how do you know what spine shaft will work best with your bow and setup?

1. study the various charts/ spine calculators to get close.

2. confer with experienced archers and perhaps your bowyer.

3. use bare shaft, paper tuning, or your preferred method to determine performance.

4. (extension of 3) When you are close, experiment till you find that sweet tune spot.

5. no printed info can replace step 3 for finding the best fine tune.

6. don't sweat the details. If, after shooting a while, you find that  your "perfect" tune doesn't quite work, keep adjusting till it does.

Good flight is not that hard to accomplish, and I personally doubt that many archers really get perfect tuning, anyway. That doesn't mean you can't get excellent performane from your gear. When your arrows consistently fly well, your are in tune. Don't be surprised if you find multiple arrow set ups that perform well from your bow. Then it just comes down to whatever floats your boat. You may develop a preference for 3D that does not match up to your hunting choice, or you might decide to use the same combo for all shooting scenarios. I am no expert, but when I do my part, the arrows go where they are supposed to.

Sam covered it IMO.  Keep in mind you can only tune as well as you can shoot.  Consistency is the key.  Too many people blame the equipment when the reality is operator error.

I think it is very important in getting the best out of your bow.First thing I learned to do was tuning.I felt it was important so bad shot it was all me and not my equipment.

QuoteOriginally posted by LBR:
Sam covered it IMO.  Keep in mind you can only tune as well as you can shoot.  Consistency is the key.  Too many people blame the equipment when the reality is operator error.

x2, could not agree more.

And conversely too many people blame operator error when it's the equipment   .

All the above with consistency. Without consistency no combination of gear and operator will produce good results. I have a point weight test kit as well, it runs from 75-315 grain points. With that I can quickly decide what works for a prime starting point. Without even using my saw.