3 vs 4 Fletch - Wild Variance at 30 Yards w/ Fixed Blade Head

[waldo9190]

You have some other tuning issue going on. The three fletch is revealing it, while the four fletch is hiding it.

This.

For giggles, you should measure your FOC......and NO, I am NOT a Ranch Fairy disciple. BUT, I had a similar issue and found that I was at roughly 10.5% FOC. Switched to a lower GPI shaft but added brass inserts w/weights and with the same total arrow weight (+/- 5-ish grains) I'm at just under 13% FOC and fixed heads are flying great out to 60 with 3 Hybrid 26s.

Again, for good measure, I'm not a fairy follower.

Carry on.

 

[TX_Diver]

Put the bow in the vice and The arrow is level and a little higher than I remember it actually.

What I did notice though is that the rest was sometimes getting hung up on the way up and not fully raising…. I swapped it out and will try a different rest tomorrow. Fortunately I had another hamskea so I just swapped out the bottom half and was able to maintain center shot and elevation.

Original rest is From 2019 and has been through numerous rain storms, and thousands and thousands of shots with zero maintenance so it’s entirely possible it needs some oil or something now.

 

[TX_Diver]

This.

For giggles, you should measure your FOC......and NO, I am NOT a Ranch Fairy disciple. BUT, I had a similar issue and found that I was at roughly 10.5% FOC. Switched to a lower GPI shaft but added brass inserts w/weights and with the same total arrow weight (+/- 5-ish grains) I'm at just under 13% FOC and fixed heads are flying great out to 60 with 3 Hybrid 26s.

Again, for good measure, I'm not a fairy follower.

Carry on.

Think I’m at 11% per the 3rivers calculator. But whatever my FOC is it’s higher than last year when I shot a 4 fletch.

I’ll measure it by hand this weekend to confirm

 

[Shadowcaster]

Try shooting with a bareshaft at 20 and see what happens. Then back up to 40 and check. I can't remember off the top of my head but I think my buddy had the same issue with VPA's even with a 4 fletch.

 

[TX_Diver]

Meant to add that earlier. Bareshaft at 20 was generally within an inch of fletched. Not consistent to right or left but generally slightly low and entered the target tail High.

Field points typically enter straight but sevrs have been at odd angles more frequently.

 

[GatorGar247]

Yea might be worth checking. I shoot .300 spine with 160 grain total up front. But I have a 27” draw and a 26” arrow. Mine shoot great. But at your draw length and arrow length might need stiffer arrow

I agree . I'm a 29.5 inch draw 175 up front but I cut my arrows to 27 inches ctc and I'm dead perfect according to archers and q spine.. 250 spine would serve you better .

 

[homebru.trout]

I have, that's why I'm so frustrated! Back when nothing was flying well except FP and IW I was getting a bullet hole at 3 yds through paper. When I had everything flying well (noting that the VPA was 4 fletch) I was getting a very slight tail high tear at 3y and 10y fletched and bareshaft. I haven't shot a bareshaft at 20 vs fletched but can next time. Before all the adjustments bareshafts were hitting pretty well with FP at 20.

This right here ^^^ I rarely paper tune anymore as paper was always the starting point anyway. I do a careful setup on the bow and components and after shooting things in for a bit, move directly to bareshafts out to 40. If the bare shaft and the fletched FP hit together out to 40, it is highly likely your broadheads are going to fly just fine no matter what is on the back end of the arrow.

 

[TX_Diver]

New rest shrunk the groups of both FP and Sevrs significantly. Still not entirely happy with them but definitely an improvement.

Bareshaft hits about 1-1.5" low at 20 still even though FP and Sevr hit together. I'll shoot the VPAs again whenever the next nice weather day is and report back. I may try bumping the rest up to get FP and bareshaft hitting together and see what the broadheads do, but if the FP and BH hit together that's all I really care about.

 

[waldo9190]

New rest shrunk the groups of both FP and Sevrs significantly. Still not entirely happy with them but definitely an improvement.

Bareshaft hits about 1-1.5" low at 20 still even though FP and Sevr hit together. I'll shoot the VPAs again whenever the next nice weather day is and report back. I may try bumping the rest up to get FP and bareshaft hitting together and see what the broadheads do, but if the FP and BH hit together that's all I really care about.

That will be a VERY small bump, but you should be able to get your BS and FS touching at 20. Before making a small adjustment like that I always take a picture of where my rest is at so I can move it back if need be.

 

[Zac]

Is your cock vane straight up, or 90 degrees to the left? For a right handed bow.

 

[TX_Diver]

Is your cock vane straight up, or 90 degrees to the left? For a right handed bow.

Straight up

 

[Zac]

Straight up

So just to humor me try turning it 90 degrees to the left and see what happens. -<

 

[FCMD]

You're not tuned if there is a difference between a 3 and 4 fletch for a 3 blade VPA.

I didn't notice any difference in a 2 blade 250 gr VPA with a 930 gr TAW. The 3 blade VPAs (150 gr @ 500 gr TAW) are not that difficult to stabilize at all.

Forget paper tuning- only good for gross adjustments and nock tuning (bare shafts) so all tear the same way prior to fletching. A good starting point and for cam adjustments, but fight is what determines a good tune and that needs to be done outside, with bare shafts and at distance. I don't chase bullet holes at all and am happy with under 1" bare shaft tear at 15' as a starting point. Like bore sighting a rifle, paper tuning gets you on target.

You need to go out to 20 y to bare shaft tune using POI and then 30 y watching flight. Once you get a perfect flight, then broad head tune from there. The key is a perfect bare shaft flight at distance.