I plan to shoot 45/60 Carbon Express Terminators at 29 or 30" (to be determined based on my actual draw when I get a string). Based on the head I use I can get an FOC between 10-15% with 100-150 grain heads.

I figured I'd take one arrow to start, and shoot with a 100 grain field tip, then 125, then 150, even heavier if I have to, to see which combo spines the best for the bow at my draw (martin x-200 45# @ 28").

With only shooting one arrow, what should I be looking for in a best shooting combo? If you were me, how would you proceed with testing?

If I only had one arrow and a variety of point weights? No question. Bare shaft testing. With a traditional bow, you can actually SEE how the arrow is flying.

But what should I be looking for? The one that flies the straightest with the least flexing? The one that impacts the center of my aiming point? From how far away?

If I use an inferior CE terminator (not select) from Wally world to do this test, should my results carry over to the selects? I ask because I can get one of these right now, cheap, but I'll have to wait a bit to get to a shop that sells the selects.

Bare shaft into a soft foam bale will tell you what your arrow is doing in flight (as long as you can see it) and how it's impacting. Ideally you want it flying straight and level--no fishtailing (side to side movement) or porpoising (up and down movement). You can also shoot through paper--you want a bullet hole, but a slightly weak and slightly nock high showing is generally acceptable. No idea if the two different shafts will be the same spine.

Chad

The best way I have found and it worked for me Is>>> Pick the arrow you wish to shoot, then Pick the gr tip. Pick the fletching you wish 4 or 5 in. Fletch the Arrow . But leave the tip insert a little losse so you can trim that end... Put up a paper tune rack or Put up some sort of holder thast youcan use to hald the sheets of Paper taunt. Start with the arrow ar full lenght. stand back from the pare about 12 yards and shoot.2 or 3 shots and look at the paper tear. If it is a Bullet hole Leave it It will fly tru. If its not a bullet hole . Shott 3 at a time and trim 1/4 in at a time till the arrow stops a wag and Puts a bullet hole in the paper. with My Ckeckmate I started with a 31 in arrow and end up ar 29 and 3/4. Like i said It worked for me .

Won't shooting much closer to paper give a better account of spine, since the arrow has more time to stabilize by 12 yards?

I routinely paper tune my compounds at 6', for comparison...

I bare shaft at 20 yards. What I am looking for is an arrow that flies like it would with fletching - nice, pretty and straight. I don't vary my tips - I stay at 125 grains for simple reasons that a lot of braodheads are at that weight. Start with a full length shaft, and shoot. If it flies nock right, its too stiff in spine. Only adding weight up front will weaken it, so at that point I'd change shafts. When the shafts fly nock left, thats a weak shaft, and I start cutting 1/2" off the shaft until I hit a length that the arrow flies straight.

Theres too much arrow paradox off the shelf of a recurve/longbow to shoot paper

and I disagree that you can tune an arrow that is flecthed. The fletching corret the errors in the spine by stablizing the shaft.

Bigbear53 - remove the flecthing from your "tuned" shafts and I bet they'll fly sideways !

I'll point out that SAV is talking from the standpoint of a right-handed shooter. If you shoot left-handed, the opposite applies with the nock right/left.

I prefer bare-shafting , mainly because I don't care to mess with paper and I can do it before I fletch, but you can paper-tune a trad bow. Back up a few feet to allow for the paradox to straighten up some--maybe 5-8 feet. Get your nock-set right first--this will be indicated by a high or low tear--then work on the side to side tear. Basically it's the same thing--with a right-handed shooter, a tear to the right means too much spine, a tear to the left means too weak. Using both methods probably wouldn't hurt.

The fletching won't have time to correct arrow flight at less than 10 feet. Further back, you will get a false reading because the feathers have begun to straighten it out.

Try both and decide for yourself. If you talk to some of the top target shooters, some prefer one method, some the other--obviously both will work if done correctly.

Chad

And don't forget that some left/right paper tears or bareshaft wig wagging can be caused - even with perfectly spined arrows - by not having your brace height right.