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New bow tuning question

teej89

Senior Member
2,288
48
NE PA
So I've used the same bow for the past ten years and recently I bought my new Insanity and have been shooting it since then. Haven't had the time to actually dial in 50 and 60 yd pins but I dialed in my 30 and my 40yd is pretty decent.

Now my question is before I go and dial in those other pins should I get the bow tuned? If so, any recommendations? And as far as recommendations go I'd like to be able to sit in and watch the tuning just to see what's all involved in tuning a bow.
 

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,060
223
Ohio
If you feel like it's shooting well right now, there's really no need to mess with it IMO. I typically start to tune a bow before I do any distance shooting... i.e. anything past 5 yds. I'll shoot it through paper to check nock height, then I'll check my yoke by shooting at a string up close with fletched and bare shaft arrows... this is all AFTER I've verified cam timing and synchronization on a draw board. Once I feel confident in my base line tuning, I'll head to the range. I'll then do a quick walkback tune... Shoot a string at 5 ft from the target, then walk back to 20 or 30 yds and try to hit the same string. If I miss left or right, I adjust the rest left or right accordingly. And then prior to deer season I'll screw on some broadheads and make sure they impact along with my field points.

There are a ton of tuning steps and methods that one could use. The ones used, the order they're used in, how thorough... is all up to the particular shooter. What may be satisfactory for one person may not be even close for another. It's all a matter of preference, and of course the bottom line is confidence. Are you confident in your shooting right now? If so, there's probably not much you need to do. If you want a quick check, screw on a broadhead (fixed blade) and see where it impacts in relation to your field points. If the bow is tuned properly, it should be pretty damn close. If it's way off, you may get it tuned from square one.
 

Beentown

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
15,740
154
Sunbury, OH
Spot on Jimbo. A fixed blade broad head will tell you faster than anything if you need a tune up. Great thing about the BT's is the dual yokes give you an awesome platform to fine tune.
 

teej89

Senior Member
2,288
48
NE PA
thanks guys! So the input is a bit over my head lol I didn't even know what yokes were till a bit ago. I have some muzzy's at home and I can test it out. However I'm going to shoot slick tricks this fall, should I get the slick tricks and try them instead?
 

Milo

Tatonka guide.
8,184
157
broadheads wont tell a true tale all the time. it you do not have good broadhead and arrow insert lock up/connection its going to lie to you.
 
I'll shoot it through paper to check nock height, then I'll check my yoke by shooting at a string up close with fletched and bare shaft arrows... this is all AFTER I've verified cam timing and synchronization on a draw board. Once I feel confident in my base line tuning, I'll head to the range.

With checking the yoke, how would I know if it's twisted correctly? What will I be looking for to know it needs adjusted? Just got the Creed home last night after being told 'tuning is up to you' I wiped the KY off my ass and did some shooting. Looking at the yoke on it, something just seems off as one side appears to be twisted more than the other. Maybe that's how it's supposed to be?!?! LOL fugg I hate it when you guys are right....
 

Milo

Tatonka guide.
8,184
157
With checking the yoke, how would I know if it's twisted correctly? What will I be looking for to know it needs adjusted? Just got the Creed home last night after being told 'tuning is up to you' I wiped the KY off my ass and did some shooting. Looking at the yoke on it, something just seems off as one side appears to be twisted more than the other. Maybe that's how it's supposed to be?!?! LOL fugg I hate it when you guys are right....

Sensor_Noob.jpgrotflmao...I am just having some fun with you ChuckC
 

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,060
223
Ohio
With checking the yoke, how would I know if it's twisted correctly? What will I be looking for to know it needs adjusted? Just got the Creed home last night after being told 'tuning is up to you' I wiped the KY off my ass and did some shooting. Looking at the yoke on it, something just seems off as one side appears to be twisted more than the other. Maybe that's how it's supposed to be?!?! LOL fugg I hate it when you guys are right....

One side of the yoke should be twisted more than the other. This compensates for the uneven tension on the yoke cable due to the roller guard pulling to one side. Yoke tuning is another way to help tune the bow to the shooter. At full draw, there is a tiny amount of twist in the riser, depending on the shooter, the draw length, the draw weight, and other factors. This "twist" can, and often does, create lateral nock travel. By tweaking the legs of the yoke cable, you change the amount of compensation, thereby reducing (hopefully) or increasing lateral nock travel.

One way to do it, other than shooting at a string, is through bareshaft tuning. Shoot a group of fletched arrows at like 15 or 20 yds. Then, aiming at the same spot, shoot another group of BARESHAFT arrows. If the bareshafts impact left of the fletched arrows, add a twist to the yoke leg on the right and remove a twist from the left. Opposite for an impact to the right.

Keep in mind, this is all sort of advanced stuff. Form has to be dialed in, arrow spine needs to be good, grip, release... all that. Bareshaft tuning isn't something you want to be doing if it's the first day you've pulled your bow out in 6 months. Not that this is you... It's just an example so you get the idea.

