sauer14

Hi every one, I have only been into archery about 8 months and I have a question, I have a Bowtech fuel compond bow and in the time I have had it the point of impact has shifted twice. The first time was dramatic, the point of impact shifted 6 inchs to the left overnite. recently happend again, it was perfect and then it started to shoot high and to the left. Same arrows, same shooter and the sights have not moved.I have not changed anything on the bow. The place I bought the bow can't explain it. Is this normal? If not can some one please give me some advice?
Thx in advance

bronko22000

I just checked the specs on your bow and the brace height at 7" isn't overly low. And being that you're only into archery about 8 months, and without seeing the bow, I would likely suspect that it is your shooting form.
Even a slight change in your grip, anchor, release, just about anything will change your POI. You MUST strive for consistency from shot to shot. If you're positive it's not you than maybe it is the bow. Did the shop check it out throughly? It might be a problem with the limbs.

mrbb

I agree, I highly doubt its the bow, but rather is slight changes in your form
form is very important when shooting vertical bow's
even slight changes can make big difference's down range!

a good way to learn, is to video yourself
don't laugh, it can help a lot
some folks also find, using a peep sight or sights you have to line up, or a EYE like deal on them to keep your form more constant and no torque on things as you practice and get a more solid form down!

super_hunt54

Unlike Bronko and mrbb, I think it just might be your bow and here is why. The POI changed but was CONSISTENT. If it was his form guys, it wouldn't be a consistent change. Especially one that came over night. I have a suspicion that it MIGHT be your rest sauer. Give the specs on everything on your bow. Rest, Sights, peep or whatever, kisser button or not, release aid type, string loop. Basically everything on the bow and pics if you can.

mrbb

not to debate, BUT if he changed his form to a different way and repeated it, the same POA would be the same shot after shot

how he grips the bow, release or anchor spot
if it was once here and now there, but he repeats it
the shift will be the same OFF , due to form

I am sure a rest can move and also be the issue
here
but if he said all things were tight?
I doubt they moved and then got tight again?

Form is a HUGE part of archery/bow shooting

just like guys that shoot from a treestand and then don't bend at the hip and miss?
Form /was bad and odds are the rest was all right?

that's the main reason they practice and more practice is what makes you better shooter, you develop muscle memory to stay in FORM

I'm not perfect by any means, but its still my guess here!

sauer14

Thx for all the help guys, the bow is set at 55lbs it is a single pin sight and it has a whisker bisket rest and I am not sure who makes the release and I don't know what a kisser button is. When I took it where I bought it I fired at a paper target at 10 yards and the arrow went through cleanly you could planely see where the three vanes went through. I do not wrap my left hand around the riser but keep and open hand, it might very well be my form, I just don't have enough experience to know. I will talk to the people I bought the bow from again, they said it was fine, after I adjusted the sight again it shoots fine, this is very frustraging.

super_hunt54

Okay, you adjusted the sight and that fixed your problem. That is telling me your rest again and NOT your form. ESPECIALLY with it being a whisker bisket. My suggestion to you would be to put that thing where it belongs (trash) and get a good rest. A good drop away rest solves a LOT of tuning issues. WB's wear and will change POI if you shoot a lot through them. They also damage your vanes creating erratic arrow flight.

bronko22000

SH - why did the shop go over his bow and say all was OK? Of course we don't know how good the shop is! Maybe its a combination of both
I respect your knowledge but its pretty hard to diagnose a problem without looking at it first hand. I do agree there are better rests out there than the WB though

super_hunt54

Many years of teaching archery and working on bows of all kinds gives me a working knowledge of common problems and mistakes. Granted sight unseen makes it a little more difficult, but his description of the problem was fairly detailed and his POI shift direction is one I have seen several times. Almost every one of those times was from a problem with the rest. Him letting us know it is a WB pretty much clinched it for me. And there are many bow shops out there that will just give a bow a cursory glance and see that everything is tight and not be able to figure out the problem.

For instance, the old TM hunter style rests had a common problem that would create a similar shift because of spring tension wear. And it would sometimes suddenly pop up verses a gradual thing. Sometimes the adjustment screw for the prong height would SEEM tight enough but firing would cause a slight shift in some models.

With the stupid design of the WB, you have wear in the bristles. ESPECIALLY from most carbon arrows in higher speed bows. I'm betting he has enough wear in the bristles that it raised his POI. It probably went unnoticed by the guys in the shop.

Granted this is just an opinion but it's an informed opinion stated from many moons of experience with a common problem. It's extremely rare that you get a POI shift over night from an unconscious form change that stays consistent even after you shift your sights to the POI change. Muscle memory just doesn't act like that. And he sounds like he has been shooting long enough to gain a pretty fair amount of muscle memory.

bronko22000

OK Let's be the devil's advocate here. The original poster stated that he has been in archery for only 8 months. Now I on the other hand have been shooting a bow for about 55+ years. In the past decade I've purchased bows from different manfs. (Hoyt, Martin, Mathews) and different models of bows by the same manf. I set up my own bows and I'm pretty good at it. But I have found that until I get accustomed to a particular bow I can be shooting dead on at just about any range one day and be off a bit the next. It sometimes takes me about a week of shooting to get accustomed to it. And the culprit always seems to be a slight "feel" to the grip design.
One thing I don't do is paper tune. Some swear by it. But I don't. I set up my bow, then do walk back tuning followed by broadhead tuning. And do this only after I've been shooting the bow for a couple weeks. And without fail (except for original Muzzys) I can get my BHs to hit the same POI as my FT. For some reason the original Muzzys always shoot slightly left or right of my FTs. But they do so consistently. So all that would be needed would be a sight adjustment.
To prove this to myself I shot FTs, Magnus Stingers, Rage Hypodermics, Muzzy Phantoms, Slick Trick GrizTricks and ViperTricks and original 4 blade and 3 blade Muzzys all of 100 grains and the Muzzys were the only ones that were out of the POI range.