Broadhead Flight

[MattB]

I appreciate all the responses, but no one has really answered my original question. Is it abnormal to see fletched arrows and bareshafts shoot tight groups together followed by poor broadhead flight if spined correctly? This is the first time that has happened to me, although I'm certainly not as seasoned as some with archery equipment. This will make the 5th bow I've setup in my lifetime.

You may be looking at 2 different variable sets and confusing one for the other. What you are experiencing is not normal in general, but it also could be due to the newer strings creeping or the serving settling in the cams.

 

[MattB]

Put the bare shaft away, adjust your rest a tiny bit until they hit together and then enjoy shooting a well tuned bow. The whole point of bareshaft tuning is to get the bow close for broadheads, broadhead flight is all that matters, if they are flying consistently then you do not have a fletching contact issue.

This. Not to mention lots of guys really cannot read subtleties in paper tears and call things bullet holes that aren’t. Shooting paper or bare shafts get you close, but FBBH’s tell you what is really going on.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Could also be grip/hand torque.

Never could figure out why folks think they are done tuning before they shoot BH.

 

[Beendare]

Yeah, good comments.

Typically if a bow shoots a bare shaft- it's pretty darn close. Same with shooting FP's into paper. Both get you close...but the icing on the cake is BH tuning- your BH's and FP's grouping at longer range. It's typically a rest adjustment of 1/16" or so to get it perfect. Best to adjust your rest in 1/32" increments when tuning.

A couple key things, IME;
1) If you move your rest more than 3/16" and still no tune- something else is going on- its not your centershot.

2) Sometimes you have to move the rest in the opposite direction as recommended by tuning guides. I think this is due to something like a paper tune being close- but it overshot a perfect tune.

When you find that sweet spot, you might notice the bow being a tiny bit quieter and smoother too. Kudos to you for testing it- many don't.

Edited for clarity.

 

[CCooper]

Got a chance to shoot a few arrows tonight and thought I would report back. FP’s and BH’s are close enough not to fiddle with the rest at 40. I even shot a bareshaft downrange at it was right in there as well. I will walk it back when I have time this weekend but it all looks pretty good. I appreciate the responses fellas.

 

[sndmn11]

I appreciate all the responses, but no one has really answered my original question. Is it abnormal to see fletched arrows and bareshafts shoot tight groups together followed by poor broadhead flight if spined correctly? This is the first time that has happened to me, although I'm certainly not as seasoned as some with archery equipment. This will make the 5th bow I've setup in my lifetime.

I missed this.

I think there can be instances where what presents as tuned for one type isn't quite there with the other type. I picture in my head one of those diagrams with the three circles that have independent space, double overlaps, and triple overlaps. Maybe you are in a double overlap of rest windage, elevation, dynamic spine, cam lean, riser deflection, etc etc, buy a scoosh off of the third overlap. Maybe the RX8 at 30ata isn't inherently forgiving enough to do them all or maybe you aren't consistent enough.

My guess is that 4" off in windage with bh can be cleaned up with a small adjustment like I mentioned before with the shim shift, or a bump of the rest. I'd also posit that BH poi can tell us things a little better than bare shaft poi; I like bare shaft flight as my primary indicator and have seen some sloppy shafts fly to a good poi.

 

[TX_hunter]

In my experience, a bareshaft is more sensitive than a fixed broadhead.

I've seen where field point and broadhead are hitting together, with the bareshaft 10 inches high at 20 yards. You can take a bow out of tune deliberately, and bareshaft will deviate from field point sooner than broadhead will.

With a bareshaft touching fletched at 20, I've never had the broadhead not hit with field points. Along with point of impact, you need to ensure that the angle of the bareshaft matches fletched. Need to use a foam (not a bag) target fro this.

 

[Zac]

I use to bare shaft at 50 and 60. However I would always have to slightly tweak my rest when I went to broadheads anyways. One time I forgot my IW practice head, and used some Allen heads I found at the range. I broadhead tuned with those and found that I wasn't even close when I shot the 3D deer at camp. The difference may have been that the cheap Allen heads were vented. So I try to tune with the exact head I am using.