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Paper tuning question

M

Mackerel

Active Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2019
Messages
101
Location
Lexington, NC
The shop I go to always has me paper tune at about 5ft and that’s it, and I’ve seen a lot of guys online talk about walk back tuning. I picked up my new Mathews today and since there was only one bow tech (the owner) he let me set my bow up while he helped the hoard of guys wanting string and cable overhauls 2 weeks before the season comes in. Since I was rushed on time, I set it all up and got bullet holes with fletched arrows at 8ft. Should I go back and paper tune closer and further away?
 
Everyone has their opinions, but if you are not shooting 50 yards. Just make sure your broadheads hit consistently with your field points. Paper tuning has a lot to do with shooting form as well. When I was younger I spent hours at my pro shop working with their senior tech trying to get a bullet hole. He was very professional and politely said “let me try one shot” every time he shot my bow it made a perfect bullet hole. He said everyone has a different shooting form, but the bow is tuned. That was his way of saying without so many words that it was operator error. I can robinhood arrows at 30 yards and I rarely shoot past 20 yards while hunting, my broadheads fly exactly like my field points, I kill deer, I could care less what the paper tear looks like. Remember your arrow oscillates after leaving the string that can influence your tear as well.
 
I prefer walk back tuning, I usually paper tune to get it close and then walk back tune out to 60 or 70 yards. In my opinion paper tune distance should just be under 10 feet and doesn’t matter too much
 
Mackerel said:
The shop I go to always has me paper tune at about 5ft and that’s it, and I’ve seen a lot of guys online talk about walk back tuning. I picked up my new Mathews today and since there was only one bow tech (the owner) he let me set my bow up while he helped the hoard of guys wanting string and cable overhauls 2 weeks before the season comes in. Since I was rushed on time, I set it all up and got bullet holes with fletched arrows at 8ft. Should I go back and paper tune closer and further away?
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Walk back tuning is good if you are super consistent with the sight bubble level. If you torque your bow the least bit it means nothing.
 
gameflogger said:
Everyone has their opinions, but if you are not shooting 50 yards. Just make sure your broadheads hit consistently with your field points. Paper tuning has a lot to do with shooting form as well. When I was younger I spent hours at my pro shop working with their senior tech trying to get a bullet hole. He was very professional and politely said “let me try one shot” every time he shot my bow it made a perfect bullet hole. He said everyone has a different shooting form, but the bow is tuned. That was his way of saying without so many words that it was operator error. I can robinhood arrows at 30 yards and I rarely shoot past 20 yards while hunting, my broadheads fly exactly like my field points, I kill deer, I could care less what the paper tear looks like. Remember your arrow oscillates after leaving the string that can influence your tear as well.
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Being the stickler I am and having a little bit of an obsession with accuracy, I just want to make sure the arrow isn’t correcting itself in flight and losing efficiency. I check my pins and marks every time I shoot, but spend most of my time shooting at 60+ yards to make close shots easy.
 
Mackerel said:
Being the stickler I am and having a little bit of an obsession with accuracy, I just want to make sure the arrow isn’t correcting itself in flight and losing efficiency. I check my pins and marks every time I shoot, but spend most of my time shooting at 60+ yards to make close shots easy.
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What do your groups look like at 20 yadrs?
 
I only paper tune with bareshafts, from about 10-20 yards. Originally to dial in my arrow configuration, and now to nock tune each arrow and to occasionally check my form. But most of my shooting is with broadheads from 10 out to about 50 yards.
 
In my opinion, For whatever it is worth..... a whitetail deer’s flinch reaction at 30 yards can put their heart 3” or more below point of impact by the time the arrow reaches the deer so unless you plan on competition shooting, splitting hairs can consume a lot of time that can be used to practice your climbing method, scout, prep alternative stand locations, etc. Most people miss deer because they get tha feva!
 
ericabbott said:
I only paper tune with bareshafts, from about 10-20 yards. Originally to dial in my arrow configuration, and now to nock tune each arrow and to occasionally check my form. But most of my shooting is with broadheads from 10 out to about 50 yards.
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Do you clock your broadheads?
 
gameflogger said:
In my opinion, For whatever it is worth..... a whitetail deer’s flinch reaction at 30 yards can put their heart 3” or more below point of impact by the time the arrow reaches the deer so unless you plan on competition shooting, splitting hairs can consume a lot of time that can be used to practice your climbing method, scout, prep alternative stand locations, etc. Most people miss deer because they get tha feva!
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The fever is real, wouldn’t be my first time making a bad shot and probably won’t be my last. But I do shoot a lot of 3D and generally do enjoy shooting for fun and want to be the best I can.
 
