Thread: Cam Timing

Hi there MarkN,

Good to see a thread like this, but a word of advice, get some help before messing with cams too much. A good draw board is your most powerful tuning tool so good that you already have one.

My experience comes from target shooting, not hunting, but the same principles apply.

NZ has/had a couple of really good compound archers (Shaun Teasdale, Steve Clifton, Linda Lainchbury etc.) so you should have a couple of clubs that have knowledgeable people, worth joining.

Important to know what type of cam system you have, Single cam (old Matthews) Cam+ 1/2 (older Hoyt), Hybrid (older PSE) or Binary (most modern hunting bows).

Judging by the pictures it looks like a Binary cam bow, where both cams are slaved together and draw length is adjusted by moving the modules/stops on the cam.

Unlike the older cam types which offered great adjustable feel through timing but ultimately slower speeds, the binary cams are most efficient when timed according to manufacturer's recommendations.

Check online for a user manual and look up cam timing and tune charts. These are crucial as they have the bow specs as they left the factory (or should have). Taking the bow far out of spec usually ruins performance.

Be very careful with adjusting cam lean. Some systems are 'adjustable' but this also means you can inadvertently take them past the limit. Look up 'compound bow derail' if you have not already.

Nock travel is an often debated subject which is worth discussing but not worth trying to adjust, at least not now.

I would not worry too much about the equipment for now. Get it 'shootable' then work on your technique. As that improves then you can adjust the equipment to suit.

Archery is about consistency, and keeping your form/technique and equipment consistent with each other is part of the puzzle.

Best of luck.

Originally Posted by caberslash

Hi there MarkN,

Good to see a thread like this, but a word of advice, get some help before messing with cams too much. A good draw board is your most powerful tuning tool so good that you already have one.

My experience comes from target shooting, not hunting, but the same principles apply.

NZ has/had a couple of really good compound archers (Shaun Teasdale, Steve Clifton, Linda Lainchbury etc.) so you should have a couple of clubs that have knowledgeable people, worth joining.

Important to know what type of cam system you have, Single cam (old Matthews) Cam+ 1/2 (older Hoyt), Hybrid (older PSE) or Binary (most modern hunting bows).

Judging by the pictures it looks like a Binary cam bow, where both cams are slaved together and draw length is adjusted by moving the modules/stops on the cam.

Thanks for your comments, invaluable to a newbie like me.

The photos in this thread are not my bow, but sourced from the web for illustration. But my bow does have the 'both cams are slaved together and draw length is adjusted by moving the modules/stops on the cam'

Unlike the older cam types which offered great adjustable feel through timing but ultimately slower speeds, the binary cams are most efficient when timed according to manufacturer's recommendations.

And this is my (sad) problem, the bow I ordered and the bow I got, are slightly different and the only specs I could find, are on the listing on eBay from the Chinese Seller. So I don't know what the manufacturer's specs are supposed to be.

I am happy to progress with this bow, I am embarking down the path of understanding every little thing, about this bow to get it tuned to it's best configuration, and that will only accomplished by hours of time and trial.

Well I wanted another hobby

Check online for a user manual and look up cam timing and tune charts. These are crucial as they have the bow specs as they left the factory (or should have). Taking the bow far out of spec usually ruins performance.

Be very careful with adjusting cam lean. Some systems are 'adjustable' but this also means you can inadvertently take them past the limit. Look up 'compound bow derail' if you have not already.

As I noted, no manual to be found, but no worries, I've worked out how to do the measurements and I can see when the control cables are lined up or not lined up so I can avoid derail.

Nock travel is an often debated subject which is worth discussing but not worth trying to adjust, at least not now.

I would not worry too much about the equipment for now. Get it 'shootable' then work on your technique. As that improves then you can adjust the equipment to suit.

Archery is about consistency, and keeping your form/technique and equipment consistent with each other is part of the puzzle.

Best of luck.

Thanks again for your comments, I'm nearly at a stage where I can work on sighting in properly.

Only a basic sighting in of the top pin done at the moment, I want to get the cams timed as well as I'm able to, before I move on, once the cams are timed to my liking, the sighting and grouping are next.

Cheers

My Bow

note: despite the angle of the photo, the top and bottom cams and modules are identical in size and design

Originally Posted by caberslash

Hi there MarkN,

I would not worry too much about the equipment for now. Get it 'shootable' then work on your technique. As that improves then you can adjust the equipment to suit.

Archery is about consistency, and keeping your form/technique and equipment consistent with each other is part of the puzzle.

Best of luck.

I personally think that those couple of paragraphs are the most important and critical aspects of this thread.
As long as your Bow / Arrow combination is within cooee of a tune, you the shooter are the biggest handicap.
After a few months and many arrows you will know if you have reached the accuracy limit of your current setup .
I don’t believe I’ve maxed out my Bows capabilities yet and it’s not perfectly tuned .
That being said I think Cam timing is an important aspect of getting within the “cooee “ of a tune .
I’m interested to see what you come up with .