🏹 How to Tune a Traditional Recurve or Longbow

A practical guide for traditional archers

Traditional bows don’t have the micro‑adjustments of modern compounds, but they do have a handful of critical tuning points. Mastering these gives you better arrow flight, less noise, and a bow that feels alive in your hands.

Below is a clear, step‑by‑step guide based on established tuning principles and expert recommendations.

1. Set Your Nocking Point

The nocking point determines how your arrow leaves the string. Too high or too low, and you’ll see proposing (up‑and‑down arrow wobble).

How to set it:

• Use a T‑square on your arrow shelf.
• Mark where the square intersects the string.
• Place your nocking point about 5/16 inch above that mark to the bottom of the top nockset as a starting point.
• Tie it in with serving thread or lightly crimp a brass nock.  For a string with an adjustable nockset pre-installed check out TTT Archery

What to look for:

• Arrows hitting low → raise the nocking point.
• Arrows hitting high → lower it slightly.

2. Adjust Brace Height (Fistmele)

Brace height is the distance from the deepest part of your grip to the bowstring. It affects noise, vibration, and arrow flight.

How to adjust:

• Twist the string to shorten it (increasing brace height).
• Untwist the string to lengthen it (decreasing brace height).
• Most recurves have a recommended range—start there and fine‑tune.

Signs of correct brace height:

• The bow becomes quieter.
• The bow feels smoother on release.
• Arrow flight becomes cleaner with less fishtailing.

3. Check Your Tiller (Usually Pre‑Set)

Most traditional recurves come with tiller already set by the bowyer. Typical tiller difference: ⅛” to ⅜” higher on the top limb. This compensates for the arrow sitting above center.

You generally don’t adjust tiller on a traditional recurve unless you have an ILF setup.

4. Center Your Arrows

Arrow spine matters—a lot. If your arrows are too stiff or too weak, no amount of tuning will fix flight issues.

Quick indicators:

• Weak spine → arrows hit right (for right‑handed shooters).
• Stiff spine→ arrows hit left.

Bare‑shaft testing is the best way to confirm this (see step 6).

5. Paper Tune (Optional but Helpful)

Shoot through paper at 6–8 feet.

Tear patterns:

• High tear → nocking point too low.
• Low tear → nocking point too high.
• Left/right tear→ spine mismatch or center‑shot issue.

6. Bare‑Shaft Tune

This is the gold standard for traditional tuning.

How to do it:

• Shoot fletched and bare shafts at 10–20 yards.
• Compare impact points.

Results:

• Bare shafts grouping with fletched → tuned.
• Bare shafts left/right → adjust arrow spine or brace height.
• Bare shafts high/low → adjust nocking point.

7. Final Clearance Check

Make sure your feathers aren’t hitting the riser.

Signs of poor clearance:

• Feathers look shredded.
• You hear a “slap” on release.
• Arrows fishtail inconsistently.

Small adjustments to nocking point, brace height, or arrow spine usually fix this.

🧭 Final Thoughts

Tuning a traditional recurve bow is part science, part feel. Every bow has its own personality, and tuning helps you discover it. Once your nocking point, brace height, and arrow spine are dialed in, you’ll feel the bow settle into its natural rhythm—quiet, smooth, and beautifully predictable.  The key to keeping your bow tuned is to purchase consistent equipment.  The bowstring is one if the most important elements of maintaining tuned equipment.  To purchase one of the best ready to shoot strings make custom for your single string bow, check out TTT Archery