Bow tuning is about as real as Snow White is to most archers. They think that it is either a fantasy to tune their own bow, or they hope the fairy tale will come true and Prince Charming will ride up and do it for them. What they usually end up with is someone from the Flintstones whose knowledge dates back to the Stone Age, and they are worse off than when they started: Their bow still isn't tuned, and they are more confused than ever.
Here are 12 simple steps to bulletproof bow tuning that any archer can do himself with a few simple tools.
I should first note that you should not attempt to tune a new bow straight out of the box. The strings and cables will stretch as you start shooting, and any tuning that you do will be out the window 10 to 15 arrows later.
The same is true of a bow that has just had a new string or cable put on. Shoot the bow, break it in and, most important, make sure that you are familiar with the bow and how it feels from the beginning of the draw all the way through the recoil after the shot before you try to do any serious tuning.
Selecting the Right Equipment
Most bowhunters these days are shooting mechanical releases that not only provide greater accuracy but also give the archer more leeway when selecting an arrow. Easton's arrow charts, or the ones provided by other manufactures, are good resources for selecting an arrow, but they are by no means accurate in every case.
For example, most arrow charts only take into account the arrow length and the bow's draw weight, draw length and point weight. Some cams are more efficient than others and will transfer more energy to the arrow, changing the spine.
The material and number of strands your bow's string and cables are made out of will also greatly affect the bow's performance, which is a direct correlation to the bow's effect on the spine of your arrow.
All of this sounds rather daunting, but it is not. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, especially for archers shooting a mechanical release.
High-speed video has shown that when shooting a mechanical release, there is very little bend on the arrow (spine) when compared to a comparable setup shot with fingers. This gives the release shooter the advantage of shooting virtually any arrow. An arrow that is a couple of sizes underspined or overspined should tune without a problem, but keep this in mind if you are having difficulty getting the bow to tune later on; you may eventually have to change arrows.
Tiller
Begin the setup process with the tiller. The tiller is normally measured from the point where the limb meets the riser, out to the string. Recently, most companies have been recommending stretching a piece of string between the axles and using this line for your tiller measurement. Especially on one-cam bows, this method will prove to be much more reliable.
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