Mackerel said:
The fever is real, wouldn’t be my first time making a bad shot and probably won’t be my last. But I do shoot a lot of 3D and generally do enjoy shooting for fun and want to be the best I can.
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Mad props! I used to shoot for hours on end, but I dont shoot as much anymore, but I am a much better hunter now than I was then. Aim small, miss small. I always try to keep in mind that a deer’s vitals are bigger than a breakfast saucer, if I dont feel comfortable shooting that, then I should not take the shot.
 
ericabbott said:
No I don’t have a chrono. Based on an online calculator it’s in the low 200s
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You can clock or “time” the broadheads to the fletches by putting teflon tape on the broadhead threads to align them with the fletches.
 
gameflogger said:
You can clock or “time” the broadheads to the fletches by putting teflon tape on the broadhead threads to align them with the fletches.
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I’m shooting a two blade broadhead, with 3 fletch A&A feathers. I used to do that with my 3 blade Montecs, but read somewhere (maybe Ashby?) that it didn’t make a difference. Do you have any data showIng it helps arrow flight?
 
ericabbott said:
I’m shooting a two blade broadhead, with 3 fletch A&A feathers. I used to do that with my 3 blade Montecs, but read somewhere (maybe Ashby?) that it didn’t make a difference. Do you have any data showIng it helps arrow flight?
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Nah, I don't get that technical anymore. I just like killing deer. I usually don’t have to shoot past 20 yards. I used to spend so much time overthinking it. Now I just keep it simple. I know lots of pros that overtune everything. I don't let it psych me out anymore. I can group well so I don't spend too much time trying to overtune. By the time it is perfect, it is time to change the bowstring again:disrelieved:
 
You sound a lot like me...no, it doesn’t REALLY matter, but boy, does it make me confident when I can get a bare shaft bullet hole! The peak distance that an arrow will show problems in the power stroke of the bow is at 21 feet (7 yards). With this info, I always baseline with a bare shaft at 21 feet through paper...I shoot that same arrow a few times at that distance to make sure I’m getting the exact same tear...then I’ll repeat with each arrow and nock tune at that point to get all the arrows tearing the exact same tear...(Takes a while, but I could be spending my time doing much worse things that I’m much less interested in, so I do it) I then will tune the bow to the arrow (shim the cams, move the rest, yoke tune, etc.) until I can get a perfect bullet hole or at least really close with each arrow..is that overkill when it comes to just setting my bow up for killing a whitetail at 35 yards and in? Yep. Do I still do it? Yep. It’s fun, always a learning process, and gives me some good quality time that I thoroughly enjoy. Let me know if this doesn’t make sense or you have any questions.

P.S.- people will disagree with this next comment and that’s ok, but I believe getting a bareshaft and field points to hit together at 20 is pretty important. Once I do the process I explained, I shoot bare shafts and fletched shafts at 20 and make sure my point of impact is really close. Then I’ll slap on the broad head of choice and shoot at 20 and 30 and make sure it hits where I aim and then I shoot field points until I can’t stand it anymore and that is MY process. It works for me. There’s 164 ways to skin a cat. This way is my way. :)
 
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gameflogger said:
Mad props! I used to shoot for hours on end, but I dont shoot as much anymore, but I am a much better hunter now than I was then. Aim small, miss small. I always try to keep in mind that a deer’s vitals are bigger than a breakfast saucer, if I dont feel comfortable shooting that, then I should not take the shot.
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I’ve always tried to make sure that I put myself in the best position given the opportunity, when I have days off during the week I tend to get up early to take care of the “honey do list” and sling arrows till she gets off work and adds to the list. I don’t want to make a bad shot because my gear or myself isn’t in the best shape that I or it can be in.
 
Okay. Help me out here. Paper tuned at about 10 feet. Went to 20 yards out side on the target. Still bare shaft. I can see a left tail whip on everything. I'm sure a large part of it is me. I settled it down some, but my rest is all the way over now. Should I stick with what the paper tune said? Or go with the 20yards hitting square to me on the block.
I went back through my weights again and different sizes. All doing the same thing. It's a diamond single cam. So don't think I can do much with cam lean? Tried adjusting my yoke cables. But didn't change much.
I would try a side and bigger stabilizer. But put enough cash into hunting this year.
Thoughts. Paper or 20yrd tune? Or back to the crossbow. I got plenty of weight. Just trying to make sure I have good arrow flight.
 
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