String Change

Hi all!

I’ve had my Insanity CPXL for almost a year now, and have really put it through its paces. As a rough estimate, I would say the factory Octane strings it came with have had about 10-12000 shots through them and they are getting a bit shot out and fuzzy. The time has come for a new set of strings!

I bought a bow-press recently so that I can work on my own equipment and change strings/fine tune so I got in touch with Kevin Weller at Wales Archery Specialists who sorted me out with a set of custom strings for my CPXL in hot pink and black that I could fit and set up myself.

They are superb quality, with tight serving and smooth even tension throughout. The clear-served sections for the roller guard looks perfect with the stripes visible through it and the end loops are small and tight. One of the bottom speed nocks has ‘WELLER STRINGS & CABLES’ on it, a really nice personal touch.

I was a little bit nervous as this was my first full harness change on a compound, so I took measurements of everything before making any changes. I have always known that my CPXL is slightly too long ATA (just shy of 1/8”) but everything on it was in time and it shoots very well so I lived with it. Upon taking it down I measured the strings on it and found that they are ever so slightly too long, which explains the ATA error.

I checked Kevin’s strings and they were spot on the factory spec, so I went to work setting them up. It was easy enough to install them and then it is a matter of adjusting the cables by twisting to get the timing marks lined up, and then adjusting the yoke legs to get the cam lean back to how it is supposed to be. Once this was all done, I installed the peep sight and checked the ATA – bang on!

I fitted a rough D loop and shot a few dozen arrows through it to settle everything in, made sure everything was in the right place and fitted a permanent nock point/loop. I checked the draw weight was still correct and shot a dozen arrows through the chrono which is showing 285 fps, about 10fps faster than before – result!

I printed off sight marks to match the new speed and fitted them, and did some tuning at the club to get things lined up. Here is the results of paper tuning once i’d adjusted the cam lean with the new strings, and a group shot at 35 yards..



Paper tear at 5 yards - perfect bullethole!




35 yard group - not bad!



Not bad! I’ve only been able to check my marks back to 35 yards but everything seems to be ok. There is a classification round at Fonmon shortly which will be a nice road test of the new config, no awards or pressure just shooting for a score and to see how the bow performs. It’s also 2 weeks before the Welsh Champs so time for final tweaks before the big one!

The FITA All British Championships

Hi everybody!

This weekend was the FITA All British & Open Championships at Pentref Bowmen. This was a 2 day tournament, shooting a FITA 24 Unmarked round on Saturday, and a Marked round on Sunday.

The weather for this shoot was absolutely stunning! We had sun all day with only minor cloud cover on Saturday, and on Sunday we had glorious sunshine all day – and not a breath of wind all weekend! Definitely the best shooting conditions that we have had all season.

On Saturday I arrived nice and early and got everything set up, had a good breakfast and shot 2 dozen or so arrows on the practice targets to get warmed up. We got into our groups and were led out onto the unmarked course.

On the unmarked round, you shoot 24 targets at various distances but none of the distances are given – you need to estimate and work out the distances which can make many of the shots quite tricky.  I have a system whereby I can estimate the distance depending on how much of the target I can see through my scope. This worked well for most of the targets, with only 2 targets catching me out when I shot high 3’s. As I had misjudged the distance, I didn’t know how much to adjust the sight to bring them in so I just aimed off the same amount and put the remaining arrows in the gold.

I had a great day with some strong shooting, and finished on a new personal best for the Unmarked round of 385 – up 24 points from my previous best of 361! I haven’t shot the Unmarked round for about 6 months which explains the big jump, but this was a great result – it was my first Master Bowman level score (377+) and was over the threshold to get my next Arrowhead badge so I put in the claim form.

Day 2 was the  Marked round, shot on a different course of 24 targets again but this time the distances are given. Contrary to what you may think, the marked round is usually harder as even though you are told the range, the targets are further away. I had a fairly good first half, and a new personal best for a half in the afternoon with 197 finishing on a total of 381 for the marked round - another MB score!

The results were announced once the courses had been cleared and all scores submitted, and I ranked in 4th place at the British Field Archery Championships, only 6 points short of making the podium. I was absolutely thrilled with this result! So in summary I shot my first 2 MB level scores, won my next Arrowhead award and finished in 4th place - not a bad result for a weekend of shooting in the sun!

The Welsh Field Masters Tour - Round 2!

Hi everyone!

