I just got a big rock black hunter take down longbow a few days ago. Its an awesome bow and really excited about it but I'm having bare shaft tuning issues. The bow is right handed 45@28 and I am drawing 28". The brace height is set to 8" with a d97 string, Velcro rest and side plate and 3 fingers under. I have tried gold tip .600 and .500 both full length shafts and 29" shafts with multiple point/insert weights and all arrows are impacting nock left (weak). I even tried a 32" easton .400 with very little weight up front and still had the same results. Anyone have any suggestions as to what my problem is?

Form is the factor that often gets left out of the equation.

DDave

I'm not familiar with that bow.An 8" brace height sounds a little high for a longbow.Is that what is recomended?When you begin bare shafting be sure your nock point is set a little high or you can get a false read because the shaft can deflect off the shelf.

Form and nock orientation is no way to figure out spine, whatever you are shooting into will effect how the nock ends up. If you want to shoot a 29" shaft then a .600 with 150-175 should be about perfect and I would think even a tad more weight up front. A .500 cut to 29"s I would say a minimum of 275 up front will get you close but most likely a bit more. Shawn

Shawn have you had success then bareshaft tuning with inconsistent form?

DDave

thanks for the input so far. the recommended brace is 7.5-8. I like to think my form is ok. i have shot these arrows over and over and every time they impact nock left. i group good just seems to show weak every time. maybe i will try a different target...the target im using is a rinehart block style target...could be the issue

What distance, have you tried changing that up? Too close and the shafts haven't recovered yet.

Have you ever bareshaft tuned another bow? If you are plucking the string, you'll get that. When you have the same results with a range of arrows, it's either your form or it's hitting the bow.

Going from weak to stiff, you should see it change. If it doesn't, it's you. Try shooting a couple where you really focus on pulling through and follow through and see if the flight changes (even if it isn't good).

Also, I think those bows are cut way past center. I have a similar riser and I put a thick furniture pad on it as a strikeplate.

sounds like it may be me! actually this is the first time ive actually tried to tune my arrows the right way! lol. i usually cut em, flecth em and try different point weights until its good enough. and i almost always struggle with arrow flight. Im really trying to get it right this time. I appreciate the feedback.

A quick experiment for you.... Put a strip of masking tape across each limb where they meet the riser. Measure the width of the limb and put marks in the center. Now put an arrow on the string and hold the bow away from you so marks are lined up to the string.

Holding the bow in that position, the tip of your arrow should stick out to the left about equal to the width of the shaft. I'm guessing that if it probably on the wrong side of the string and might be getting pushed nock left.

Just a possibility

I don't disagree with anyone, but why don't you find out what the problem IS? Shoot a fletched shaft with the bare.

BUT before you do that learn www.acsbows.com/bowtuning.html click on 'download printable version'. Then you know what to do and WHY it works.

Bowmania

Here's the bow in question.

Thanks JSD. I'll try that

Beiter makes plastic clips called "Limb Gauges". They snap on your limbs and have center marks on them. I've been meaning to pick some up but the tape method works fine

check string alignment look down string is everything straight. string in middle of limbs and riser handle? all the way up and down limbs. your looking for twist in limb or pin alignment being off it can happen. to check riser cut out measure limbs just above and below limb bolts. and mark center of limb with pencil. then lay bow on flat surface like a table with site window side down holding bow down flat measure to center line on limb from top of table say 1 3/8. then measure table top to site window cut out. say 1 1/2 this would be 1/8" past center.

I have good form, but yes if you bareshaft by point of impact unless your form is absolutely terrible you will still get reasonable results, but you cannot do it at ten yards. I also think POI barshafting can be difficult if you shoot too many shafts at a time, you brain does not take long to adjust and it automatically compensates to make you hit in the middle, even if you think it doesn't, I believe it does. Shawn

Don't believe there is any way your arrows are too weak,especially the 400,s That bow appears to be cut well past center. Your arrow is probably angled to the right and the string is kicking the nock to the left. You may have to build the side plate out/put something under it or make it thicker. Nock an arrow hold the bow out in front of you and see if the arrow is angled to the right. If any thing it should be a 1/2 to a full shaft width,to the left,out at the point, if you shoot with fingers. Get that squared away then shoot matching bare and fletched shafts,to check spine. Good luck. >>>------> Ken

I appreciate all the advice. My arrow/string alignment seems to be good, arrow is to the left of the string about 3/4 of an arrow worth. i even put piece of a wood skewer which is about as thick as 2 or 3 tooth picks behind the velcro side plate. I shot maybe 20 arrows after i got home from work. They are still nock left. I need to try them on a different bow around the same poundage and see what my results are.

Have you shot a fletched .600 yet?

how far are you shooting bareshafts? need at least 20 yds to allow paradox to happen,maybe try one group of shafts for awhile to allow your brain to connect like someone above stated and i'll say when my baresaft shows weak i'm happy because my longbows usually end up with 250 plus grain heads my goal with any bow is to be able to shoot my 200 grain VPA's of which I have a box full of good luck.

and don't beat yourself up to much over bareshafting get the bareshaft arrow a touch weak fletchem up and go shoot

no I haven't. Im fletching one up to try and see if it impacts the target the same

ive been shooting them 10 - 20 yards. I think ill be able to narrow down the problem once i shoot a fletched shaft.

you puttin the cart in front the horse. Fletch some Arrows shoot a week or 2 get zeroed in.THEN cut the Fletch off one.

dch03,

The fletched shaft will 'fix' the problem rather than narrow it down.

My first attempts at bare shafting were several years too early. I still often have to shoot an average of arrows to be confident in my results and will intentionally shoot heavier or lighter points or stiffer or weaker arrows and make sure it moves the right way before drawing a conclusion.

EVERYONE SHOOTS DIFFERENTLY. But on my mid-40# bows, I have to shoot 30.5" .500 with 75-125 grn points. I can't even come close to shooting the setups that Scooby does.

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