Walk Back Tuning Tutorial

[Rat]

Since the off-season has arrived, for most of us anyway, and the recent number of tuning related threads I thought I would post up on how to Walk Back Tune.

What walk back tuning does is find the perfect dynamic center of the bow. When you set up while the bow is at brace (rested) you are setting up everything (rest and sights) to the static center of the bow. Walk back tuning takes into to account the dynamic flexing (torque) of the bow during the shot to get the arrow to fly perfectly from center and then to line up the sights with that center as well.

I believe that walk back is superior to paper tuning and bare shaft tuning in that either of these only tell you what is going on at a given distance; while walk back covers much more ground and gives a better picture of what is actually happening over a longer distance.

Here is how we do it. Set the bow up like you would normally and then shoot in your 20 yard pin.

The set up:
Set the target up so that it is about eye level. Use a string and a plumb bob to hang a vertical line from the top all the way to the bottom. You can do the same thing with a level and a magic marker, just plumb the level and then mark one edge.

Place a small sticker, about 1 inch round, or draw a circle near the top of the target.

How it's done:
For the every shot you will ONLY use your 20 yard pin, every distance you shoot will be with your 20 yard pin.

1) Shoot from 20 yards, aiming at the small sticker or circle.

2) Shoot from 25 yards, aiming at the small sticker or circle.

3) Shoot from 30 yards, aiming at the small sticker or circle.

4) Shoot from 35 yards, aiming at the small sticker or circle.

5) Shoot from 40 yards, aiming at the small sticker or circle.

The longer the distance the better. If you have an area that will allow you to go 60 yards then do it, you can also go in 10 yard increments if you have the room. You need to get five arrows in the target minnimum tho, the size of your target may also be a limiting factor.

Now look at the arrows and make adjustments accordingly:

[SPUD]

excellent post.

[Txag96]

I will check it out

[jpbruni]

Great Stuff Rat! You learn something new everyday. I have never tried this method before.

J.P.

[kfd82]

Sounds like alot of work. What ever happened to jut point and shoot?


Just kidding, Great post. I will have to try this when I get home!!

[River Bottom Hunter]

I saw this on one of the bow huntin shows. This is better detail.

Thanks Rat.

[OS_BRANDON]

very nice tutorial ive seen lots os them but yours is the best ive seen....

although i like french tuning..to me its alot easier

[Rat]

very nice tutorial ive seen lots os them but yours is the best ive seen....

although i like french tuning..to me its alot easier

Thanks for words, and I agree that French Tuning and Walk Back Tuning acheive the same thing, but to me walk back tuning is easier. Go figure I don't know if you have seen Nuts and Bolts' way of French Tuning, what he calls Modified French Tuning, I'll see if I can find that post on AT and post it here. If I remember right you could do it at 10 yards or less, I neve tried it so I don't know how reliable it is. I will PM Nutz and Boltz to see if he will let me post it here. Strictly for information, I have never used it myself.

[SPUD]

Thanks for words, and I agree that French Tuning and Walk Back Tuning acheive the same thing, but to me walk back tuning is easier. Go figure I don't know if you have seen Nuts and Bolts' way of French Tuning, what he calls Modified French Tuning, I'll see if I can find that post on AT and post it here. If I remember right you could do it at 10 yards or less, I neve tried it so I don't know how reliable it is. I will PM Nutz and Boltz to see if he will let me post it here. Strictly for information, I have never used it myself.

Nuts n Bolts knows his stuff

[tagman]

Thanks for the info, well-written, clear and concise. I've never heard of walk back tuning. I'm going to try it out first chance I get. I'd also like to hear more about the french tuning.

[Texastrophy]

This will work very well if you're a consistent shooter, but it will not work if you're all over the paper at the longer distances. In theory, it may be the best tuning technique I've seen. Thanks for the info and diagrams.

[Rat]

Texastrophy is right, no amount of tuning will get perfect groups if your form is all wonky; unless you tune it in a Hooter Shooter. In this case, form really does follow function! The good thing is you can get the bow tuned as well as you can shoot, and as you get better, just fine tune from there.

One of the things I learned a long time ago as well was this. As I learned how to properly tune a bow and the arrows I greatly improved my knoweledge of shooting and my shooting became better as a result. Learning how the machine works, and what it does when it is properly set up goes along way towards building confidence; and confidence goes a long way in archery.

[Rat]

Okay, I just finished talking to nuts&bolts over at AT and he gave me permission to post his Modified French Tuning Method over here. So here it is:

The Modified French Tuning is a take-off of French Tuning which can be found Here about a third of the way down the page in an article titled Old article written by John about the FRENCH TUNING METHOD, but back by popular demand (PDF Format)

Nuts&bolts has condensed it down so that it can be done with a very limited space, 10 yards is all you need.

Get everything set up on the bench first, center the rest and sights however you normally do it, paper tune, bare shaft, laser thingy, eye ball whatever…

1) set up the target so that the bull (10 ring) is about level with the arrow at full draw. Hang a plumb bob (weighted string) down the middle of the target, bisecting the 10 ring.
2) Back up to 3 yards, aim at the string and fire a few arrows (3 max). Good form is paramount here, a nice relaxed shooting hand, crisp surpise release and follow through. Making tiny adjustments to your SIGHTS get the arrow to SPLIT the string, it can be done!
3) Move back to 10 yards and shoot a 3 arrow end. Don’t worry about the size of the group, what you are looking for is to have the string bisect the group of arrows, right down the middle. If it is off to one side then move the REST in tiny increments to get the group centered on the string.
4) Go back to 3 yards and repeat step 2)
5) Go back to 10 yards and repeat step 3)
You get the idea…

When you are done the 3 yards shot will hit the string and the 10 yard shots will be grouped right over the string!

The thing to remember is this: when close adjust the SIGHTS, when far adjust the REST. Once you are done here you can either go to group tuning (for targets) or broadhead tuning (for hunting), I recommend broadhead tuning because I feel this gives the best groups overall. However, if you group tune and have good groups and then broadhead tune and can’t get good groups you have an arrow problem not a bow problem, this is also a good time to find ‘fliers’ and eliminate them from the hunting quiver.

Keep in mind this tho, when broadhead tuning. After Walk Back or Modified French tuning your broadhead tuning adjustments (if any) will be VERY MINOR if you did it right. The POI for broadheads and fieldpoints will be very close (if not right on top of each other) if everything is dialed in correctly. If they are way off something else is going on, you either have a bad form problem or a tuning issue you need to deal with.

Here is the pictoral: Modified French Tuning by nuts&bolts

[GreyWolf]

Great Post! Thanks RAT for the info.
I purchased a DXT a month ago and have been shooting everyday to stretch the string. This week I have begun with a taped cross on the target. Shot from 10 yards to 25 yards (back yard only this long) to get vertical and horizontal. Now it's time to begin this process.
Thank again.

[Jon-Paul]

Great Post Thanks