More archery questions.

Ok, time for more newbie questions here. To bring in the background here, I finally decided back in October to NOT let my kids have all the fun, so I bought a bow for myself. And for the first time in 35 years, I started shooting a bow. There has been something of a learning curve to this and I appreciate the help so far.

Two more questions.

1. I ran out of downward adjustment on my pin site (with in-string rear peep). Even at 10 yards, I was still hitting low by about 1.5 inches.

What seemed like the logical solution to me was to move the rest adjustment UPWARD by 2 notches. Which I did and it seemed to solve the problem at least at 10 yards. In fact, it moved the POI enough that I had to move the pin sight upward, recovering some travel.

Was this the right thing to do or a major no-no? Something about this is nagging at me that there may be unintended consequences to adjusting the rest.

Was this the right thing to do?

2. How do I tell if my draw length is a little too long? I determined draw length by marking with 2 pieces of tape on the wall, so I know that it’s technically correct, but with a Turefire release set up so that it feels comfortable to reach the trigger, have I essentially “lengthened” the draw by the overall length between my fingers and the “gripping point” of the release?

To put it another way, is the classic calculation of draw length calibrated to a finger release and then you have to adjust if you’re intending on using a mechanical release?

What are the symptoms of too long of a draw length? I’m hitting the string stop (Bow is a Diamond SB1), but not what I’d say is a “hard” stop, there is a little backward travel still available if I pull past my anchor point and make the string stops flex the string.

Any thoughts welcome. Many thanks.

Grouse

Did you purchase to bow new or used/ private sale or from an actual archery shop? Buying a bow is similar to buying glasses, its hard to pick one up and have it work for you the way you want. Sounds to me like peep placement and draw length might be the issue usually the rest is the last thing I personally would adjust. That has a significant effect on arrow flight ( more noticeable with broad heads).That being said I would take it in to an actual bow shop have them set it up right for you and shoot it through paper. Hope this helps

I’m with Ross on going to a archery shop. Have you paper tuned your bow since moving your rest? I would say it is safe to say it is out of tune because of moving it if it was paper tuned to begin with. Peep sight and draw length sound like the issue.

I a lot of times the anchor point being wrong is what can cause running out of room. Never move your rest it is there for a reason I can explain but should be keep in same spot for a true shot.
When you pull your bow back and anchor you index/pointer finger top knuckle should lock in the bottom of your earlobe .There is a spot where your jaw comes up and another bone comes across. If you are anchored to high which I have been in the past it will cause you to run out of elevation in your sight. Here is a video link that shows it. Dudley is awesome for teaching videos. Or PM me any time. I have pretty much messed it all up and then learned from some great teachers.

This is what I have done for me, for years .When I pull the bow back I what the string hitting the middle of my nose, you are always in the same place every shot,adjust your bows draw to acknowledge this .
DK.

to get your draw length take your arm span and divide by 2.5

make sure the your arrow is level and perpendicular to the rest before you make adjustments with the sight. If your arrow is angled this will cause issues with adjusting sights. If this isn’t the issue, your peep sight is in the wrong spot. I would bring it in to the bow shop and have them help with positioning it.

Grouse head over to A1 and have them paper tune and adjust the peep for you.

Appreciate the replies guys.

I’ve made 2 tweaks, I adjusted the rest 1 notch on the index, and I took 1/2 inch out of my draw length.

Right, wrong, or indifferent, that basically fixed the issues. The draw just feels better because at the anchor point, I feel like I’m against the stop solidly without the “flex” I was feeling before. Not sure if this is technically correct or not, but it feels good.

Having the bow paper-tuned is a good idea, if only to head off future problems.

I’m not sure how good is good when it comes to a total newbie shooting a bow, but it seems like the combination of me and this bow are shooting ok right now. I only have 15 yards of “range” at home, but here’s about what I can do now from 15. See picture. I mean I’m sure with a few more lessons and practice, I can probably get a little better, but I didn’t think this was too bad.

I did (with permission, obviously) use the neighbor’s yard to back up to 30 paces (26 yards by my tape measure) and I put 6 arrows into a paper plate, which I thought was pretty good, I as surprised I could do that at that distance as it’s quite different going from 15 to 25 or so. I’m sure it’ll take a lot more practice to be able to hit anything at 30, but so far so good.

Grouse

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TheFamousGrouse wrote:

26 yards by my tape measure

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

I’m sure it’ll take a lot more practice to be able to hit anything at 30

Sounds like it will take about 4 more yards… in all seriousness though, when I’ve had to adjust, 10 and 20 yards are pretty simple (not long enough for a huge variance I assume) but 30 to 40 takes a lot more practice/fine tuning to get dialed. I’m far from a pro also tho. Congrats on dialing it in, the addiction only gets worse from here!

As you move further out,. wind and elevation rear their ugly face. Then there are twigs unseen. It takes a few years to make all the mistakes, as stated earlier the sport is consuming. It can also be as simple as you want it to be. I like the quiet time in the woods. Reminds me of trout fishing.

Once you have your draw, anchors, and stance figured out, another tip for accuracy would be to aim with waist and not by moving your bow arm.By this I mean hit full draw remain “locked”twisting left, right or tilting up, down to move the pin on your target, its alot easier to learn this from the start, then to change bad habits.
It will definetley improve your accuracy and give you a feel of more control over the bow.
Good luck, hope its useful to you.

ps I use the term locked for lack of a better word, proper drawlength should have a slight bend at the elbow, fully extended(rigid)is gonna put shake in the shot!

And remember to keep a loose, relaxed grip on the riser when you release. On these newer, high performance, high torque bows, it’s critical for shot to shot consistency.

Yes, the instructor when my kids take lessons always emphasizes a relaxed grip, which I imitate.

I think my setup is pretty good right now. I’m getting consistent results at 10 and 15 yards. In fact, better results than I thought I’d have at this stage in the game.

With the warm weather here again (!) the boys and I are going to maybe head to one of the outdoor ranges and shoot a little.

Anyone know if Lake Elmo or Oakdale city park ranges are open in the winter?

Grouse