Updated March 2023
Straight arrow flight is critical to getting the most accuracy and consistency out of your bow. Improper arrow flight can be caused by a number of different factors including torquing your bow, improper rest alignment, incorrect arrow spine and many others. Paper tuning a bow is the process of shooting an arrow through a sheet of paper to ensure proper flight. The hole that an arrow shaft and fletching create when shot through paper will help determine if an arrow is flying straight. The goal of paper tuning is to make sure that the hole from the arrow shaft and fletchings are perfectly aligned, resulting in a “bullet hole” through the paper. This article will cover how to properly paper tune your bow to make certain that your arrows are flying completely straight.
Why is Paper Tuning Important?
Paper tuning is important to make sure that your arrows are coming off of your rest perfectly straight. Crooked arrow flight is usually caused by rest placement or an improper nocking point or d-loop location. When paper tuning a bow that is out of tune, you will notice that the fletchings will be off-center with the shaft of the arrow as it passes through the paper, resulting in a tear. From here, there are a few adjustments and things to consider that will help correct this.
How to Paper Tune Your Bow
The first step is to set up a free-standing sheet of paper about 3 to 8 yards away, in front of a target. Next, you want to aim at the middle of the paper and shoot an arrow though the paper, into the target behind. If you bow is tuned correctly, you will see a perfect hole from the shaft and vanes that are centered around the hole. The shaft should go perfectly through the paper and you should see three even slices around center hole from the arrow fletchings. If your arrows are not flying straight, you may notice rips or tears in the paper from the vanes tailing up, down, left, right or in combination. You don’t want to see any side to side or up and down movement. You want arrows to be making a perfect hole.
How to Correct Improper Arrow Flight
Left or Right Tears – A left or right tear could mean that your arrow rest is not properly centered. It could also mean that you are using an improper grip and are torquing your bow. To fix this, start by adjusting your grip by keeping it loose and maintaining good form to ensure you are not torquing your bow. If this does not work, try moving your rest slightly left or right. If you are experiencing a right tear (fletching to right of point hole), move your rest to the left. Alternatively, if you are getting a left tear, move your rest to the right.
A few other causes for light or left tears can also be due to excess facial pressure on an arrow when anchored. This can cause the arrow to come off of the rest on an angle. Similarly, using a release improperly can cause your hand to move upon release of the arrow. Finally, if nothing else is working to fix the problem, your cam timing could be off.
High or Low Tears – Most of the time when you are experiencing a high or low tear, it has to do with your rest. To compensate for a high or low tear, move your rest in the same direction as the tear. For example, if your fletchings are tearing low, move your rest down slightly. Another way to solve this is by moving your D-loop up or down. This should solve the problem.
Another cause of high or low tears can also result from your arrows being too stiff. An arrow that does not have enough flex may hit high or low. One last diagnosis you should consider is making sure your fletchings are not contacting the rest or riser of the bow. Having proper clearance will ensure your arrows are leaving the bow unobstructed.
Sometimes you will not always experience a clean right, left, up or down tear. You may have a low left or a high right combination. In these instances, it is best practice to fix the vertical tear first, then fix the horizontal tear.
As you have read above, there are many reasons why an arrow can fly crooked, as well as many solutions. Paper tuning your bow is important for ensuring that you are getting optimal performance out of your equipment. The steps discussed in this article are designed to help you paper tune your bow and correct any issues. With a few micro-adjustments, you will be on your way to completely straight arrow flight. For more articles and buyer’s guides, please check out other posts from Bowhunting Depot!