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Heavy arrow build thread

Bowmanmike

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Dec 15, 2019
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No yokes on matthews. Any cam adjustment is with the top hats. I have very little room left to move my cams right. I have a few weeks of league shooting left,then i will start from scratch with tuning my bow to a stiffer arrow.
 

SnakeEater

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Jan 12, 2020
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No yokes on matthews. Any cam adjustment is with the top hats. I have very little room left to move my cams right. I have a few weeks of league shooting left,then i will start from scratch with tuning my bow to a stiffer arrow.
It may be a top hat issue. With my previous, lighter arrows, I had a slight nock left tear that no matter what I did I couldn’t get rid of. Took it to my local shop and the guy just turned my lower cam top hat around and It’s been smooth sailing since. If you mess with the top hats just try turning them before buying the kits, might fix the issue and save you some money.
 

ericabbott

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Sep 20, 2018
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I’ve also had to make adjustments to the rest based on the diameter of the arrow. I’ve been testing out a variety of arrows everything from the micro VAPs to the full size Carnivores and a few in between. They’re all 250 spine, but I’m guessing the fact that they sit slightly different in the rest is causing the variation (even the ones cut to the same length and with same weight up front).
 
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ericabbott

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On a side note I got tired of piling my block targets up in the dirt, so I made a stand to elevate and level them so I can get a better visual on the arrow impact angle. Built in a paper tuning frame that fits into the front slot, and even had enough wood left over to mount my steel target. All in $25 worth of pressure treated 2x4. It’s unbelievable how much time you have on your hands once the season ends lol
11155E31-D309-4ED6-BC53-A12624E3D5B0.jpeg48F182E7-0A09-4C3C-A436-B86ECD1AD67A.jpeg92375D9F-F152-43CB-92F2-C16FDB08E99C.jpeg
 

michigandrake

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Jun 4, 2019
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I’ve also had to make adjustments to the rest based on the diameter of the arrow. I’ve been testing out a variety of arrows everything from the micro VAPs to the full size Carnivores and a few in between. They’re all 250 spine, but I’m guessing the fact that they sit slightly different in the rest is causing the variation (even the ones cut to the same length and with same weight up front).
Shaft diameter is a good unit of measure for rest adjustment. I always start 1/4 diameter outside when I begin tuning. Centershot is just a concept and just like the saying " an arrow does not care which bow shoots it" ...... it also does not care how it gets into perfect flight.
 

Kurt

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Nov 1, 2018
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On a side note I got tired of piling my block targets up in the dirt, so I made a stand to elevate and level them so I can get a better visual on the arrow impact angle. Built in a paper tuning frame that fits into the front slot, and even had enough wood left over to mount my steel target. All in $25 worth of pressure treated 2x4. It’s unbelievable how much time you have on your hands once the season ends lol
View attachment 25783View attachment 25784View attachment 25785
Nice. I've been thinking of something similar. A frame to hold my block target at the proper height, and to make sure it doesn't move when the arrow hits it. I've been shooting indoors at work, but as the weather gets nicer I definitely want to move outside to get some longer range tuning in.
 

ericabbott

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Sep 20, 2018
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Jonesborough TN
Nice. I've been thinking of something similar. A frame to hold my block target at the proper height, and to make sure it doesn't move when the arrow hits it. I've been shooting indoors at work, but as the weather gets nicer I definitely want to move outside to get some longer range tuning in.
I rigged up some paracord and a CamJam to wrap around the target and the stand to keep it from moving.
 
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ofor

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Apr 8, 2019
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I was doing additional bare shaft tuning over the weekend using a 350 spine 30” carbon express arrow and was shooting bullet holes with it with 275 gn field tips. I cut the arrow down to 28” and now am getting a 3” horizontal tear (nock right) that I can’t seem to tune out. I shoot right handed and have the rest extended out to the left as far as possible. I tried moving the rest right just to make sure I was tuning in the right direction but the tear got even longer. I shoot a QAD dropaway rest. Could this tear be due to rest timing? I spun the arrow and used an arrow squaring tool on the fresh cut and don’t see a problem there. I didn’t expect that cutting down the arrow 2” would have this much impact. Any suggestions?
 

kyler1945

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Dec 4, 2016
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LOCATION
Willis, TX
I was doing additional bare shaft tuning over the weekend using a 350 spine 30” carbon express arrow and was shooting bullet holes with it with 275 gn field tips. I cut the arrow down to 28” and now am getting a 3” horizontal tear (nock right) that I can’t seem to tune out. I shoot right handed and have the rest extended out to the left as far as possible. I tried moving the rest right just to make sure I was tuning in the right direction but the tear got even longer. I shoot a QAD dropaway rest. Could this tear be due to rest timing? I spun the arrow and used an arrow squaring tool on the fresh cut and don’t see a problem there. I didn’t expect that cutting down the arrow 2” would have this much impact. Any suggestions?

It might have a minor impact if you're using 100 grains and an aluminum insert. It can have a significant impact with 275 grains up front. Do you have room to increase poundage to see if the tear decreases or disappears?
 

