Contributors to this thread:
I went and had some new strings and cables installed on my bow yesterday. I was shooting great out to 60 prior to this.
Get home last night from the install and my arrows are tail whipping all over the place. So I take it back today and they tell me the rest wasn't "timed" properly (they did it the day before).
So I bring it home and instead of tail whipe the arrow kind of dips then rises in flight. Not the whipping like before.
So I take it back, 3rd time in 24hrs and get told i must be hearing or seeing things cause my bow looks like everything is working fine.
We shot it each time I was there at 10yds but at 20yds you can see the arrow movement, at 10 you cant and they seem to think im crazy.
Everything was fine until they put the new strings on re installed everything
I'm shooting a hoyt nitrum turbo #3 cam, 63#, qad hdx rest.
Did they paper tune it? Did it shoot bullet holes? Have you tried shooting bare shafts or Broadheads?
Shoot it through paper if it is doing what you think it you will see it there. If not you are seeing things.
They didnt do anything but shoot it into a bag. Whenever Ive seen a shop set up a bow they usually use an arrow with a little level on it to set the D loop.. the guy eye balled it which has me wondering if my nock point is off and causing it ?
I havent done any tuning at home yet but im going to tomorrow. I got called into work tonight. I know for a fact it was tail whipping bad last night because my buddy was with me and pointed it out before I said anything.
Shoot it through paper. If it is porpoising then it’s probably nock high/low.
I just put new strings on and had to paper tune it. It's just one of those things you have to do when putting on new strings. I'd make sure the axle to axle and cams timing is right. I shot my broadheads yesterday and had to do one minor adjustment. I was popping 3" inch balloons at 60yds my first arrow.
Eye ball it, 90 deg and center shot, then bare shaft it. Forget paper, it won’t shoot a bullet hole when it’s tuned anyway. Do check your cam timing; a draw board is well worth the time to build.
like others are saying shoot it through paper, the best archery related purchase you can make is a bow press, a little pricey but worth every penny, a draw board is super handy as well and its cheap and easy to build. Learn to tune your own bow, its waaaaaaay better
live2hunt, it is unfortunate that your "pro shop" didn't do the exact things the guys above are telling you. I have had similar experiences as you and it is frustrating for sure. Good pro shops are very hard to find. I'd follow the above advice unless you are like me and not very good at tuning or don't have adequate time. If not, go back again and make them watch you shoot through paper, etc until you get proper arrow flight. Good luck.
You can make a paper tuning device. Get a bag target and put it on a bench or table. Then take a large box and cut a 8x8” square and put it 3 feet in front of the bag target. Take a newspaper and tape it fairly tight over the hole. All 4 corners. Shoot from 5 feet with your very best form and grip.
In all honesty, people really shouldn't trust what their eyes are seeing WRT arrow flight. Lots of optical illusion going on with bright cock feathers spinning downrange, etc. What everyone said above, go shoot some paper at a couple distances, paper doesn't lie. (Well, it won't if you check it at at say a couple yards and then 8 or 10 yards.) And it's incredibly easy (intuitive I believe is a good word to use) to see exactly what's going on, one way or another. If a shop has a bag they should have a paper frame set up and ready to go. If they don't I'd likely need some GOOD explanation why or find another shop. It's a quick and easy way to confirm to customers the bow is at least roughly tuned. Often the arrow flight issues are not the fault of the bow.
IMO a bow shop should get at least a decent paper tune after something major like strings and cables. That only takes a few minutes if set up for it already.
But also IMO a person can't really expect them to dial in a perfect tune for you......unless you're willing to pay for their time to do so. I don't know what folks do for a living but likely would get upset being asked to do it today for free. For some reason people that work in bow shops and other "hobby" business are expected by some to do it for love of the sport they love so much.
Final tuning isn't rocket surgery but to do it right takes some time. In some cases a great deal of it.
I typically don't use this shop. Ive had issues with them before and some stuff they've told me I know is completely wrong.
I had hoped an installation would be quick and easy but I guess I should've waited and drove the hour and a half to have it done. Paper tuning is whats on the agenda for tomorrow, sadly work called and ive got to go in and work a night shift.
Did you really think a new set of strings and cables wasn't going to require any tuning, afterwards? The whole dynamics of your bow has likely changed, and so will the tune.
Also, nobody can tune your bow for YOU! They can get it close, but there is no magical tune that's perfect for everybody. A tune that works for me, may not work you, due to differences in shooting form. A bow MUST be tuned to the individual shooter, period.
I'm with WapitiBob on this one. Forget the paper and bareshaft tune. That's truly the best way to get the best tune possible. It will also expose any flaws in your form that paper won't.
Matt
Every time I see a thread like this it remind me why no one touches my bow but me.
Live2hunt, here is a way to get it close. First, paper tune and make adjustments using the rest. You may need a partner to line you up properly. If you can't touch off a clean shot-close your eyes. Second, do some walk back tuning. Shoot 3-4 arrows at the same spot using a 20 yard adjustment or pin. Shoot one at 20, 30, 40 and maybe 50 yds. See which way the arrows may be falling-either right or left of the center line from the first arrow. Make adjustments using the rest. Keep doing this until the arrows fall in a straight line. These will get you real close. Don't go back to the paper. Do any other additional tuning you need-bare shaft or broad head. Try to make the cleanest shots you can. Given your experience with the shop, I would also recheck the cam timing, tilller, axle to axle length, and nock placement to get these specs as perfect as you can. Do this before you try to tune your bow. If you can't do this, find a shop that can help you. As stated above only you can tune your bow. Others can help you, but they can't do it for you. Good luck.
Took yalls advice today. Bare shaft tuned and after about 2hrs of YouTube videos and tinkering with it I've got it shooting back to where it should. Thanks for all the help and advice
Good deal. That will be some of the best 2 hrs. you ever spent.
Before changing strings, cables etc. did the tech write down the *current* settings for brace height, nock height etc.? And compare the new settings to the original? Too many 'experts' out there who couldn't change strings on an old Bear Kodiak recurve...
i would make one more trip to that shop IF they sold a bow press for less than I could get online. If not they would not see me again and i would start today to become self sufficient on bow tuning basics starting with the equipment to enable it. You can get a bowmaster portable press which is all you need for the couple times a year you need to work in a bow with released tension (change cables, strings, replace serving, peep adjustment, inset string silence, etc.) for about $60 including the right limb configuration adapters. at the base level it is the only pierce of equipment that is essential.
YOU TUBE is chocked foll of thousands of how to videos on the bow shop basics of tuning that are clearly understandable and well demonstrated.
Glad it worked out for you. Take Bou'bound's advice. Get a bow press and learn how to do it yourself. On Hoyt's website you can download the spec sheet for your bow. That will tell you all of the proper measurements. After installing new strings and cables, it's important to get these measurement right.
