Bow tuning - Bare shaft vs walkback vs numerous other methods

[JeffRaines]

So googling information on bow tuning brings up about a million results with about a thousand different ways to achieve an end goal - a well-tuned, forgiving, straight shooting bow.

Some people claim bare shaft tuning is all the rage - some folks paper tune bare shafts, some people just group tune with fletched arrows. Some people walk back tune. Some people French tune... among others.

I realize they're all roughly achieving the same thing... I was about to ask "what's the best method" but that's a loaded question... so let me narrow it down a bit.

Whats the easiest method? Now when I say easiest, Im not looking for the half-ass method. I want the easiest method that you get good/great results. That may mean paper tuning, that may mean just talkback tuning. That might be a completely different method altogether.

What say you?

 

[Mighty Mouse]

Easiest method is probably to just broadhead tune only (i.e., shoot broadheads alongside field points and make adjustments based on BH point of impact). The downside is that BH's quickly chew up targets.

 

[fatlander]

If you’re tuning for hunting, broadhead tuning is what you’re really after. The other methods are a means to get you close.

For the most part paper tuning is just an absolute starting point. I don’t even shoot my bows through paper anymore, along with many people.

Walk back and French tuning gets skipped by me as well. I set the rest to factory suggesting center shot and don’t touch it.

I bareshaft tune my bows. Knock on wood, once I get bareshafts to fly with field tips at 20 yards; my broadheads always fly with fletched arrows as far as I care to shoot them. You’re either going to have to use yokes (if your bow has them) or shim your cams to tune your bareshafts.

I have heard of guys still having to broadhead tune once they were bareshaft tuned, but that hasn’t been my experience with the twenty-some-odd bows I’ve set up over the past few years.

Either way, you’ll need a bow press to properly set up and tune your bow.


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[Billy Goat]

I start with a walk back. If it's a target bow I stop there for the most part.

Hunting bow I'll shoot bareshafts at distance (20-30 yards) usually before I then ultimately switch to broadheads to get dialed in at a greater distance (60-75).

 

[Samdemarais]

Easiest method is probably to just broadhead tune only (i.e., shoot broadheads alongside field points and make adjustments based on BH point of impact). The downside is that BH's quickly chew up targets.

So googling information on bow tuning brings up about a million results with about a thousand different ways to achieve an end goal - a well-tuned, forgiving, straight shooting bow.

Some people claim bare shaft tuning is all the rage - some folks paper tune bare shafts, some people just group tune with fletched arrows. Some people walk back tune. Some people French tune... among others.

I realize they're all roughly achieving the same thing... I was about to ask "what's the best method" but that's a loaded question... so let me narrow it down a bit.

Whats the easiest method? Now when I say easiest, Im not looking for the half-ass method. I want the easiest method that you get good/great results. That may mean paper tuning, that may mean just talkback tuning. That might be a completely different method altogether.

What say you?

For hunting, I would for sure say broadhead tuning. It’s actually shooting your exact arrow set up and tuning it so that hit behind your pin at all ranges.

 

[sndmn11]

I shoot bareshafts compared to fletched in the same end out to 60 yards. Beyond that the two start to drift apart vertically in anything other than perfect conditions, but at those distances I look for left/right aligent. I shoot bareshafts every time I go to the range to keep myself tuned because they are very critical at distance. 3 bare shafts and 4 fletched in my quiver.

Confirm with my broadheads after that.

 

[KlintJD]

I think Flatlander spelled it out perfectly. The quickest/easiest way is to shoot through paper a couple times just to make sure you are close and then bare shaft tune at 20 yards (making sure fletched and bare shafts hit the same spot). If you do this broadheads will generally be good.

For me, it was fun to try all the methods and understand each. Now I'm able to use different tuning methods depending on what I'm doing (setting up a new bow, tuning new arrows to your bow, modifying my bow, building and tuning arrows, or just killing time geeking out on the details).

Give it a shot, never know, you may enjoy the journey as much as the final destination.

Good luck!

 

[4rcgoat]

Group tune some fletched arrows, check with a bare shaft or 2,and strap on the broadheads.

 

[Rob5589]

I paper then walk back if necessary. I get perfect flight with BH's. I see the argument for bare shaft but I don't have a range at my home and I have no desire to disassemble my garage shop gear and take it to the range.

 

[Arctic Hunter]

Bare shafts are where I start. I pretty much only paper tune with broadheads these days. Smear lipstick on the vanes and shoot it through paper. And nock tune before moving anything.

 

[MeatMissile]

You said shaft...

 

[Gumbo]

I paper tune at about 8-12 feet until I consistently get a perfect tear, then confirm and make any adjustments necessary with a broadhead tune at my max hunting range, which I've currently set at 60 yards for myself (used to be 70 but I've decided to be a bit more conservative this year). Honestly I haven't had to make any broadhead adjustments the last few years.

 

[KyleR1985]

Paper tuning, bare shaft tuning, french tuning, walk back tuning are not tuning. Semantics, I know, but they are just actions taken to confirm that what you are doing while tuning the bow or arrow or your form, is getting you closer to the goal of optimum arrow release and flight.

If your definition of easiest method, is the one that gets you there with the least amount of effort, then the answer is starting any of the above with a bow, arrow, and shot/grip as close to in tune as possible. There's no short cut in any of these methods, if the end game is actually having the rig in tune.

The better you understand the mechanics of arrow release and flight, and how the equipment used interact with those mechanics, the easier it is to tune based on your intuitions. Being able to make guesses that shorten the time to get from one result to another is experience.

 

[Beendare]

Easiest method is probably to just broadhe

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[Mighty Mouse]

I would agree^...but what if you shoot Mech heads? Make no mistake...you still have to tune or you are asking for problems. A BH tipped arrow will indicate whether the arrow is coming out of the bow slightly cockeyed....a FP and some mech heads won't- thus the tuning.

Good point. I shoot fixed heads, so I wasn't thinking about broadhead tuning not being possible/effective with mechanicals. I personally use paper tuning to get in the ballpark, bareshafts to refine, and broadheads to confirm.

 

[Zac]

I spent weeks bareshafting out to 60 and still had to bump my rest a 16th once I got to broadheads. I think in the future I'm just gonna go straight to broadheads and skip everything else.

 

[5MilesBack]

I would agree^...but what if you shoot Mech heads?

You should still tune your bow regardless what you shoot. If all I shot was FP's I'd still want to make sure I was tuned and the arrows are coming out of the bow straight.

 

[Billy Goat]

I spent weeks bareshafting out to 60 and still had to bump my rest a 16th once I got to broadheads. I think in the future I'm just gonna go straight to broadheads and skip everything else.

Buy stock in targets.

I used to just broadhead tune, ate up too many targets. I get a few years out of each one now.

 

[5MilesBack]

I used to just broadhead tune, ate up too many targets.

I have pics of my Blob target that I used for years for just BH tuning.......it looked almost brand new. Then my bow blew up and after rebuilding it, it was a real struggle trying to tune that thing. I shot that target out in just a couple months of frustration. Little did I know that the new limbs were put on in the wrong order, and one of the limb bolts had partially stripped out the riser. It was impossible to tune with all that was going on with it. But in normal years it shouldn't take much BH shooting to tune.

 

[Coveyleader]

Doesn't get explained any easier as per the link below. Just pull slider bar to where he starts shooting the target, but the video is great. If you bowhunt, don't care about target shooting, BH tuning is direct, and to the point.