[David Coulter]

in reply to: Questions about my bareshaft tuning today. #18541

Thanks to all the information posted here, I’m starting to tune some new shafts. I have Beaman ICS Bowhunter 400s, 50 grain brass inserts and 200 grain tips. I’m shooting a 46# Leon Stewart Slammer Special.
I shot a few full length shafts into a Black Hole foam block with a piece of white paper with a vertical line down the middle and a dot in the center of the line. The first shots were heading about 4 o’clock 10 inches out. I did several shots then put the bow away. Next day, I did a few more and they went to the same place, so I started trimming.
I’m using a Dremel with a standard cutoff blade, turning the shaft into the tool, then squaring up by butting the shaft into the face of the blade. Seems to work just fine.
It’s fun to watch the strikes inch closer to the center line as I take off an inch, then a quarter inch at a time. I got to the center line and retired the bow for a fresh start tomorrow or the next. It pays to go slow, as I don’t think I’ve taken off more than a couple of inches to move the strikes 10 inches.
So, I’m bouncing between a few threads on bare shaft tuning and want to ask a question again for clarification. I’m good at beating a dead horse…
So, we get the bare shaft to fly to center then compare to a fletched arrow. I’m assuming that the fletched arrow has been trimmed the same as the bare shaft, correct?
Also, if we see the bare shaft fly to a different impact than the fleched arrow, we adjust the bare shaft and also make the same adjustment to the fletched arrow?
I glued in my insert, so I’m taking it off the south end of the pole. If I need to adjust the fletched arrow, I’ll be refletching. Not a problem if that’s the way it needs to be done, but I’ll skip the extra work if it is not necessary.
I pushed a 50 grain brass insert into the first shaft just to check fit and I couldn’t get the dang thing out. So I shot it into the block and, as you would expect, that insert and point now live inside the block…
Thanks for all of your help. d

[David Coulter]

in reply to: Tuning with Crystalshrimp. #15302

Okay, let me ask a simple sort of question and see if I can twist this up any more…
The object is to get the bare shaft to fly to the same place as the fletch shaft, right? Then you would already have fletched shafts that fly fine and why would you bare shaft?
Just for the record, I started bare shaft tuning a new set-up yesterday, so I’m on board. I’ll bare shaft til they fly right, then fletch a couple and compare??
Thanks for the continued explanations and patience.

[David Coulter]

in reply to: Storm and Hurricane damage #14048

Best of luck with that. All I have to worry about is cutting up a lot of next year’s firewood. We feel very lucky to get through this with as little as we did. I stopped in the hardware store today to buy screening for the porch door and they had chairs lined up for people waiting for a generator shipment. They said a truck came in Sunday morning with 89 units loaded and they were gone by 7:30 a.m. Monday.
One young man died here Sunday pushing his son out of the way of a falling tree. Forty four years old.

[David Coulter]

in reply to: Storm and Hurricane damage #13789

That non-event kept us on the edge of our seats here in Eastern PA. We had 7 trees down on our little property in a storm the end of July and three more down Sunday. We’re fortunate to have power, phone, and internet back already. Some will be without for the rest of the week. At least it’s still summer with warm weather and long days. Generator sales were hot. Folks were driving out of the big apple to buy generators here.

[David Coulter]

in reply to: 100 grain for ICS 400 #13784

Thanks for the note. I might not need them now, as I shot my first bare shaft. 10 yards and 10 inches to the right. I can start cutting back my shafts… gently…
Thanks! dwc

[David Coulter]

in reply to: Where have all the Grizzlies gone? #11439

I just looked at the site where I found some Grizzlies for $20 this spring and they don’t even list them.

[David Coulter]

in reply to: New Arrow Project #11435

Right now, I’m happy with an ugly arrow, if there is such a thing, that flies pretty.

Since you build arrows, you can probably answer this question. Any problems using spray paint on a shaft? I was thinking of an easy, cheap way to make my stumpers easier to find with some orange spray paint. Ugly, sure, practical…?
Thanks, d

[David Coulter]

in reply to: 100 grain for ICS 400 #11433

I got responses from a couple of dealers, including 3Rivers and Brave Heart. The consensus is that the 100 grainers are a tiny bit smaller in diameter and that using extra glue should solve the problem. I’m wondering if that little bit of wiggle can lead to slight alignment issues. Trial would tell. Perhaps the best way to up the weight is to go with a heavier adapter, which would put the weight farther north anyway.

