How often do you check the timing and tune of your bow?

rhendrix

WKR
Joined
Aug 6, 2012
Messages
2,101
So I was shooting yesterday and just couldn't string good groups together at 60 yards, after a frustrating hour of shooting I finally threw my bow on my draw board and my cams were way out of sync. I'm not talking about a little either. I mean a lot! I have a brand new set of strings and cables from 60x so I just threw them on and started tuning. My timing is dead on now and I was shooting bullet holes, just need to throw a peep on and check my sight tape markings and I'll be good to go. How often should I be checking my timing and tune though? Would stowing my bow in my garage with an ambient air temp in the 80-90's all summer cause my string and cables to stretch that much? Or were they just shot out? They were less than a year old, if that tells you anything. I guess what I don't want to happen is for me to shoot the whole next month and show up in Colorado with my bow and my tune be off. I also don't want to have to stress out and try to tinker with it right before I leave.
 
Once I get timing set on my bow and it is shooting where I like ill use a paint pen to make reference marks on the cam on either side of each limb. This will give me a visual reference to check for string stretch throughout the year. Your new string will likely experience some stretch between now and the next 100 arrows so make sure you check it before season. With a quality set of strings i'll check timing every few months( I have access to the tools daily) but generally recommend that my customers get theirs checked every 6 months or so. I also put my reference marks on every bow that leaves the shop for easy checking throughout the year.

To answer your second question, heat is hell on bowstrings and 90 degrees could have certainly stretched the strings a bunch.
 
[h=2]How often do you check the timing and tune of your bow?[/h]

I check mine every time I hang it back up in my bow room. My cams are marked, so if they move at all I'll see it. I also mark my peep and d-loop. The only time I've ever had one of my bows go "out of time" was when my string set was going bad after 1000's of arrows. It was easy to see and easy to replace them and start over.
 
It sounds like you lack 100% confidence in your equipment, so yes, do what it takes to get back to that point.

BackcountryMT - are these reference marks easy to figure out and universal to all bow brands?

I have to admit that I an one of those bowhunters that knows next to nothing about tuning...so I basically go off arrow flight and feel of the draw cycle/shot. I live to bowhunt, but I don't consider archery much of a hobby of mine. Keeping up with the latest and greatest marketing ploys and tinkering with my equipment just isn't something I enjoy. Having the same trusted archery tech for those 16 years helps, and keeps me from having to learn the trade, which is time I can allocate to other stuff.
 
Usually check mine twice. Put on strings and cables and shoot the bow for a week or so and then re check, usually needs tweaked a little. Check it again in about a month, tweak it a little and it is good. I can feel it when the draw drops into the valley when my cams are out of synch.
 
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