Getting Frustrated, need advice

[lonestararcher]

Ok, so I bought a Sage take down, set it up with string silencers, a leather arrow plate and some soft side Velcro for an arrow rest. I am having some problems with porpoising and fish tailing but was able to hit inside a softball sized area about every 2nd or 3rd shot with the others on the target but far from where I was aiming. I am new to the sport and have only been shooting for a few months or so. The problem is I am not sure if it is me or the tuning of the bow that is causing me to be all over the place. I tried moving my nocking point up because it was slightly less than 1/4 above center and it appeared to reduce the porpoising a little but now I am really all over the target. I've been on here every day and reading online articles as well as watching videos to educate myself but I'm getting very frustrated and very discouraged.

[Chew]

You'll need to post up the specs of your bow and your arrows for these guys to help you. I'm new myself and have trouble tuning arrows without help from the gurus.

[Possum Fat]

Post up the poundage youre shooting, bow length, arrow spine, arrow length, draw length and your brace height.

[huntinpool]

Just keep moving it up a little at a time until it gets better. Post bow info and we might be able to get u on track a little faster.

If your just starting out, you shouldn't be shooting over 5-10 yds. Shoot at a 3" spot till u can get 8 of 10 in the spot at 5 yds. Don't shoot any further until you do it. then move back 2.5 yds and start over. When you get to 15 yds switch to a 4" spot and keep going. It may take a week or 3 to get to 20 yards but you will creating muscle memory. It took me 4 weeks to get to 25 yds.

All new shooters tend to shoot to far at first. This creates doubt and anxiety when you don't hit where your aiming. That leads to frustration. Positive reinforcement is gained from starting close and mastering it before moving back. Good Luck.

[caughtandhobble]

I'm not sure where you're from but if you could get with somebody who's been there, it would save time and frustration.

I used OL Adcock's site until I was lucky enough to find this site and meet some great shooters. Adcock's site offers some very solid information on tuning. Here's the link http://bowmaker.net/index2.htm. Good luck, sounds like you've been doing your homework...

[lonestararcher]

Thanks for the quick replies,

it's a 62in take down, 45lbs @ 28in. My draw is 30in. If I'm measuring it correctly the brace height is 6in. I am shooting carbon express heritage 150s with 5in parabolic feathers and 100 grain (I think) field points. They are uncut (full length) shafts.

The part about starting closer makes sense. I will start that today.

Oh and I live in Katy

[Draco]

Your brace height is too low for almost any bow. You need to twist your string to shorten it and raise that brace height up. That should help a bunch.

[agtex42]

Have you measured your drawlength on this specific bow?

A lot of guys making the transition from a compound to a trad bow will lose an inch or more on their drawlength due to where they anchor on their face.

I'd recommend that you twist your string up a bit to get your brace height closer to 8-8.5" range (mine prefers 8 3/8"). 6" is too low for this bow and you'll get better performance (and a quiter shot) by increasing the brace height. Also, make sure you're measuring from the string to the deepest part of the grip (not the back of the riser).

Are you shooting split finger or 3 under?

I shoot 3 under and my nock height is set at 5/8", this is a little on the high side but everyone is slightly different and this is what works for me. I've found that 9/16" is usually a good starting point and most of my bows fall within 1/8" from that in either direction.

Those shafts may be a little on the weak side if you're truly drawing 30" (assuming your using a Fast Flite string material). The Sage limbs tend to run a little heavier than marked, and you're likely around 52# with your published stats. I have 40# limbs (drawn to 29.5") and I use full length .500 shafts with 162 grains total up front, these fly well for me but they are on the border of being too weak for the bow.

Hope this helps and keep the questions coming. Like Todd already mentioned, you'll be better off staying close to the target at first so you can work on your form. Once you start getting consistent then you can start fine tuning your setup.

[dmaxshawn]

I set my nock points at 5/8 and go up from there. Also just try and relax. think of the arrow as you trying to throw a baseball to hit your intended target. Shoot slow at first and follow through with a good push and pull.

[Loreva13]

All I can add is don't let yourself become too frustrated. As soon as you start feeling frustration setting in take a break for a while or a day or two. I am about seven and a half months in and I always start by shooting close to the target, probably about 5 yards and move back until I probably reach 20 to 25 yards (I really don't measure yardage anymore so I am not sure of the exact yardages) If I become inconsistent at any point I move in close again and start over. If I start feeling frustrated or like "I just can get the hang of it today" I call it a day and wait until the next day.

Another thing I'll add is I really didn't start tuning until the beginning of July. I just made sure my arrows were flying descent. For the first 5 months I just focused on my form and gaining consistency as well as building muscle memory.

Good luck!

[lonestararcher]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I have twisted the string to increase the brace height to 8in and have moved forward to 5 yards.

[Deb]

6" is to low and 8 is probably to high. Try 7-& 1/2 -7 1/4

[jerp]

I looked this up when I bought my Sage. Samick says the proper brace height for that bow is anywhere from 7.5" to 8.25" For me, the sweet spot was at 7 7/8"

[feralswine]

I have the exact same bow and mine is a 45# as well. My draw length is 29 1/4 although it was 30 before I started facing the target a little more... so we are shooting very close to the same. Mine likes a brace height from 8 - 8 1/4, depending on which string I have on it. 100gr tips seem to be a little on the light side. When I got my bow I got the guy at the local archery shop to make some arrows for me and they were Easton ST Excel 500s with 125gr tips cut around 30-31". Not sure if they are optimal for my bow but they sure shoot like it. I haven't had any problems with that setup, minus issues with my form.

Also, I'm not sure what kind of nock you are using but you can tie one on yourself that can very easily be adjusted up and down, simply by twisting it.

[equin]

The sweet spot on my Sage is around 8", but each bow, even of the same make and model, has its own different sweet spot for brace height.

One way I measure draw length is to put a clothespin near the point end of the arrow. I then draw the arrow so that the clothespin will hit the back of the bow (the part facing away from you and toward the target) and will move along the shaft of the arrow until you come to your anchor. Let down your draw without shooting the arrow. Then measure the shaft from the clothespin to the nock of the arrow, and that should be your draw length. Probably helps to do this a few times so you can average out the measurement as your draw length.

When I first started trad a little over 2 years ago, I also started with a 45# bow. I'm not particularly strong, so it would've been better for me to have started with a lighter draw, like 35#, but that's all water under the bridge now. Anyway, I hope to do this myself sometime soon, but if you're close to Waco, PM Mike Javi Cooper on here and ask him if he's still offering coaching lessons.

Good luck!