Tuning up your equipment.

[MIKEXRAY]

Just a note to you newer guys to bowhunting about getting ready. I've bowhunted for six years & last year was the first year that I felt I really had my equipment dialed in. The first five years I would call it more " flinging" than shooting & if I could do it over and start off at the level of knowledge I have now, my success would be at least ten fold. Start working on your equipment now, go through all the tuning posts from last years advice & get all dialed in. Just the confidence in my equipment & shooting skills alone allows me to handle those close encounters almost with ease. Read about set ups, go to your bows manufacturers web site, hook up with someone that knows whats up, basically don't waste years " flinging " like I did. The best thing I did last year at the advice of Todd id was to number my arrows & shoot broadheads with each, to my amazement I had three bad arrows out of twelve that were 2' off center @ 50 yards with broadheads. Makes me sick to think of my misses over the last five years ( like 4 at elk )  could of been so easily corrected as checking arrows. In years past I shot one to make sure it flew the same as field points, now I realize my mistakes cost me. Listen, study, learn, & easily take your game to the next level. My accuracy, confidence, & enjoyment of the whole experience is much greater. Whats funny is I'm sure I've only scratched the surface & a lot of these guys are worlds ahead. I'm picking up my Mathews tomorrow from getting checked & will start my routine for getting ready next week.  Mike

[PWN Kurt]

Great advice.  I drew the multi-season deer pass. I was able to get to the archery range today and found that I have a lot to work to do!

Kurt

[Todd_ID]

Good reminder for an early start!  The biggest thing to remember is that bow tuning is not witchcraft just simple physics.  If you get frustrated, then take a break to come on here to ask a question.  You'll get several responses in a day or two, and one of them may be the exact fix you needed. 

Practice is essential to tuning.  You can only get the bow tuned to as good as you shoot that day; any tighter groups or better flight can only come once your form and consistency allow problems to be correctly identified and then fixed with tuning.  You can chase your tail for a long, frustrating run if you try to tune a bow for a shooter with inconsistent form!

The simplest, most basic place to start is with fletching clearance with prong or drop away rests.  Try putting lipstick on the vane tips and see if it shows up on the rest or cables after the shot.  If it does, then something, somewhere needs changed; anything you do in tuning is dependent upon having no contact.  Maybe it'll be as easy as turning the nock 1/32 of a rotation, or maybe it will be an out-of-tune cam that needs 1 or 2 twists put into the right cable to get both cams rolling over at the right time.

[JBar]

  You can chase your tail for a long, frustrating run if you try to tune a bow for a shooter with inconsistent form!

Wow Todd, I think you summed it up with that one sentence! Good advice although most people don't want to hear that the problem is them. Work on form and follow through and most problems seem to go away.

Good advice Xray! Start now and be confident in September, 3d shoots are always good for practice and finding flaws in you and your gear, always try to shoot in your hunting garb a few times before season to fix any problems with clothing , packs or whatever, it can all change how you shoot.

[MIKEXRAY]

Another good piece of advice I followed last year was to spin test my arrows with broadheads. I bought six montec g5s and spin tested all of them. I found I had two way out of balance broadheads out of six ( wouldn't spin right with any arrow ) . So I bought three more of the montec g5 100 gr, and out of those three I only had one perfect one. So it took twelve arrows & nine broadheads to get six perfect spinners & man they shoot sweet. I would almost say that they group better than field points from 50 yards, they seem more stable in flight. Needless to say I took one three pack of the Montecs back to cabelas, I'm not paying $ 33 for wobblers ( told them they were defective ) . It took about an hour last year spin testing different heads & arrows but I've got six perfect combos of arrow / broadheads ready.  Mike

[Fullabull]

Mike,

The G5's you took back were probably just fine. What you should get is the G5 arrow squaring device (A.S.D). This tool squares the end of your arrow so the BH sits flush on the end of the arrow. This will correct just about all of your arrow spin problems. I use the  Montecs as well, once I purchased all the tools I needed to build my arrows I noticed how many did not spin very well. I used the ASD and the arrows I had marked as target arrows (because they did not fly or spin as well) were now flying just like the others after I squared them!

You may still get one of two arrows that never seem to spin well but it is most always the arrow and not the BH's.

Keep shooting...

Fulla

[MIKEXRAY]

Bought my arrows at Rainier Archery      Would love to have the equipment to do my own & knowledge. I know its not rocket science but I'm the type that needs to be shown to learn. Would be cool to have a bow press & all equipment & be in charge of all of my quality control. Mike

[JBar]

I don't know of any pro shop that squares and spins your arrows and broadheads upon purchase unless you ask them to. If you are a bowhunter you should have a moral obligation to take some responsibility for your equipment and your ability to shoot. Nothing pisses me off more than guys that buy the equipment, sight in and go try to kill something, then when something is not right they blame someone else ( normally a proshop ).  I've seen complaints on this web sight and several others about almost every shop in this state and beyond and I can almost bet that most of the complaints were a problem of the shooter. I don't claim to be an expert but I do take responsibility for myself and equipment. When I need advice I seek it, but I do take it with a grain of salt as I know if I ask 5 different people and 5 different pro shops I'm going to get 10 different opinions and answers ( I think XxX can confirm this ). Sorry I got on a tangent! I'll get back to the spin and squaring subject.
  This is why I like the hidden insert type arrows as I square all my arrows and broadheads myself using the ASD from G5 and the hidden insert squares better with the arrow being pushed down in the shaft. With any arrow cut off saw there will always be some rough unsquare edge on the arrow, to avoid this in the future buy yourself an ASD and when you purchase the arrows from a pro shop ask them to cut them for you but leave the inserts out. You can square the arrow first then glue the inserts in yourself. Put your broadheads on and spin check them, you may have to square the insert after installing to get a good spin. This may take some time but then you'll be the one coming out more knowledgeable in the end. You don't have to buy a bunch of expensive equipment to be able to work on  your own bow.
Bowmaster bow press $60
Allen wrench set $12
ASD $30
fletching jig $40
Working on your own equipment priceless !!

[hookr88]

Bow hunting newbie. How do you spin test arrows?

[SpokaneSlayer]

There is a thread on that:

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,26273.0.html

[dbllunger]

I just applied the same expection with my bow/arrows as I did my rifles.  I have always reloaded my own ammo, and immediatly started with building my own arrows.  Also paper tuned by bow after initial setup by the shop when purchased with a equal weight, FOC, length bare shaft arrow.  I was shocked to find out how many bow shops DON'T paper tune when they initially set up a bow.  They get them close but close is not good enough for me.  I shoot every single arrow several times with my hunting broadhead, and seperate out the best ones and only use them for hunting. I also only use my practice arrows for practice and re-fletch them.  I have used the same arrow to kill my last three bucks.  I had to leave it out all winter once because I could not find it in the snow.  I got it the next spring.  I had to replace the fletching, and ended up re-fletching it several times to get it to shoot exactly where I wanted it.  Yes I could have relegated it to the practice pile, but man that is my lucky arrow! 

[hookr88]

Thanks. Man have I got a lot to learn.