OK,  been experimenting with bare shaft tuning over the past several weeks. I shoot a 50# @ 28" recurve which is cut to center. My draw is 28" This morning I started playing with a CX 250 and ultimately got it down to 30" with  a 125 grn field point and it is flying great out to 20yds with a slight nock left. I am consistently hitting an 8" pie plate at that distance with, as I said, a slight nock left. I do notice that if I do not come to full draw the arrow flies a little nock high but still settles down into the 8" pie plate. At full draw with a good release she flies great! HOW CAN THIS BE? By all accounts that I have read, 250's should be way too stiff for my setup. Can anyone explain this to me?

here is your answer.. or at least what i experienced


http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=148445#000000

Too stiff.... you are probably kicking off the shelf and getting a false reading....

How far the shelf is cut to center will effect your spine way more than tip weight.... the longer the shaft, and the longer your draw length is, the more tip weight will effect your spine.

Drop down to 150's and you'll be fine. I shoot 30.5" 250's with 75 grains of brass and 160 grain points at 53-54# @ 30" draw. At 28" these would probably show stiff...The shelf is cut just past center with a velcro rest.

IME with cut to center or past center risers you can pretty much get what you want to fly, fly. Put a elevated rest on there and get even better flight. Add one of those high performance strings. Is it the best setup? That is for each shooter to determine for their own situation.
Right now I am having a simular experience with a R/D LB. It will shoot 55/75 as good or better than 35/55 arrows. Now I spent a bunch of time tuning to 35/55 so I was surprised like you are.

I might be a little twisted on this, but I believe that the closer your bow is to a true center shot, the wider range of spine wts. it will accomodate.

QuoteOriginally posted by newhouse114:
I might be a little twisted on this, but I believe that the closer your bow is to a true center shot, the wider range of spine wts. it will accomodate.

Not twisted at all. People are always asking what spine for a certain pound bow at a certain draw, and ignore how the window is cut.

My experience mirrors Daniels.  I went up to 75/80 lb spine (wood) on a 53# recurve. I pretty consistently hit what I was looking at.  Later on, I was shooting the same combination but moved it out to 20-25 yards.  I could see that the arrow was "drifting" left.  

I started trying different spined shafts at longer distances and ended up with 62/63 lb spined arrows.  For most of my bows, it seems ten to fifteen lbs of spine more than draw weight of bow is pretty close for me.

That 250 CX is way to stiff for a 50 lb. bow with only 125 grains of point weight, now if you were shooting 200 grain or more up front, different story. With your setup a CX 150 series shaft or any 500 spine carbon will be the ticket.

Thanks James! I put a 200 grn field point on the bare shafted CX 250 cut to 31.5" and she flew very straight even at 20yds but a little nock high. I'm thinking that's ok.

Don't get caught up on the nock high when bare shafting, it will eat your lunch and you will end up putting the nock back where you had it and the arrow will fly fine with feathers. For what it's worth, all my bows are set to 5/8" nock height shooting off the shelf split finger.

If your bow is center shot it is does not matter if too stiff, they will fly straight.  Spine does matter when you have to go around riser via archers paradox.

I's all making a bit more sense now. Thanks!

OK, I took my new Big Foot made Bear limbs and my two risers out yesterday to see what shoots. Specs, 53#@28". I took my 35/55 and 55/75 GT Trads. Both bows are cut to center. At 20 yards no difference, pretty much grouped them in same area. But the 55/75 are heavier so at 35 yards I started to see low shots. I am sure if I stuck with these arrows I would subconsciously allow for their weight. But I an'it that kind of person. So it is 35/55 from now on with these limbs.
To prove what has been said about stiff arrows and center shot bows I have shot 2419's from my 60# ILF bow out to 25 yards without making a ton of adjustment in sight pic.

How do you like those Big Foot Bear limbs? I heard that Big Foot bows was building some in a static tip RC limb, & that they were going to do some long bow limbs in the future... I'm thinking of ordering some.