can you be overspined with a compound?
Contributors to this thread:Equipment
From: rershooter
21-Mar-17
I've been shooting recurves and longbows for years and understand how critical spine selection is with "bending" around the risers. I have a compound now and with my weight and length I fall right between sizes on the arrow spine selection chart. Is it better to chose stronger or weaker? Then I got to thinking, is it even possible to be overspined with a compound? There really is no flexing around a riser with a compound.
From: Brotsky
21-Mar-17
I personally do not feel you can be overspined with a modern compound. Always lean to the heavier side if on the border. That approach has not failed me yet!
From: LINK
21-Mar-17
Shoot a 200/250 spine and be done with it. My 200's tune great.
From: APauls
21-Mar-17
I was overspined and couldn't tune fixed heads. Went back to my normal spine and everything cleaned up. So yes.
From: sticksender
21-Mar-17
I usually go stiffer than indicated in the spine charts. Shooting 70 # with 28" shafts, the charts would indicate 340 shafts are ok, but 300's have worked better for me.
From: LINK
21-Mar-17
Sticksender, I had shot 340's with a 28" 70# for years and never been able to get broadheads and field points together. I thought it was me torquing, or something with the rest. I tried yoke tunning and even bought a new rest but couldn't adjust out the nock left tear. I finally bought a single 200 spine arrow and voila.
From: Scooby-doo
21-Mar-17
Funny!! Apauls is the only one that is right. Yes you can, if you could not be then manufacturers would not bother to make a bunch of different spines. Scooby
From: tradmt
21-Mar-17
It may depend on the bow somewhat, a little cam lean, a full contact type rest and you may be better off with a not so stiff arrow so I would say yes, it is possible.
From: Tilzbow
21-Mar-17
If you shoot a release, a drop away rest, and have a torque free grip it's difficult to be over spined.
From: TD
21-Mar-17
Only if you're tiller tuning.....
From: BoonROTO
21-Mar-17
Same experience as Apauls. I could not tune my fixed heads when overspined.
From: Rickm
21-Mar-17
It can happen but as stated, usually going on the stuff side of the chart is safe.
Try a weaker shaft and you will know pretty fast.
From: WV Mountaineer
21-Mar-17
I've always shot a stiffer shaft than what the charts say, once the drop away came around. However, this time around I went with a 400 spined shaft, cut it to 26 inches, and it shoots bullets out of a WB, 70lb draw, weight, drawn 27 inches, out of a Ballistic bow. If I were shooting a drop away, I'd be shooting a 2413 cut to 26 inches though. Because, in my experience, it is impossible to over spine on a modern compound shooting a drop away rest. And, that stiff arrow really aids in penetration. God Bless men
From: Canuck
22-Mar-17
From: Redheadtwo
22-Mar-17
Sure can. Like using a 2317 (not everybody uses carbon arrows) out of a 60# bow with a 100 grain head.
From: TD
22-Mar-17
I have yet to work on a bow where the issue was too stiff a shaft. Never seen it. Have seen MANY issues from too WEAK a spine though. I've tuned kids bows shooting 40 lbs with cut down 300 shafts. Never an issue. Those kids shoot so well they play games busting each other's arrows up, I quit shooting with them. And they'll stack a FP right on top of a FBBH all day long.
I don't tune for "flight" or "grouping", I tune so the FP and FBBH group together. If they don't, there is an issue somewhere. Too stiff has never been one.
From: ACB
22-Mar-17
No
From: Bowfreak
22-Mar-17
I think the vast majority of archers can't be overspined. Only a handful of archers in the world, the 1 percenters, can tell the difference in their groups with an optimally spined arrow and one that is overspined. However, nearly all archers can tell the difference in groups with properly spined and and underspined arrow.
From: RogBow
22-Mar-17
Depends on the bow, some have yokes and other features which make tuning a wider selection of shafts easier. Could you tune a " 0 " deflection spine arrow out of a compound using a release aid and drop away? That would be interesting to see and I would not bet against it.
From: loopmtz
22-Mar-17
Bowfreak hit it on the head!
