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I'm framing for a new window in an existing wall, and the left king stud bows out slightly. How can I fix this? My current plan is to place the new (straight) jack stud against the king stud, and add a shim between the two where I'm nailing them together to keep the jack stud straight. This would result in a small gap between the king stud and the jack stud, but otherwise both pieces should continue to function as expected. See the picture below for the king stud, I added a straight red line to make the bowing more obvious.

Bowed king stud

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    Rough openings are usually made 1/2 inch larger (1/4" on each side) than the window itself to allow for these types of situations. Then you take care of the gap with shims at the appropriate locations.
    – SteveSh
    Commented Jun 26, 2020 at 10:59

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What you have there is not too bad at all. It will, if left alone and nail the jack stud tight to it, will only mean a larger rough opening, maybe a 1/4-3/8" at the worst place it occurs??? Not a biggie. Yes you can shim it straight if you choose to, make sure it is well nailed, 2 nails at either end, the bottom preferably toe nailed into the bottom plate, and the remainder nailed at least every 16" approx. in a staggered fashion. That is roughly 16" from the top and bottom, it can be closer, drive a nail favoring one side of the jack stud, then move another increment and favor the other side of the jack stud. If you choose to, you can double nail it all he way along the stud.

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Put the jack stud up against the king stud. Nail it home.

When you install the window, use shims make sure the frame is vertical and square. You may need an extra shim at the widest point of the bow.

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