Sunday the 19th of May was round 2 of the Welsh Field Masters Tour, a Hunter round at Red Kite Field Archers course in Broad Oaks, Carmarthenshire.

I drove down to this one with Chris and it was a superb morning, the weather held out for us all day which was a welcome change! It was sunny and bright, quite warm with only a mild breeze in the afternoon– it was the best conditions we have had so far this season and the first shoot where you could get away with a T shirt!

Beautiful woodland at Red Kite Field Archers'course.

Even though the weather was on our side, it was still a bit tricky as the course there is quite challenging. The long shots are exposed and prone to wind because of the landscape there, and there are a few sharp downhill shots on slopes that can catch you out.

I had a bit of a shaky start, dropping 12 points on my first 6 targets but I soon figured out what was wrong. My 2nd axis must have taken a knock at some point and it had dropped slightly so my bubble wasn’t true on the slopes, and I was trying a slightly different bow hand position out but it wasn’t comfortable and felt forced, so I went back to my normal grip and things improved from there on in.

A little bit low, but still very pleased with this group on the 70 yard walkup!

I pulled it back with some good targets, including 20’s on the longest distance walk-ups and then shot a strong second half but I had dropped too many early on. I finished on 524 which is around my average – I’m usually in the mid 520’s and I was happy with my shooting once I got it into gear! If I had put in the same performance at an easier course I think I may have been able to get closer to my goal of 530, it will come eventually!

So – my analysis of the day’s shooting.  Firstly the grip – I grip a bow deeper into my hand than most, if I try to get it on the pad of my thumb it feels forced so I was trying to get used to it. It feels alien and inconsistent, so I have decided why fight it? The bow is comfortable in a deeper grip, it is more relaxed and consistent so I will shoot it how it feels right. Another thing that came up is my sight marks may be slightly out, I think they are about a yard short so I need to verify them against a physical measuring tape and also calibrate my rangefinder against it.  

Lastly, I need to do some fine tuning to make the bow more forgiving, but it is not worth doing now as I will be putting new strings on it within the next few weeks. I am having a custom hot pink/black string set made for my CPXL and will be able to set it up and tune it from scratch. I invested in a bow-press so that I will be able to work on and tune my own bows (expensive at £350 but worth it in the long run!) and I need to build a draw board to sort out cam timing. Once this is sorted I will be doing the ‘kitchen sink’ method of tuning to ensure everything on the bow is squared away and shooting as well as it can be.

The All British Championships is coming up, a 2 day FITA unmarked/marked tournament and I have a few weeks gap after that, so I will be get the tuning done during this break to make sure everything is ready for the rest of the masters tour.

The Welsh Field Masters Tour 2013

 

Hi everybody!

The Welsh Masters Tour 2013 kicked off on Sunday 21^st April, with a Marked Animal round at Llantwit Major Archers course at Fonmon Castle. Everything is set up properly and it was a chance to debut a change in fletching.

I’ve ditched my usual config of white wraps and blue fletches, they keep getting scagged/shot up by close groups and start looking grubby very quickly. Also the wrap is a weak point as if the fletches get hit in the target, they rip the wrap off. I have gone for smaller, tougher fletches glued straight to the shaft and went with Bohning X-Vanes in hot pink to make them really stand out on the target!

I picked Chris up in the morning and we headed down there nice and early for a bit of practice and to confirm our marks.  To everyone’s surprise, it looked like it was going to be quite a decent day for weather. It was a little chilly, but crucially the wind held off and while it did rain slightly it was fairly light and only at the end of the second half.

In the Marked Animal round, the targets are pictures of animals with a ‘wound’ area, and a ‘kill’ area that is worth more points. If you miss with your first arrow, you are allowed a 2^nd and 3^rd attempt but the first arrow that scores a hit is the one that counts. The kill area is usually quite large so it is usually a high scoring round.

Got him, right in the pro-kill ring!

I went round with a few other compound archers who kept the pressure on all day, and on the last target of the first half I had an arrow that was cutting into the ‘kill’ line, but not through it as you have to in IFAA so it was only a wound and I dropped 2 points. (20 kill 18 wound with the first arrow). That was on Target 1, a 55 yard 30 degree downhill shot that I didn’t take enough of a cut off for the angle so the arrow went in high – I made sure I wouldn’t make the same mistake the next time around!