From: IdyllwildArcher
23-Mar-17
I'm with APauls. I cant get Maxima 350s to tune, but 250s hit perfect with field points out to 80.
From: caribou77
23-Mar-17
My Diamond Marquis 28.5"/70 pound shoots goldtip 400s with 125 grain tips perfect. Perfect bullet holes in paper, perfect broadhead flight. Any stiffer spine and things go haywire. So yes you can be overspined. I may be in that 1% club but I've tried a million combos and yoke tuning and what worked on my bow, was that combo.
From: sticksender
23-Mar-17
Idyll.....that sounds like the opposite of APauls' scenario.
From: Fulldraw1972
23-Mar-17
A Maxima 250 shaft is a 400 spine shaft. So it would be the same as APaul's scenario.
From: Scar Finga
23-Mar-17
it is just my opinion and experience, but I would say no. I have never had a problem getting heavy spined arrows to fly right.
Scar.
From: sticksender
23-Mar-17
Ok that makes sense then fulldraw.
From: W8N4RUT
23-Mar-17
this thread is very timely--
Always shot Carbon Express Maxima shafts. 70#'s at 29" and my past bows were single cams from Mathews.
I bought a Mathews Halon now and if my calcs are correct on the CX chart, Id need to go to a 450 shaft.
I cant say that my 350's fly perfectly although a little more shooting and tuning is necessary and the bow needs to settle-in too.
What do you guys think?
Scott
From: Scooby-doo
23-Mar-17
Carbon Express just had to be different, PSE too could not just use Eastons way of actually give a true deflection reading. I will say this, if you don't own a good spine tester, you should. It would open some eyes. Remember manufacturers have to be careful so if the put .400/55/75 well that shaft better be able to be shot out a 75# pound with a normal weight hunting head of 100-125 grains and not explode or break. It may not fly well full length as it is measured at 28"s with 14" centers but they err on the side of caution, cut an inch off a carbon and it stiffens the dynamic spine quite a bit now cut it below 28"s and it actually it actually stiffens it a lot. Guys who shoot arrows 28"s or less to the back of point can get away with a lot less deflection then people think. I 100% agree to err on the stiff side but what I think and others seem to think is a bit different. Scooby
From: ACB
25-Mar-17
What you will find is weaker shafts ( to a point ) are more forgiving of not being set at dead center shot . As you get stiffer the more critical it is to be dead center shot or the arrow can plan off in the direction you are off center shot . You have to take pains in measuring your center shot and getting the arrows set to your bow . I take great pains in getting my arrow set dead center and shoot a stiff arrow . Spine of less than 300 . If you set your bow dead center with drop away rest and release aid with arrows manufacturer you cannot be to stiff .
From: ELKMAN
26-Mar-17
Actually it is VERY possible. You may get a tune with it, but the more over spined you are the less forgiving your set up will be. I can't prove this with science, but I have over and over with experience. Tuning and setting up bows for people is one of my business's, and I can honestly say that with today's modern rhetoric in regards to spine, most people are over spined. It's just the easy way out for a quick hole through paper, and a perceived control of broad heads...
From: Capra
26-Mar-17
Short answer is yes.
If you had to lean one way then stiffer is better.
I am more of the opinion that the spine charts are based on the older bows and the new high speed compounds hit that arrow pretty hard for most of the draw cycle, in order to tame that energy a stiffer arrow than the chart says is more correct.
I just use OT2 now and it is pretty accurate. If a guy has the time testing a couple of spines would help to find the balance between stiffness and forgiveness.
From: md5252
26-Mar-17
If you can be under spined than you can be over spined. Simple physics
The compound is more tolerant of over spined arrows and has a wider range than a trad bow but it's still an arrow being propelled by a string
From: TD
26-Mar-17
"most people are over spined"
Interesting. My experience has shown stiffer being a good deal more "forgiving" WRT to tuning..... (different than timing) but then I don't shoot nor tune for mech heads...... FBBH only.
From: Canuck
27-Mar-17
TD X 2
