My nocks really snap onto my string and hold on tight. I think too tight. Will this significantly effect accuracy? If so, how can this be resolved? What should I be shooting for when it comes to nock fit?
Yep, makes a big difference. Either use sandpaper to open them a little or dunk ears of nock in boiling water for 20 seconds and spread to fit....nock should hold on but release when suspended from string and string is lightly tapped.
Charlie's right. I've used the emory boards (for the ladies nails) to help fit mine, go easy, check as you go.
Keith
If you have new nocks and new string serving, the nocks will loosen up quite a bit after a few hundred shots. Don't make them so loose that they will fall off the string after the serving and nocks wear a little.
the inexpensive emory boards that come in packs work great. I open the nocks up to where they just go on the srting and a flick of my middle finger against the string with the arrow pointed down causes them to drop off.
the serving will "pinch" down eventually also
What Charlie said. Not only will it change the way the arrow comes off the string, but it will quieten the sound also.
BOB
Mr Lamb hit it on the head as far as fit. Myself i steal my wifes finger nail files , the ones with a sand paper type material glued to both sides a foam board.This thing is about 1/8" thick and i squeez the nock onto it and slide it down. it sands both sides of the nock at the same time the same amount. 3 to 4 passes and i have a perfect fit.
AHH i just read what Jim Wright said in his reply, EMORY BOARD that whats its called.
Best peice of non-related archery equipment in my archery tool box.
just be cautious - as stated above nocks loosen and / or serving pinches up and you end up with sloppy nocks.
I use emory boards also, works well. Just don't over do.
Didn't have an emory board on hand, so what I did with a couple of tight nocks is fold up some sandpaper to fit in the nocks and sand them down on the inside edges to widen them a bit til they fit right on the string. Took less than a minute for each nock.
Remember too that nock tightness is relative to the weight of the arrow as well as the poundage of the bow.
I shoot heavy bows and heavy arrows so if I compare my nock to the nock tightness of a lighter bow/arrow setup, it may seem a little more but it is not taking the percentage into consideration.
As already mentioned, the serving wears a little and the nocks themselves seem to loosen up a bit with time too.
I don't like hunting with nocks that are too loose, so as others have said, take it slow and easy when adjusting the nocks.
Well call me Johnny Opposite.
I sand out all my nocks so that they don't hold onto the string at all. Not all strings are the same size, not all servings are the same diameter. Why add another variable into the equasion? The length of time it takes for the nock to release from your string will effect your arrow flight a lot more than 99% of people realise.
+1 robtattoo. I shoot three under these days, and that seems to reduce problems with keeping the nock on the string.
Call me the odd man out here but If my nocks were to tight on my string I would reserve the string so they fit proper! If you dunk em in boiling water or sand em down they wont be consistent, been there done that! Much easier to "fix" the string than every nock you have on your arrows!
Quote+1 robtattoo. I shoot three under these days, and that seems to reduce problems with keeping the nock on the string.
What are you doing that I'm not, Spectre? I didn't start having problems keeping the nock on the string until I switched to three under. With split fingers, I could grip the arrow between two fingers and keep a loose-nocked arrow on the string. With three under, my nocks have to be tight enough to stay on the string by themselves.
I shoot three under and use a loose nock. When you slide your three fingers up under the arrow it will push it up against the nock and hold it in place. That is just the way I do it and it works for me.
I sand all my nocks to fit the string. I like them with just a hint of 'snap' so the bow is still quiet, arrow flight is not effected, and the arrows wont fall off the string, and much less chance of dry fire.
If you do it right, there's no problem at all. Just make sure you don't sand the throat of the nock...just the sides. Take your time and don't hurry.
I agree with Terry. My bow was very loud this summer-new string and new arrows. Tried bow hush and even limb savers and was still louder than ever. Info from this site or maybe a trad video reminded me to look at the nocks. The arrows would have a loud plucking sound upon release. Bought the little file tool that 3 Rivers sells-fixed the problem and easy to use. Easy to match nock width with serving to get the fit that Terry recommends.
bfrbmj,
What file tool is that?...sound better than sand paper.
I just reserve the string to fit the nocks... takes 5 minutes...