We broke for dinner, and then went back out on the course and I shot a clean second half – finishing the shoot on 27 kills 1 wound, 558 out of a possible 560! This was a new personal best by 10 points and only 1 line cutter away from equalling the Welsh record! This was only good enough for 2^nd place however, as Dave Home was on perfect form and shot a clean 560 – taking the gold medal and the LM Archers 560 Trophy. 

I had a really good day and was thrilled with the result, just one arrow a few mm off a perfect round. The bow is in good tune, my marks are spot on and my new Carbon One arrows are flying very well for me so I think I will be sticking with these for the foreseeable future.

The next shoot now isn’t for a few weeks time, a Hunter round at Dinefwr which combines my favourite round at one of my favourite courses, so I’m not going to put any pressure on myself by chasing a score – I’m just going to relax and enjoy the shoot for what it is, a day out in the woods shooting with good friends.

Red Kite & March Hare - good results but fed up of this weather!!

Red Kite Archers in Carmarthenshire put on a Hunter round on the 7^th April so Chris and I drove up there to give their new course a shot and test the new arrows in the field. We arrived nice and early, got set up and took to the course.

Ready to rock and roll!

It was a very cold day, but the biggest hurdle was the wind – it was awful! One half of the course was down in a valley and fairly sheltered, with some high scoring targets but the other half with the longest distances was along a hillside with open fields on either side, with a fierce wind blowing across every target that didn’t let up at all. On many targets it was impossible to keep your peep and scope lined up, never mind keeping the sight on the target! 

I don't think he's going to make it!

A couple of low scoring targets because of the high wind dashed any hopes of a high score, and I finished in 3^rd place with 513.  This is still a good A class score so I was happy with the result, you can’t control the weather and everyone’s scores were lower because of the conditions.

On a good note though, the new arrows performed very well! On the targets where we were sheltered, they flew great and grouped exactly where I put them, cleaning several targets and the extra speed has reduced the amount I need to cut for angles. Worth the money!

Field round at March Hare

A week later, we went up to March Hare Archers in Throckmorton, Worcester to shoot their course. It was a classification shoot so no awards, but their course is pretty much flat so it’s usually a high scorer and worth the drive!

We got signed in, split into groups and went out onto the course, starting on target 3 close to the clubhouse. The course was easy going but again the weather interfered with shooting. It was raining on and off all day, nothing too heavy but it meant extra layers which get in the way a bit and the wind was blustery. Not as bad as Red Kite the week before but enough to make certain shots tricky.

I put in a decent performance, clearing several targets including an XX55 on the 80 yard walk-up which made my day! But in the end I finished on 525, 5 points short of that elusive 530 for the GrandBowMaster award.

I was still really pleased with the score which is only 3 points short of my personal best, shot at the same course as it happens but in glorious weather last summer at the EFAA Nationals. I’m confident that I will break 530 this season and get my GBM title, I just need a day with the weather on my side, which is hard to come by in this country!!

I’m going to give up on chasing the score for now to take the pressure off, and just shoot for fun and see what happens. On several targets I could feel myself getting nervous and tense, fighting to keep the bow steady. When I’m shooting at the club in practice there is none of this – i’m relaxed, the bow floats and the shot is smooth and on target. I need to shoot tournaments with that same mentality and just let the shot happen with confidence. Easier said than done, but I’m going to work on adopting that relaxed approach in the future and see what happens.

The next shoot is a Marked Animal round at Fonmon, stage 1 of the Welsh Field Masters Tour. There is no classification for the Animal round so i’m going to have fun with it and enjoy the day! I’m off on holiday the day after, and then there are no more rounds for a few weeks so I will use the time to relax, get some quality training done and give everything a once over to make sure it's all in perfect tune ready for the rest of the season.

 

New arrows, ready to rock and roll!

Hi everybody!

I’ve been doing some tuning lately to make sure everything on Maya is squared up and ready to go for the Field Archery season which begins in earnest this month.

Everything is going well, but I’ve been thinking that my FMJ arrows may be slowing me down – literally! While they are a fantastic arrow and I like them because they’re skinny and heavy (good in the wind for the reason), it is that weight that is causing me concern.

They come in at 420 grains which for a Target/Field arrow is very heavy. I’ve been looking at different options and see a lot about the Easton Carbon One arrow. They don’t break the bank, they’re tough and lighter due to all carbon shafts. I’ve read many reviews that rate them alongside ACE’s and other top end arrows, and after chatting with Kevin at Wales Archery I decided what the hell and picked up a dozen.

Dressed up in my usual colours!

