Arrow Tuning: Paper, Walk-Back, and Broadhead Flight
A tuned arrow flies through paper clean, hits the same spot at 20 and 40 yards, and lands where field points land when you switch to broadheads. That is the whole job. This page walks through the three tests bowhunters actually use.
Paper tune
Shoot a bare shaft or fletched arrow through a paper frame at 6 to 8 feet. Read the tear:
- Bullet hole (round with three vane cuts): tuned.
- Tail high: nock point too low, or cam timing off.
- Tail low: nock point too high.
- Tail left (RH shooter): weak arrow, or rest too far right. Move rest 1/64 inch left.
- Tail right (RH shooter): stiff arrow, or rest too far left. Move rest 1/64 inch right.
Walk-back tune
Aim at the same spot on a target at 20, 30, 40, and 50 yards. If arrows drift left as distance grows, move rest right in .010 inch increments. If they drift right, move rest left. Walk-back locks in horizontal alignment across your whole hunting range. Do this only after paper tune is clean.
French tune
Also called modified French tune. Set two targets 6 feet apart. Aim at the near target at 20 yards. If both arrows hit the near target left of aim, move rest right; if right, move left. French tune is faster than walk-back for most compound setups because you only need one bale.
Broadhead flight
Sight in field points at 20, 30, 40, 50. Switch to a screw in fixed blade broadhead. If broadhead lands left of field point (RH), the arrow is dynamically weak; go one spine stiffer or drop 25 grains of point. If broadhead lands right of field point (RH), arrow is stiff; add 25 grains of point or one spine weaker. Do not chase this with the rest.
What most hunters miss
Cam timing and yoke tune fix more paper tears than rest moves do. A 1/16 inch draw stop rotation on a Mathews cam will change your paper tear direction. If paper tune keeps drifting after two rest moves, put the bow on a press and check timing.