tuning problem (recurve)

[Bulls On Parade]

i've been doing some tuning with my bow (recurve) and have come to some sort of corssroads.

i've done my bare shaft tuning, which turned out very well. so, i decided to do some paper tuning. the result i got is the hole the arrow made is wide, with the vanes penetrating on the left side of the hole. according to the easton arrow tuning guide:
-my arrows are too soft: i recently went 2 spines stiffer, from 610 to 480
-my button pressure is too soft: so i put in the hardest spring and still got the same result.
-increase the number of strands in my string: im currently at 16 strands
-change my point weight: currently at 110
-may be a clearance problem: i did the powder test, and not one mark on the sight window or the arrow.

any suggestions as to why the arrow may be flying like this?

[puddin]

depending on your string material you could try 18 strands in the string

[Dave Barnes]

Check your centre shot

[Bulls On Parade]

i'm leaning towards going for an 18 strand string, 20 at the most. however, that might be a bit slow, seeing as my bow is at 40# at the moment (on 36# limbs).

centre shot is spot on, so's the limb alignment.

[puddin]

yeah go 18 at least.
i shoot 20 and hit 90m easy with 44# and 370 grain arrows

[Archangel]

Paper tuning a recurve?

I'd ignore it. If your bare shaft is fine, do some group tuning - I don't think it's necessarily possible to get bullet hole tears from a recurve.

[shannonhearse]

Personally I couldn

[Cartz]

mate, i wouldn't worry about a paper tuning test...if it really is consistent like that no matter what you do, i could be your release, plucking the string, away from your face...

[Progen]

How near are you to the paper in the first place?

[Jay.G]

like 5m or something.

[Cartz]

try taking it out to 10m or 15m, allow for some sideways movement from the release to correct itself

[Brocky]

I'd agree with Dave check your centre shot.

[Progen]

Check the centershot with that Golden key tool if you have to. Of course, with a recurve, you'd be looking to be slightly out of line with that tool. Relying on your sight can be unreliable at times.

try taking it out to 10m or 15m, allow for some sideways movement from the release to correct itself

At that distance, even if your release is crap, the arrow will already have time to straighten itself out. Easton recommends 4 to 6 feet from the paper but that's for compounds. No idea about using paper tuning for recurves.

[Cartz]

At that distance, even if your release is crap, the arrow will already have time to straighten itself out. Easton recommends 4 to 6 feet from the paper but that's for compounds. No idea about using paper tuning for recurves.

you'd be surprised how crap some people's releases are. But check centre shot first, make sure everything is perfectly lined up. The Easton tuning guide is a great resource to use

[Ja]

i did a paper test with a recurve maybe 2-3 metres away from myself?

[Thing]

Paper tuning with a recurve is meaningless. Finger release means it is impossible to get a straight hole in the paper, and if you can it wont mean anything anyway.

It doesn't matter how good your release is, plucking the string or not, you will always get movement, it's natural and expected.

Bareshaft tuning, then maybe group tuning is adequate.

[Bulls On Parade]

i'd been doing the paper tuning from about 1 metre away in my shed. the target is only 3 or 4 metres away, so i haven't got all that much room.

you're right about the release. although i consider my release pretty consisent and good, there's always going to be some stuff up.

[Progen]

i'd been doing the paper tuning from about 1 metre away in my shed. the target is only 3 or 4 metres away, so i haven't got all that much room.

you're right about the release. although i consider my release pretty consisent and good, there's always going to be some stuff up.

:grin: At 1 metre, with a recurve, if you can get a bullet hole, you've GOT to be using a fingerNAIL release! I should think that an arrow shot from a recurve would take further than 1 metre to straighten out nicely. Any bullet holes you get would most probably be flukes.

[Leighton]

Just adding another vote. Paper tuning with a recurve is useless.

[Bulls On Parade]

:grin: At 1 metre, with a recurve, if you can get a bullet hole, you've GOT to be using a fingerNAIL release! I should think that an arrow shot from a recurve would take further than 1 metre to straighten out nicely. Any bullet holes you get would most probably be flukes.
well every hole has been highly consistent. meh!

[Thing]

you're right about the release. although i consider my release pretty consisent and good, there's always going to be some stuff up.

It's not a stuff up, it's just the physics of it. An olympic archer would still have a side tear if they tried to paper tune. If you get a pin hole, it means that the distance from the target just happens to coincide with the frequency of the arrow.
A finger shot arrow decreasingly flexes on the way down (not the same as fishtailing), so the tears in the paper don't have any correlation to how well tuned your bow is.

[Progen]

well every hole has been highly consistent. meh!

In that case, you don't have a problem then! :-D Anyway, your left tear isn't a direct consequence of your release, regardless of how clean or messy it is. It's more like archer's paradox.

By the way, out of curiosity, what kind of poundage are you drawing at your fingers and your drawlength? I myself am using 610 spined Navigators. Did you actually go out to buy the 400s? And how's the shooting at outdoor distances with the new arrows now?

[Bulls On Parade]

In that case, you don't have a problem then! :-D Anyway, your left tear isn't a direct consequence of your release, regardless of how clean or messy it is. It's more like archer's paradox.

By the way, out of curiosity, what kind of poundage are you drawing at your fingers and your drawlength? I myself am using 610 spined Navigators. Did you actually go out to buy the 400s? And how's the shooting at outdoor distances with the new arrows now?
well, i wasn't sure how important paper tuning was for recurve. i thought i'd post the topic just to get feedback on it in general.:)

at the moment, i'm pulling 41# pounds on 36# limbs, with the limb bolts out all the way (i won't increase it. im afraid i'll damage the limbs). i'm not 100% sure as to what my absolute draw length is, but my 480 navigators are 31.125". i changed from the 610 navigators because they were too short, and too soft for the length of them with that poundage.

i only had to change the button pressure for the new arrows. i kept the same point weight. so, yeah, the new arrows are shooting pretty well. i was bare shaft tuning at 50m, and they were flying well. i only decided to 'experiment' with the paper tuning to see what result i would get.

[Sandy Hancock]

at the moment, i'm pulling 41# pounds on 36# limbs, with the limb bolts out all the way (i won't increase it. im afraid i'll damage the limbs)

Why? I get 49 pounds from my 36 pound limbs. Two years of almost daily use and no problem.

i was bare shaft tuning at 50m, and they were flying well. i only decided to 'experiment' with the paper tuning to see what result i would get.

I think the lesson is to avoid it in future:fadein:

[C.O.N.O.C.]

Paper tuning with a recurve is useless. Do you know what walk-back tuning is? I have found it to be the most reliable and informative process for tuning recurve, provided you are a reasonably competent shooter. If you have never done a walk-back, I'm sure you can find the information on the web.
Basically, set your sight for 15mts and aim at the top of the target, leave the arrow in the target. Walk-back 5mts, don't change sight setting, aim at the same spot on the target as you did for the first arrow. Continue process up to 40mts. A good tune will have the arrows in a straight vertical line down the face. A diagonal line left or right means decrease or increase pressure. A line of arrows like < or > means centreshot is too far left or right. If your arrow spine is incorrect or your nocking point is wrong, you will get a snakey shaped line, be sure these are correct first. Roughly this is the process, but look it up to be sure.