Bow ProShop
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TUNING LONGBOWS AND
RECURVES
RECURVES
best, then spend the big bucks for a dozen or two. You need to think about what
weight tips you want to shoot. The chart is averaged for 125 grain tips. Fine tuning
of arrow spine can be done by going up or down in point weight, arrow length, and
adjusting the side plate thickness on your bow. A heavier point will make the shaft
weaker and a lighter point will make it stiffer. If you get arrows that are too stiff or
weak in spine, you may be forced to either shoot a heavier or lighter point than you
wanted or have to buy new shafts. It is better to err on the stiff side as it is easier to
go up in point weight to correct a stiff condition than it is to go down to correct a
weak condition. Practice field tips need to be matched to the weight of the
broadheads you want to shoot. Most broadheads suitable for hunting with
traditional bows are 125 gr, 145 gr, 160 gr, or 190 gr. For tuning purposes, I'd
recommend at first buying an assortment of 125 grain, 145 grain, and 160 grain
field tips to be used in the tuning process. Don't buy your broadheads yet until we
find out what weight is going to fly best with your arrows.
Arrow nocks should fit the string without being too loose but at the same time, too
tight can cause all kinds of arrow flight problems and you can lose as much as 10
feet/second! When nocked, you should be able to point the arrow straight down
without the arrow falling off. It should fall off with a light tap on the string. If your
nocks are too tight, fold up some 150 grit sandpaper and run it through the nock
until it fits properly.
weight tips you want to shoot. The chart is averaged for 125 grain tips. Fine tuning
of arrow spine can be done by going up or down in point weight, arrow length, and
adjusting the side plate thickness on your bow. A heavier point will make the shaft
weaker and a lighter point will make it stiffer. If you get arrows that are too stiff or
weak in spine, you may be forced to either shoot a heavier or lighter point than you
wanted or have to buy new shafts. It is better to err on the stiff side as it is easier to
go up in point weight to correct a stiff condition than it is to go down to correct a
weak condition. Practice field tips need to be matched to the weight of the
broadheads you want to shoot. Most broadheads suitable for hunting with
traditional bows are 125 gr, 145 gr, 160 gr, or 190 gr. For tuning purposes, I'd
recommend at first buying an assortment of 125 grain, 145 grain, and 160 grain
field tips to be used in the tuning process. Don't buy your broadheads yet until we
find out what weight is going to fly best with your arrows.
Arrow nocks should fit the string without being too loose but at the same time, too
tight can cause all kinds of arrow flight problems and you can lose as much as 10
feet/second! When nocked, you should be able to point the arrow straight down
without the arrow falling off. It should fall off with a light tap on the string. If your
nocks are too tight, fold up some 150 grit sandpaper and run it through the nock
until it fits properly.
you think are going to be close to the correct spine and weight, take the bow out and
start shooting it. If the string is new, you want to run 75 or 100 arrows through it just to
stretch the string until it settles. Re-adjust the brace height to the low setting again if
necessary. Shoot 3 or 4 arrows and pay attention to any hand shock, vibration, and
noise. Put 4 or 5 twists in the string and shoot 4 or 5 more arrows, again paying
attention to vibration and noise. Keep doing this until the bow starts shooting smooth
and quiet, if you go above this brace height, it will start getting noise and vibration
again so drop back down. Once the best brace height is found, measure it and write it
down somewhere so if you change strings or the string stretches more, you can
re-adjust it without going through this process again.
Now we can get to some serious tuning.
TUNING METHODS
There are several tuning methods out there, however, in my opinion, the bare shaft
"Planning" method or the broadhead planning method is the best and here is why.......In
a well tuned/matched bow arrow and archer combination, fletching on the shaft isn't
needed at all with target points. The arrow balances forward of the center so if
launched in a perfect straight line, the tail of the shaft will follow the point. Fletching on
the shaft has one purpose...to counteract and stabilize errors in the shafts flight path
caused by not being launched straight. Not being launched straight can be caused by
equipment tuning or flaws in our form and it's difficult to tell the two apart. The goal
here is to eliminate equipment flaws leaving only our own poor shooting as an excuse!
