Hi everybody. I got this bow that was used by the previous owner with certain arrows and 100 grain tips (1). When I got it I decided to use stiffer arrows and 125 grain tip (2). Paper test on (1) arrows produces good center cut and on my new (2) arrows it is just a tad lower and quite a bit to the left. My question is: should I throw away my new arrows and buy some more arrows of type (1) and 100 grain broadheads OR should I try and tune the bow for my new (2) arrows? Also in this case tuning manuals say that one of the ways to fix left cut is to move the rest closer to the raiser. Should I do that or my rest is ok judging by the way (1) shoot?
If u want to shoot a heavier arrow(2) then u need to tune ur bow to the arrow but u can try putting a 100 grain head on the arrow 2 and shoot through paper and see what happens too stiff or too weak of a spine will mess up flight also
I'd opt to tune first, buy more stuff later. Too much spine in an arrow can kill your flight/accuracy, but so can too little. Using arrows that match the size charts, per the arrow manufacturer, is the first step. If you make sure you're in that window, then tuning should correct any issues with flight. The heavier heads at that point will offer a greater degree of forgiveness, penetration, and less deflection once your broadhead cuts past the hair and hide.
Tuning is required no matter what arrow/bow you are shooting. You may get some group movement when you change stiffness, point/arrow/draw weight, arrow length, vane/feather type and size... countless factors. Also keep in mind the arrow charts are guides, your specific bow setup may be a little different. Also different releases affect tuning and most often missed is that some bows at the same draw weight are simply faster than others. Draw weight is only relative to string speed, its not the weight itself that counts as much as it is the acceleration rate of the arrow on a given bow. I'd say pick a heavier arrow in the middle of the chart so you'll have some wiggle room and tune your bow to that arrow. You can buy only one or two arrows at a time until you know you have dialed in. Watch for your vanes contacting the rest/bow/cables... no tuning can fix that; you'll likely have to rotate the nock. Lipstick can help identify contact points. Once you start tuning, take a scientific approach. Only change one variable at a time and hypothesis what you expect to happen, otherwise you won't "know" anything and luck seldom works in bow tuning. Paper tuning is a good start but not the only method. If you have arrow spine or kinetic energy questions, you'll find experts on this site who can help. Good luck.
Perhaps I need to clarify few things. I bought the package: used Reflex Buckskin bow + release + two arrows of type (1) with 100 grain target tips from previous owner. So this entire setup already was fine-tuned by this guy and he did sound like he knew quite a lot about archery (he now shoots recurve as he said that compounds are too boring for him ). First thing I did, not knowing much about archery, I went to the BassPro and bought these 6 arrows of type (2) + 125 target tips + 3 NAP Spitfire mechanical field tips . Next thing I did - I killed a buck this past season with them , at a very short distance though... Now I started to educate myself and discovered that I cannot replace arrows and tips just like that and expect same accuracy. So I did paper test yesterday and sure enough I discovered that (1) arrows make perfect cut and my (2) do not. That's why I'm asking. Should I throw away money I paid for my new (2) arrows and tips or try to fine-tune the bow to shot well with them?
Sorry... But if your (1) arrows are shooting perfectly, I'd buy more like those. Just make sure they still shoot perfectly with your broadheads too. Sometimes they seem to shoot perfectly with field tips but are all over the place with BHs. Of course as long as the weight of your mechanicals is the same as your field tips... though possible it is unlikely. JMO
Ok, thanks! Out of curiosity though: my stiffer (2) arrows + 125 tips are making right tear. One of ways to fix this would be to move rest (I've got NAP Quicktune) closer to the raiser. But would not it screw my centershot? Assuming previous owner for perfect center shot with his (1) arrows? Centershot does not depend on arrows, does it?
What is your DL and how many #'s are you pulling.... The Buckskin is a low torque bow, only 305-306 IBO rating if I remember right. Thus you can likely get away with a .400 rated spine as long as you're shooting under 65#, and a 28" or less DL. Anything above that, you're likely gonna need a longer length .340 spine arrow and a 125gr tip to balance the spine. Rather than mess with paper, I generally eyeball a rest to make sure it's very close to centered, and squared with the string, and zero a pin at 15-20yds or so, then step it back. Do a search on Walk-back tuning, and BH tuning ( See this link... http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=539460 ) best explanation you'll likely find on BH tuning. I won't waste my time with paper because it really gets me nowhere. Shooting the bow at varied distances gets me where I need to be.... As far as arrow go, I've been very pleased with what I've picked up at very economical prices at Cabela's in the Carbon Stalker Xtreme series....
If you change spine stiffness, you will probably have to retune and yes your center shot would be affected. Keep in mind though, very slight adjustments can make huge differences... Bruce Lanthier (The Old Square Guy) is a great resource... maybe he's available.
I've got 70 lbs on the bow and my draw is 27". Interesting results: Arrows (1) which are Victory VForce 400 are shooting perfect cuts no matter if I put 100 or 125 grain tip on them. And no matter where horizontally I slide the arrow rest! So these guys are invincible Though according to their shaft selection charts I should be using 350s with 125 grains... Oh and one more detail - they have 4" fletching. Arrows (2) are Red Head Carbon Fury and have 362 spine and 2" fletching. Shifting the rest does not cure the paper test unless I really go away from centershot and this gotta be wrong. So I think the problem is in shafts/fletching. Edited: after a little more research and testing it all makes sense now. My (2) arrows are too stiff. And that is what produces right tear - the nock tears paper to the right. Interesting though that stiff shafts were selected per manufacturer specs... General question - is it dangerous to use weaker shaft or it's all about accuracy? What's the worst that could happen when the shaft is too weak?
This doesn't sound correct. If you move your rest horizontally, you are out of tune. Put a Fixed Broadhead on there and you will see it. More vanes/fletching... at least for me provides better forgiveness. I tried the small straight vanes and hated them, though many swear by them. I shoot 4" right helical feathers. Vanes help guide your arrows, the more vane/feather and spin the faster your arrow will stabilize but they do not tune an arrow/bow. Many archers can tune to the point that they can shoot BHs with bare shafts. I am not that good at it yet. Conceivably you could snap a shaft, though I have never heard of a carbon shaft doing so. I have heard of wooden shafts snapping but have never witnessed it. Biggest point is if you are too weak, you will not tune properly and will have huge forgiveness issues when your release isn't form perfect. There are many ways to tune... one that has worked well for me is to shoot a bare(unfletched) shaft. This shows what an unstabilized arrow is doing very effectively. I shoot it into a target from about 10 feet and without moving my head, I look at the arrow and make minor adjustments until I see nothing but nock from the rear. This can be combined with paper tuning and done until you literally have nothing but a small hole with no tear at all. Just don't assume that because you are paper tuned at one distance that you are still well tuned at another... check it. Another way is to tune with a large fixed broadhead. Shoot a field tip into a target, mark the spot, remove the arrow, take off the field tip and use the same arrow with a broadhead.(Remember to make only one change at a time, changing the BH and the arrow is two changes) The BH should hit the same spot as the FT. If the BH hits left, move your rest slightly to the right and repeat the process until the two are hitting the same spot. I save BH tuning however until I am well satisfied with my basic tune. If you do this, you should be able to confidently shoot any good BH, fixed or mechanical without worrying about where it will go.
