The modern compound bow is a balanced hi-tech shooting machine used for launching arrows at their target. Unlike the Recurve bow or longbow, the compound has many parts. All of these parts must work together to achieve an acceptable and accurate end result. Setting up a compound bow is not all that hard but requires good attention to detail and being a little ‘fussy’ about how adjustments are made.

Taking all the time needed to get things correct the first time will, in the long run, make your tuning and shooting experience much easier and more fun.

A very important point to remember at this time is that it is impossible to learn to shoot accurately with an untuned bow, one that is set up incorrectly or one that doesn't fit your required draw length. If the bow will not shoot consistently and accurately, you will never learn the proper techniques required to be a good archer. Consistency in good shooting form is paramount for consistent accuracy.

The tools required are minimal and most are very inexpensive to purchase. These are basic tools that every archer should own.

Tools you should have to set up a compound bow are as follows.

Bow Square

The bow square should be of the type that attaches to the string below the arrow knocking point. One of metal construction is best with permanent measurement markings engraved in the surface of the square. The bow square should be indexed to at least 12 inches.

The center shot gauge is used for measuring the offset distance from the bowstring to the center of the arrow. The center shot gauge should be the type that takes its readings off a fixed point on the bow's riser. The laser type center shot gauge bolts to the riser using the sight mounting bolts. The type that attach to the limb bolts does not give true readings for the line of the bowstring on some bows. This is because of the offset for the string in each wheel or cam of the bow. The line of the string may not fall directly in the center of the limbs.

The nock set pliers should be of a sturdy construction with little or no play in the hinge area. These pliers are available in different sizes for hunting and target size nock sets. Some have multiple clamping positions and some have only one. Get the correct size for the nock sets you use. Normal pliers should not be used as they are inclined to flatten the knock set as well as pinch the bowstring. This could lead to the bowstring breaking and causing damage to the bow and injury to the archer.

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Allen-key Wrenches:

You will need a good set of allen-key wrenches. A good set to carry while shooting are the ones that have a complete set and are attached to your quiver-belt. You should also have a good set of loose allen wrenches. At times the fold up type will give you problems reaching small space areas. At times the ends of any wrenches become rounded off you must either grind them down or discard them. These rounded wrenches will destroy screws and sometimes make removal very difficult if not a major task. American and European Bows are UNF or UNC (Unified National Fine / Course), where Japanese bows are usually Metric. Check the manufacture details for your type of bow,

A handy little device to separate the string strands for installing Peep sights and inserting the start end of serving threads. At all costs avoid separating the bowstring with sharp objects, this includes arrows and fingernails. The reason for this is that while the bowstring fiber is extremely strong longitudinally it is also very delicate. the damage to individual fibers is easy to do.

At all costs AVOID SHARP and ROUGH OBJECTS.

A good purchase but not essential, although you should have reasonable access to one. Avoid homemade presses as they may not be properly designed to compress the limbs of your compound bow. They can damage or destroy a bow's limbs as well as the riser.

At all costs avoid Bow presses that compress the compound in the center of the riser or at the position of the throat or grip of your bow. These presses will in damage or even destroy your bow, ask any of the bow manufactures. If more details are needed on this subject please contact me.

Bow Scale;

Bow scale is used to check the draw weight settings on bows and to check the amount of weight after the wheel rollover (let off). There are hand held types and those requiring wall or ceiling hanging. The scale should be capable of measuring up to about 90 to 100lbs. Use a scale designed for use with bows, not fishing scales and such.

A jig to hold and feed serving thread. Serving is referred to as the wrapped material at the ends of the bow strings as well as to the wrapped material in the area of the knock point. You will need this tool, provided you plan to serve your own bow strings when they wear out or break. Not a difficult task. See Strings made easy

Arrow Shaft:

You should have at least one arrow shaft of the size you are shooting to use for set up purposes. This shaft should also have fletching and nock installed. I set an old one aside that had broken on the front inch or two and been cut down (an A/C/C). Make sure that this arrow is NOT bent.

See: Choosing Arrows, Spine and Comments

You will also require a good ruler or a Kisser / Peep gauge. This is used to measure the installation location for the kisser button or Peep sight. It also allows you to measure the settings, after you have everything shooting correctly, so you can replace any component and put it back to the exact point it should be located at.* Important when reserving or replacing a string.