I built the set, ending up with a final weight of 370 grains with a 0.5 grain spread across the set. That’s about the same spread as my FMJ but 50 grains lighter all-up. They were built in my usual colours and config and I put a slight offset on the fletches to give them a little bit more spin than I usually do.

I don’t have access to a Chrono to check the arrow speed at the moment, so I ran the numbers through Archers Advantage which estimated 270fps – nearly 20fps faster than my FMJ which has given much tighter sightmarks – good for unmarked rounds!

The first test of them was at 35m.I shot 6 of my FMJ to get a comparison and then send 6 C1’s downrange. You can really tell they are lighter! The bow feels more aggressive, and they shot a tighter group than my FMJ but higher up the target as expected due to the extra speed.

I printed off sightmarks and after aligning the pin I went around our mini course at the club and tested them from 15 to 70 yards and the marks are good, grouping very tight in the gold at every distance. This was shot at 50 yards...

A little high, but all in!

 

From what I have seen I am confident that they will group better in the target and hopefully scrape me those few extra points I’m looking for. There is a shoot at Red Kite tomorrow, an IFAA Hunter round on their new course so it will be a good opportunity to debut them and see what they are capable of in the field. Watch this space!

 

Pentref March Shoot & Glamorgan Championships

Hi everybody!

Last weekend was the Pentref March shoot & Glamorgan Field Championships at my home club, Pentref Bowmen. It was a 2 day shoot, shooting the FITA mixed round on both days with the course altered between the days to keep everybody on their toes!

It was freezing!! Definitely one of the coldest shoots I’ve ever been to. I had 2 thermal base layers on, a shooters shirt, and my fleece lined soft-shell coat and it was still icy! I was very glad of the thermal liner gloves that I bought a few days before the shoot. Thin enough to keep my bow hand gloved and I only needed to take the other one off to shoot and then it went straight back on!

The mixed round has 12 marked and 12 unmarked targets where the distances are not given, and unlike in IFAA you are not allowed any angle or rangefinding assistance – you have to work it all out yourself. My estimation was pretty good on the unmarked targets and the only few that I misjudged were just outside the spot so not too bad.

I shot fairly well on the Saturday, putting in 370 points which is a good Bowman score, 7 points shy of MB and a new personal best for the round so I was pleased with that but the same couldn’t be said for Sunday! I finished on 353 which is still in Bowman (above 344) but 17 points down on the previous day. It was still a fairly decent score, but I wasn’t happy with how I shot. There were a lot of flaky shots and a few collapses but I put that down to being tired from 2 days shooting/hiking and it was much colder than on Saturday.

One thing I have been noticing is that I am not entirely happy with my stabilisation. I’ve thought for a little while that it was a bit on the light side, and a bit ‘floaty’ on slopes, particularly downhill so I added a bit more weight to the ends of the rods, adding about 4.5oz to the whole rig. It has steadied things up and made movements on the aim slower (all good!) but the siderod is a bit loaded now making the bow twitchy left to right, and my V bar is fixed so I can’t change its position,

I called up Merlin Archery in the week and ordered one of the new Mybo Offside-XL adjustable offset mounts they are making so that I can change the angle and position of my siderod. What I am aiming for is to bring the siderod closer towards the riser so it is pointing more to the rear, and adjust the weights for a more neutral balance that is just slightly front heavy. This should make the bow easier to hold steady and eliminate a bit of the left/right wandering that may be costing me points. 

It has arrived and I have fitted it and roughly set it, check it out. Nicely made piece of kit, good and solid with quality machining.

 

I've only shot a few arrows off it on my home practice target but it already feels better, the balance seems nicer to hold and steadier left/right. It's a few weeks until the next serious shoot so i've got a bit of time to play with it and find the sweet spot. I need a new home practice target though! My arrows are going in up to the fletches and getting damaged, it's shot out now. I've rearranged the layers and tightened the banding but it's had it's day. It's 6.5 years old, has been out in all conditions and has been shot literally thousands of times by all my different bows so i've certainly had my money's worth!

I’m shot my Bowhunter setup this week to test-drive the new blaze orange arrows and have a bit of fun and relax after the serious shooting this weekend and all the analysis, I put up some animal targets and had some fun instead of a serious practice session! It makes a nice change and I wish there were more 3D shoots nearby. I may look into NFAS over the summer as they shoot unmarked 3D pretty much exclusively and it would be a new challenge.