The combination of the bow, arrow mass and archer's form can be optimized for clout archery. This is done by changing the arrow mass and the clout sight's deflection angle. See the menu bar Help>How_To>Setup_for_Clout_Shooting and the eBook for more information.
Note: it is assumed the clout (target) is horizontal. BLBS Rounds with an inclined clout protruding above the remaining rings are not yet supported and will score lower than in practice as the clout is assumed to be in the same plain as the other rings.
The clout optimizations below are generally more appropriate for intermediate to competent archers. The form of top level archers is generally adequate for standard arrow masses. In other words, poorer archers are likely to benefit more than better archers.
Allows the selection of a clout round. If the Quick Setup has been used, a default round will have been selected. On selection, the Arrow Mass and Sight Deviation Angle from a Flight Range based solution will be loaded.
The following fields and buttons are then enabled only when a clout round is selected either here or in the Groups>Round panel.
This button will setup the calculator for clout. It is similar to the menu bar's "Action>Config_for_an_Archery_Interest". As it is likely to change many parameters, an option to save the current kit is presented. If the round is already a clout round, then that round will be used, otherwise a default round will be selected based on gender and bow type.
The action will modify the sight and the tape setup.
Various windows will be opened and arranged on screen.
The range for which the setup is to be optimized. Normally set to the round's maximum range, however it may be changed if required. If changed, no best solution search is conducted so the arrow mass is left unchanged, although other related fields may be updated.
The ratio of the clout range to the flight range. Gives an indication of how much adjustment is available for wind adjustment.
The elevation to launch for current solution.
This is the solution's arrow mass that is the same as the "Arrow Mass: Measured" field in the Arrow>Assembly panel. However if changed here (as opposed to in the Arrow panel), it will cause an automatic re-sighting by re-calculation of the "Sight Deviation Angle" and the "Launch Elevation" angles.
The field turns red if the arrow mass is below the bow's safe limit as defined in the Bow>Model panel's "Minimum Safe Arrow Mass" field. This should not normally occur as the solution algorithms check for this condition.
The calculated sight deviation angle as in the Sight>Model panel. If the field is manually changed here (as opposed to in the Sight panel), a corresponding "Arrow Mass" will be calculated. This is a numerically intensive calculation and may be slow in returning results.
A calculated figure indicating the proportion of change in the group "height" on the clout target compared to what is might have been for a target oriented at 90° to the arrow's impact angle, at the same range.
FlyingSticks has three different methods for determining the "optimal" arrow mass, each with its solution button. Each suggests an arrow mass and sight deviation angle based on different optimization criteria. Try each to compare. Also try with wind gust enabled and the wind speed and direction sensibly setup in the Ballistics>Atmosphere panel. It is recommended the Target Window be opened when using these solution buttons.
As the arrow mass is adjusted, it is not allowed to fall below the minimum save value set according to the "Minimum Safe Arrow Mass" field in the Bow>Model panel. Note this field is expressed in arrow mass per bow draw force - typically in units of grains per pound (gr/lb).
Another constrain is the clout range may not be achievable with heavier arrows, so a compromise is required.
Attempts to fit the archer's group within the inner circle of the clout target by adjusting the arrow mass until the group height is 70% of the inner circle diameter.
The algorithm trades the archer's form for a lighter, faster and but more gust impacted flight. However for poorer archers, the result is an arrow weight increase with a corresponding increase in sight deflection angle (up to 35°) and a more expansive sight tape scale.
The lower deflection angle for better archers may allow the use of a simple prism deflector sight attachment.
Sets the flight range to 20% more than the clout range by adjusting the arrow mass. The resulting arrow mass will typically be three times heavier than a target arrow and the sight deflection angle will be about 25°. The "Group Height Change" should indicate the group height has increased by about 30%
By exploiting the fact that the group height improves (i.e. reduces) significantly as the clout range approaches the flight range, the arrow mass is adjusted to a point where the group's shape on the clout target is the same as it would be on a closer standard vertical target. The result will be a heavy arrow, a deflection angle of close to 30° and the flight range about 8.5% beyond the clout range. The "Group Height Change" should read a low value in ±5% range.
Clout shooting has the aim of hitting a distant target (clout) that is well beyond the range of normal target shooting. Nowadays it is more a novelty than a serious competitive round, however the physics of clout has a sightly different emphasis than normal shooting. One of those differences is the need to know and understand your flight range.
For non-standard conditions, use Ballistics>Atmosphere to set up the wind parameters, then viewing in the Trajectory Window set the target height and an arbitrarily large range. Use the Re-Sight button to calculate the best trajectory. The "Range Achieved" field in the Trajectory window will show the distance achieved along the sight-line. Widen the window to expose the field if necessary.The Flight range details are expressed in a table with two columns:
This column is for standard conditions of no wind and on level ground.
This column is for current setup conditions of wind and target height. Sometime the current setup may be problematic, particularly with strong (unrealistic) head winds. Under these conditions the arrow's path can reverse and cross the sight-line four or five times. This can make the calculations very complicated and sometime fail.
Each column has the following rows:
The maximum achievable range for standard and current conditions. These figures will be seen to change when Clout Solutions (below) are undertaken.
The elevation to launch for maximum range for standard and current conditions.
The maximum height above ground achieved during flight for standard and current conditions.
Duration of flight for standard and current conditions.