Bows you can tune yourself

[seakhunting]

Are there any bows out there that are easy to tune yourself? Either without specialized tools or without a lot of tool expense?
And the follow up question is how steep is the learning curve?

 

[wapitibob]

Buy a press and you can tune any bow. No press needed for Bowtech's with the deadlock cams and some Elites. Learning curve is pretty short if you disregard all the white noise on forums.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

APA bows are fully tunable without a press or any special tools. They're designed such that the cams can be partially rotated and pinned in place to take tension off the string or cables while you make adjustments.

I don't know of any other bows that can be fully tuned without a press. You can adjust cam lean without a press on some of the newer Bowtech and Elite models, but you still need a press to adjust cam timing.

ETA: Some of the newer Bowtechs do also have press-less cam timing adjustment ("TimeLock" feature) in addition to press-less cam lean adjustment ("DeadLock"). A press would still be needed to adjust cable twists, change string/cables, and install a peep sight on these models. If you're serious about wanting to do your own tuning, get a press...don't limit yourself to the very few bow options that can be tuned without one.

 

[seakhunting]

Buy a press and you can tune any bow. No press needed for Bowtech's with the deadlock cams and some Elites. Learning curve is pretty short if you disregard all the white noise on forums.

Any recommendations on where to find a good course on the subject?
Thanks!

 

[jonesn3]

I started tuning my own archery equipment about 1.5 years ago. So I’m pretty new at it, but with adding a press, drawboard, and paper tuner to my garage, I feel pretty confident in my setup nowadays. So far I’ve only had Bowtech’s. They’ve all had the Deadlock cams and incredibly easy to paper tune and almost just as easy to broadhead tune. I’ve helped a couple buddies tune their Mathews and Hoyts, which haven’t been difficult to work on, but weren’t as easy as the Bowtechs in my opinion

 

[Jstumbaugh]

Bowtechs with the deadlock system are the best Ive worked on at home.

 

[Dave0317]

I got the Synunm press for about $100. Way cheaper than a Last Chance, but also way better than the $30-$50 cable presses that break so easily.

In my opinion, regardless of what bow you buy, you will want a press. You will eventually want to re-tie a peep, change a bow string, rotate a string to fix a sideways peep, serve in a cable driven rest cord(though I prefer limb driven for many reasons), all kinds of stuff.

If you know you will buy a press, it takes the pressure off of you choosing a bow for the adjustability features, and you can choose solely on factors that you feel enhance the shooting experience and not just the tuning.

 

[guitarpreston]

The newest bow techs have cam lean and timing adjustability without a press. Ive got the previous model with just cam lean and it's super easy. I had an elite prior and did not like the SET adjustments as much. However I still end up with mine in the press a lot tinkering...

 

[wapitibob]

Any recommendations on where to find a good course on the subject?
Thanks!

YouTube
See what Paige Pearce has.

 

[eltaco]

My honest opinion is that if you limit your bow buying decision solely based on a bow that can be fully tuned without a press, you’ve narrowed your options too far. All of them require a press for a peep install, and to some degree most strings require a press for fine tuning over time anyways.

Tuning a bow is pretty straightforward and information is readily available for anyone wanting to learn it. Get yourself one solid press, and you’ll be set for a lifetime with absolutely no need to go to a shop for any minor bow service.

Beyond that, “tunability” becomes very irrelevant. Even if you have to swap cam spacers, install a peep, or whatever, these are a couple minute job to accomplish. There are plenty of other bow characteristics that can have proper priority over “ease of tuning” once you have the appropriate tools for the job.

 

[wapitibob]

A press is worth every dollar it costs, then a saw and fletching jig.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

Regarding learning how to tune a bow, Tim Gillingham's series on YouTube plus the charts below cover the basics. Some tuning procedures are specific to the bow (e.g., newer Mathews and Hoyt models use spacers to shift cams left/right, newer Bowtechs use their proprietary DeadLock feature, newer Elites use their proprietary SET feature, many older bows use yokes) and it sometimes requires a little digging to figure out how to do certain things on certain bows, but you can usually get guidance from someone who has BTDT by posting a question here or on Archery Talk.




The Bow Shop Bible app is also a good resource if you're willing to pay a little for it.

 

[Sizthediz]

Buy a used bow as a backup and now you have something to practice on. That is what I did. A little nervous at first but it definitely makes tuning fun

 

[Shane]

Bowtechs with the deadlock system are the best Ive worked on at home.

My Bowtech Revolt X is one of these. It's easily tunable without a press.

 

[ericmcd]

I tune my own with a really cheap setup. I use a bicycle stand/clamp to hold the bow, Synunm press and a 2x6 with a boat trailer winch for a draw board.

 

[RC_]

Once you get even pretty decent at tuning your own equipment you’ll wonder how you ever trusted anyone to do it and I found I have a lot more confidence in my setup.

Lots of good videos on YouTube to get you started. The BowOnly guy offers a course if you’re looking for something more formalized. In my opinion he knows his stuff but would say there’s more than enough free material. Dudley, Gillingham, MFJJ, etc.

 

[Cgray97]

Overall if you want to work on bows yourself you should invest in a press. There are some options to tune to a certain extent without much effort but you’ll never be able to fully tune without a press. Need a press to tie in peeps, install new strings and cables, time cams etc as well. Just my opinion, it’s best to learn to do everything yourself as I’ve seen a lot of shoddy work come out of “pro shops”

 

[roosiebull]

APA bows are fully tunable without a press or any special tools. They're designed such that the cams can be partially rotated and pinned in place to take tension off the string or cables while you make adjustments.

I don't know of any other bows that can be fully tuned without a press. You can adjust cam lean without a press on some of the newer Bowtech and Elite models, but you still need a press to adjust cam timing.

ETA: Some of the newer Bowtechs do also have press-less cam timing adjustment ("TimeLock" feature) in addition to press-less cam lean adjustment ("DeadLock"). A press would still be needed to adjust cable twists, change string/cables, and install a peep sight on these models. If you're serious about wanting to do your own tuning, get a press...don't limit yourself to the very few bow options that can be tuned without one.

They are the ones, i really wish there were places to shoot APA, always wanted one but not shooting before buying is tough

They have really done some cool stuff, as ugly as they are, there is a lot of cool innovations in APA

 

[Mighty Mouse]

They are the ones, i really wish there were places to shoot APA, always wanted one but not shooting before buying is tough

They have really done some cool stuff, as ugly as they are, there is a lot of cool innovations in APA

If I ever buy a brand new bow, it will be an APA. I was close to ordering one a few years ago but found a used VXR at a price too good to pass up. If you don't have a dealer within 100 miles, APA will ship you a bow directly and give you 5 days to decide whether or not to keep it...you do have to cover shipping costs though.

 

[dreamingWest]

My primary bow is a Bowtech Revolt X with deadlock. I like trying new bows and really like some of the offerings from other brands. But I'm not sure I'll ever move away from Bowtech with deadlock for my primary hunting bow. It's simple and works really well.

I replaced the cable guard dampener a couple of weeks ago and noticed a small flight issue with fixed blades over 40 yards. Last night I took the time to check bareshaft tear and flight. It took three shots and a short turn of a 3/32 hex to correct this.

I do have a bow press for string and cable replacement, peep install, cam timing, etc.