ORIGINAL: Paul L Mohr

Are you sure you read the easton tuning guide right? It's been while since I read it but I was under the impression it said that bare shaft tuning was for finger shooters and paper tuning was for release aid shooters.

As a general rule most will say bare shaft tuning is more associated with finger shooters.

And I didn't mean to imply that I don't think it's meant foror doesn'twork for release aid shooters. I use it quite often, it's my favorite method of tuning. I personally don't bother with paper tuning myself.

I don't think walk back or group tuning is going to tell you the same thing bare shaft tuning will tell you. And it certainly won't tell you as fast. Target arrows with adequate fletching are pretty darn forgiving. Tuning a bow with no fletchings on it insuresyou that the arrow is leaving the bow in the best way it can. I mean if you can group arrows at 30 yards with no fletchings on them I would say it's pretty darn to close to where it needs be. Imagine how well it will be when you use fletched arrows.

Bare shaft tuning helps you adjust your rest position, nock point and adjust your bow and arrow to the correct spine. Letting the arrow leave the bow as straight as it can on the way to the target.

Walk back and group tuning help fine tune the bow and sights to your shooting style and form. They are the last step in tuning a bow.

The rub with using bare shaft tuning with a release is there are no rules to it. When finger shooting you know that if you get "X" result you use a specific method to correct it or it means you are either weak or stiff on spine. When using a release it really isn't that defined or cut and dry. Sometimes you need to to the opposite to get it to work. And if nothing works you are usually off on spine. A little bit of playing can tell you which way you are off.

Something to consider is that with any kind of tuning form is VERY important. If you can't shoot consistently from one shot to the next you will pull your hair out trying to get it right. You can't tune any better than you can shoot. If you shoot 4 inch groups at 20 yards with field points don't expect 5 hours worth of frustrating nerve wracking tuning to magically make your bow shoot the nocks off your buddies arrows. It just ain't gonna happen.

Paul