Tuning issue ?

[fishboy1]

Need a little advice.
Back in the same boat as last year. Matthews FX single cam.

Maxed out the bow shoots great and tunes easily(72#) Dialed down to 68# the bow is hard to tune. Shoots consistent groups at a given yardage but the FP and BH are about 6" different.

FP hit low and left of BH's. IT was a bugger to get my bow tuned in at less than full poundage. Paper tuned, then walk back tuned etc... finally adjusted cam lean and got the groups to tighten up and the BH & FP hitting close but not together.

Having elbow problems and need to dial the poundage down more. I'm thinking of backing the limb bolts out another half turn or so to try and get down to 65#.

Would you...
1. Dial it down and start from scratch trying to get the bow back in tune. (huge PITA without a real bow press)
2. Sell the bow and buy a replacement that has lower poundage limbs?
3. Leave it in the case and get a crossbow for this season to let the tendons in my elbow heal. Then revisit the bow next season?
4. Look into lower poundage replacement limbs?

Im working too much and wont have a ton of practice time this year.

Thanks for helping me think this through.

 

[TNDeerGuy]

I think you have answered the question already in the back of your mind. Let it go and get your elbow healed�trying to tough it out can cause nothing but problems and more pain down the road. I wouldn't sell it....just set your poundage and tune it to whatever you set it at�if it is already tuned, moving it down shouldn't affect the tune that much. It can be a pain, if not darn near impossible, without a press so I get your frustration. But with a press and it being a solocam....it is one of the easier ones to tune.

 

[ImThere]

String strech? Kinda sounds like you need a new string the bow is "tuned" at 70# then let off a little and it goes to heck. Im thinking you are border line at #70 then you back off and the string does not have the tension it needs? Just a shot in the dark

 

[fishboy1]

String is 2 seasons old and showing no wear. I suspect that the bow is still not set up correctly but without a press, its hard to check all the details and make adjustments.

Its a good bow. Relatively light and short. Shoots about 268 or 286 (can't remember) so its plenty fast and flat for hunting out to 30 yds.

Sigh.... guess age and wear n tear win this one. Wanted to put off making any changes a while longer but I'm not getting any younger. One long hard day at work and my elbows flare up again so getting an X-bow probably is the smart thing to do. :-(

Thanks for the advice, even if its not what I wanted to hear.

 

[REN]

get a new bow that was made in this century

if you get the bow to me i can take it over to Andy to check it out and what not he is a mathews guy.

 

[Hoss]

Take it to a shop. If it will tune at 72# then it should tune at 68# unless you are shooting a too stiff arrow (not usually a problem). It is more likely that you are not shooting the lighter poundage as well and the problem is in your shot execution. The best resolution for that is get used to the lighter poundage. I shoot heavy poundage on my bow because I do not shoot lighter poundage as well as the heavy poundage. I could retrain myself to shoot lighter (and I will on my next bow), but I shoot my bow best at higher poundage.

Buying a crossbow is an expensive solution to a problem that can be corrected with a little patience. Get the bow to someone else to have them check it out. Even if you know what you are doing and are a good bow mechanic sometimes it helps to have someone else look at it to see if you are missing something. Then try to shoot some every day (but only a little)to get used to the lighter poundage. But if you are having elbow pain (that is not related to an injury) then you are likely suffering from some tendonitis. Look up some info on the internet on treating tendonitis or talk to your doctor. But you will need to rest the muscles to let the tendonitis resolve itself.

So take the time that your bow is being checked out to get yourself checked out and you will see a difference.

 

[fishboy1]

get a new bow that was made in this century

if you get the bow to me i can take it over to Andy to check it out and what not he is a mathews guy.

HA! ya got me.
I can always pull a REN and sell the bow 2 weeks before season, not have a bow for a week, and get a new one 5 days before opener.

Only problem with this idea is that I'm not as good a shot as you.

Want to come out next week to shoot/see the farm ?

 

[fishboy1]

Hoss,

Taking it to a shop is what got me in this mess in the first place!

Dude replaced the string & cables said "you are all set" and sent the bow home. Peep was off, knock point was off 3/4" Cam lean was off, ATA was off.... He DID put the correct string on at least.

As for the elbow its tendonitis. Gets better for a while then comes back after a rough day/week of working. Can't practice shooting too much or it gets mad. Work too much and it gets mad.
The X-bow is as much for insurance that I don't have to sit out all bow season as it is frustration with my current bow.

If the elbow is flared up, I can still shoot an xbow accurately. Im too wobbly with the compound when my elbow is burning to take an ethical shot at anything.

 

[Hoss]

fishboy try another shop. That is the great thing about the free market. If one business disappoints you try another.

You really need to see a doctor about the elbow before it becomes a serious issue.

The bow can be fixed. You just need to get into the right hands. The lighter poundage should not be a problem. Hang with it. Be patient and you will get the resolution you are looking for. But the answer may require more than one thing to acquire resolution.