Author Topic: Arrow shooting to the right  (Read 10598 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline MushinMan97

  • Member
  • Posts: 4
Arrow shooting to the right
« on: March 15, 2024, 08:12:38 pm »
Hi All! First time posting here.

I just recently built my very first self bow out of osage, along with a self-nocked bare arrow shaft made of multiflora rose. When I was using the tillering string for a couple of shots to just see how things felt and flew, I was able to hit the target perfectly with the nock coming straight out.

I have since made a bowstring for said bow out of hemp dogbane. Which is where my problem has started. I decided to use the same bare arrow shaft, and every shot started flying hard to the right. Hitting about 18 inches from 10 yards away, but in a consistent spot.

Any thoughts on what's going on? Nothing else had changed besides the string.

Bow specs:
60" tip to tip
40lbs @ 28 inch draw (my draw length)
No arrow shelf

Arrow:
30 inches
320 grains
Unknown spine

Thanks all!

Offline willie

  • Member
  • Posts: 3,264
Re: Arrow shooting to the right
« Reply #1 on: March 16, 2024, 02:28:43 am »
its gonna fly different if the brace height with your tillering string is different from your brace height with the new string.

spine matters, but without knowing if you are righty or lefty and whether you are shooting off your knuckle or thumb.....does it seem like the arrow is flexing a lot or a little when you shoot?

TSA made some nice explanations. search his posts at

   http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php?action=profile;area=showposts;u=19809

   http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,66765.0.html


welcome to the forum

Offline MushinMan97

  • Member
  • Posts: 4
Re: Arrow shooting to the right
« Reply #2 on: March 16, 2024, 09:09:13 am »
Thanks for replying Willie

I hadn't thought about the brace height, and now that you mention it I remember noticing that my new string seemed to stretch some and the brace height was shorter. Maybe I'll have to shorten up my string some.

I am a righty, and Shoot off of my knuckle. To my bare eyes, and my father's, there was pretty minimal flex in the arrow when shot.

And thanks for the tip of checking out TSA's posts, there's definitely a lot of good information there!

Offline Pat B

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 37,633
Re: Arrow shooting to the right
« Reply #3 on: March 16, 2024, 12:27:16 pm »
Are you dealing with a matched set of arrows or just a single arrow?
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline willie

  • Member
  • Posts: 3,264
Re: Arrow shooting to the right
« Reply #4 on: March 16, 2024, 04:00:30 pm »
Thanks for replying Willie

I hadn't thought about the brace height, and now that you mention it I remember noticing that my new string seemed to stretch some and the brace height was shorter. Maybe I'll have to shorten up my string some.

I am a righty, and Shoot off of my knuckle. To my bare eyes, and my father's, there was pretty minimal flex in the arrow when shot.

And thanks for the tip of checking out TSA's posts, there's definitely a lot of good information there!

do you have a tip or point you can add to see what changes?  there are a lot of variables to tweak, but knowing if the stiffness of the arrow is in the ballpark is the first thing I would try to find out.

Basically, shortening the arrow makes it "act" stiffer, and more tip weight makes it "act"  less stiff.

the pic in the link was more related to comparing field points to broadheads, and maybe not too applicable at this point.

a basic observation is also whether the arrow nock end is skewed right or left when the arrow is stuck in the target.  you can actually see the arrow fly "sideways" somewhat as you shoot.

feathers correct poor flight making tuning harder until you get close, but on the other hand bare shaft tuning can be aggravating because small differences in arrows, bows/brace height and shoothing form, all affect arrow flight.

i would  try to understand what differences in arrow stiffness does before trying to tweak too many thing at the same time or adding feathers. 
« Last Edit: March 16, 2024, 04:09:33 pm by willie »

Offline GlisGlis

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,565
Re: Arrow shooting to the right
« Reply #5 on: March 17, 2024, 12:57:49 pm »
+1 on the brace height
try a shorter string or lesser spined arrows
I guess you'll find your target again

Offline archeryrob

  • Member
  • Posts: 162
Re: Arrow shooting to the right
« Reply #6 on: March 21, 2024, 12:33:27 pm »
Bow specs:
60" tip to tip
40lbs @ 28 inch draw (my draw length)
No arrow shelf

Arrow:
30 inches
320 grains
Unknown spine

This is a problem right here, but shooting right I would tend to favor under spined. Left over spines. Nothing you can do to stiffen the spine but lighten the point, or cut it shorter. The arrow will gain 5# of spine for each inch you cut off and every 25 grains removed from the point.

You have 2 cuts you can make to shorten the arrow and possible bring it up in spine. No mention of the arrow head weight.
« Last Edit: March 21, 2024, 12:36:36 pm by archeryrob »
"If you can't have fun doing it, it ain't worth doing, or you're just doing it wrong."

Offline MushinMan97

  • Member
  • Posts: 4
Re: Arrow shooting to the right
« Reply #7 on: May 04, 2024, 08:20:48 am »
Thanks all for the insightful tips! Sorry it's been a bit, the farm has really picked up and I've been so busy that I completely forgot to come back here with a check in. (Since then we've had 3 calves born and put several thousand plants in the hight tunnels and ground).

Anywho! I shortened my string up quite a bit and it pulled that arrow right back into where it was supposed to go.

Since then I've made up some more shafts, and fletched a couple of them. Right now I only have pheasant tailfeathers to work with, but I'm loving the way they fly and how quiet they are. I'm planning to do an experiment with 2 vs 3 feathers, but I'm definitely liking the way that the 2 feather style stacks together.

I've even knapped my first arrowhead from flint I found in Ohio's Flint Ridge.

I'll make sure to come back and update with some pics once I have everything squared away!