Excellent craftsmanship! The boy can be proud of that.

Quote from: BrushWolf on December 10, 2025, 11:39:53 AM

Quote from: Kirkll on December 09, 2025, 08:43:12 PM

Quote from: BrushWolf on December 07, 2025, 04:06:45 PMMy boy started shooting a trad bow last summer. He shoots it with a fixed crawl and shoots it very well. He has killed 4 deer now with that style. I built his current bow and tillered it for shooting with a fixed crawl. I have recently dabbled into it myself and built a couple sets of limbs just for shooting that way. So far it seems to be working fine and something to play around with.we set are bows up at 15 yards and don't see an issue shooting to 20 yards

I'm curious how much positive tiller you are using for a fixed crawl?

His bow is 1/8" positive.

I'm confused. I've always read that you want negative tiller for a fixed crawl.

Food for thought.... Canting your bow will not effect your point of impact with well tuned arrows. If you are getting point of impact differences from side to side from shooting vertical to a canted position consistently, you are most likely spined too heavy.

Quote from: Stringwacker on December 10, 2025, 08:09:39 AM...In my case the broadhead needs to be able 20 grains less than the field point most of the time.

Often the dynamic shaft weakening by the broadhead is largely offset by the addition of feathers on the back of the shaft...which stiffens the dynamic spine by nature of the 12 grains or so...

Thanks for putting some numbers on it; makes it easier to see.  I shoot an elevated rest with AAE trad vanes or feathers, and have noticed a difference.

Quote from: Tajue17 on December 10, 2025, 05:52:37 AMI have to tune by flight because i use big broadheads and they can offset the point of impact on me if the arrow nock is badly kicking to one side,,, once i get straight flight at at least 15yds i then start over bareshafting but canting the bow at my normal stsnding shot and ususlly i have to lower string nock a smidge and raise the point weight...... but most friends just bare tune olympic style and go with that. 

Your form along with even tension on thise fingers is important,,, and if you are new one of those silent klydex draw checks black widow sells will eliminate so much mistakes,,, remove it after a year when your draw length and anchor are locked in solid!!!

Very interesting, I was confused as to what all is going on when my perfect Olympic style bareshaft flew wonky when canted in hunting stance.  So nock point micro tune, hmmm.  I get the extra point weight/shorter draw, but will have to think on this for a while.

Quote from: Kirkll on December 09, 2025, 08:43:12 PM

Quote from: BrushWolf on December 07, 2025, 04:06:45 PMMy boy started shooting a trad bow last summer. He shoots it with a fixed crawl and shoots it very well. He has killed 4 deer now with that style. I built his current bow and tillered it for shooting with a fixed crawl. I have recently dabbled into it myself and built a couple sets of limbs just for shooting that way. So far it seems to be working fine and something to play around with.we set are bows up at 15 yards and don't see an issue shooting to 20 yards

I'm curious how much positive tiller you are using for a fixed crawl?

His bow is 1/8" positive.

Great advice here. Wish I would have learned this earlier in my hunting but grew up hunting bait piles.

Another 'one-off' with bareshaft tuning is while you can match the point weight you bareshafted with the same weighted broadhead....and get wonderful flight due to the straightening effect of feathers; the broadhead being longer effects dynamic spine making the shaft act weaker. A solid design broadhead weakens the dynamic spine more than a vented design. Kind of what Rob said, the bareshaft isn't the end all of the matter but it makes a straight shooting arrow. In my case, the broadhead needs to be about 20 grains less than the field point most of the time.

Often the dynamic shaft weakening by the broadhead is largely offset by the addition of feathers on the back of the shaft...which stiffens the dynamic spine by nature of the 12 grains or so of additional weight which is mostly in the quill.

Sooooo...for the purpose of getting around the effects of the forementioned issues; I broadhead bareshaft tune after the finding the perfect bareshaft tune with field points. I do this by fletching the shaft and then cutting everything off but the quill and about 1/8" of feather. The broadhead tune imperfections show up quickly and then you make the same adjustments you did when using field points....only then do you have the perfect broadhead tune.

I do shoot the bow perfectly verticle to interpret correctly what I am seeing in flight when bareshaft tuning.

For those who have safety considerations it might not be worth taking the last step for tuning broadheads. In my case, I don't have a neighbor within a couple of miles in the direction I'm shooting. The 1/8" feathers is enough to steer the broadhead after field point tuning via bareshafting; but a bad release would miss your target; much like bareshafting field points.

No one needs to go the final step but I've done it for so many years its all second nature to me. Its just part of my normal tuning process.

Quote from: Kirkll on December 09, 2025, 06:18:37 PMDon't overlook the thickness of the strike plate for tuning, and the material used. Depending on your riser, and how far too, or past center it's cut. The strike plate material used can make a big difference on stiffer shafts. For example.... A Velcro strike plate is soft and has a bit of cushion, and a thin leather strike plate is harder and can allow more center shot using a stiffer shaft with less tip weight.

Food for thought...

100% agree. I fought for a couple of hours shooting .204 ID carbons out of my long bow cut past center and flat out would not bare shaft tune for me.  Finally took a break and sat down to ruminate. Only thing I had not tried, so changed the strike plate thickness and it was like magic.  Lazers with Broadheads too

I have to tune by flight because i use big broadheads and they can offset the point of impact on me if the arrow nock is badly kicking to one side,,, once i get straight flight at at least 15yds i then start over bareshafting but canting the bow at my normal stsnding shot and ususlly i have to lower string nock a smidge and raise the point weight...... but most friends just bare tune olympic style and go with that.   

Your form along with even tension on thise fingers is important,,, and if you are new one of those silent klydex draw checks black widow sells will eliminate so much mistakes,,, remove it after a year when your draw length and anchor are locked in solid!!!