What makes a bow accurate and precise?

[KodiakArcher]

Use rifle shooting any gun laid on a bench and a machine pulling the trigger will hit the same spot everytime.. but what makes a match grade rifle you could say the same thing with bows. Tight tolerances between parts the best material you can buy. you never see light, short competion rifles so I would say the same goes for archery. I'm sure there are a 1000 guys that can shot an Answer better than I can shot a Tour.. but would they beat theirselves with a tour.

The most precise rifle I've ever come across in 15 years of gunsmithing will consistently hold 1/3 MOA 3 shot groups at 500 yards. It's an old, lightweight, customized Browning A-Bolt Stainless Stalker in 30-06 in a McMillan stock. I've built full custom bench rifles that won't do that on a good day. There are other variables involved when talking rifles vs. bows.

The good shooter should shoot the Tour better but it's not because the Tour is more precise, it's because the Tour is more forgiving.

[superdiablo]

I agree with the Hooter Shooter explanation ability to put arrows in the same hole even if the bow is out of tune; I still believe that this is true only indoors or at least in zero/constant wind conditions. The properly tuned bow will achieve better groups even from a shooting machine if the weather conditions are changing and put into the equation IMO ... What do you think?

[KodiakArcher]

I agree with the Hooter Shooter explanation ability to put arrows in the same hole even if the bow is out of tune; I still believe that this is true only indoors or at least in zero/constant wind conditions. The properly tuned bow will achieve better groups even from a shooting machine if the weather conditions are changing and put into the equation IMO ... What do you think?

Don't agree. All the arrows are being shot exactly the same in relation to their environment so they will all impact exactly in the same in relation to one another (precision is not effected). If the arrows do not impact the same as within a static environment then it is because of the environment itself and is not an inherent problem with the precision of the system. The precision hasn't changed, the environment has.

What may suffer is accuracy but accuracy in itself is not dependent upon the precision of the instrument. A bow can shoot 3' groups and still, by the technical definition, be accurate as long as the target is located in the center of that 3' group. But nobody would call a 3' group precise... unless it was from a mile away.

I see the terms "accuracy" and "precision" continually misused in the shooting world.

[Maybee-R]

Arrows are where accuracy come from. the bow is a tool to launch the arrow.
If its repeatable it stands a chance to be accurate.
Reason why cam lean isnt as huge as some make it out to be. Its repeatable and as long as your set up is correct to launch the arrow straight or the same every time it will be accurate.
Brace and ATA is forgiving. same as cams that lean its up to the shooter on what works best. a hooter shooter doest need forgiving to be accurate. it doesnt have form flaws.
Like shooting 100 yards any little thing effecting your launch shows up larger that far away.
Weather is another problem all together. but I would say a perfect tuned bow makes it more forgiving in weather changes. JMO!

[QuickRick]

So in theory bow design doesn't matter for precision through a hooter shooter in a controlled environment, so then the bow being tuned shouldn't matter either. The same exact spot will be hit every time.

Then what are the most forgiving characteristics a bow can have? Long ATA and brace, long ATA and short brace?
Is there anything to the shoot through riser designs?

[bfoot]

If a shooter has absolutely perfect, textbook, flawless form, then what properties should the bow have inorder to be the most accurate and precise as possible? Let's assume the bow is perfectly tuned, arrows are perfect in every way, and the shooter is of average size and shoots with a release. So what would make one bow perform better than another?

That is an easy one, the guy or gal shooting it.

[Maybee-R]

I think he is looking for Geometry of the riser design. Use one the limb pockets are even or behind the grip and you get the most forgiving design for spot like shooting. Reason the Tour is easier to shoot then say a Pure for most of us is because of less Torque.

[QuickRick]

I think he is looking for Geometry of the riser design. Use one the limb pockets are even or behind the grip and you get the most forgiving design for spot like shooting. Reason the Tour is easier to shoot then say a Pure for most of us is because of less Torque.

When you say behind the gripare you talking about towards the arrow point or towards the arrow fletchings? (back of the bow...)

[superdiablo]

Arrows are where accuracy come from. the bow is a tool to launch the arrow.
If its repeatable it stands a chance to be accurate.
Reason why cam lean isnt as huge as some make it out to be. Its repeatable and as long as your set up is correct to launch the arrow straight or the same every time it will be accurate.
Brace and ATA is forgiving. same as cams that lean its up to the shooter on what works best. a hooter shooter doest need forgiving to be accurate. it doesnt have form flaws.
Like shooting 100 yards any little thing effecting your launch shows up larger that far away.
Weather is another problem all together. but I would say a perfect tuned bow makes it more forgiving in weather changes. JMO!

That was my point to some extent. If the weather is changing and the bow is not well tuned, I think that, over a long range shot, the groups will be a tad wider in comparison to those out of a tuned bow from the same shooting machine. Arrows from the tuned bow stay slightly less time in flight, thus being less affected by weather conditions, hence my point ... I might be splitting hairs though.

[superdiablo]

Don't agree. All the arrows are being shot exactly the same in relation to their environment so they will all impact exactly in the same in relation to one another (precision is not effected). If the arrows do not impact the same as within a static environment then it is because of the environment itself and is not an inherent problem with the precision of the system. The precision hasn't changed, the environment has.

What may suffer is accuracy but accuracy in itself is not dependent upon the precision of the instrument. A bow can shoot 3' groups and still, by the technical definition, be accurate as long as the target is located in the center of that 3' group. But nobody would call a 3' group precise... unless it was from a mile away.

I see the terms "accuracy" and "precision" continually misused in the shooting world.

O.K., I think I get your point.
I still believe that a well tuned bow will stay longer this way (less wear at friction points for example), should we take the time and effort to collect data from the experiment. So, from this point of view, am I correct if saying that the precision of the instrument will make it more or less accurate throughout usage even being shot from a machine?