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Your Set up..

DanielB89

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2017
Messages
1,381
Location
Monroe, LA
One of the most challenging thing about a tradbow is getting everything "perfect".. This is mainly because of the lack of technological advancements involved in the shot process(cams, draw checks, release aids, etc). I figured this could be a good place to share what it working for you and may help flatten the learning curve of tuning to give others a better idea of where to start. If you will, please share as much of the information as you can to help the next guy..

Pro Tip: A field tip flying with feathers on an arrow doesn't mean much, test it with the same weight broadhead. I have won tournaments with arrows that were way over spined.

Bow make:
Poundage @ 28:
Draw Length:
Off shelf or rest:

Arrow make:
Arrow Spine:
Total tip weight (insert and point):

Tuning Method(broadhead, bareshaft, adcock, etc):

I look forward to seeing what's working out for everyone!
 
Bow Make: Samick Sage
Poundage @ 28: 50lbs
Draw Length: 28.5
off shelf or rest: shelf

Arrow make: Carbon / Beman centershots
Arrow spine: 400 @ 30.25inches
total tip weight: insert is 75 grains and point is 150grains
total arrow weight: 540 grains

Tuning method: bare shaft

Keep this post running, I like to see everyone's response as well!
 
Bow make: Navajo Apache by Roy Hall
Poundage @ 28: 42#
Draw Length: 28”
Draw Weight at Draw Length: 42#
Off shelf or rest: shelf

Arrow make: Black Eagle Instinct
Arrow Spine: 600
Arrow Length: 29.25”
Total tip weight (insert and point): 300 grains total weight

Tuning Method(broadhead, bareshaft, adcock, etc): bareshaft


Bow make: Morrison Phoenix 13” ILF/Bivouac Longbow Limbs
Poundage @ 28: 48#
Draw Length: 28”
Draw Weight at Draw Length: 46# ( limb bolts turned out)
Off shelf or rest: shelf

Arrow make: Gold Tip Kinetics
Arrow Spine: 500
Arrow Length: 29.5”
Total tip weight (insert and point): Ethics Archery stainless outsert system = 400 grains total weight

Tuning Method(broadhead, bareshaft, adcock, etc): bareshaft
 
Bow make: Hackenwhacker aka homemade recurve
Poundage @ 28: 55
Draw Length 28.5ish
Off shelf or rest: velcro pad on shelf

Arrow make: Surewood Douglas Fir
Arrow spine: 60-65
Arrow length: 29.5"
Total tip weight: 160 grains

Tuning method: utter chaos - ordered a test kit of shafts(3 different spine groups), played with lengths and tip weights. Dialed in a couple of different setups that fly well but went with the one I did based on total arrow weight which falls right at 10 grains per pound of draw. Havent shot broadheads yet since all of my glue on heads are 125's. I would expect them to fly ok but may wait til I have some heavier heads.
 
I am just back into shooting (daily) after a pretty lengthy layoff of shooting recurves. I had a couple years where I only hunted with a compound because I thought I needed the predictable accuracy at longer ranges - then I moved back to Central Florida where I realize that any place where I've seen game animals in the swamps had a max range of about...well, my effective recurve distance. I am back at it hard and heavy with a single string bow and couldn't be happier.

I have some longbows that I've made, along with a Spig and SF 25" riser that I shot barebow 3D years ago. Lately I broke out a BB warf riser and have been shooting it well. It will likely go with me into the swamps this fall as a proven hole-maker in deer ribs.

Bow make: Bear Black Bear warf riser made by Bob Gordon
Poundage @ 28: With medium Tradtech Black Max limbs it is 42# at my draw length
Draw Length: 30.25"
Off shelf or rest: Love me a Bear Weatherest on this riser modified with a hole drilled into it so I can tune it with a stainless screw in the berger hole.

Arrow make: Beman ICS Bowhunter (inexpensive and almost indestructible) with Easton uni-bushings and 4 fletched with 4" feathers (4x90*)
Arrow Spine: 400; full length
Total tip weight (insert and point): 125 gr screw in points right now. I will tune it later with the broadhead(s) I end up hunting with, most likely Wensel Woodsmans.

