OK, this may take awhile, but I'll do my best here. <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>
The tuning process isn't all that hard to figure out if you start with the basics:
1) Shaft and vane selection
2) paper tuning
3) group tuning
4) "Supertuning" (what I call creep tuning)
Over the years many arrow companies have devised charts and computer programs to help you quickly find the spine range that is best suited to individual applications.(AA and TAP are both excellent programs, and the Easton charts are very close across the board) Due to this, they are good reference points for most setups. The guys that normally go away from these charts or programs are those looking for a lighter weight arrow to compete in 3D, or those who are simply rebellious to begin with! <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle> It's all handled for you, let them do the work, IMHO.
All arrows paradox (bend) when they leave the bow, and as stated above in my first post, will bend differently due to differentials in their configurations and/or power source. To gain the best groupings and accuracy, this paradox must be negated as quickly as possible. Those who tune to a bullet hole through paper at 6 or 9' produce a "knuckleball effect" on the arrow and it will take longer for it to paradox correctly, thus IMHO is not the best choice for supreme accuracy at all distances. What top shooters and techs have found over the years is that an 11:00 tail-high left tear approx 1/4"-1/2" (right handed shooter with release) at 6-9' will produce a faster and more repeatable paradox on the arrow coming out of the bow, thus the arrow is more accurate. My findings have coincided with this theory, and I've been tuning to this tear with all of my setups for years, as it gives the arrow "purpose".
Most top archers go directly to group tuning and Supertuning after choosing a correctly-spined arrow and "roughing it in", and through this process have come to the tear mentioned above after correctly tuning for best groups at all yardages and Supertuning. Most tune out to at least 40 yds, I personally go to 60, even on my hunting setups. Small adjustments are all that is needed usually, either on the nocking point or rest, or in some instances timing of the cams. (supertuning) It is admittedly tougher to get consistent groupings at longer distances unless you use a machine, but by doing it yourself, you implement the individual "forgiveness factor" and know what you are capable of. (This is big also when it comes to getting your individual tune) I start at 20, tune for groups, then check my Supertuning.(twin cam only, sorry, they are more infinitely tunable) Then 40yd groups, then 60yd groups. Slight adjustments in tiller can also help you hold better. Sometimes all it takes is a 1/4 turn to bring everything in.
This process cannot be rushed, and is up to each individual to determine how accurate they want to be and how tight they wish to get their groups. I personally have both target bows and hunting bows, and I recommend tuning to each specific setup, not trying to run everything together when it comes to field tips/broadheads. Like the bare shaft and fletched shaft differential, shooting fixed blade broadheads and field points are two different animals also, and due to different lengths of ferrule/drag on blades, etc, have different aerodynamics and will fly differently. (and should!) If you tune both together to get a "happy medium", then that is what you get, and you cannot get the utmost out of either setup without directly tuning to that individual configuration. All depends on what you want out of it, and how accurate you feel you should be for either the tournaments you participate in, or for the game you seek. Personally, it's a no-brainer for me, and I work very hard to make sure my setups are as precise as I can get them. It gives me ultimate confidence in my equipment knowing I've done all I can do, and gives me one less thing to worry about when the 10 pt is standing out in front of my stand at 30 yds, or I'm taking aim at a 11 ring on a McKensie Turkey at 48.
As mentioned by Jerry above, he states that he now has no way to gain a spine check if he eliminates bare shafting-- he shouldn't need to check however if he stays within the limits of the charts/programs and reads them correctly, and the groups at distance will readily tell the tale irregardless. Spine can usually be readily controlled by a crank or two on the limbs, also. I find in some instances I may need to crank a pound or two one way or the other for perfect flight, which is really not a biggie.(I tune my bow to the arrows, not the arrows to the bow!) And, once you get used to your bow/bows/setups over time, you can readily determine which shaft/point combination will fly well out of that bow at your preferred drawlength and poundage. Most bows have a decent "comfort range" within which one can choose a number of different shaft/point combinations that will readily tune, but they should all be tuned individually IMO. As mentioned, seeing as the bare shafts do not have the same flight characteristics as the fletched shafts to begin with, one should not try to get them to fly the same, because they are thus taking away from the correct and proper tune of the fletched shaft that they will be using for the actual application.
Whew! Did that make any sense to anyone? I hope so! <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle> Good shooting, Happy New Year!<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> Pinwheel 12