How to Tune a Compound Bow (Paper, Walk-Back & Bare-Shaft)

A tuned compound bow sends the arrow out straight, with no fishtailing or porpoising, so it flies cleanly and groups tightly — especially once you add a broadhead. Tuning sounds intimidating, but it's a logical sequence.

Step 1 — Get the basics right first

Before any 'method,' confirm: cam timing/synchronisation is correct, centershot is set (arrow roughly in line with the Berger hole, about 13/16" off the riser as a starting point), the nocking point/D-loop is square, and rest height matches the manufacturer's spec. Tuning a bow with bad fundamentals just chases ghosts.

Step 2 — Paper tuning

Shoot an arrow through a sheet of paper from about 6 feet. Read the tear:

• Clean hole or slight high tear → good.
• Tail high → lower the nocking point (or raise the rest).
• Tail left/right → move the rest a hair the opposite direction of the tear (for a right-handed shooter, a left tear means move the rest right).
• Make small adjustments — 1/32" at a time — and re-shoot.

Step 3 — Walk-back (French) tuning

Aim at a single vertical line and shoot from progressively longer distances (e.g. 5, 10, 20, 30 yards) using the same sight pin. If the arrows drift left or right as distance grows, micro-adjust the rest windage until impacts stack vertically. This dials in centershot more precisely than paper alone.

Step 4 — Bare-shaft tuning

Shoot a fletched arrow and an un-fletched (bare) arrow at the same spot from ~15–20 yards. When the bare shaft groups with the fletched ones, your arrow is leaving the bow straight.

Re-check after any change to draw weight, rest or arrows. Anything requiring a bow press (cam timing, limb work) is best left to a pro shop if you're unsure.