How to Set Up your Compound Bow:

These are my techniques and they do work.

Draw Length

Check for preliminary correct draw length by holding the bow straight out and drawing straight back with your head erect. You can use three fingers for this set. Anchor the index finger to the corner of the mouth, do not move you head to the string, but instead be sure to draw the string to the anchor point. For a compound archer ensure that you have an arrow knocked and that you are in a safe area. This is important because you must not dry fire the bow or move your head forward or back. Adjusting the draw length may require the use of a bow press to change string mounting lug positions. Moving the string to make it shorter or wrap more around the cam or wheel, on each end, will cause the draw length to decrease. A point to remember that when you increase the draw length on a compound bow you also increase the draw weight. The opposite is the case of decreasing the draw length. The draw length can also be changed slightly by twisting or untwisting the cables on a fastflite cable system. Contrary to the string the cables will have the opposite effect as the string length changes. Lengthening the cable will cause the draw length to decrease and visa-versa. When you can draw and anchor your index finger to the corner of your mouth and still be able to draw about another 1/2 to 1 inch you have the draw close enough for now. We will fine adjust later if needed.

Check for the correct draw length that suits you. If the draw length is to long or to short, the bow will not perform for you as required. It is tantamount in running a marathon in a pair of running shoes that are either to big or to small. The correct draw length is paramount and sets the basis for good technique, shooting form and good scores. Without it you will only get frustrated and tired. Get it right now.

Check and adjust the draw weight so it is comfortable for you to hold at full draw. You should not need to strain to draw the bow back. When at full draw you may shake a little but this will lessen as your muscles get used to the bow. Remember that archery requires you to use muscles that you generally use very little and this requires time to develop these muscles. This is why you need to start at a draw weight that is comfortable for you. Having to strain will cause you to develop bad habits that are harder to break than gain. It can also cause injury. When adjusting the draw weight turn the limb bolts in or out in equal amounts to obtain the desired poundage as measured with a bow scale.

DO NOT EXCEED THE MANUFACTURES SPECIFICATIONS ON THIS. I HAVE HAD A BOW EXPLODE IN MY HANDS AS A RESULT OF UNWINDING THE LIMB BOLT TO FAR.

Check the tiller on the bow. This is the distance between the back side of each limb to the bowstring just past the limb pocket of the riser. For a modern compound these measurements should be equal. To adjust you need to loosen and/or tighten the limb bolts to achieve equal measurements

Cam Timing:

For a Dual cam bow: For this step you should have a helper that can see and judge well. There are more intricate methods but this method has proven to be accurate enough for now.

Have the helper stand to your side in line with the side of the bow. Draw and anchor the bow. Have the helper determine if both wheels or cams are rotating an equal amount using some point that is identical on each wheel or cam as a reference. If they rotate in equal amounts the timing is correct. Should one be different than the other the timing must be adjusted. To adjust the timing will require the use of a bow press unless your bow has adjustable yoke harnesses (the Y shaped cable attached the limb ends). With adjustable yokes, make small adjustments and recheck timing until the rotation is equal at full draw. With fastflite cables you need to add or remove twists to the cables to adjust timing.

Recheck Tiller and Draw Weight:

Next install the arrow rest. Make sure the arrow rest is mounted at 90 degrees to the bowstring. Use your bow square to verify. Make the attachment bolts tight and use a removable thread locker to prevent bolts from becoming loose. I use the Gold-Key Premier Arrow Rest.

Setting the Center shot:

You will need our Center shot gauge as well as our Bow-vice to do this.

You now need to adjust the centers shot of your arrow rest.

This is the horizontal position of the arrow rest. One purpose of this is to achieve a straight line for the bow's energy to transfer to the arrow upon release and keep good arrow flight. To set the centers hot, first place an arrow shaft of the size you are going to shoot on the bowstring and arrow rest. Using the centers hot gauge, locate the gauge on the side of the riser (around where the sights attach) in an area that is flat and parallel with the bow shooting string.