How can you fine tune your bow and arrows with fletching on the shaft designed to
correct and hide flaws?! You can't! Remember the bell curve above? You can get
inside the acceptable range by luck or trial and error but our goal is the middle. The
broadhead planning method works the same way, broadheads, the bigger the better,
magnifies the tuning problems so you can see them and correct them.
The key ground rule in tuning is to only change one variable at a time, then analyze the
results. If you change two or more variables, and your arrow flight gets a little better or
worse, you don't know which change caused the results and creates even more
confusion. Your shooting form must be fairly consistent, if not, erratic arrow flight will
occur even with a properly tuned bow. That doesn't mean you have to be a great shot,
as long as you can shoot a "group", you'll be able to determine needed changes and
get closer to perfection. And lastly, never make adjustments based on the flight of just
one arrow, base your adjustments on the average between several arrows, especially
wood arrows where spine consistency and straightness can be a problem. Basing your
adjustments on the average of many arrows helps remove the flaws in our form leaving
only equipment problems.
The detailed descriptions below are for a right-handed shooter. Up and down
adjustments with the nock point is the same if you are right handed or left handed. Left
or right adjustments however are reversed. For explanation purposes, all discussion
will be for right handed shooters. If you are left handed just reverse all left/right
indications.
BARE SHAFT PLANNING
Some how, bad information has been passed down from archer to archer for many
years on the correct method to bare shaft tune. Some might be familiar with, or heard
of a technique of bare shaft testing that requires getting close to your target and
analyzing nock left/right/up/down patterns for tuning purposes, that is not a good
method and causes great confusion! The correct way is bare shaft "planing", or
determining adjustments based on bare shaft groups in relation to identical fletched
shafts at longer distances. As stated above, an arrow balances forward of center, and
if everything is perfect, fletching is not required for accurate arrow flight. A well tuned
shaft always goes where it's pointed, fletched or not.
To get started, it's easiest if you have at least several close to correct sized shafts
from the chart and several above and below the recommended size also. That is not
always possible so let's just say you only have the recommended size from the chart.
Your bow should be set up exactly the way you intend to hunt with it. All silencers
installed, brush buttons, arrow rest, bow quiver, ect.... Install field tips of the same
weight as the broadheads you want to shoot if you have a choice. If you are stuck with
only one size shaft, you may be forced to shoot tips heavier or lighter than your desire.
NEVER BARE SHAFT BROADHEADS! Field tips/target points only. Broadheads will
act like fletching on the wrong end and wild flight can result.
Now to get started, step back 15 or so yards and start shooting 3 or 4 bare shafts
mixed with 3 or 4 identical fletched shafts aiming for a spot. Odds are they are not
going to fly very well so we need to start making adjustments to straighten them out.
You are going to make adjustments based on where the groups are in relation to eack
other, not on whether the nocks are kicking one way or another. We want to take care
of any up/down problems first. If the majority of your bare shafts are grouping high or
low of where the majority of your fletched arrows are, the nock point needs to be
adjusted. Ignore left and right problems at this time. If your bare shafts are grouping
lower than you fletched shafts, lower your nock point a tiny bit, maybe 1/32" and shoot
several more arrows. If you lower your nock point all the way to zero and they are still
hitting low, your nock point was too low to start with and the back of the arrow is
"kicking" off the shelf, giving a "low" indication! If they impact (group) higher, raise your
nock point.
Once your bare shafts are grouping close up/down with the fletched shafts, it's time to
work on any left/right problems. If the majority of your bare shafts are impacting
(grouping) left of the majority of your fletched shafts, your arrows are too stiff. To
correct this you have several options. The easiest is to increase point weight one step
and try again. It's possible you may have to go from a 125gr tip to 190gr to get good
flight! Another option if you have a thick side plate on your arrow shelf in the sight
window is to reduce the thickness of that side plate, moving the arrow closer to
centershot, and test again. It's also possible you may never get good flight if they are
way too stiff and you will be forced to get new shafts of a weaker spine. Hopefully that
won't be the case. If the majority of your bare shafts impact (group) right of your
fletched shafts, they are too weak. Reduce your tip weight and try again, or build out
your side plate further away from centershot. You can shorten your arrows 1/2" at a
time which will make the arrow stiffer. Again if the problem can not be corrected, new
shafts of a higher spine may be needed. Remember to never base adjustments on one
or two shots, shoot many shots mixing bare and fletched shafts and average the
relationship between the groups. For example if 5 bare shaft shots went left of the
fletched shafts, and one went right, adjust for a shooting left indication. Change only
one thing at a time and evaluate the results. Changing from a 2018 to a 2117 for
example is TWO CHANGES, not one! You have changed spine and centershot! Any
changes you make to the bare shafts, make the same changes to the fletched shafts!
