Model answer: Bareshaft Tuning Session for the Matched Set

The Worked Solution #

Step 1: Setting the starting nocking point #

Place the bow square against the string with the horizontal arm resting on the arrow shelf. Slide the arm up until it reads 1/2 inch above the shelf surface. That is where the bottom of the brass nock set should sit. Crimp it with nocking-point pliers to about 70% of full crimp — firm, but still movable with pliers if adjustment is needed.

Tuning log entry for Step 1:

Starting NP position: 1/2 inch above shelf (T-square reading: 0.50 in). Brace height : 7.25 in (within bow spec 7–8 in).

Step 2: Confirm brace height #

Measure with a ruler or bow square from the deepest point of the grip to the bowstring. For a typical 40 lb traditional recurve or longbow, 7–8 inches is the target range. If outside this range, twist or untwist the string until within spec before shooting. A low brace height (under 6.5 inches) extends the paradox arc and makes arrows behave as though they are weaker than they are. A high brace height (over 9 inches) shortens the arc and can make arrows appear stiffer.

Step 3: Fletched group reference #

A representative result for a correctly-spined 40 lb left-handed setup with 11/32-inch Port Orford cedar and 100-grain points:

Fletched group center: 2 inches left of gold, at center height. (Note: where the group lands on the face doesn’t matter — you are establishing a reference, not evaluating accuracy.)

Step 4: Bare shaft impact #

A representative result:

Bare shaft impact: 3 inches to the LEFT of the fletched group center, 1 inch HIGH.

This gives two simultaneous readings: horizontal (left) and vertical (high).

Step 5: Diagnosis using the left-handed table #

Horizontal reading: Bare shaft LEFT of group → for a left-handed archer, this means spine is too weak. The arrow is over-flexing through paradox and landing farther from center in the direction of collapse.

Vertical reading: Bare shaft HIGH → nocking point is too low. The arrow is leaving the string at a slightly nose-down angle, and without feathers to stabilize it, it rises as it flies out.

Fix vertical first: Vertical errors are positional (nocking point) and do not interact with horizontal errors. Fixing the nocking point first reduces the number of variables in play when you address the spine reading.

Step 6: First adjustment — nocking point #

Move the nock set UP by 1/8 inch (from 0.50 in to 0.625 in above the shelf). Re-crimp lightly. Reshoot the bare shaft group.

After adjustment: bare shaft is 3 inches LEFT of group, now at the SAME height as the group. Vertical error resolved. Horizontal error unchanged.

Second adjustment — point weight:

The bare shaft is still landing 3 inches left, which for a left-handed archer means too weak. First adjustment: swap the bare shaft’s 100-grain point for a 75-grain point. (Do not swap all 24 arrows yet — test the adjustment first.)

After point swap to 75 gr: bare shaft lands 1.5 inches LEFT of group. Better — the bare shaft moved toward the group. Diagnosis confirmed: spine was slightly weak. The 75-grain point is stiffening dynamic spine as expected.

Second bare shaft shot with 75 gr: 0.75 inch left of group. Within 1 inch — this is a tuned result.

Decision on point weight: If the improvement at 75 grains is clear and stable, consider switching the entire set to 75-grain points. If 75 grains overshoots (bare shaft moves RIGHT of group), the correct point weight is between 75 and 100 grains. In practice, a result within 1 inch of the group at 15 yards is acceptable — proceed with the current 100-grain points and accept the minor residual offset.

Step 7: Commit #

Fully crimp the nock set (two full squeezes with nocking-point pliers, checking that the nock set does not rotate on the string). Record the final T-square measurement.

Completed tuning log entry:

Why These Choices #

Fixing vertical before horizontal. The temptation is to fix the biggest problem first — and if the horizontal offset is 3 inches versus 1 inch vertical, it feels like the spine is the priority. But nocking point errors are additive: a nocking point that is too low will apply a small downward component to the bare shaft’s flight path, which can appear as a slight leftward bias depending on how the arrow leaves the string. Fixing vertical first gives you a clean read on horizontal.

Point weight as the first spine adjustment, not shaft replacement. The 3Rivers spine-adjustment guide says it directly: test lighter points for too-weak, heavier points for too-stiff. This is free. Ordering a different spine grade is expensive and takes time — and you still have to test it. One point-weight swap at the range often solves the problem entirely.

Not over-correcting. A bare shaft within 1 inch of the fletched group at 15 yards is a tuned arrow. The temptation is to keep chasing perfection until the bare shaft lands exactly on the group center. At some point the residual offset reflects your release consistency rather than spine mismatch — the bareshaft method averages across a group, but it cannot average out your individual form variation. If you’ve made two adjustments and the bare shaft is still 0.5–1 inch off, stop. That is a well-tuned arrow.

Common Pitfalls #

1. Using the right-handed table. This is the single most common error for any archer switching between resources. Most online tuning guides, videos, and forum posts default to right-handed convention. If you are a left-handed archer reading that “left impact means too stiff,” you will make the wrong adjustment and move the bare shaft farther from the group, not closer. The fix is mechanical: always write the left-handed table on a card and keep it with the bow until the inversion is automatic.

2. Making two adjustments at the same time. If the nocking point is off AND the bare shaft is horizontally offset, it is tempting to fix both in one session to save time. Do not. Two simultaneous adjustments mean you cannot tell which one resolved which problem — and if the second adjustment overshoots, you cannot roll it back cleanly. One variable at a time.

3. Shooting inconsistent form during the session and attributing it to spine. Bareshaft tuning works by averaging across a group. If your release is inconsistent (vary between a rolling release and a clean release), the bare shaft group will be large and the center will be hard to locate. The diagnostic is valid only if your bare shaft group is reasonably tight — within 4–6 inches at 15 yards. If the bare shafts are scattered, focus on form before reading the impact position as a tuning signal.