I have read thousands of threads, and a quantified, simple answer to this still eludes me. What is it, how do you find out where it is on any given bow, how can you tell if it is out of whack, and how do you fix it if it is off? My archery shop is leaving town and now I have to (want to) do everything myself. Up until now - no one else has touched my bow/arrows except them. To make matters worse -- I am a perfectionist with no "hands-on" experience. Almost everything I know about archery I have learned here.
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Mighty Mite VFT, Muzzy ZE Rest, 260g Gold Tip XT' s/Feathers, Magnus Stinger 100g, No Peep with a bored peep, King Cobra sight, limbsavers, Cat Whisker string silencers, Vibracheck stabilizer, String loop, Scott release, 29 inch DL, 62 lb, 283 fps.
Center shot is just having the arrow pointed in the same direction as the string and cams are traveling when shot.
One way to check it is to nock an arrow and place the bow on the ground pointed away from you and then look down the bow and see if the arrow,string and cams are aligned and then look and see if the arrow runs a straight line with the limb bolts and stabilizer.
Of course this varies slightly from bow to bow but is a good starting point.My centershot is slightly to the inside of the stabilizer and that seems to be normal for some but I have never seen one that centershot was outside the stabilizer.
You need to set it and then do some group tuning.Get at a comfortable extended distance and shoot groups,make slight adjustments left and shoot more groups and then move the rest right and shoot more groups and when you start shooting your best groups you will most likely be very close with centershot.Make sure you make very slight adjustments and check it several times.I like to do it over a couple of days just to make sure it wasn't a fluke the day before.
Centershot has a HUGE affect on shootability and forgiveness.IMO this is the most critical part of setting up a bow after getting the spine right.
Center shot is the side to side positioning of the rest so it is dead center between the two cams when at FULL DRAW. If you look at the cams, the string is offset to one side on the cam. This offset with do three things. First, the string is not lined up down the center of the limbs. Second: the cam will lean slightly when at full draw due to the off center force. Third: the limbs may also flex or twist a small amount when tension is applied. By moving the rest in small increments you can adjust tip of the arrow until it is directly between the cams when nocked on the string. When the arrow is released the rest is supporting the arrow dead center between the cams for a smooth, clean release. Hope this makes sense to you.? [:-]
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NRA - IPA IRA ISA IHA Certified instructor
NAA - Level II Coach
PGC - IBEP Bowhunter Safety Instructor
Yes, it does make sense. Been wondering about this for a while now - just had to ask -- glad I did
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Mighty Mite VFT, Muzzy ZE Rest, 260g Gold Tip XT' s/Feathers, Magnus Stinger 100g, No Peep with a bored peep, King Cobra sight, limbsavers, Cat Whisker string silencers, Vibracheck stabilizer, String loop, Scott release, 29 inch DL, 62 lb, 283 fps.
i consider it to be where when i'm at 30 and 40 yards and shoot at a dot near the top of my target with my 20 yard pin, the arrows fall directly below the dot vertically. first i have to be dead on at 20 before doing it. if my arrows are going to the right of the dot from 30 with my 20 pin i move my rest left a little. if left, vice versa. this determines my centershot, and if you can shoot consistently from 30 and 40 it will work for you.
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aka bucknasty
The average man seeks certainty in the eyes of the onlooker and calls that self-confidence. The warrior seeks impeccability in his own eyes and calls that humbleness.
Take it to your pro shop and have them lazer your center shot, i did this and made two felt tip marks on the riser base (front and back on top of the base) below your rest where the lazer dot was aimed, this gives you a quick centershot guide the next time you go to make any changes to be on centershot.
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^ Summit Goliath ^ ^ ^
Martin Saber SE Pro
@ 65 #'s
55-75 XT Hunter G/T's
Cobra Sidewinder (Mystic)
Deluxe WB QS
Ultimate Steel 100's (Rockets)
The shops I watched using the laser for center shot do so with the bow relaxed. This won't even be close to actual centerline of the cams and limbs when at full draw. The quickest and most accurate way to allign center shot is to bare shaft tune. This leaves no doubt about adjustments needed to tune your set up.
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NRA - IPA IRA ISA IHA Certified instructor
NAA - Level II Coach
PGC - IBEP Bowhunter Safety Instructor
i consider it to be where when i'm at 30 and 40 yards and shoot at a dot near the top of my target with my 20 yard pin, the arrows fall directly below the dot vertically. first i have to be dead on at 20 before doing it. if my arrows are going to the right of the dot from 30 with my 20 pin i move my rest left a little. if left, vice versa. this determines my centershot, and if you can shoot consistently from 30 and 40 it will work for you.
Good post gibblet! That is if your good enough to hit that dot from 20 and 40.
Thanks for the question and answers. Is there also an ideal vertical centershot? Is it as simple as arrow being perfectly perpendicular to the cam bearings when your fall away arrow rest is up? I bought my bow used from an experienced archer, but it seems like my nocking point is a bit high, and my sight low to accomodate.
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As I stared in disbelief, I said, "Why doesn't somebody do something?" Then I realized, I'm somebody.
What is center shot?
. To make matters worse -- I am a perfectionist with no "hands-on" experience. Almost everything I know about archery I have learned here.
