I've got an old Bear Halloween bow that pulls 42 lbs at my draw. Love the bow, but for the life of me I can't get an arrow to tune when I shoot it left handed. I've tried wood, aluminum, and carbon. Different lengths and weight up front. I'm having a harder time in tree stands these days and have to stay seated. The benefit to be able to shoot on either side of my stand without standing up would be beneficial. The last couple years 90 percent of my shooting has been left handed, and feel my form is better left handed than right. Any suggestions on arrows or maybe bowyers that make dual bows would be greatly appreciated.
I have several dual shelf bows, I see no difference going from side to side with the same arrows. Make sure your grip and release are as close to the same as possible. Do you practice both sides equally?
Hi Chris. I've made a few dual shelves. Try shooting cock feather in when you shoot left handed. Chad
Well, Ron, I've been patiently waiting for you to part with one of your several bows......So instead, I'll have to sell a couple more articles and bows, and maybe I'll just have to have Chad make me one of my own.
I believe besides shoulder discomfort, that I had developed target panic on my right side (not to mention left eye dominant). So the release is much faster with a much shallower hook, but the bow hits where I aim. Left-handed I shoot a deeper hook with a solid anchor. Other lefty bows I shoot tune fine, but I just can't figure this one out. I've tried the cock feather in, I've stuck on a Bear rest, different spined arrows for one side to the other. Just not sure. Do you guys have a picture of one of Chad's dual shelf bows?
PM me your e-mail and I can send you photos of 3 dual shelves from Chad, 2 River Runners and an Osprey, all have a different grip. I also have a McBroom and a Hill dual shelf.
You might want to look at the Asiatic recurves. They're meant to be shot off the hand. Many of the Turkish/Ottoman or Korean designs are 50" or less in length so that might be helpful as well. I haven't pulled the trigger on one yet. Still kicking it around.
For my board bows that I make (NOT the finest craftsmanship by any stretch), I've found that they aren't just sensitive to spine but sensitive to draw length, too. One impacts the other -- the more you draw, the weaker the spine. So if you're drawing a bit differently right vs left, it might show up downrange.
When you change sides, does your grip, draw length, and release remain the same? If not you may need totally different spec shafts. Does that sound reasonable?
My go to bows are dual shooters. I use video to make sure that my form is the same. I can and do change hands frequently to suit the situation. My arrows fly equal either hand and there is no change in tuning. We often forget, the first thing that needs tuning is us. My go to bows are a a JD Berry and a Sunset Hill. The hardest part for me to learn was to walk left handed when shooting left handed. I should point out that I am very fussy with wood arrows. The old rule is that any flare is on top and points away, Most of my wood arrows have a minimum of flared grain, those that do are marked which way is up and I reduce the index on those nocks. While find that shooting with the feather in makes very little difference, four fletch works better for flipping arrows to left or right.
I'm pretty sure that my draw length is different, but my goal right now is just to get any arrow to come out half way straight. The arrow hits left almost a foot.
Many dual shooter bows are not as center shot, I find that using more cant reduces that effect. I aim with the arrow, to a degree, I judge my arrow flight by how quick they recover and if they fly online with with the original line up to the planned flight.
Does anyone have a pic of a dual shelf bow that has both shelfs on the same side and you rotate the bow to change shells?
I had some of a Whisper but photo bucket has them locked up. Steve at Northern Mist made it for me and it's a nice shooter. It is neat just to flip it over......
I have that same bow in 47# @ 28". It is a Bear Alaskan with black glass on the back and orange glass on the belly. Hard maple riser and leather grip. Riser is the 50's style grip. I shot my first deer with it using 2016 easton aluminum XX75's cut 30" with 145gr Bear Razorheads. Today I shoot 29" 1918 Easton Legacy aluminums with 145gr up front. I have better luck with a thin leather arrow plate and a velcro or "Bear hair" rug rest.
I've shot it with a full length 1916 bare shaft, and still stiff. I think you're right about center shot, maybe just finding the arrow that recovers the best is what I have to focus on. It's exactly the same bow and weight as Duncan's bow. I think there's something to the canting thing. If I really cant and look down the shaft it will hit where I want. Wondering how the St. Charles bows shoot?
Sent you a pm NIGELO1....... :wavey:
John Krause,I have a Bear fiberglass bow that is like that. You turn it upside down to change from left to right hand. It looks like new but I have never seen another one. I am not even sure which way to string it. I can email pic. but not able to post them here. >>>----> Ken
Ken,
I sent you a private message. Thanks
(https://scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/25498170_806108632895026_5394414085768886892_n.jpg?oh=f82a358409a56eb77ae8edf2d6c8b163&oe=5AC5FB4C)
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Here's one I completed last week. Fun to shoot both ways.
(https://scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/25550060_806108706228352_8198471125382637048_n.jpg?oh=1928de30d23f7fb39cc2ce42f003cf94&oe=5AB3DBD0)
(https://scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/25498318_806108406228382_3751858955620440080_n.jpg?oh=63e8e2b2f10f46802fd46a15dc7c9707&oe=5AB6715D)
(https://scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/25659365_806108399561716_6952986903587998893_n.jpg?oh=5b94786de8ad6f5c8c24fade80b1a6ca&oe=5AC97985)
(https://scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/25550463_806108466228376_4140915725986700702_n.jpg?oh=d262b8508885f96831daf7a6b45f4dbe&oe=5AC958DA)
A few more looks at it.
As for the original question, you may want to consider that the arrow shelves may not have been cut and finished at equal distance from the centerline of the bow. That would make an arrow work harder getting around the riser on one side versus the other. One side may also be higher than the other. You would notice it visually if it was significant, but from my experience in building, cutting a shelf in an extra 1/16" more can make a huge difference in arrow flight. If one strike plate is 1/4" from center and the other is 5/16" from center you might get some funny flight on one side.
That's a sweet looking bow Mcbroom!!
Jay St. Charles makes a sweet dual shelf bow as well made after the original Thunderbird Glenn St. Charles made. It's a smooth draw with a great grip!
Mcbroom is correct, everything has to work perfect to get both sides the same, string down the center, grip the same and you have to grip it the same, plus shoot it the same. all in all a challenging thing to pull off, but over time it all comes together. I found that hard aiming point on was key to addressing left and right hand form variances. I have two, I was told that one slightly favors one side. I cannot see it, but neither can I tell with my arrows, they fly the same and aim the same. It concerned me a bit at first, so I went out and did some long target shooting with new aluminum arrows to see what would show up at hard aiming at point on. Nothing was different, my point on was the same on both sides, neither left nor right issues, 54 yards with those particular arrows. Perhaps 56 with three fletch cedars and 52 yards with 5" four fletch Surewoods, still no left or right issues. The Surewoods and the aluminum arrows were the same weight, just the fatter shaft and one extra feather. I do not know how common it is but my wood arrows come out with extreme consistency with weight. I sanded about five grains off of only three of the two dozen to get them within a couple grains of the others.
Try squinting or closing your right eye; ie., shooting ("aiming") left-eye dominant when shooting left handed.
Easier way, get a pair of cheep bubble lens dark sunglasses and pop the left lens out.