[David Coulter]

in reply to: New Arrow Project #11426

That’s a beauty. I admire you guys designing good looking arrows that fly well.

[David Coulter]

in reply to: differant weights? #7836

Ed,
Thanks for your note. I ordered some of the steel collars for both ends of the shaft to help reduce the damage. I’ll tune my hunting and field points without them, but will set up some stumpers with them in place.
Much appreciated! d
ps. Also, I’ve been reading your posts about EFOC and bought light shafts to work up a heavy front end accordingly. thanks! d

[David Coulter]

in reply to: differant weights? #7798

I’m making some space in the shop now and just moved a pile of aluminum shafts from the past two years of stumping. I bet there’s 30 bent arrows in that pile. I bought the aluminum shafts cheap and it was a great way to learn for me. They shot really well, very consistently for weight and accuracy.
That said, I just bought a dozen Beman Bowhunters, brass inserts and a set of heavy field points to tune with. I don’t lose many arrows, but I bend and split plenty. I lost about six to damage in the past three weeks. I’m hoping the carbons will eliminate a good bit of the damage and be cheaper in the long run.
If you’re not fletching arrows yourself, get started now. I use the tape and have been very happy with it. I can fletch an arrow in about 15 minute with the tape.
Good luck.

[David Coulter]

in reply to: Ask your bowyer. #61722

Thanks for the note. Yep, Leon’s a stand-up guy. He’s well respected and makes a beautiful bow. Professionally, I photograph a lot of fine art and fine crafts and have learned to recognize good work. His fade outs are seamless. The best part though is that he has been able to help me become a better shooter. One, with the Slammer Special, and two, with his ability to explain to me how to hold a bow or why a bow acts the way it does. He’s also very involved in his local club the West Caln Sportsman’s Club, near Coateville, PA. The have a shoot coming up August 28 & September 11.
If I may, he’s his website. http://www.stewartsarchery.com Thanks, d

[David Coulter]

in reply to: How’s the outlook for deer in your area? #61523

Hi Scout,
Good to hear from you. I do think it’s working. The forest is looking healthier, the deer herd is looking better now and we’re all seeing larger bucks, to boot. Nobody is guaranteed a deer as it was several years ago. I understand the frustration of guys and girls who might have very limited time to hunt. I think it needed to be done. I wish they would have given Alt a chance. The guy had to wear a kevlar vest on speaking engagements for crying out loud. He’s probably the best scientist the game commission ever had, although I met some guys on a bear rehab release last summer and they were top notch. I’m all for it. thanks, d

[David Coulter]

in reply to: How’s the outlook for deer in your area? #61381

Several years back we were fairly overrun with whitetails. It made hunting a pretty sure thing and folks got used to it. The downside was that there were lots of road kills and lots of overgrazing in the forest. That can lead to a lot of problems,depending on who you talk to, such as diminishing wildflowers, fewer small game, and trouble for ground nesting bird. The PA Game Commission began issuing LOTS of antlerless permits and upped the point restriction on bucks from 3 inches minimum for spike to three points on one side for most of the state and four points on one side for some wildlife management units, mostly in western PA.
At the processing stations you were initially seeing deer stacked like cord wood. After a couple years for that you only heard that all the deer were shot off and there was no reason to go into the woods any more. I was a happy participant, filling the freezer with three deer a year easily. It got pretty lean for a while, and the guy who organized the culling pretty much got ran out of the state. He was the same guy that nurtured the PA bear program into a success story.
Last year I saw more deer than I had for a few years. The acorn crop was back after taking five years off. Last year I saw the largest buck I ever saw in the woods. Now, I’m no trophy hunter, so that might not be say much, but it was a big deer with a nice rack. Two weeks ago I saw one even larger and have been seeing other deer quite regularly in the woods and long the roads.
I didn’t take a deer last year, but that wasn’t the deer’s fault. Mr. Newby goes hunting. I’m really looking forward to October. Good luck to all of you and thank you for helping me along!

[David Coulter]

in reply to: Left Helical VS. Right Helical #61293

I’ll have a new calf hair rest about the time my components come in for tuning the carbons, so I’ll see how that goes. I use a tiny bit of glue stick on the threads, warmed, then screwed into the insert. This works pretty well and it’s also easy to get them off.
Thanks, d

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