The bare and fletched shafts must be identical. Once you are getting fairly satisfied,
step back to 20 yards and start shooting several fletched shafts and bare
shafts....Repeat the tuning process starting with nock point adjustments.
A properly tuned set up, bare shafts and fletched shafts will group together out to 30
yards or more. Expect the bare shaft groups to be somewhat larger then the fletched
groups for obvious reasons! The better your form is, the tighter the groups will be and
the farther away you can maintain good groups, and finer tuning can be accomplished.
The most forgiving arrow to shoot will actually show a slightly weak/slightly high nock
point indication. In other words, at 20 yds or more, bare shafts grouping a little low and
right is perfect because fletching makes a shaft react slightly stiffer. Totally confused?
Here is an overview:
start shooting it. If the string is new, you want to run 75 or 100 arrows through it just to
stretch the string until it settles. Re-adjust the brace height to the low setting again if
necessary. Shoot 3 or 4 arrows and pay attention to any hand shock, vibration, and
noise. Put 4 or 5 twists in the string and shoot 4 or 5 more arrows, again paying
attention to vibration and noise. Keep doing this until the bow starts shooting smooth
and quiet, if you go above this brace height, it will start getting noise and vibration
again so drop back down. Once the best brace height is found, measure it and write it
down somewhere so if you change strings or the string stretches more, you can
re-adjust it without going through this process again.
Now we can get to some serious tuning.
TUNING METHODS
There are several tuning methods out there, however, in my opinion, the bare shaft
"Planning" method or the broadhead planning method is the best and here is why.......In
a well tuned/matched bow arrow and archer combination, fletching on the shaft isn't
needed at all with target points. The arrow balances forward of the center so if
launched in a perfect straight line, the tail of the shaft will follow the point. Fletching on
the shaft has one purpose...to counteract and stabilize errors in the shafts flight path
caused by not being launched straight. Not being launched straight can be caused by
equipment tuning or flaws in our form and it's difficult to tell the two apart. The goal
here is to eliminate equipment flaws leaving only our own poor shooting as an excuse!
How can you fine tune your bow and arrows with fletching on the shaft designed to
correct and hide flaws?! You can't! Remember the bell curve above? You can get
inside the acceptable range by luck or trial and error but our goal is the middle. The
broadhead planning method works the same way, broadheads, the bigger the better,
magnifies the tuning problems so you can see them and correct them.
The key ground rule in tuning is to only change one variable at a time, then analyze the
results. If you change two or more variables, and your arrow flight gets a little better or
worse, you don't know which change caused the results and creates even more
confusion. Your shooting form must be fairly consistent, if not, erratic arrow flight will
occur even with a properly tuned bow. That doesn't mean you have to be a great shot,
as long as you can shoot a "group", you'll be able to determine needed changes and
get closer to perfection. And lastly, never make adjustments based on the flight of just
one arrow, base your adjustments on the average between several arrows, especially
wood arrows where spine consistency and straightness can be a problem. Basing your
adjustments on the average of many arrows helps remove the flaws in our form leaving
only equipment problems.
The detailed descriptions below are for a right-handed shooter. Up and down
adjustments with the nock point is the same if you are right handed or left handed. Left
or right adjustments however are reversed. For explanation purposes, all discussion
will be for right handed shooters. If you are left handed just reverse all left/right
indications.
BARE SHAFT PLANNING
Some how, bad information has been passed down from archer to archer for many
years on the correct method to bare shaft tune. Some might be familiar with, or heard
of a technique of bare shaft testing that requires getting close to your target and
analyzing nock left/right/up/down patterns for tuning purposes, that is not a good
method and causes great confusion! The correct way is bare shaft "planing", or
determining adjustments based on bare shaft groups in relation to identical fletched
shafts at longer distances. As stated above, an arrow balances forward of center, and
if everything is perfect, fletching is not required for accurate arrow flight. A well tuned
shaft always goes where it's pointed, fletched or not.