Tuning Method(broadhead, bareshaft, adcock, etc): I am a huge advocate for bareshaft tuning if you have quasi-repeatable form. I nearly always have a couple unfletched shafts that I shoot throughout my shooting session to ensure that I am doing my part. If they show weak or stiff, I can check brace height or slide my silencers up/down the string to bring it back. Normally, I can tell if it was me that caused the poor bareshaft flight.

I won my class in the first ever 3D tournament I competed in with a 66" -- and 66# Brackenbury Legend recurve - I no longer have that bow and no longer shoot bows of that draw weight because it is unnecessary for what I need from a bow. I gap shoot (with a sight mark when hunting) and on average take about 6 seconds to shoot. I am not a snap shooter, I have a deliberate aiming process so I don't want heavyweight draw weights. It may be different if I lived where larger game animals roam.

Soapbox topic: The best shooting advice I can give anyone reading this (caveat - I am NOT a pro) is to work hard at making sure you have good alignment in YOUR mechanics of a shot. Some folks try to force an anchor into existence that does not equate to optimal alignment. This causes all sorts of problems unless you shoot with a clicker; even then. If your alignment is good, it is MUCH easier to maintain a consistent draw length and not creep nor over-draw your shot. If you have poor alignment you will have difficulty being predictably accurate because you lack bone support and rely on muscle tension. When I get this right it almost feels as if I am locked at full draw and just need to expand until the shot goes off.
(off the soapbox now...)
 
Bow make: Greatree Raven
Poundage @ 28: 40#
Draw Length: 28.5
Off shelf or rest: Shelf

Arrow make: Black Eagle Vintage, 4 fletched with 4” Trad Vanes
Arrow Spine: 600
Total tip weight (insert and point): 200 point, standard insert. 515 grains TAW


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
DAS Gen 1 recurve (circa 2005) 45Lb.s @ 28" 60" long Samick Master limbs.
Off the shelf with calf hair, riser has a built in "hump" on the shelf
Gold Tip 500 spine 30" 3 - 4" feathers 100 gr. insert 250gr. tip/broad head 610gr arrow weight 24% FOC (pile drives through deer)
Bear shaft tuned
I shoot with a release and string loop, due to a damaged release hand, so you may get different results.
 
Self-made 62" 45@29 R/D longbow
Full length 500 spine ics
bowhunter arrows
150 eclipse broadheads
Shooting off shelf
Bareshaft tune with target tips
 
Bow make: Recurve made by my father (carbon in limbs, cut 1/16th past center)
Poundage @ 28: 50#
Draw Length: 29"
Off shelf or rest: Off shelf

Arrow make: GT Traditional
Arrow Spine: 400 (length is 29-7/8" nock throat to insert)
Total tip weight (insert and point): 250gr. (575gr total arrow weight)

Tuning Method(broadhead, bareshaft, adcock, etc): bareshaft and broadhead

I also have an identical bow that's 45# @29" that I'm still working on tuning but,I have played around with it enough to know that it will also be a 400 spine arrow, with a 200-250gr point but, will be closer to full length.
 
This is a good read.
Im a newb with a 17" galaxy ilf riser and started with 45 lb. Glass/wood medium TT black max limbs.
Ive since picked up a set 50# long carbon TT black max limbs and hope to hunt with these limbs. I tried a friends 50# and really liked how they felt.
Recently scored a TT titan 19" riser with 40# samick carbon TT black max when I was looking for a practice riser.
400 black eagle instincts fly a bit better for me than eastons w 45 & 50# limbs.
Look forward to getting my set up dialed trying out combinations this summer.
 
58" Great Northern Jackknife Ghost; GN bow quiver, Tenring string
50#@27"; drawing just a shade less
Split finger with tab, off the shelf
Tapered woodies, either cedar or fir, 3 fletch feathers, cut to 27", 55-57# spine, 145 gr head (Eclipse 2 blade)
Been shooting GN bows for 25 years; know what works. Bows of this weight will tune for me with 55-60 spine and 145-160 grain heads, so with a new set of arrows, I start with
broadheads and tweak brace height and nock height as necessary. Really just watch arrow flight to tune; nothing fancy.
 
58” Big Jim Thunderchild. 42@28.
28” draw.
Shelf.
My string. Trophy and B55 mix.
GT 35/55 30 inches BOP.
250 grain point.
Arrow weighs 515 grains.
4 inch feathers burnt in narrow parabolic pattern.
No bare shaft or paper tune.
 
