How far away to bare shaft tuning?I can get around 7-8 yrds in my cellar?Will I need to shoot farther outside?

That's a start, but I wouldn't consider it done until they fly right at 20+ yds.

Many think 15 yds is sufficient, many others think 25 is a good number. I personally bareshaft 25 to 30 yds out. There is nothing wrong with starting 7 - 10 yds, but you should move out to at least 15 after initial tuning.

I am sure Viper will eventually chime in. But, I would venture to say that getting beyond 20 yards is a marriage of how fine tuned it is and how good of form/release you have. The farther out you can do it is a testament to both. Regards

3 -

I always begin BS tuning at 10 yards. While I'm usually pretty confident about my arrow choices and bow settings, things can happen.

Once I know they aren't going ballistic, I will go to 20 yards and call it done on most bows - IF both the planing and nock-kickout "agree" - meaning the BS and the fletched ones hit the same spot and have the same (perpendicular) orientation to the surface of the target.

On some of my Olympic bows, I will go out farther, usually up to 60 yards, but in 5 yard increments - like I said, thing happen, and BD is right, with bare shafts YOU are part of the equation.

Viper out.

Viper, question

if a shaft flys bare shaft great and also will group with fletched arrows of the same-But is logically way stiff would your go with it anyway

the more logical choices show weak-

Ex: 50's style recurve 48#@26" drawinfg 26" likes 2117 27" bop with 175 grain point I would think a 2016 would be about right , but shows very weak?

Operator error?

Andy -

Most likely operator error, or just some "quirk" in the set up. (I have one like that, but that's another story...) The bottom line is that whether the bare shafts are lying to you or not, that's the way they want to leave the bow.

You have two options: 1. Find out why they are acting that way and 2. just deal with it.

Now for the sticky part. We always talk about the "best tune", meaning what I described in the last post. However, that's only a starting point. That means you were able to make the arrows match the bow. 1+ for that. The next step, if your shooting ability is up to it, is to start there and then tune for group size. For example, from my target bow, I get better grouping with arrows that tune slightly stiff, like a few inches at 20 yards. That, I'd assume compensates for my most common shooting flaw.

Viper out.

Thanks Viper

Think I'll stick with the 2117's they seem to do the best, and hit where I want them to go

all the more logical choices show feather correction in flight where as the 2117's look to fly straight like the bare shaft

I realize this is "heresy" but bare shafting to me is a waste of time. I mean after all how much weight do three or four feather fletches add to arrow weight? You're not going to bow hunt with an un-fletched arrow, nor are you going to enter a competition with an un-fletched arrow. Besides just because an un-fletched arrow groups with fletched arrows it isn't written in stone that, that un-fletched arrow when fletched will still group with the other fletched arrows you had loosed earlier.

Then cyrille, I'd suggest you not do it.

Honestly, I believe that archers of yesterday had a better understanding of spine than todays group. The compound era created a generation of archers that really didn't have to think much, except what release to buy and how to set their bow sights that the pro shop put on their bow. The intricacies of matching static spine to the bow to accommodate the dynamics they would incur was totally lost, save for a few souls who already had the knowledge, or were willing to learn. Now it seems like a foreign language to most folks even though it is relatively simple.

Bareshafting has been around since the 60's in my experience and likely before that. I rarely use it because I don't change anything drastically, but every now and then I'll check my setup by shooting one. I would probably be better off to start with the bare shaft if I wasn't so bullheaded. 8^). Common sense should tell one that a bare shaft that hits the bullseye with the fletched ones is a good thing. The fact that the best archers in the world do it should solidify that process as being a good one.

Tom and Viper nailed it.

Cyrille, some of us actually use tape on the nock end of a bare shaft to simulate the weight of the fletching. ;)

From what I have been reading recently, I was under the impression that bare shaft tuning was to get the arrow length/spline right for the draw weight and point weight of the bow and arrows you are using, so they enter the target face straight. This being said, you would want to have them hitting with your fletched arrows at the maximum distance you would be shooting at. Since most of you are a whole lot more knowledgeable then me, is this correct?

Cyrille, weight of the feathers really has nothing to do with why bare shafting works. It's guidance vs no guidance.

Part of this is from auto correct. It's bare shaft PLANE not plan, hence planning.

Bowmania

Frank, you want them to impact the target as your fletched arrows do. You will go crazy trying to chase the tail end. 8^) Impacting with your fletched arrows is a sign of correct spine.

And I have shot 3d matches with bare shafts just to mess with the other guys heads, and to show them how well it can work.

Lol, I've threatened to do that myself, still feel like I'd be taking advantage of some. But hey, I enjoy tuning. My opinion? If you're starting on the ragged edge you don't have nearly as far to go before you've blown the shot. If on the other hand you're starting as close to center as possible it allows a little more margin for error, a cushion, for those not so perfect releases or form hiccups. That can turn a bunch of those 8s into 10s or long nights with a lantern into short recoveries. I'm in.

If I can't tune a bare shaft to hit where I want it to hit at 20-25 I've got the wrong shaft.

I agree with George. Bare shafts shooting to the same point of impact as arrows with feathers.

Guys -

Sorry, but planing and nock kickout have to agree. ie both have to indicate stiff/weak or nock high/low. You really can't have one without the other. Basically what causes one, causes the other.

If they don't agree, then 1. user error is giving false readings on one or the other; 2. move back 5 - 10 yards and repeat the exercise.

Kinda way paper and bare shaft tuning also have to give the same data.

Viper out.

Bare shaft Planing: to get the spine to agree with the bow and shooter so flys straight to the target (not nock left or nock right of hock hi or nock low ) but nice and straight

Paper tuning basically captures what the arrow is doing at one point in time before the feathers have finally corrected it if a hole and not a tear then that arrow would most likely have bare shafted straight

Bare Shaft tuning: a group of feathered and group of bare shafts impacting at the same point on the target If not adjustments are made to bring the 2 groups together

At least that is the way I was taught?

Then again some just shoot feathered arrows and if they straighten up immedeately (little feather correction needed ) and good flight to target they are good to go

all of them work- I just hate to see some one shoot with arrows that cork screw all the way to the target and think they are good to go

I know that I'm not good enough in consistancy to get it perfect

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