Broadhead tuning sucks

[cody21peterson]

I will admit I’m not the greatest shot. I shoot pretty good with field points but every year I struggle to get broadheads to impact the same. I have watched tons of videos and know the steps but it just never really works for me. I bump my rest up or right or left(very small adjustments) and then my broadheads AND field points both move. And people say fixed blades only fly like field points if your bow is tuned. So if you paper tune and your rest is perfect, why then move it to get broadheads to hit the same? Super confusing to me. I know there are a lot of tuning methods but it seems like rest adjustment and string/cable adjustment are the bulk of it. Is it possible that a bow can be perfectly tuned for field point flight but then it must be rearranged and tuned a different way for broadheads?


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[mattwill00]

I've got the same questions so I have zero advice haha but I am following! Question though, did your initial tuning include bareshaft tuning?

 

[HuntWyld]

What heads are you using? Have you shot other fixed blade heads to see if another style or brand will group with field points? Are you broadheads grouping nice and tight just at a different point of impact than FP’s or are they al over the place?

 

[RosinBag]

I will admit I’m not the greatest shot. I shoot pretty good with field points but every year I struggle to get broadheads to impact the same. I have watched tons of videos and know the steps but it just never really works for me. I bump my rest up or right or left(very small adjustments) and then my broadheads AND field points both move. And people say fixed blades only fly like field points if your bow is tuned. So if you paper tune and your rest is perfect, why then move it to get broadheads to hit the same? Super confusing to me. I know there are a lot of tuning methods but it seems like rest adjustment and string/cable adjustment are the bulk of it. Is it possible that a bow can be perfectly tuned for field point flight but then it must be rearranged and tuned a different way for broadheads?


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I bet your bow is tuned just fine. Fixed blade BH’s and FP’s rarely shoot the same regardless of what many may say.

Are you hunting a state that lets you shoot mechanicals? If so, shoot them. The improved accuracy is worth any perceived downfall if you shoot a quality mechanical.

Many go down the rabbit hole and preach their BH’s and Fp’s fly the same. The science and reality is, it’s not possible. Either you can be good at your short ranges and low at your long ones or good at your long ranges and high at your short ones.

Or buy two sights. One for BH’s and one for your FP’s.

 

[cody21peterson]

Thanks for the feeeback guys
I did not bareshaft tune. Or nock tune. I did however shoot a 300 spine and a 340 spine and I felt like the 340 spine grouped better. I live in Utah. I’m now leaning heavy towards mechanicals. I am shooting a grim reaper micro hades 100 grain.
I guess I’m just trying to get too technical. I feel like trying different fletching configurations, using different releases, and trying to tune different fixed blades has made me a worse shooter!


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[RosinBag]

Pull yourself out of the rabbit hole. You are at the stage of trying to fix your shooting with equipment and it generally isn’t that. Go back to just shooting your tuned bow and stop chasing.

 

[Gumbo]

I will admit I’m not the greatest shot. I shoot pretty good with field points but every year I struggle to get broadheads to impact the same. I have watched tons of videos and know the steps but it just never really works for me. I bump my rest up or right or left(very small adjustments) and then my broadheads AND field points both move. And people say fixed blades only fly like field points if your bow is tuned. So if you paper tune and your rest is perfect, why then move it to get broadheads to hit the same? Super confusing to me. I know there are a lot of tuning methods but it seems like rest adjustment and string/cable adjustment are the bulk of it. Is it possible that a bow can be perfectly tuned for field point flight but then it must be rearranged and tuned a different way for broadheads?


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So how far off are your broadheads from your field points?

 

[WI in the west]

I’ve actually had decent luck with nudging the rest around to get them to hit together, but I was starting to wonder if anyone knows what’s considered to far to move your rest? Is a 1/16th to much you think? And also is that just masking another problem like improper arrow spine or something, or is that just one of those archery mysteries where some things work better for certain people

 

[FlyGuy]

Great thread! Hoping to demystify some of this for myself!

