Is there a way to tune a selfbow?

[woodsman1031]

I have a maple selfbow about 50# at 30". I bought some 31" cedar arrows for it and they group excellent. The problem is that they group about 5" to the left of where I am looking. They have field points on them right now, but I plan on making trade points for them over the next week or so for hunting. These are the only arrows that I have shot out of this bow that group well. Do I just need to get used to where it shoots or is there a way to move the group? Do I need to get the trade points built and on them before I do anything else?



Thanks

[zeNBowyer]

     Different sets  of  arrows with  different  weights  will  fly  differently and  strike in  different places on  the  target,
if  your  arrows  are  very stable in  flight,  and  are striking the  target straight  in, and  you  have  consistent groups  then  that  is  the  best test  to determine what  works  for  your  bow,  you've  got  a  winner,
    if the  arrows are  unstable  in  flight, or  if  the  arrows  are  entering the  target at  an  angle,  then  your  arrows  are  not  tuned  to  your  bow properly,
   if these are  the  only  arrows  that  have  grouped  well then  you  really  don't  have  a  reference  for  what  is  "right" as  far  as  where  you  are  looking,
sounds  like  you need  to  adjust your  site  picture to  your  brain:)

[El Destructo]

You say that the Arrows are all Hitting 5 inches Left...are they hitting just Left...or Left and High?? Are they straight....or are they hitting on an Angle to the Target? If they are Hitting left and are leaning with the Nocks facing to the Right....then they are Ovespined for the Bow....If they are entering the Target straight and Left....Then it could be You...You can also try Canting the Bow more to the right...this will help some too if the Arrows are Hitting Left and a little High of your sight picture....hope that this helps a little and doesn't just confuse!! God Bless...and as you say...Jesus Saves!

[woodsman1031]

Thanks yall,

  The arrows are hitting straight into the target.

[El Destructo]

You can always try to change your Anchor Point too....If you are Anchoring on the far side of your face...you can try to anchor at the Corner of your Mouth or so the string is on the Tip of your Nose....this will line you up better to the Right....just a thought

[Pappy]

Try canting your bow to the right,that will bring your group over,selfbows are usually not center shot so they will soot left for a right handed shooter and right for a left handed shooter.
   Pappy

[Kegan]

You can tune a selfbow to your arrows just like any other bow. If you have a set of arrows that are consistent, and they strike left- they are stiff. If you have them grouping right, they are weak. If they fly hich, your nock point is low, if they group low then the nock point it too high. Normally, you "fine tune" by reading these groups by shooting the arrows without fletchings, but fletched will still work (it helps if you can shoot them farther too).

If they are STIFF: Raise the brace height and/or sand your arrow pass. Rasing the brace height slightly boosts weight, but more than that it means the angle the arrows are at brace is lessened. If you have "optimum brace height", or whatever, then just sand your arrow pass. If you get to about 1 1/16" from centershot (provided the bow can go that far) or a brace height of more than 7", just get lighter arrows.

If they are WEAK: Lower your brace height, or build out the arrow pass. Layers of leather is a good way to do that. Like making your bow "more centershot" for heavy arrows, if you get to the point where it's just rediculous, then switch to lighter arrows.

[zeNBowyer]

spine  abnormalities  usually  entail  the  arrow  striking the  target at  an  angle, they  rarely  group  well if they  are  not  properly  spined enough  to shoot left  or right  of the  target

[FlintWalker]

Sounds like your arrows are a bit stiff.  Try some heavier tips. If you're using say..125 grain. Stick a 160 or so on there and see if it doesn't pull the groups over. Or... strip the feathers from one of them and shoot it along with the fletched ones. That'll tell the tale.
 I get better flight from heavily front loaded arrows.
  The carbons I shoot from my glass bow have 100 grain inserts and 250 grain points.

[PeteC]

Woodsman,it sounds like your POC's are spined a little heavy for that bow.Generally,with a selfbow,shooting arrows with 10 lbs. less spine weight than that of your bow usually work pretty good.Your 50 pounder would probably handle arrows with a 40# spine better.Also, like previously mentioned,you could try heavier points to tame the spine a little.  And don't forget that around here,all over our part of the country,we've rich in switch cane,and it makes an arrow that selfbows really like.   God Bless

[NOMADIC PIRATE]

Are you used to shoot glass centershot bows ?


.....your arrows could be spined right and hit 5" left, when I first started to move to selfbows I build up the plate on my glass bows to make hem shoot like selfbows, that helped the transition, if today I pick up a centershot bow I would shoot right just because I adjusted my sight.

when I get a glass bow nowadays I get it without a cut in, I can go back and forth without any needed adjustment

[mullet]

 If your arrows are sticking straight in the target, they are probally spined right. It sounds like you are shooting off your hand and not correcting for the paradox, shooting around the handle. Tilt the upper limb of  the bow to the right or aim a little more to the right.

 I shoot center shot and off the hand, full handle bows. I always have to adjust my point of aim whenever I switch bows. It takes me a few shots to adjust and I usually shoot the same arrows. Most of my arrows are tuned to shoot out of different bows.

[Kegan]

I just tune my bows all to the arrows I have. Even on my widest handle bows, if I can get the bow/arrows matched then I can always jsut shoot in a straight line with the target and not have to worry. I think that's because I'm too mentally lazy (stupid ) to keep tying to compensate for different bows.

Looks like you have lots of options now