Two bows, one arrow - adventures in bare shaft tuning

[twillgo]

Goal: Use one full-length arrow with different weighted points in two very different bows.

Bows: Samick Journey 35# limbs, Omega Imperial Longbow 45# @ 29 in.

Arrows: Gold Tip Traditional 340, 400, and 500 spines

Archer: Novice with 1 1/2 year struggle. Draw length 29 1/2 - 30 in. Variance of 5/16 in. on any given draw. (Yes. Still working on consistent form). Shoot three fingers under with tab off the shelf. Moved away from splint finger and bow canting, as I was very inconsistent. Shoot with bow straight up and anchor with thumb joint in corner of jaw under ear.

Bow setup:

Samick Journey recurve bow with 35# limbs
FastFlight Flemish twist string
Brace height - 7 1/2 inches
Nock height - 5/8 inch above shelf
Wool yarn silencers, felt pads on limbs
Samick Journey take-down bow

Omega Imperial Longbow 66" 45# @ 29 in., Oak riser with hickory and black glass limbs
BCY custom string (from bowyer)
Brace height - 6 1/2 inches
String nock height - 5/8 in.
Wool yarn silencers
Omega Imperial Longbow


Target: 24x18x18 in. cardboard box stuffed with old clothes and wrapped in duct tape.

Preparation for testing:

Bought Gold Tip Traditional testing kit and field point testing kit from 3 Rivers Archery. Raised brace height and nocking point for both bows to recommended height. They were low.

Results:

Shooting from eight yards to the target box, I shot three different spined Gold Tip Traditional bare shafts with different weighted target points all day yesterday until I could shoot no more.

Tried the 500 spined Traditionals on the Journey. Too weak. Don't want to cut shafts.

Settled on 400 spine shafts for both bows:

Journey 200 gr. points
Imperial 125 gr. points

Shot 400 and 340 Traditional shafts out of the Omega Longbow. Both spines shot great with the correct weighted target points:

340 spine = 145 gr. point
400 spine = 125 gr. point.

Click below for photos:

Bare shaft tuning results

Conclusion: Yes, Virginia! You can use one spined arrow for two very different bows! Although after all of this testing, I did order some GT Traditionals in 340 spine for the Imperial Longbow. I know...this is a contradiction of the whole purpose here, but I want to employ the heavier arrow also.

I hope that you guys enjoyed reading this and that it will possibly helps others.

If you take nothing else from this, save yourself a lot of time and money trying to match arrows to bow by buying the test kits after you have become fairly consistent in your form.

Cheers!

Todd

[CRM_95]

Glad you got it worked out!! I'm new too, and tuning is sooo confusing. I admit I kept mine very, very basic this year. I just got arrows that were close on spine size, and played with tip weight until I had them flying good fletched. Then bought broadheads in the same weight got them as sharp as possible, and went hunting. It worked, and I blew an arrow straight through the fallow doe I shot at Big Oak. I have a bare shaft kit now and I'm going to try to do a little more tuning when my new bow gets here. I want my bow to be perfectly tuned, I just get frustrated!!

[twillgo]

That is great that you've taken a deer already! I was reading about Big Oak just yesterday. I will try to make it up there next year.

I think trying to use full-length arrows and just dialing in the point weight is the easiest way to go. I wish I had known that when I started this adventure. I was hung up on getting just the right spine. Spine is important, but if you get close, the point will get you there. I've spent way too much money on my learning curve.

[CRM_95]

Big Oak is a great place. I highly recommend it. Buff's a good guy and can teach you a lot too. He's a great shot with a recurve.

[DRT]

I actually went to the archery shop, they measured my draw length, bow weight at that length then recommended the arrow and length based on my head weight which was 100 grains. However the spine chart at 3ra showed I would get a better balance with 175 grain. I tried that and I get better feathers arrow flight and significantly more target penetration.

Gary

[stickbow]

good luck with your venue. after my boys finally got little older was able to cook up arrow that shoots out of multiple bows traditional and cpd for me my wife and both boys we have 26 to 28 in draw lengths and bows range from 45 lbs to 62 lbs. 4 cpds bear carnage, my wifes bear bow, son new hoyt and oldest sons mathews z7, habu death adder at 56, vyperkahn at 62, widow psa 61, acs 53 and 58 and widow psa at 51. I shoot Easton traditional carbons 400 at 9.8 gn per in at 28 in with 50 gn brass inserts then put my own aluminum inserts with epoxy with 145 gn glue on heads I like zwickey 4 blade due to blood trail and price point ease of sharpening. finishes out with left helix fletching feathers from truflight at about 530 grains or so and they shoot like champ out of every bow. Now I make about 2 to 3 dozen of those and buy same heads for all of us and if one of us grabs the wrong cat quiver no problem. works out great. key is having over 200 up front. my 2 cents