Tuning ACE's problem

[the ratfighter]

I have been struggling to get my target setup to tune. After much juggling, I finally managed to get a good bareshaft, a good walk back and good arrow flight but I simply cannot get a consistent group at 70metres.

In a moment of frustration I got my field bow out and shot groups in the middle at 70m straight off. The field set up barely has 8% FOC, where as my target set up has a FOC of 14.5%.

Obviously I am used to my field set up but I wouldn’t have expected it to out perform a target set up at 70metres.

For the record the target set up is a Mathews LX at 57lb 28 ”. ACE 470 @ 27 3/8 ” with 100gr screw in and mini fita vanes, weighing in at 303gr complete
The field set up is a Prestige 28 ¼ ” 58lbs, CX200’s at 27 ¾ 85gn point 313 gr complete.

I have run the figures through Archers advantage and OT2 and the specs are nicely in the middle but the end result just doesn’t happen. I can’t try the ACC’s in the Prestige as the rest locates further in the riser and the arrows are too short.

[geoffretired]

You mentioned that the tuning took much juggling; does that indicate some sort of problem? Also, you say the walk back was good; what was the longest distance you shot for that?
If the ACE's won't fit the Prestige, could you try the CX200's in the Mathews, just to see how that combination performs? It might show up something that could be useful.

[King Custard]

...and you've cleaned out the ACE's inside? ( which many say can be critical) -...and nock tuned the set? ( which is definitely critical)-...checked and rechecked the fletching for spacing, offset.....used all new checked nocks?
...and that youre not peeping to see what they're doing as they are new arrows?
Do you have the option of making these ACE's the same total weight as your other arrows?

[King Custard]

are you shooting both off of the same release aid?

[Jerry Tee]

At just over 5 grains per pound I think you are right on the edge of the envelope.

[the ratfighter]

Thanks for the replies

The CX's go fine out of both bows but they have been nock tuned on my spine tester but the LX won't reach 70m with them. I was told that nock tuning was un necessary on ACE's but as I have my own tester, it isn't an issue doing them.
The fletchings are fine and done sober, I was happy with them, the nocks appear in good fettle but can and will be swapped for new ones.
All the arrows were matched to < 1.5gn, and again I hadn't heard of the need to clean them internally, which I will also try.

I normally French tune but had to do a walk back to just over 30 yds as there wasn't room to do more yesterday. As far as the juggling I was getting a really bad tear (against an instant bullet from the CX's), so was removing material from the shaft a bit at a time until the bullet came. Maybe the wrong approach but seemed like a good idea at the time.

So it looks like I have quite a bit more work to do yet.
Thanks for the help

[geoffretired]

As far as the juggling I was getting a really bad tear (against an instant bullet from the CX's), so was removing material from the shaft a bit at a time until the bullet came. Maybe the wrong approach but seemed like a good idea at the time.

When you had bad tears, did you try different distances for the paper tests?
I'm just thinking aloud here, but imagine an arrow with a vertical wobble. At one distance it will appear as a tail high tear; at another it will be tail low. There is probably one distance where it appears perfect, even though the other distances show that it isn't.Perhaps the CX's would show similar tears at other distances too.
I'm assuming that removing material means shortening and guess you did that thinking the arrows were too soft. Perhaps the resultant bullet hole was down to the fact that at one length the "wobble" gave good holes at the distance you used.Change the frequency of the wobble and you will change the distance at which the arrow is in its horizontal attitude.
Sometimes, when tuning has been a bit tricky, I have a tendency to "see how they fly" when I should look at the gold and let them show what they can do in the target.