This may not help, but I shoot valkyrie and I was grouping a little higher than FT’s the 1st try. After talking with him we worked out that the bow shop had me paper tune at ~ 7 yards, but he was adamant that the paper needed to be right in front of the bow. So, I repeated it like that, adjusted rest for a perfect tear, and then BH grouped as good as I could shoot.





You can’t cheat the mountain

 

[Billy Goat]

I’ve actually had decent luck with nudging the rest around to get them to hit together, but I was starting to wonder if anyone knows what’s considered to far to move your rest? Is a 1/16th to much you think? And also is that just masking another problem like improper arrow spine or something, or is that just one of those archery mysteries where some things work better for certain people

I wouldn't move your rest that much. Very small adjustments. Like 1/32 or less. Easier to make string and cable adjustments if you are able to do that. I think having a string that travels straight after release is the most important thing. Balance out your cam lean. I can get these smaller (1 1/8) broadheads to fly with field points. Working on trying to get a full bladed 1 1/4 cut bh to do it right now. Have it close.

In my opinion the tuning window for field points is way wider than the window for bh's. I haven't ever taken a bow out of tune to get bh's aligned. But I can paper tune a bow in 5-10 minutes. Might take 5-10 days to really get a bh tune lined out.

 

[WI in the west]

I should have added after tiny adjustments it got out to around a 1/16th, but you mass with cam lean more so to get them to hit together your saying? Or is a Broadhead switch smart? I’m shooting muzzy trocar 100gr now

 

[madkaw284]

A paper tune doesn’t necessarily mean you’re bow is tuned. That’s just a rough staring point. I would definitely go down the so called “rabbit hole” of correctly tuning your bow. Start with bareshaft tuning at 10 yards and move back to 40. There are some broadheads that just won’t fly as good as others, but I would try a bareshaft tune.


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[Billy Goat]

I should have added after tiny adjustments it got out to around a 1/16th, but you mass with cam lean more so to get them to hit together your saying? Or is a Broadhead switch smart? I’m shooting muzzy trocar 100gr now

I set my centershot and use the cables to tune. If you can micro adjust your rest it helps. But I generally setup the rest on the manufacturer specified centershot, then make adjustments with cables and shims to fine tune my left and right. My thought is with only moving the rest you might be able to cover up some issues but I think the main issue is straight string travel. If your cams aren't balanced all the way around (timing and lean) you are only getting close by moving the rest around. I do adjust the rest up/down for nock point. I find a general nock point while setting up the bow. Then serve in nocks above and below the nock within my loop. So I find it easier to alter the rest height a little than change my nock point. This is what I have found in my experience. I have gotten rid of bows that were too difficult to tune. My believe is that I can get a bh to shoot with fp. I do it with many bows. If I can't get a bow to do it I move on from it.

I haven't ever shot muzzy. I know some guys who do and they say they fly good, but yesterday a guy told me not to trust their practice blades.

I have also found a stiff arrow to be easier to tune than anything else with broadheads. Might be a perfect spine is slightly more accurate for target shooting, but I haven't ever noticed that. I shoot way stiff spine for indoor.

 

[Gumbo]

A paper tune doesn’t necessarily mean you’re bow is tuned. That’s just a rough staring point. I would definitely go down the so called “rabbit hole” of correctly tuning your bow. Start with bareshaft tuning at 10 yards and move back to 40. There are some broadheads that just won’t fly as good as others, but I would try a bareshaft tune.

There are many methods and tuning techniques. Bareshaft is only one of them and it is definitely not the "correct" way, it is just one way of doing it. Lots of top archers ingnore it entirely. I'm sure it works great for those that do it, just as other methods work for other shooters. Perhaps luckily, when the bows I own are shooting fletched bullets through paper they are also shooting small fixed blades well. Admittedly this is with really small, forgiving heads, but that is exactly why I shoot those, and they hit pretty much spot on out to 70, maybe a little low, say a couple inches. I have played with bareshaft tuning, but it isn't for me at this point. I do shoot a bareshaft occasionally to see where it is hitting, and when my bow is "tuned" bareshafts are usually pretty spot on with fletched shafts. For some reason in my form/grip/anatomy bareshafts for me end up in a left tear angle in the target but I am perpetually tuning out a right tear with my fletched shafts. I got tired of chasing my tail with it and ended up tuning my bow to what I am actually going to shoot out of it...field points and broadheads with fletching.

