If you don't like this regimented/form orientated shooting, you don't need to comment. DON'T DO IT BECAUSE I DO IT, DO IT BECAUSE IT MAKES SENSE TO YOU. All these form threads are no substitute for a coach. No matter how good any written word is, it can't point and say, “move this here”.
Here's a short guide on tuning. It's been years since I've started from step one, so any help is appreciated.
The first thing is to set the distance from the window to the arrow. For a RH shooter the arrow when knocked and up against the strike plate should be slightly outboard left. Meaning if you set the bow with the arrow nocked on two chairs and bisect the limbs with the string, you should see the arrow off to your left, ruffly about one arrow diameter.
I don't know if it stands true for all super recurves, but Border Hex 7.5's and 8's need to be set in the same plane. A simple way to set this is to put an allen wrench in each limb bolt screw. Tie a string around each wrench to form a loop and make sure the arrow is in that elongated loop. This idea can also be used to set up conventional recurves outboard.
Next I set the brace height. I like to start low (and stay low). So for a longbow I'll start around 7 inches from the throat of the grip to the string. Recurves a bit longer. A lot has to do with the string that you have and how it fits your bow.
One of the reasons I say start low is because with a flemish string you can untwist it too far and have it come apart. So you want to take a shot and hear what the bow is telling you. Put in around 5 twists and shoot again. Five twists and shoot again. Your looking for a spot that sounds the best and has the least noise. You may want to adjust your distance so that impact is not real close to the twang of the string.
Now, I put my silencers on. I want the bow set up in hunting shape. If your using a bow quiver have arrows in it. I've never noticed a need for a change in brace height before or after the quiver, but I have with tuning. Any stabilizers should be included. If you do this after you tune, you'll end up with an arrow that is slightly weak.
Next we go to the arrow, full length arrows. You'll need to know www.fenderarchery.com/blogs/archery-info/basic-tuning or have a hard copy with you. When I started with this I found it impossible to remember everything. I also use a golf ball with a tee super glued on it, a bag target, cellophane, and an assortment of field points from 125 to 300. I also have two tips that weight 460 grains. Sometimes it's really nice to put them on and verify you're going in the correct direction. They're not necessary.
I should say something about a cut off saw. When I first started with carbons, I'd switched from wood and aluminum and didn't know if I'd switch to carbon. I also didn't know then what I know about tuning now. It still didn't take me long to realize I'd need one. For myself, but I do help other people. It's a real crap shoot to guess at the arrow length you want. You could end up with an arrow that's not useable or one with a 300 grain tip when you wanted 200.
Dremel tools work or there's a high speed cut off tool at Harbor Freight for about 20-30 bucks. You'll have to be able to cut the arrow off at a 90 or make it 90 after you cut. I've had a pro shop cut arrows for me ONCE. They did a sh&* job. You're better off doing it yourself.
What are the odds you won't need a cut off tool? Let me just say this, when it comes to fine tuning cutting a ¼ inch can make a huge difference. It's one of the reasons that 460 grain tip is nice or maybe even 300 grains if your final tip weight is light. You can cut knowing that 460 or 300 is making the arrow pretty weak.
To set arrows up for shooting, I wrap as piece of cellophane around the insert and put it into the arrows. It makes sense to me to cut the arrow off at the nock end, but I've already fletched 3 to 6 and don't know the final length. If you do this your final arrows won't all look the same, so I use the cellophane and cut the tip end. It's sort of like guys shooting the unnecessary 5 inch feathers, because they like the way they look.
I also don't use a heavy insert. Once I had to go lighter than I thought and had to take them out. Do that once and you'll never use a heavy insert again. I still have inserts in my basement that I've never found.
I like a 160 grain broadhead, so I'd like to have an arrow tuned with at least a 200 grain head or more and that's usually where I start. I have a full length arrow so it should be weak.
The bag target is set up shoulder height. I place the golf ball in front of the target so that when I put the tip of the arrow on the ball and release I hit close to the center of the target. Aiming without a sight is not an exact science, this makes it a little more exact. I'm not very good with a sight and it takes me quite a few shots to get into the sight grove.
I'll usually take a shot from about 12 yards with a bare shaft first. I don't want to be surprised and miss the target from 20 yards where I want to do most of my shooting. Let me explain the tee. My gap at 20 yards is probably over 40 inches, so I can lay the golf ball on the ground in from of the target. Some may have a gap as little as 12 inches. If that's the case I can put the ball with the tee in the target.
OK, now I start shooting and adjusting, using www.fenderarchery.com mentioned above. When you have them impacting in the same spot your done. You may be done, but I'm not. I'll probably shoot that bare shaft for another 2 weeks every day. Since that aiming is not an exact science and we are human, that tuning day may have a tad different form that the next day or the next. Plus you may find that even though the impacts are as good as you can possibly shoot, there may be a little kick in the nock. You'll see this after a couple of weeks.
For a RH shooter if that nock kicks right, put in a few twists of the string. It's stiff. If it kicks left it's weak take out a couple. I'd say 2 to 5 twists or untwists is good. I don't think I've ever had to do 5. This will come out in that 2 weeks after tuning. Now, you're good to go! “You may be done, but I'm not.”
Next, I'll take my 160 Snuffer, (and you should use a Snuffer) and make it weight what ever my tuning told me is the weight to shoot. I shoot it through paper at 12 feet and 12 yards. The reason I chose those distances is, I figure I'll never get a shot closer than 12 feet and by 12 yards the arrow is out of paradox. When going through the above, I've never not got a perfect Snuffer hole. I'm not exactly normal, and the paper allows me to sleep at night.
One last thing, in Tuning pt 1, I mention that one of the reasons Impacts or bare shaft planing is the best way to tune, because it's the only method that tells you if your nock is really to low or hitting hitting the shelf and kicking up so it looks too high. Go to the www.fenderarchery.com mentioned above. Go tot he first picture of a target viewed from the side, with bare shafts above fletched.
You'll notice that the bare shafts have the nock below the point. It's a rare case to see this and it truly means your nocking point is too low. Move it up the width of a serving of thread two at most. If you see the bare shafts above the fletched, but the nock is above the point, you'll know that the rear of your shaft hit the shelf and it kicked up.
Let me just say this is how I tune and I know my equipment pretty well, so I probably don't go through each step when setting up new equipment. And because of this I might have missed something, so if you notice something I skipped or feel you need to add, please do so.
I'll also say that since I'm familiar with the spine required for what I shoot, I may start tuning with the 160 Snuffer (Adcock suggested using the biggest baddest broadhead you can find. Once tuned you can go to a different broadhead as long as you use the same weight you found when tuning). I use impacts, SHOOTING THE BROADHEAD FIRST followed by the fletched field point using the same rules as a bare and fletched shaft.
Bowmania
To reference past subjects search by clicking on key word;
**Stance** **Grip** **Hook** **Body Posture** **Head Position** **KSL Sequence** **Set Position** **Set Up Position** **Anchor** **Transfer to Hold** **Release** **Release 2 (Back Tension) **Release and Aiming** **Rhythm Breathing** **Visualization** **Focus/Concentration-Mind/Mental C** **Focus and Concentration Pt 2** **Tuning**
