What does it mean if my bare shaft hits nock left?

For a right-handed shooter it means the arrow is too stiff — it is not flexing enough to clear the riser. Add point weight in 25 grain steps first because it raises FOC at the same time; if that is not enough, leave the shaft longer or drop a spine group.

How far should you bare-shaft tune?

Fifteen yards is the standard for traditional bows. Closer than that and errors have not developed; much farther and a bare shaft planes so badly the reading becomes noise. Read the angle the nock sits at in the target rather than the point of impact alone.

Can a bad release look like bad tune?

Constantly. A plucked release throws the arrow the same way an underspined shaft does. Shoot three of each and read the pattern, and if your bare shafts scatter rather than group consistently, fix the release on a blank bale before changing a single component.

Do I need to re-tune when I switch to broadheads?

Always verify. A fixed broadhead acts like a small wing at the front and exaggerates any remaining tuning error. Shoot broadheads and matched field points at 20 yards; if they do not hit together, tune the broadhead group in rather than adjusting your aim.

Traditional archery · Skill

Bare-shaft tuning, in the order that actually works

Fifteen yards, one unfletched shaft, and an honest release will tell you everything about your arrow setup.

Fletching hides tuning errors. Pull the feathers off one shaft and the arrow has nothing to correct it, so any mismatch in spine, nocking point or brace height shows up as a visible angle in the target face.

The trap is fixing things in the wrong order and chasing your tail. Set vertical tune first, then horizontal, and change one variable at a time.

Distance: 15 yards
You need: 1 bare, 1 fletched
Order: Vertical, then horizontal
First lever: Point weight

The tuning sequence

Shoot from 15 yards with a relaxed, repeatable release. A bad release reads as a weak spine, so shoot three of each and read the pattern, never the single arrow.

1Set brace height to the middle of the manufacturer's range and set the nocking point 1/8 to 1/4 inch above square.
2Shoot three fletched arrows to establish your reference group.
3Shoot three bare shafts at the same spot. Read the nock angle in the target, not just where they landed.
4Nock high means lower the nocking point; nock low means raise it. Fix vertical before touching anything else.
5For a right-handed shooter, bare shafts nocking left mean the shaft is too stiff; nocking right means too weak. Reverse for left-handed.
6Too stiff: add point weight in 25 grain steps, or leave the shaft longer. Too weak: reduce point weight, shorten the shaft, or move up a spine group.
7Adjust brace height in 1/8 inch turns of the string to quiet the bow and fine-tune once flight is close.
8Finish when bare shafts strike straight and group with your fletched arrows, then verify with broadheads at 20 yards.

Reading the bare shaft (right-handed shooter)

What you see	Diagnosis	First fix
Nock left of fletched group	Arrow too stiff	Add 25 grains of point weight
Nock right of fletched group	Arrow too weak	Reduce point weight or shorten shaft 1/4"
Nock high	Nocking point too low	Raise nocking point 1/16"
Nock low	Nocking point too high	Lower nocking point 1/16"
Buries straight, groups with fletched	Tuned	Verify with broadheads at 20 yd

Questions

Frequently asked

What does it mean if my bare shaft hits nock left?: For a right-handed shooter it means the arrow is too stiff — it is not flexing enough to clear the riser. Add point weight in 25 grain steps first because it raises FOC at the same time; if that is not enough, leave the shaft longer or drop a spine group.
How far should you bare-shaft tune?: Fifteen yards is the standard for traditional bows. Closer than that and errors have not developed; much farther and a bare shaft planes so badly the reading becomes noise. Read the angle the nock sits at in the target rather than the point of impact alone.
Can a bad release look like bad tune?: Constantly. A plucked release throws the arrow the same way an underspined shaft does. Shoot three of each and read the pattern, and if your bare shafts scatter rather than group consistently, fix the release on a blank bale before changing a single component.
Do I need to re-tune when I switch to broadheads?: Always verify. A fixed broadhead acts like a small wing at the front and exaggerates any remaining tuning error. Shoot broadheads and matched field points at 20 yards; if they do not hit together, tune the broadhead group in rather than adjusting your aim.