Position the pointer of the gauge facing the arrow nock. Adjust the length of the gauge to place the pointer directly behind the arrow nock. Now adjust the horizontal length of the pointer so the point sits exactly behind the center of the arrow nock and in line with the center of the bowstring. Lock the gauge in place and recheck adjustment. Now spin the gauge around, using the same point of location, so the pointer in facing the front of the arrow shaft. Place the pointer just above the arrow shaft. You now need to adjust the horizontal adjustment of the arrow rest so the pointer sits above the center of the arrow shaft (for mechanical release shooters). For finger shooters position the pointer right of center so it is at about the 1/4 position of the shaft. Some bows will not have enough clearance in the riser shelf to allow for true centers hot. This can be quickly checked by just looking down the knocked arrow from the rear to see if it looks like the fletching will clear the bow. If not you will need to adjust off true centers hot to the best possible positioning. Lock the arrow rest adjustment screws in place.

Install the knocking point:

Attach your bow square to the bowstring so it is positioned above the arrow rest. Slowly slide the square down until it just showing through the center of the riser. I use a sharpened 5/16 grub screw to achieve this. Now, using the graduated scale on the square, position a nock set on the bowstring 90 degrees or perpendicular to the grub screw. Use your nock set pliers and firmly secure the nock set but not too tight as to squash it. This is a good starting point for the nock position. You can place a second nock set above this one but it is best to wait until after you do the paper testing or bare shaft testing, in case you need to move the knocking point.

Install the Peep Sight (If you plan to use one): The peep sight is in essence, a rear sight. It also serves as another point to give the shooter consistent head position. The only type I use is the kind that aligns when the shooting string rotate. There are types that just insert into the string that have pieces of rubber attached to them to cause them to rotate. To install the  peep sight you need to separate the string strands into two equal groups (10 + 10 for a 20 strand string).

This is where the string separator tool comes in handy. Separate the strands above the kisser button approximately six inches. Insert the peep sight between the two groups of strands with the attachment stem facing the limbs. Note: This is a good time to mention that some archers (including myself) choose to enlarge the peep sight hole allowing more light to pass through and making seeing easier. This must be done BEFORE you insert the peep sight into the string! You can enlarge the hole using a drill and bit size that will not cut into the string grooves of the peep sight. After you have the peep inserted into the string, remove the string separator and make sure there are no string strands that have not positioned into the peep sight grooves. Now you may need some help. You will need to find the exact location required for your set up. Someone else cannot just position your peep sight without you there to get the position correct. You will need to draw the bow, with a knocked arrow (Remember Safety when you draw a knocked arrow!). Nock the arrow then raise the bow arm straight out in front of you. Close your eyes and draw and anchor. Now open you peep sight eye. If you can see directly through you peep sight and see your bow sights (or the area they will be mounted in the sight window) the peep is at the correct position. Generally this will take several attempts to get correct. A helper can speed things up by sliding the peep while you hold at full draw. Always go through the Close Eyes, Draw, Open Eye, Look before you settle on a final mounting position for the peep sight. You MUST see directly through the peep WITHOUT having to move your head at all. If you need to move your head to see through the peep your head is not positioned correctly when you draw or you are moving after the draw and changing everything you worked so far to set up.

Installing the Kisser Button: (Recommended for Recurve bows only).

The kisser button acts as a constant 3rd anchoring point so you can draw to the same vertical point for each shot. I use a large nock set. In doing so you  minimize or eliminate problems with vertical error from shot to shot. Using a rule or a Kisser/Peep gauge have a friend mark the bow string while at full draw. This places the fingers just under the chin for most shooters. If it does not in your case, move the kisser button up or down to achieve an anchor that places the release in this position, just under the chin. Use your nock set pliers and install the retaining clips over each end of the kisser button. Generally the kisser button is positioned right around the top edge of the center string serving. This serves as a quick reference to see if the kisser button has moved during shooting.

Sights and Scopes:

The sights attach to the side of the riser according to the manufacturer instructions.  I use the Sure-Loc Challenger. The important thing with installing sights is to make sure that the Sight and Scope is perpendicular to the riser as well as the bow string. It must be straight up and down or your arrows will go off to one side or the other with increasing error as the shooting distance increases. This can also be effected by not holding the bow straight, or canting the bow to one side (Keep this in mind if your groups wander with distance). Use our Bow Vice to set-up your bow vertical on two planes. This can be achieved by using a small but accurate spirit level on the shooting string.

That concludes the basic set up of your bow. To finish and get your best accuracy you should now do a bare-shaft test, a paper test as well as a walk back test with your bow and make required fine tuning adjustments.

See Bow Tuning by Steve Ellison on our downloads page. It is really good stuff.