View attachment 14862rotflmao...I am just having some fun with you ChuckC

lmao
 
View attachment 14862rotflmao...I am just having some fun with you ChuckC

LMAO!! Ya got me there!! Been shooting bows for many years, just never really paid much attention to the tuning side of things until the last couple of years. With getting a new bow, first in 13 years, I have my eyes opened now and want to get the best out of what I have.

One side of the yoke should be twisted more than the other. This compensates for the uneven tension on the yoke cable due to the roller guard pulling to one side. Yoke tuning is another way to help tune the bow to the shooter. At full draw, there is a tiny amount of twist in the riser, depending on the shooter, the draw length, the draw weight, and other factors. This "twist" can, and often does, create lateral nock travel. By tweaking the legs of the yoke cable, you change the amount of compensation, thereby reducing (hopefully) or increasing lateral nock travel.

One way to do it, other than shooting at a string, is through bareshaft tuning. Shoot a group of fletched arrows at like 15 or 20 yds. Then, aiming at the same spot, shoot another group of BARESHAFT arrows. If the bareshafts impact left of the fletched arrows, add a twist to the yoke leg on the right and remove a twist from the left. Opposite for an impact to the right.

Keep in mind, this is all sort of advanced stuff. Form has to be dialed in, arrow spine needs to be good, grip, release... all that. Bareshaft tuning isn't something you want to be doing if it's the first day you've pulled your bow out in 6 months. Not that this is you... It's just an example so you get the idea.
lmao

The bare shafts vs. fletched, could some of the left to right difference be simply the rest or am I assuming that part has already been walk back tuned to take it out of the equation? Kinda sucks not having a bow press to try to get this crap right. Looking at my Creed, from the rear, the limbs (split) at the top (idler wheel) seem very uneven. RH bow, the left split limb is def. higher than the right. When at full draw it seems less or perhaps corrected. Could this be because of what you mention?:

This compensates for the uneven tension on the yoke cable due to the roller guard pulling to one side.
 

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,060
223
Ohio
The bare shafts vs. fletched, could some of the left to right difference be simply the rest or am I assuming that part has already been walk back tuned to take it out of the equation? Kinda sucks not having a bow press to try to get this crap right. Looking at my Creed, from the rear, the limbs (split) at the top (idler wheel) seem very uneven. RH bow, the left split limb is def. higher than the right. When at full draw it seems less or perhaps corrected. Could this be because of what you mention?:

Yea you want your rest centershot to be pretty much dead nuts by the time you bareshaft tune the bow.

Take an arrow and place it flat up against your idler wheel so that the arrow runs down along your string. At rest, the arrow should run parallel to the string... or at least damn close. If it's off, your arrow will cut across the string (or away from it, depending on which side of the wheel you're on). If I have a bow with idler wheel or cam lean at the top, I typically correct this first before moving on. Twist one side, untwist the other. Whenever you add a twist to one side you wanna take a twist out of the other... This way the yoke (buss) cable's overall length stays the same. If you change it's length, you're going to affect cam timing.
 
Take an arrow and place it flat up against your idler wheel so that the arrow runs down along your string. At rest, the arrow should run parallel to the string... or at least damn close. If it's off, your arrow will cut across the string (or away from it, depending on which side of the wheel you're on). If I have a bow with idler wheel or cam lean at the top, I typically correct this first before moving on. Twist one side, untwist the other. Whenever you add a twist to one side you wanna take a twist out of the other... This way the yoke (buss) cable's overall length stays the same. If you change it's length, you're going to affect cam timing.

Yep, that confirmed the yoke is off pretty good as the arrow faded away well over a 3/8 of an inch by the end of it. Damn I wish I had a press now, just hate the idea of having to go to the same bow shop to have them do anything to the 'well tuned' bow they sold me. Now I realize how important knowing how to actually DO some of this stuff is. Thank you for the help!
 

Milo

Tatonka guide.
8,184
157
I wish muh crayons could draw on da internet....i could blow yur mind on a few items like dis...
 
LMAO...yep I guess I deserve it!! Over the years I never really worried about tuning other than where my arrow rest was pointing so to speak and that was only because my fixed blades weren't flying close to the same as my field tips. I always put my trust in the bow shop to look things over and make the adjustments they felt necessary. Now with the new bow and all the little 'issues' I am seeing with the bow shop I have been going to I am on a learning curve and want to learn more from people who know what the F they are talking about. I'd bet there are a lot more out there like me that are ignorant to what really goes into tuning. Like me, I'd bet they just didn't worry about it in the past until something goes wrong.
 

Milo

Tatonka guide.
8,184
157
tuning is relative and different for every bow. A bow is a machine, tool or device that has a controlled reaction by a user. there was a time i did not completely understand all the information in front of me and could not put it all together. Now i have completed the circle (for now). It is relatively basic and anyone can understand it, if put in the proper context. I laugh now at the struggles i used to have and frustrations i experienced. If you can screw a bolt into a wing nut, you can tune a bow. its another thing to tuna fish though:smiley_depressive: