Answer:
First, we wouldn’t use the bare shaft from the start. Use it only if you can’t determine by any other method whether or not you have a fletching contact problem. The reason we are hesitant to use the bare shaft is because it is fairly easy to damage a shaft when shooting it without fletching. That is because it can easily bend on contact with the target if it gets too far sideways.

We recommend standing roughly six feet from the paper and placing the paper at least three feet from the backstop. That way the arrow is clear of the paper before it hits the target. If you are using fletched arrows you can place the paper much farther from the backstop.

For the ultimate guide to tuning your bow and arrow tuning you can download the east archery tuning guide here.

Building arrows is easy and fun, not to mention the satisfaction you’ll gain from taking game with arrows you’ve crafted yourself. Anyone can do it – and do it well. Armed with only a few basic tools and the information offered here, you’ll have no problem turning raw shafts into top-quality hunting arrows.

Nock Installation
Year’s ago nocks were all glued on, now most arrows offer pressure-fit nocks that fit snugly but are turnable. Tunable nocks are definitely the way to go. These systems will make tuning a lot easier, and they hold up to more hard shooting than will glue-on nocks.

Assuming you aren’t going to paint (crest) your arrows, nock installation is the first step in the arrow building process. Use hot melt glue or epoxy when installing bushings into aluminum. When installing them in (or over) carbon shafts, use a rubber-based epoxy such as that available from Beman or Arizona Archery Enterprises (AAE).

Regular glue-on nocks should be pressed firmly into place (without glue) until after the fletching has been attached. When the arrow is finished you can rotate the nocks to the proper orientation so the fletching clears your rest and then glue them in place. Bohning Fletch- Tite works fine for this.

Apply The Fletching
You need a fletching jig, but it doesn’t have to be fancy. I’ve had good luck with the $20 plastic Martin jig I bought more than 10 years ago. Other good ones are made by Bohning, Bitzenburger and Grayling. You have three clamp options: left helical, right helical and straight (no helical). For hunting and 3-D shooting, right helical is the most popular choice. If you’ll be using feathers, make sure to order feathers from the same wing as the clamp (right helical takes right wing). Vanes are manufactured straight and can be used with any clamp, so you don’t have to specify left or right when ordering.

One of the best fletching adhesive I’ve used for vanes is Fast-Set Gel made by AAE. This is a super-glue product that sets up in only 10 seconds allowing you to use a single-clamp jig and still fletch a dozen arrows in mere minutes. Fast-Set Gel will work on all shaft styles except AFC’s film-dipped carbon arrows, which require a traditional cement such as Bohning’s Fletch-Tite. Of course, Fletch-Tite will also work on aluminum arrows but takes about 10 minutes per fletching to set-up before you can remove the clamp. Fletch-Tite is still the best choice for feather fletching, however.

Place your fletching in the clamp so that its back edge will be about 3/4 inch ahead of the nock taper or nock bushing on your arrow. Adjust the back of the magnet on your jig (the magnet holds the clamp in place while the glue dries) inward or outward until the tail of the fletching sits squarely on top of the arrow. Next, adjust the forward end of the magnet to achieve the desired amount of helical. Easton’s technical representatives recommend four to five degrees of helical. I use a bit more myself – probably closer to seven degrees – but this is only on large diameter aluminum arrows. On smaller diameter carbon arrows I stay closer to Easton’s standard.

When using a straight clamp, (as opposed to a helical clamp) you don’t have as much lee-way and must either install your fletching perfectly straight or with a very slight off-set.

After your fletching is installed, apply a small dab of adhesive to both ends of each for a little added insurance against tearing loose.

You have more freedom to experiment with your fletching style and degree of helical than with any other aspect of arrow building, but it’s still best to observe a few general ground-rules. When making aluminum arrows for hunting, stick with four to five inch fletching. Five inch is a bit better because (in theory at least) it offers a small amount of added stability which can make a difference when shooting broadheads.

Carbon arrows, because of their smaller diameter, work best with shorter fletching (four inch is a good starting point) or you can run into a contact problem when trying to pass long helical fletching through the narrow gap in your rest. You can also experiment with various fletching orientations, such as 70/110 degree four-fletch, (you make this change by inserting a different indexing template into your fletching jig). But the basic 120 degree, three-fletch will do just fine under almost every shooting situation.

Cutting Arrows To Length
Draw an arrow and have someone mark it about a half to 3/4 inch in front of the rest. Cutting arrows is easy with the right equipment, but with the wrong equipment it can be a real headache. For limited quantities of aluminum arrows you can get by with a small rotating pipe cutter. I’ve done it a few times, but I’ve also made some pretty rough cuts, and basically ruined some arrows, in the process. You’re far better off pooling your money with a couple of buddies and getting an electric cut-off tool. You can also take your arrows to a pro shop (that’s equipped with an electric cut-off tool) to have them sized – usually for a price.

Installing Inserts and Outserts
Inserts and outserts (outserts are used with some types of carbon arrows) shouldn’t be taken for granted. Consistent accuracy with broadheads can be difficult to achieve when these components fit loosely. Inserts and outserts should install without any free-play. Usually you don’t have too many options with outserts – you get what the arrow maker offers – but you do have options with inserts. I’ve had good luck with aluminum inserts from Easton and Saunders and composite inserts from AAE. Inserts should have a light press-fit with the inside of the shaft so that each broadhead you screw in will line up perfectly with the shaft.

Aluminum inserts used in aluminum or ACC carbon arrows should be installed with hot-melt glue. Composite inserts in aluminum work best with a rubber-based epoxy, and the same applies for aluminum into carbon (Beman ICS or Gold Tip Graphite XT arrows) or when installing metal outserts on conventional all-carbon shafts. When you’re finished you can install a broadhead and spin test your arrows to make sure the inserts are properly aligned.

Equipment List for Making Your Own Arrows
1. Fletching jig with clamp (right helical to start)
2. Arrow Shafts
3. Nocks (rotating nock systems are recommended- usually come with shafts.)
4. Fletching either feathers or vanes (four or five inch for hunting – though later you might try some of the cool new shorter vanes like the blazers.)
5. Adhesives: Hot melt glue (alum. inserts and bushings into alum. shafts)
Rubber-based epoxy (carbon inserts into alum. or metal inserts or outserts with carbon shafts)
Fletching cement (Fletch-Tite or AAE Fast-Set Gel for vanes and Fletch-Tite for feathers)
6. Inserts
7. Small propane torch (for use with hot melt glue or when removing components installed with epoxy)
8. Arrow cut-off tool

Answer:
Bare shaft tuning requires you to first shoot a group of arrows with fletching into a backstop at 20 yards, followed by a group without fletching. Make adjustments to bring the two groups together, and as soon as the unfletched arrows strike the same spot as the fletched, your bow is tuned. If the unfletched arrows impact above or below, first examine your wheel timing before moving your nock point up or down respectively. If they impact to the left (and you are shooting fingers) your shafts are probably too stiff. If they impact to the right your shafts may be too weak (finger shooter) or you may have contact between the fletching and your rest.

You may choose to shoot a bare shaft through paper to determine whether or not you have a fletching contact problem. If you can get your bare shafts to punch a perfect hole, but not your fletched shafts, you know your adjustments are fine. You must only rotate your nocks to find the position that will permit perfect arrow flight.

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To see just how much an arrow flexes and how much contact there maybe with your rest and bow, watch the video below.

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Equipped with broadheads, your hunting arrows are more sensitive to in-flight factors than are your practice arrows. Surely you know that the combination of broadheads and poor arrow flight will cause wind planing. But, even for advanced archers, tuning can sometimes leave a person scratching his head. There is one simple shooting test – an acid test for archery – that will provide important feedback on the most difficult elements of tuning to isolate: bow hand torque and fletching contact.

Shoot a bare shaft through paper and you’ll learn important information about your arrow flight and your shooting form. When you remove the fletching from an arrow you make it much more critical of tuning and release errors. Finger shooters have used bare shaft tuning for years, but it is just as valuable for release aid shooters when done correctly.

ELIMINATE FLETCHING CONTACT
Fletching interference is the most frequent cause of tuning problems. By removing the fletching from an arrow and shooting it through paper you can isolate interference as a possible cause. For example, if you are paper tuning a fletched arrow and get a left tear, the cause may be the position of your rest, bow hand torque or fletching contact. On the other hand, if you are shooting a bare shaft and get the same tear, you can immediately eliminate contact and work on the other two variables.

Once you have tuned a bare shaft you can again shoot one with fletching to find out if you have corrected the problem, or if contact is occurring. If you believe you have contact the nock must be rotated slightly to make the fletching fit through the rest. If this doesn’t work the degree of helical can be reduced slightly to improve clearance. Before you throw up your arms or wave the white flag, also take a look at your rest. It may be too restrictive to allow the fletching to pass cleanly. In that case, simply spread the support arms until they are just able to prevent the shaft from falling through. At last resort, you may also consider trying a different rest style.

FOUR KEYS TO IMPROVED FORM
Better shooting form results in better arrow flight. These tips will help you eliminate your form flaws so even bare-shafted arrows produce a bullet-hole.
Just relax: Tension results from straining to hold the bow at full draw. It’s nearly impossible to keep the pin from bouncing all over the target when your fighting the draw weight. Don’t be too proud to turn your bow down a few pounds (one turn on each limb bolt reduces draw weight by 3 to 5 pounds). You can always turn it back up as your strength improves with practice.

From the ground up, your whole body should remain relaxed throughout the shot. However, a relaxed bow arm is especially important. Bend your bow arm just enough to unlock the elbow causing your arm to relax more fully and act as a shock-absorber for the shot.

Use your back: The large muscles of the back are best suited for supporting the shot. Try this: After getting to full draw, relax all the muscles except your back. Feel the weight of the draw being supported by the large muscles just above and between the shoulder blades. To better feel these muscles at work, try flexing your back in a way that pulls your shoulder blades toward each other. The muscles you feel tensing are the same ones you should be relying upon to lock you in at full draw. These muscles can be built up very quickly and don’t add tension to the shot.

Releasing the string: With fingers, the correct trigger is the simple act of relaxing the back of your string hand. The string will slip out smoothly. The best finger shooters release the string with only two fingers. Consider dropping your top finger off the string once you reach full draw.

Mechanical release aids require a different approach. Two simple steps will have you squeezing the trigger instead of punching it. First, don’t release the arrow as soon as the pin crosses the center of your target. Let it float there for a second or two. This will defuse the nervous tendency to mash the trigger, which if unchecked, can quickly lead to an ugly condition known as target panic. Second, as your pin starts to settle on the target, rest your finger on the trigger. After a couple of seconds, simply curl it smoothly in one steady motion.

Follow through: The follow-through in archery is both mental and physical. It serves to hold everything together long enough for the arrow to escape the bow. Many bowhunters snap their grip hand closed at the same moment they release the string – destroying accuracy. A wrist sling may help you keep your hand relaxed and your fingers limp without the fear of dropping your bow.

Shooting a bare shaft through paper give critical feedback on all elements of tuning including your shooting form.

Your bow arm is another important part of the follow-through – maybe the most important part. Keep it steady and resist the common tendency to drop it when you release the string; it shouldn’t move one inch until the arrow hits the target. Follow-through mentally by staying focused. Continue aiming until the small spot you’re trying to hit disappears at the end of your arrow.

BOW HAND POSITION
Shooting a bare shaft through paper at a range of three to five yards also provides immediate and extremely critical feedback on the quality of your grip. Several years ago I was helping a buddy tune his new bow. He’s left-handed and for some reason we simply could not eliminate a hard left paper tear. Tears that point left for a left-handed archer and to the right for a right-handed archer are very rare among release aid shooters. I was perplexed. An hour later we’d tweaked just about everything and yet the problem persisted. In an effort to determine if it was some kind of weird contact problem, we removed the fletching from one of his shafts and shot it through the paper. It slashed even more wildly to the left.

The light bulb came on in my head. I took my buddy’s left-handed bow and shot it right-handed. The arrow made a perfect bullet hole on the first shot! Even though my friend is an accomplished archer, I immediately knew he was holding the bow wrong. He was trying to shoot the new bow using the same hand position he’d used on his old one. By experimenting with a couple of minor grip changes my friend was soon making a perfect bullet hole, as well. He found that by simply applying a little more thumb pressure to the side of the grip he could solve the problem with no discomfort or loss of accuracy.

This brings up an important point. I’ve tuned many different bow styles through the years. Every one of them required slightly different grip pressure to make it tune properly. That is one reason why some bowhunters get stuck on one bow brand – their bow hands have learned to seek the proper no-torque position automatically on familiar grips. The quickest way to determine if your bow hand position is faulty is to shoot a bare shaft through paper.

OTHER FORM FLAWS
In my own shooting I’ve been able to isolate various departures from correct form that were destroying arrow flight and making good accuracy literally a hit and miss deal. When you’re shooting fast arrows, 240 fps or faster, it becomes more difficult to group exposed blade broadheads consistently beyond 25 yards. If you hurry the release, or get a little tense, the arrow will veer badly. The trend is toward smaller heads to solve this problem. This “solution” only treats the symptoms of the ailment, and only partially at that. It is better to eliminate the root cause of shooting problems: grip tension, hand position and a rough release. Shooting a bare shaft through paper gives you the feedback you need to become a better archer.

BARE SHAFT TUNING FOR FINGER SHOOTERS
Bare shaft tuning means something different to finger shooters and than release aid shooters. For years, finger shooters have shot unfletched shafts in order to determine what corrections to make to their bow and arrow setups when tuning. If you wish to try this proven technique, first shoot a group using fletched shafts and mark the center. Next, from the same distance, shoot a group using bare shafts and mark this center. If both groups have essentially the same center your system is tuned. However, if the bare shafts plane off-line you’ll have to make corrections.

Here is general guideline to the proper corrections when your bare shaft groups are different from your fletched shaft groups. If the bare shaft group is to the left, try a more flexible shaft, increase point weight or turn up bow poundage. If the bare shaft group is below, move the nock point down, check fletching contact with the rest and check wheel timing. If the bare shaft group is to the right, try a stiffer shaft, a lighter point or reduce your draw weight. If the bare shaft group hits high, check wheel timing or move your nock point up.

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