Bow make: Recurve made by my father (carbon in limbs, cut 1/16th past center)
Poundage @ 28: 43#
Draw Length: 29.5"
Off shelf or rest: Hoyt Super Rest

Arrow make: GT Hunter
Arrow Spine: 400 (length is 31" nock throat to insert)
Total tip weight (insert and point): 300gr. (200 gr tip w/100 gr insert) (605 gr total arrow weight)

Tuning Method(broadhead, bareshaft, adcock, etc): bareshaft

This particular bow has given me fits. I could not get an arrow to tune out if this bow last year, so I hunted with the 50# bow I listed further up the post. I've been messing with it again this spring and was still having issues with inconsistent arrow flight, mostly random nock highs that would only go away if I shot an arrow that was too stiff. Basically, with a bare shaft I could either get stiff arrow flight or as I did things to weaken the shaft to bring it closer to tune I would start getting erratic arrow flight and random nock highs.

I put a Hoyt Super Rest on today and immediately got perfect arrow flight. I started playing around with various spines and point weights as I settled on a final total weight and the window of arrows that this bow will now shoot is larger than any of my other bows. This is the first I have used a Super Rest and I'm pretty impressed. I tried to put a brush rest on after I got an arrow tuned because I thought it would be more durable then the Super Rest and I immediately got erratic arrow flight again . The arrow set up above that I finally settled on is shooting perfect out to 30 yds. It was a huge relief to get this bow tuned as it's my favorite bow to shoot.

*Edited with new arrow setup
 
Last edited:
Bow make: Bear Kodiak Magnum
Poundage @ 28: 52#
Draw Length: 29"
Off shelf or rest: shelf

Arrow make: Gold Tip Traditional Classic XT
Arrow Spine: 340 cut @ 29.625"
Total tip weight (insert and point): 80gr GT insert, 200gr tip, and 20gr footer

Tuning Method(broadhead, bareshaft, adcock, etc): bareshaft


Bow make: Black Hunter R/D Longbow
Poundage @ 28: 55#
Draw Length: 29"
Off shelf or rest: shelf

Arrow make: Gold Tip Traditional Classic
Arrow Spine: 500 full length
Total tip weight (insert and point): 74gr GT insert and 200gr tip

Tuning Method(broadhead, bareshaft, adcock, etc): bareshaft
 
Bow make: Galaxy Ember Recurve
Poundage @ 28: 45#
Draw Length: 28”
Off shelf or rest: shelf

Arrow make: Gold Tip Velocity
Arrow Spine: 400 cut @ 29.5
Total tip weight (insert and point): 200gr Ethics insert, 150gr head, 600gr TAW

Tuning Method(broadhead, bareshaft, adcock, etc): bareshaft then broadhead
 

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Bow make: Recurve made by my father (carbon in limbs, cut 1/16th past center)
Poundage @ 28: 43#
Draw Length: 29"
Off shelf or rest: Hoyt Super Rest

Arrow make: Beeman ICS Hunter
Arrow Spine: 500 (length is 30-1/2" nock throat to insert)
Total tip weight (insert and point): 250gr. (200 gr tip w/50 gr insert) (492gr total arrow weight)

Tuning Method(broadhead, bareshaft, adcock, etc): bareshaft

This particular bow has given me fits. I could not get an arrow to tune out if this bow last year, so I hunted with the 50# bow I listed further up the post. I've been messing with it again this spring and was still having issues with inconsistent arrow flight, mostly random nock highs that would only go away if I shot an arrow that was too stiff. Basically, with a bare shaft I could either get stiff arrow flight or as I did things to weaken the shaft to bring it closer to tune I would start getting erratic arrow flight and random nock highs.

I put a Hoyt Super Rest on today and immediately got perfect arrow flight. I started playing around with various spines and point weights as I settled on a final total weight and the window of arrows that this bow will now shoot is larger than any of my other bows. This is the first I have used a Super Rest and I'm pretty impressed. I tried to put a brush rest on after I got an arrow tuned because I thought it would be more durable then the Super Rest and I immediately got erratic arrow flight again . The arrow set up above that I finally settled on is shooting perfect out to 30 yds. It was a huge relief to get this bow tuned as it's my favorite bow to shoot.
Wait. You put a Hoyt Super Rest on it? Might as well slap an EZV on there too :rolleyes:

Haha! :tearsofjoy:
 
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