How much tuning is necesary

QTompkins2005 · 04-18-2005, 06:57 PM

I'm reading about all these tuning techniques and all this indepth tuning that sounds like it takes 100's of shots to do. How much tuning is needed? I just got my bow paper tuned at 6 feet. Do i need to paper tune back to 20 or 30 yards or whats needed? What all types of tuning should i do/need?

nodog · 04-18-2005, 07:08 PM

Tune it untill your comfortable. Paper tuning to 6' only tells you what the arrow is doing there. If you have adjusted your bow to shot right there it may be just shooting straight at that point but wacky before and after that point. By moving back you'll know if it is going straight. If you want 10' and 15' should be enough to tune.

BGfisher · 04-18-2005, 08:31 PM

It doesn't take me 100's of shots. It takes many thousands. It's all I do. Always trying to get perfection, even though I can't be. About the time I have a bow shooting really well I change the rest or arrows, or fletching or just whatever. That's how I learned how to tune in the first place. Somewhere back about 20 years before the internet. It's what I consider the neatest part about archery is all the tinkering that can be done with many different items to come up with very similar results.

Bob H in NH · 04-19-2005, 06:38 AM

There are literally hundreds of tuning techniques, you need to pick the ones that work for you.

I paper tune as a starting point, get a bullet hole, then move on outside, where I will shoot until my form is comfortable (if its been a long winter and I haven't shot much like this one). Once my shooting is back on track and I can shoot tight consistent groups, I will "line tune", or "group tune". both of which require you to be honest with yourself about your ability. Group tuning is when you shoot a group at the longest distance you are consistent at. If you notice the group is more wide than tall, play with the center shot until the groups tighten up. Same for more tall than long, then play with the nock height and/or rest height.

Line tuning is similar. Draw a 1 inch line perfectly up/down. Shoot at this line at 20 yards and make sure you are hitting it. Now back up to 40 (or 30) and shoot at the line again, USE YOUR 20 YD PIN. Are you still hitting the line? If not, play with center shot.

I also will BH tune as fall gets closer to get BH and FP hitting very close, however, one summer my BH and FP did not hit together, but the BH were grouping so tight, I just left the tune as was and moved the sight.

--Bob

Arthur P · 04-19-2005, 06:56 AM

How much tuning is necessary really depends on the bow. Some bows are very easy to tune and some are an absolute pain. The bad thing about it is, I've found that the ones that are hardest to tune are also the ones that don't hold a tune very long. I hate tuning bows, so when I get one of those hard to tune ones, it finds a new owner pretty quick.

Bob hits on a good point in that it's practically impossible to tune a bow any better than you can shoot, no matter what tuning method you employ. Oh, you can take it to a shop and pay to have it tuned on a Hooter Shooter and get it perfect - at least perfect for the Hooter Shooter. Get it back in your ol' torque-y grip though and that perfect tune might not work worth a flip for you.

I usually skip basic tuning techniques like paper tuning and bare shaft tuning. After I've made sure the cam rotation is right, tiller is right and have checked axle to axle length and brace height against my bow's factory specs, I just eyeball centershot, set nock height with a bow square and go straight to group tuning and walkback tuning. It generally takes me no more than a half hour of shooting to get my bow tuned the way I want.

Sniper151 · 04-19-2005, 07:17 AM

Q, the easiest and quickest way to tune your set up is first to make sure you have matched arrows and field tip/broadhead to your draw length and weight. Next you need to shoot a few arrows with that set up to settle your stings and cables to remove any stretch and make sure your arrow is clearing the rest. With this accomplished you can start to bare shaft tune your bow with field tips. If you have matched your equipment and your bow is settled in, bare shaft tuning should take less than one hour. When your bare shaft impacts with the fletched arrows it"™s time to attach your broadhead to make sure they impact at the same point as your field tips. If you take the time to bare shaft tune your broadheads and field tips WILL impact the same point on your target. You should not need to tune again until you change components or sting and cables.
Good Hunting...

GGBH · 04-20-2005, 08:45 AM

Copied from Sniper151s post (If you take the time to bare shaft tune your broadheads and field tips WILL impact the same point) Sniper left off the comma after tune. He did not mean to bare shaft tune with broadheads. Reading interpretation confuses me. GGBH

Sniper151 · 04-20-2005, 09:04 AM

Thanks GGBH. Bare shaft tuning with a broadhead would get very ugly. It was late.

hoyt3 · 04-20-2005, 11:34 AM

I had a bow that would paper tune at 20 ft, but not 6. I didn't know much about it then, but finally said 'the arrow flies true in flight, hits well and accurate, so to heck with paper tuning'. Unless I am inaccurate, or see some sort of discrepency in flight, I don't go that route anymore. I think tuning until you are comforatble with the bow is the best answer, and only you can decide what that is.

BobCo19-65 · 04-20-2005, 11:51 AM

Quote:

I had a bow that would paper tune at 20 ft, but not 6.

Yup, most bows will do that. Reason is that the arrow is able to stabilize down range.

To me paper tuning is only good to determine how the arrow is coming off the bow. I'll only go to six to ten feet max.