Can anyone share any tips on what I can do to be more consistent at 40+ yards? I have a Mathew outback, 31" I believe. I practice much and am very accurate out to 35 yards, then start to lose a good pattern. I used to shoot a 36 or 37" HCA and I could almost shoot bow sideways and still shoot food pattern. This short bow requires absolute perfect form and I still struggle. Any pointers? I am going to discuss with archery pro in town to see what he thinks. Thanks
Long range advice
- Thread starter outdoornut
- Start date
tdcour
Veteran member
Well, first, make sure the bow is tuned correctly. This will help with arrow flight. Second, make sure your arrows are the right spine and weight. I found that heavier arrows fly better from my bow with a touch on the stiff side for a shaft. Last, stop peeking when you release and stop punching the trigger. Those last two have really tightened up my groups at 80-100 when I practice. Try to get the shot to surprise you a little and keep your eye and mind focused on your aiming point with a steady trigger release (whatever type you have).
sneakypete
Veteran member
troybackman
Active Member
I have heard the Mathews no cams are extremely forgiving;-). Just saying. What is a "bad" group? Good rule of thumb is 2" @20, 4" @40, 6" @60, 8" @80, ect.....
Finsandtines
Very Active Member
As sneakypete said, tdcour gave great advice. I might add that you should make sure you are not gripping the bow tightly. I actually started shooting longer distance last year and had same issues. Holding the bow loose in my hand and hand at an angle and focusing on squeezing trigger corrected almost immediately. Are you shooting broadheads or field points? My guess is that your brace height is shorter on the new bow giving you less forgiveness with accuracy.
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Slugz
Veteran member
Sometimes also its good to get back to the basics. I have my son video me once a year and look for bad habits that are starting to creep in. Video from the front,back and sides. If you can sync the video to play same screen same time its even better. I bet you may find something that's there all the time, just gets amplified at longer range.
As said earlier heavy isn't all that bad for arrows......IMO there has been a trend to get lighter but if you do the math its actually hurting shot performance significantly and amplified with the shorter brace heights. 1. Equipment check 2. Form check 3. Practice Those three in order have usually fixed all issues.
Not the expert here at all just works for me. All the best.
As said earlier heavy isn't all that bad for arrows......IMO there has been a trend to get lighter but if you do the math its actually hurting shot performance significantly and amplified with the shorter brace heights. 1. Equipment check 2. Form check 3. Practice Those three in order have usually fixed all issues.
Not the expert here at all just works for me. All the best.
troybackman
Active Member
Black Bear
New Member
Great tips and feedback!
I have a level on bow and should it with loose grip. I need to look into arrow weight and check tuning. I will keep you posted on what I figure out.
Thanks again, Nut
I have a level on bow and should it with loose grip. I need to look into arrow weight and check tuning. I will keep you posted on what I figure out.
Thanks again, Nut
shoot more front of center balance on your arrows , increase tip weight or try vaps with the 50 grain insert up front . You will be amazed on how your groups tighten up. also don't be afraid to add weight to your bow when practicing and balance that bow with a side kicker stabilizer.
FitToHunt
Active Member
Any advice on practicing this? Last summer I started every practice session by shooting a few arrows with my eyes closed at like 5 yards to try and avoid that trigger punch you mentioned. It seemed to help. Any other tips?
tdcour
Veteran member
I shortened up my range significantly and only shot at 10-20 yards. I shot with my eyes open, but all I concentrated on was good back tension and pulling through the shot. I didn't care so much about my accuracy. I would also only shoot one shot at a time to avoid fatigue and bad form. When fixing a habit, less arrows with good form is better than a lot of arrows where you get tired.
It's been mentioned already, but work on consistent form, correct spine stiffness (not enough flex is bad, too much is bad) and watch the pin cover up the arrow as it hits the target with your follow through. Shooting tourneys, that was always the easiest way for me to not overthink things. Also, the same concept of "aim small, miss small" that applies to rifles applies to bows. Get away from shooting 1", 2" etc dots and start shooting at nocks. I suggest shooting with buddies so you're shooting at theirs instead of your own, but not always an option and some folks may even get upset about it. 
Shooting at something that small will show you just how much area your pins are covering up.
Shooting at something that small will show you just how much area your pins are covering up.