizon again....
I never ever shoot my arrows through paper. I hate it, and have had a LOT more success with broadhead tuning, bareshaft tuning, and walkback tuning than any other. The way that I bareshaft/broadhead tune are nearly identical... Broadhead tuning- Here I pick to spots at 7 yards and shoot a field tip and a broadhead at different dots. Then I compare the impact points in regards to my aiming point. Then I adjust my rest in whichever direction necessary to move the impact of the broadhead to the POI of the field tip. When I get it dead nuts at 7, I do the same thing at 10, 20, 30 and 40. By the time you get to 30 or 40 yards there will be minimal adjustment if any. The key to this is that you have to be able to shoot good groups at whichever distance you tune to in order to have the tuning be effective. I like broadhead tuning because you are tuning the worst flying arrows (one tipped with a fixed blade head) to the best flying arrow (a field point arrow with fletchings). If you can get these to match your bow will walk back tune without any problem. Bareshaft Tuning- I use the same methods as listed above but I use an arrow without fletchings tipped with a field point instead of a broadhead arrow. I generally don't do this past 20 yards as it isn't necessary.
I can usually get tuned through paper in approx 4 arrows. Then I will do some bareshaft, walkback and group tuning. More often than not, I don't make any more adjustments after paper tuning. I haven't BH tuned for quite a while now. When I shoot BH's they hit with my FP's so there is no need. The key is to start with an arrow that is built for the anticipated energy delivered by a particular DW and DL. If you have to move your rest much more than a 1/16" then you are "untuning" your bow to be able to shoot a particular arrow, which likely is to stiff or weak for your particular DW. Untuning, moving your rest from centershot, will decrease the efficient transfer of energy from bow to arrow. A whole lot of folks shoot mechanical BH's so it will be difficult for them to BH tune their bow.
I shoot thru paper first at various distances to get my nock point height correct and get centershot in the ballpark. Then I walkback tune to get centershot dialed in. Then I screw on bh's and compare fp/bh poi. Sometimes no adjustment at all is necessary, other times I may make VERY SMALL adjustments. All the above is assuming you've got a correctly spined shaft to begin with and NO fletching clearance issues, if not... all bets are off.
The show that I watched that led me to originally ask the question pretty much said paper tuning is a waste of time. They talked about how walk back tuning is more precise and prefered this method to paper tuning.
I am not a bow tuning guru by any means, but after trying all the tuning methods listed throughout this thread...Anymore I eyball it up, go straight to walkback & then fine adjust with a BH tune, since I do shoot nothing but fixed heads. If I have time & some unfletched arrows, I may toss in a quick bareshaft check to start off.
In all honesty, paper tuning IS more or less a waste of time for the average archer/hunter. It may be a bit more useful to some of the competitive target shooters, but for most of us, it's really not overly useful.
as I hear alot in my profession ... "means and methods are up to the craftsman" . The same applies here.
