Bare Shaft Tuning: The Saga Continues

[bradsmith2010]

I think try shooting it upside down with correct arrow,,.and loose grip,,.see how it does,,,,then take it from there,,.that should prevent global warming,..worse case is u send the bow to someone to align it,,,but it won't break,..try shooting it a bit first.,,I have bows I can shoot either limb up...
    Also your armguard may be hitting the string too hard ..,interfering with arrow flight,,,try something thinner,..and see how it shoots,,,a thick shirt,.that could be part of the spine issue

[artcher1]

What Brad said!

I'm going to be honest with you here. I think you should ditch this idea of bare shaft tuning. You need a well built bow, perfect form and a super release to achieve an accurate reading of your bare shaft. Throw in the fact that every wood/cane shaft is totally different unlike aluminum and carbon shafts. Not only that, the wider your bow handle, the harder it is to match up bow and arrow.
If your draw length is less than 28", order shafts the same weight as your bow. Now you have the option of either leaving your arrows longer than 28", or using a heavier tip weight and sanding to reduce spine. Generally 5# to !0# lighter then bow will get you started. Any issues after that are bow and operator induced...…….Art

[WhistlingBadger]

Well...I appreciate the honesty. It is kind of confusing.  It's the trouble with attempting to educate oneself about a complex skill: One gets mixed messages.  A lot of writers, here on the forum and elsewhere, say that some form of tuning is absolutely essential.  Others say, as Art just said, that it isn't really worth bothering with.  A few have even implied that it might be a bad thing.  I suspect all of you are correct, in some sense, but there are different approaches and different ways of looking at it.  It was the same when I started getting serious about finding an aiming method.  I am taking it all in, digesting all the different information, and trying to find what works for me.

Will this process turn me into Byron Ferguson?  *snort* Not likely.  Is this process totally necessary?  Probably not.  My "wrong" arrows usually fly well enough, and when they don't, it's operator error.  So, why am I still pursuing this?  It is largely just a fun thing to do.  I am learning a huge amount about the mechanics of how my bow works, polishing out some remaining inconsistencies in my shooting form, having lots of "oh, wow, why did that just happen?" moments.

That can't be a bad thing. 

My form and release have actually gotten quite good, if I may say so--that's an area where I've grown hugely in the past year.  (And Brad, I hardly ever hit my arm guard anymore, thankfully--even with a guard, this bow can whack me pretty good!)  In the early stages of working on form, learning about gap aiming, and gaining consistency, I noticed that my arrows were frequently grouping to the right.  I have since settled into a sort of split-vision/instinctive style of aiming, and I've just learned to compensate.  So I can shoot fairly accurately, even though my arrows are wobbling right a bit.  I believe that by getting my arrow spines more attuned to my bow, I will greatly reduce that variable.  Again, I have to think that's a good thing.

Mental focus/confidence is the huge issue to me when I shoot. By getting my tuning as close as possible, I remove one variable, one thing to wonder about.  With one less reason to miss, I can continue to buckle down and work on form, "aiming" (or whatever term you prefer to use), and the rest.  When I do miss, I don't have to wonder if the problem is my arrows, so I can focus on the real issues.  That definitely seems like a good thing.

If nothing else, at least now I know why that ridiculously light-spined arrow was the one flying well.  With the string about an inch to the left of the handle, the arrow was for all practical purposes having to clear a 2 1/2" handle!  That's a whole lot of paradox.

So, that's what I'm thinking.  If I am astray on any or all of the above, please enlighten me.  Or just humor me, nod and smile, and let me get it out of my system, even if you think it's all a bit pointless.     In the meantime, I'm going to go ahead and make up 45#, 50#, and 55# bare arrows and see what they do.  Why not?  I think one of them is going to be the lucky number.

[bradsmith2010]

Sounds like a plan.,Byron is a good friend of mine,..I hunted and shot with him quite a bit back in the day,,shot my first longbow kill,,on hunt with him,,,with bow he made me,,.his suggestions about how to shoot are with me today,.I never saw him do much bare shafting,,,he may have,,.he shot aluminum,,.he was fanatical about tuning bow and tiller..,..there is lots of info,.,and misinformation,..when the arrow hits the bulls eye,,,.its a mute point,.,
       I think the knowledge gained from bare shafting is great,..but to keep things simple,,,,once your alignment is better,,,,arrow spine and tuning will be much easier,..and u will be closer to shooting like Byron

also I want to add,, I am just guessing but I think you are pulling about 50 ish,, if the bow was made 60# at 28,,, you would be drawing about 25 or 26,, just guessing but putting a piece of tape at 25 inches as suggested and see where you are at when you shoot would take some of the guess work out ,,, or validate what the arrows are telling you,,,and I still think the 6 inch brace would be ok,, since you may not be drawing the bow to a full 28,, it would help make the bow a bit more forgiving with out putting undue strain,,