Weldabeast

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May 23, 2019
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I was doing additional bare shaft tuning over the weekend using a 350 spine 30” carbon express arrow and was shooting bullet holes with it with 275 gn field tips. I cut the arrow down to 28” and now am getting a 3” horizontal tear (nock right) that I can’t seem to tune out. I shoot right handed and have the rest extended out to the left as far as possible. I tried moving the rest right just to make sure I was tuning in the right direction but the tear got even longer. I shoot a QAD dropaway rest. Could this tear be due to rest timing? I spun the arrow and used an arrow squaring tool on the fresh cut and don’t see a problem there. I didn’t expect that cutting down the arrow 2” would have this much impact. Any suggestions?
Maybe just shoot a 30 inch arrow with 275 in broadhead and insert?
 

SnakeEater

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Jan 12, 2020
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The bullet holes may have been a false read. Dr Ashby talks about false positives, with underspined, longer arrows or incorrect arrow lengths the arrow can flex and hit the riser/rest before it passes the riser and creates bullet holes making it look like proper flight. When starting at full length and cutting down he advises cutting no more than I think 1/8” off at a time. That being said when I did it I got cut arrows and just shot the best weight for that length. But that could be the reason for your un-fixable year.
 

Red Beard

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Mar 3, 2019
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Maybe just shoot a 30 inch arrow with 275 in broadhead and insert?
Mine lined up with 300gr on the front of 29 inch .350s. I wanted so bad to walk that back to 27.5 inches (don't know why other than I've been shooting 27 inches for years now) and it just wouldn't come together. Eventually, I got happy/satisfied with what worked ;)
 
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Allegheny Tom

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Feb 4, 2018
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The bullet holes may have been a false read. Dr Ashby talks about false positives, with underspined, longer arrows or incorrect arrow lengths the arrow can flex and hit the riser/rest before it passes the riser and creates bullet holes making it look like proper flight. When starting at full length and cutting down he advises cutting no more than I think 1/8” off at a time. That being said when I did it I got cut arrows and just shot the best weight for that length. But that could be the reason for your un-fixable year.
I recall Ashby referring to false positives in relation to where they impact the target...ie left of the bullseye.
I dont recall him talking about paper tuning. Do you have a link to that info?

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Red Beard

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I recall Ashby referring to false positives in relation to where they impact the target...ie left of the bullseye.
I dont recall him talking about paper tuning. Do you have a link to that info?

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Do ya'll also have the reference to false positives? It would be good for me to go back and read that again.
 

SnakeEater

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Jan 12, 2020
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I recall Ashby referring to false positives in relation to where they impact the target...ie left of the bullseye.
I dont recall him talking about paper tuning. Do you have a link to that info?

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

Yep you are correct. I got different references mixed up. That’s for bare shaft tuning via his method for finding the correct arrow length for point weight. It starts around 13:00 in the video above. Limbdriven YouTube channel has good info about bareshaft tuning where you look at the direction the bareshaft points, straight or crooked, out of the target in relation to the location the arrow was shot from like ranch fairy does for nick tuning but they do for bow tuning. That video below just fysa.

 

weekender21

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Aug 19, 2018
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Arrows oscillate drastically when they come off the string. I’ve had bows tuned perfectly that won’t shoot a hole in paper. There are other ways to tune a bow, just food for thought.

Assuming your shaft is stiff enough to safety handle your point weight, it can be tuned.


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SnakeEater

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Jan 12, 2020
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Arrows oscillate drastically when they come off the string. I’ve had bows tuned perfectly that won’t shoot a hole in paper. There are other ways to tune a bow, just food for thought.

Assuming your shaft is stiff enough to safety handle your point weight, it can be tuned.


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Absolutely right! I usually do a couple methods just to really get my bow shooting well, plus it gives me something to do when I have to much time on my hands.
 
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woodsdog2

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Jun 28, 2019
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Good to hear. I felt weird before i had the cams shimmed my arrow was pointing way left coming of the bow but bareshaft flight was great. I think i will have to go back to that and forget about specs. I may try putting a different grip on the bow too,i have one with a flatter pad.
I was considering just shooting my 400 spine vaps with 200 grains up front,but that is sooo underspined it is scary. They flew well though. All the calculators put me at a 300 spine which i would feel safer with.
You have to watch some of Ashby's stuff as he addresses centershot in his 2013 presentations at the P&Y Club Annual meeting. I am telling you, watch the segment on the hunters in Papau New Guinee. Prior to the 1940's they had small narrow bows and little arrows. After WWII, when they were able to get steel, they went to extremely large steel broadheads which were very heavy giving them essentially UEFOC arrows. They had to go with bows that were 3" to 4" in diameter at the handle because the arrow was so large and heavy up front they needed that degree of left arrow past centershot in order to have effective groups. There is a picture of one of the PNG hunters with a great bull (red deer I believe but I may be wrong). He stalked up to it within 25 yards I believe Ashby said and harvested it with one of those extreme out of centershot bows. He said they hunt like we do just better.