You can shoot a rifle accurately straight out of the box. But a bow must be fine-tuned to fit each archer’s draw weight, draw length and shooting form. What’s more, over time, strings stretch, equipment wears and cams can get out of timing. With backyard summer shooting in full swing, now is a good time to get your bow tuned so your bow shoots with peak precision.
A bow should be tuned periodically to keep it shooting accurately. You may notice your bow doesn’t shoot groups as tightly as it once did or maybe has more noise or vibration than it used to. A little tuning can get you back on track. And this shouldn’t just be a case of dropping off your bow, having the shop guys work on it and picking it up when it’s done. You should be there so the pro shop can get your bow shooting accurately for you—not for one of their guys or a machine.
First, the technician will return the bow to the manufacturer’s settings, in terms of draw weight and length, which may have been altered to fit your preferences. From there, he will likely examine bow string wear, serving wear and cam timing. Strings and cables should be replaced every year or two because they stretch over time, which affects accuracy. Cams get out of sync as well.
Your pro shop technician will also check for anything that’s come loose or is causing vibration. He’ll also make sure you’re shooting arrows with the correct spine.
The bow should be tuned with all the accessories you plan to use already installed. Therefore, if you’re planning on getting a new rest, string silencers or other accessories, add them before you get your bow tuned.
With new strings, rests or other accessories installed, the technician will check your center shot and nock height to ensure that the arrow is perfectly aligned with the string and is lying horizontal on the rest.
Once he has confirmed that the arrow is coming off the string in perfect position, the technician will likely have you shoot the bow through a sheet of paper. Although there are a few ways to tune your bow, paper tuning is easy and reliable. When the bow is perfectly tuned, the arrow will zip through the paper, leaving a perfect “bullet” hole. However, a tear to the left or right, or up or down, indicates that the bow isn’t tuned properly.
Always adjust any vertical errors first. To fix a high tear, move the nock point down or the rest up. You could also decrease the arrow launcher stiffness or shorten arrow length. For a low tear, raise the nocking point or increase arrow launcher stiffness.
For right-handed shooters, to fix a left tear, move the rest toward the riser or the cable guard toward the arrow. Increasing arrow spine or decreasing draw weight can also correct the problem. It’s important to make only one adjustment at a time so you can zero in on the problem.
To fix a right tear, move the rest away from the riser or the cable guard away from the arrow.
Once your arrow is leaving a bullet-like hole in the paper, your bow should be shooting perfectly and you’re ready for opening day!