To get started, it's easiest if you have at least several close to correct sized shafts
from the chart and several above and below the recommended size also. That is not
always possible so let's just say you only have the recommended size from the chart.
Your bow should be set up exactly the way you intend to hunt with it. All silencers
installed, brush buttons, arrow rest, bow quiver, ect.... Install field tips of the same
weight as the broadheads you want to shoot if you have a choice. If you are stuck with
only one size shaft, you may be forced to shoot tips heavier or lighter than your desire.
NEVER BARE SHAFT BROADHEADS! Field tips/target points only. Broadheads will
act like fletching on the wrong end and wild flight can result.
Now to get started, step back 15 or so yards and start shooting 3 or 4 bare shafts
mixed with 3 or 4 identical fletched shafts aiming for a spot. Odds are they are not
going to fly very well so we need to start making adjustments to straighten them out.
You are going to make adjustments based on where the groups are in relation to eack
other, not on whether the nocks are kicking one way or another. We want to take care
of any up/down problems first. If the majority of your bare shafts are grouping high or
low of where the majority of your fletched arrows are, the nock point needs to be
adjusted. Ignore left and right problems at this time. If your bare shafts are grouping
lower than you fletched shafts, lower your nock point a tiny bit, maybe 1/32" and shoot
several more arrows. If you lower your nock point all the way to zero and they are still
hitting low, your nock point was too low to start with and the back of the arrow is
"kicking" off the shelf, giving a "low" indication! If they impact (group) higher, raise your
nock point.
Once your bare shafts are grouping close up/down with the fletched shafts, it's time to
work on any left/right problems. If the majority of your bare shafts are impacting
(grouping) left of the majority of your fletched shafts, your arrows are too stiff. To
correct this you have several options. The easiest is to increase point weight one step
and try again. It's possible you may have to go from a 125gr tip to 190gr to get good
flight! Another option if you have a thick side plate on your arrow shelf in the sight
window is to reduce the thickness of that side plate, moving the arrow closer to
centershot, and test again. It's also possible you may never get good flight if they are
way too stiff and you will be forced to get new shafts of a weaker spine. Hopefully that
won't be the case. If the majority of your bare shafts impact (group) right of your
fletched shafts, they are too weak. Reduce your tip weight and try again, or build out
your side plate further away from centershot. You can shorten your arrows 1/2" at a
time which will make the arrow stiffer. Again if the problem can not be corrected, new
shafts of a higher spine may be needed. Remember to never base adjustments on one
or two shots, shoot many shots mixing bare and fletched shafts and average the
relationship between the groups. For example if 5 bare shaft shots went left of the
fletched shafts, and one went right, adjust for a shooting left indication. Change only
one thing at a time and evaluate the results. Changing from a 2018 to a 2117 for
example is TWO CHANGES, not one! You have changed spine and centershot! Any
changes you make to the bare shafts, make the same changes to the fletched shafts!
The bare and fletched shafts must be identical. Once you are getting fairly satisfied,
step back to 20 yards and start shooting several fletched shafts and bare
shafts....Repeat the tuning process starting with nock point adjustments.
A properly tuned set up, bare shafts and fletched shafts will group together out to 30
yards or more. Expect the bare shaft groups to be somewhat larger then the fletched
groups for obvious reasons! The better your form is, the tighter the groups will be and
the farther away you can maintain good groups, and finer tuning can be accomplished.
The most forgiving arrow to shoot will actually show a slightly weak/slightly high nock
point indication. In other words, at 20 yds or more, bare shafts grouping a little low and
right is perfect because fletching makes a shaft react slightly stiffer. Totally confused?
Here is an overview:
Copyright @2006 Bow ProShop.com
Welcome Guest to bowproshop.com: TUNING LONGBOWS AND RECURVES. Thank you for visiting.
Archery Library:
Correct Arrow Length
Discusion on Arrow Length
Arrow Speed
Measuring Draw Length
Discusion on Draw Length
Selecting Draw Weight
Eye Dominance
Tuning LongBows/Recurves
Correct Arrow Length
Discusion on Arrow Length
Arrow Speed
Measuring Draw Length
Discusion on Draw Length
Selecting Draw Weight
Eye Dominance
Tuning LongBows/Recurves
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