Douglas Denton's Recurve Tuning Tips

At RamRods, we believe great shooting starts with great setup. You can have the best form in the world, but if your bow is not tuned, you are working against yourself. That is why we invited Douglas Denton, legendary bow designer and Olympic recurve competitor, to share his step-by-step process for getting a recurve perfectly dialed. Douglas has spent decades working with the best archers on the planet. His philosophy is simple: eliminate equipment variables so you can focus entirely on your shot.

Start With Alignment

Douglas begins every setup with alignment, and he does not cut corners. His go-to tools are two Beiter limb gauges and two sets of Allen wrenches. He always tunes with the bow fully assembled, stabilizers and all, because you should align your bow in the exact configuration you will shoot.

Key steps:

1. Install Beiter gauges close to the riser. This provides the most accurate read on limb and string alignment.

2. Line up top and bottom limbs so the string runs through the center of your stabilizer for Olympic recurve or the center of your riser for barebow.

3. Adjust dovetail blocks or shims to close any gaps between the string and gauge lines.

4. For barebow, use tape or a custom riser gauge to find and mark true center. Do not rely on factory hardware holes, which may not be perfectly centered.

If your adjustment is maxed out to one side, investigate further. You may be dealing with a twisted riser or out-of-spec limbs.

Limb Tip Alignment

Once the limbs are lined up, Douglas checks the limb tips. Crooked tips can reduce efficiency, especially under pressure. Hoyt and some MK models allow tip adjustments through pivoting dovetail blocks and shims. If your bow does not have that feature, you can use thin aluminum tape under one side of the limb to rock it into position.

The goal is a string that tracks perfectly straight from brace height through full draw, with both tips centered on their limbs.

Nocking Point Setup

Nocking point height has increased over the years due to faster, more efficient limb designs. Many archers start around ½ inch (12 mm) above square. The correct height for you will depend on finger pressure, tab type, string material, and nock fit.

Douglas uses bare shaft tuning to finalize the setting. The objective is to have the bare shaft group level with the fletched arrows.

Establishing Center Shot

After measuring bows from dozens of top shooters, Douglas found remarkable consistency. With an X10 arrow, half the shaft sits outside the string when viewed from behind. This is the position he recommends starting with, then fine-tuning later if needed.

Also check the vertical position on the plunger. The arrow should contact the plunger at its center or very slightly above. This accounts for the small amount of downward nock travel during the shot.

String Material Selection

String material plays a major role in performance and limb longevity. Douglas recommends only three options for recurve:

• BCY 652 Spectra (original “Fast Flight” formula)

• BCY 8125

• Gas Recurve Plus

These materials provide the dynamic flex recurves require. Avoid compound-specific materials such as BCY-X or 452X, which are too rigid and can place extra stress on limbs.

Strand count should suit your bow weight and nock fit. Lighter setups can go down to 14–16 strands, but always confirm proper nock engagement.

Final Thoughts

Douglas’s process is meticulous because it has to be. Elite archers know confidence comes from knowing their equipment is perfectly set. By following these steps - aligning the bow in shooting configuration, correcting limb tip twist, setting an informed nocking point, dialing in center shot, and choosing the right string - you remove guesswork and give yourself the best chance to perform.

Your shot is challenging enough. Make sure your bow is working for you, not against you.