Yesterday was the first time I've tried bareshaft tuning. I started with full length GT 500 trads, fletched three arrows, installed 50 gr. brass inserts using teflon tape (mentioned in earlier thread-worked great), and 145 gr points. The bowyer recommended that the nock point be set at 5/8" and the brace height at 7 1/4" so that is where I started. The three fletched arrow shot pretty good with just a little nock kick and vibration. I raised the brace height to 7 1/2". This quieted it right down and took care of the nock kick. Next I shot a couple groups each of the fletched shafts and bare shafts. The fletched shafts shot almost perfect. The bare shafts appeared to rise and then dive into the target. At 15 yards they group with the fletched arrows and at 20 about a foot low. They are perfectly centered but appear to rise and then dive. Based on what I've read that led me to believe that my nock point was too high so I lowered it a little at a time until I was at 1/2" This made no difference in the bareshafts diving and anything below 5/8" caused a nock kick that got worse the lower I went. I decided to move the nock up the other way and went to 11/16". Fletched shafts shot perfect but the bareshafts still dive. At this point I said the heck with it. The fletched arrows were shooting so well I decided to try one with a broadhead. The arrow with the broadhead for the most part shoots with the field points out to 30 yards but every couple of shots it appeared to want to dive like the bareshafts, just not as extreme. Any opinions on the diving shafts and what to try next to fix it?

Fletchem shootem

If it's something that only happens infrequently 9 out of 10 times it's something we are doing.

Watch Ken Becks vidieo on bare shaft planing on BW site

slow motion vidieo showes very well

I like to use my phone to video in slow motion. Both from the side and from behind.

I like to use my phone to video in slow motion. Both from the side and from behind.

Your nocking point isn’t right yet it seems. Why not work it out? What happens if you fletching gets matted from being wet while hunting. A tuned bare shaft will fly great once tuned.

Isn’t this right about the point where a guy needs to figure out if he’s putting pressure on the arrow so that it’s pre-loaded and flexed against the shelf?

I guess that’s not possible if you shoot 3-U, so that could be ruled out pretty quickly.

But I remember years ago shooting fletched arrows through newsprint and being at a complete loss for how to get rid of a vertical tear at close range (I was shooting fletched arrows only at the time).

Back then, I also used to get blisters on the side of my index finger from the nock, so I expect that was my issue. A deep hook appears to be part of the solution for me. That and more tension on the index finger....

Ya know, everybody is big on bare shaft tuning, but have you tried paper tuning with fletched arrows? Go to Elite Arrows website and see Paul's instructions on paper tuning I think it my help you.

Smoke mentions wet feathers and that's true. More than likely you're going to shoot with a form problem sooner or later and a perfectly tuned arrow (bare shaft) is going to fly closer to the spot.

Matt mentions form problems and with this issue it could be the problem, but we can't address that without seeing the shot and maybe the hook. And I wouldn't rule three under out on a bad hook.

"I have my nock set at 3/8's." What the heck does that mean? And more importantly does it mean the same thing to 75% of us or a 100%. The following explanation should mean the same to 100% of us.

Put the t-square on the string and rest. Put your finger on the spot that's perpendicular to the rest. Put a nocked arrow on the string above your finger and then tie in your nocking point 1/8 inch above the nock. Now move the nocked arrow up to the just tied in nocking point. Tie in another below the nock just so there's a little up and down play. Leave the tag ends long, so they can be moved up or down. Then tightened and glued, when in the proper spot. For my style of shooting this is almost always good. Note almost.

Paper tuning is OK and it might be a time saver, but it won't tell you if the rear of the arrow hit the shelf.

Go to www.fenderarchery.com/blogs/archery-info/basic-tuning.

One of the things you'll see is the bell curve of a tuned arrow. If your arrow is at the top of that curve it will be more resistant to your form mistakes.

Back to nocking points. Look at the first picture of arrows in the target. It shows bare shafts above fletched. **This is important.** The nock on the bare shaft is below the point. This means your nocking point is too low. Here's the really important point. If the bare is above the fletched and the NOCK IS ABOVE THE POINT, the rear of the arrow hit the shelf making it kick up. Lower the nocking point.

YOu can shoot a 1000 shots through paper and it will never tell you that. One more point. If you have that point above the nock on the bare shaft, your really close. Move the nocking points up one strand of serving at a time.

While we're at it, go to the end of the link and read the best broadhead tuning advise I've ever found.

Bowmania

When arrows dive like you said most of the time the string nock is the issue but also a weak arrow that was made to work by pushing out the side plate of the bow.

Not everyone....

But it sure seems to work once you figure out what you’re doing.

The trouble with paper tuning is that it only shows you what’s going on at one specific distance; in order to hit in the right place, a bare shaft has to do the right thing all the way to the target.

So many cats to skin… So many ways to do it…

One of the chief reasons the bareshaft tuning works for the majority of people "once you figure it out" is because it FORCES you to develop good, consistent form. If you don't do that you soon abandon the process. As for wet feathers that whole problem is significantly over dramatized. And If you have feathers that are so wet they are matted down so low to the shaft that they are not going to afford any kind of stabilization they are going to be so heavy from having absorbed water that they are going to significantly change the dynamic spine reaction of the arrow.

Bareshaft tuning is great If you want to take the time to do it, but it ain't magic or even realistically obtainable for some people.

Bow mania

Good post.

Todd I agree good post.

Just an FYI, make sure you are tuning with your bow vertical. Canting it while tuning will make things difficult.

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