I would be curious about the OP's bow setup, whether he tunes his bow initially or not, and his arrow/fletch/broadhead combo.

 

[Beendare]

I've got every bow in the last 30 years to BH tune; shoot BH's to the same POI as FP's.
And I shoot a big BH.

Its a process...many good tuning guides out there. ...and definitely worth the effort.

I would say anyone telling you that BH's won't fly with FP's just hasn't figured it out yet.

...

 

[GregB]

I chased my tail with broad head tuning last year and had the same issues. I got tired of it and just adjusted my sight for the broad heads and didn't have any issues while hunting. If I were you I would just sight in w/ broad heads and go hunting.

 

[TravisIN]

I cannot get rid of a right paper tear with my setup. But I can get BHs to hit with my FPS at pretty good distances. I usually shot through paper just to see but I don’t invest a lot of time


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[madkaw284]

There are many methods and tuning techniques. Bareshaft is only one of them and it is definitely not the "correct" way, it is just one way of doing it. Lots of top archers ingnore it entirely. I'm sure it works great for those that do it, just as other methods work for other shooters. Perhaps luckily, when the bows I own are shooting fletched bullets through paper they are also shooting small fixed blades well. Admittedly this is with really small, forgiving heads, but that is exactly why I shoot those, and they hit pretty much spot on out to 70, maybe a little low, say a couple inches. I have played with bareshaft tuning, but it isn't for me at this point. I do shoot a bareshaft occasionally to see where it is hitting, and when my bow is "tuned" bareshafts are usually pretty spot on with fletched shafts. For some reason in my form/grip/anatomy bareshafts for me end up in a left tear angle in the target but I am perpetually tuning out a right tear with my fletched shafts. I got tired of chasing my tail with it and ended up tuning my bow to what I am actually going to shoot out of it...field points and broadheads with fletching.

I would be curious about the OP's bow setup, whether he tunes his bow initially or not, and his arrow/fletch/broadhead combo.

Well, I never said that bareshaft tuning is the be all end all tuning method but it’s damn near as close as you can get when they’re hitting the same as your fletched shafts. But there are also times when even after you have bareshaft tuned that some broadheads will still hit a little off and if you’re trying to get a good BH tune, you have to take the bow a little out of a good bareshaft tune.

There a lot of guys who just paper tune and call it good or just move they’re sight to compensate for bad broadhead flight and if that’s good enough for them, then I’m not gonna waste my time trying to convince them otherwise, it’s like discussing politics.


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[RosinBag]

I've got every bow in the last 30 years to BH tune; shoot BH's to the same POI as FP's.
And I shoot a big BH.

Its a process...many good tuning guides out there. ...and definitely worth the effort.

I would say anyone telling you that BH's won't fly with FP's just hasn't figured it out yet.

...

I think I have it figured out pretty well. I have had a standing offer to anyone who wants to come out to sunny California and prove their FP / BH set ups hit the the same point of impact up close (20 yards) and at distance (80 yards) and I will pay for their plane ticket if in fact their bows do. If the don’t, all you have to do is post the experience on Rokslide.

I will even set up the Hooter Shooter and the chronograph. At 20 yards your arrows will be close in speed, but at 80 yards your BH arrows have lost a lot more speed than your FP and are going to hit low. And yes you can tune them to have those match up at 80, but then you will be high at 20.

I think most people’s acceptable groups are to the size that they think they are shooting same POI or their groups consist of one BH and one FP.

 

[N2TRKYS]

I've been shooting Thunderhead 100s since I started bowhunting in '92. I've never had to move my rest to get my broadheads to shoot with my fieldtips. The only thing I do is spin my arrows in my hand and tighten my broadheads until they spin smooth. Has worked perfectly everytime for me.