Terry, here the tool.
http://www.3RiversArchery.com/Arrow+Building+Nocks++Nock+Tune_c52_s56_p0_i991202_product.html
What works best is a cup of hot water from the microwave and a nail the same size as your serving. Dip the nock in the hot water and then put the nail into the nock and let it cool.
Thanks South MS
I use a drill bit in a hand drill that matches the size of my string or just a tad under to take a little bit off the insides of my nocks to fit the string where they just easily tap off the string. Takes no time at all to do a dozen.
Terry- It is nock tune as South M.S said, easy to use, more expensive than sandpaper but takes the margin of human error out of it for me. It has different widths along its edge and just a couple of swipes can get you any type of fit you like. And it just files the edge not the throat.
Brian
I have a question, I'm curious as to why you guys don't have the serving fitted to the nocks?? Why mess around with sanding boiling every nock??
Thanks!
QuoteOriginally posted by BowHuntingFool:
I have a question, I'm curious as to why you guys don't have the serving fitted to the nocks?? Why mess around with sanding boiling every nock??
Thanks!
* Seems like every nock you buy is made for very skinny strings
* Some of us like fat strings
* Not all of us build our own strings
* Some of us may shoot two or three or ten different sorts of arrow / nocks and it would be impractical to have a custom string for each.
* It takes moments to boil and stretch a nock.
I'm sure there are other good reasons.
QuoteOriginally posted by Brently:
I shoot three under and use a loose nock. When you slide your three fingers up under the arrow it will push it up against the nock and hold it in place. That is just the way I do it and it works for me.
^^This^^. I kept catching myself pinching the nock when I shot loose nocks split fingered.
Most of the times I find that you can also either increase or decrease sting diameter by changing serving diameter the I do not have to mess with the nocks.
Plastic nocks for wood arrows respond well to the boiling water treatment. The nocks on carbons don't, which means the sandpaper option. Since I mainly shoot GTs or CE's I prefer to build and serve my strings to fit the nocks because I use the same arrows in several different bows. I like them all interchangeable, and if I pop a nock off, I just pick another from my spare package and slip it in.
I have found that I do much better with a snug enough fit so that I don't have to worry about the arrow falling off and subconsiously grip the nock, causing pressure and erratic flight. Viper pointed out that nocks that are too tight don't normally cause problems unless there are other tuning issues and I have generally found that to be true. The problem with sanding out the nocks is that there is no way to tighten them up after the string wears in a little - better to have them too snug than too loose.
QuoteOriginally posted by BowHuntingFool:
Call me the odd man out here but If my nocks were to tight on my string I would reserve the string so they fit proper! If you dunk em in boiling water or sand em down they wont be consistent, been there done that! Much easier to "fix" the string than every nock you have on your arrows!
I have to agree with Joe. I'd much rather make the string correctly in the first place than sand down nocks or dunk them in boiling water because the string is the wrong diameter.
If it is a matter of to tight on one string and fine on the others I would re-serve the string. Do you use the same number of strand strings? If not, you may find (if you sand or boil) you are to loose on the other string. Whatever you do, I would shoot one string in with several hundred arrows then save it as your spare, then duplicate a second string as your primary string. That way your nocks will be consistent if you have to replace the string while hunting. Just some thoughts.
I don't think it matters how you do it really....just what you are use to. I'm not a string maker...or reserver...I order strings straight from the bowyer.....or contract them out to be made the same by sending the string to a string maker....I always have a spare with me. I sand mine, and that's just the way I do it...if you want to reserve that's just another option....not an argument.
Again, I don't care how you do it...doesn't really matter, just that your nocks are not too tight. And I do believe that nocks that are too tight CAN effect arrow flight. Maybe not in your back yard, but in real hunting situations where you may be contorted a bit it can.
This has been common knowledge for decades.
Nocks that are too tight will make your bow louder. Least they always are quieter for me after I get them like I want them. And, nocks too tight will rob a bit of performance. The last thing you need is an arrow hanging on for dear life after the bow returns to brace. There is NO advantage to that. :readit:
Agree with Terry!!! What's important is that your nocks aren't too tight not how it's accomplished.
And for what it's worth, the snap on type nocks didn't come along until the mid sixties. Before that it was open throated nocks like the Speed Nock (Mercury type) and the Mid Nock.
My early chrono testing showed a marked speed difference between a "regular fit" snap nock and an open throat "speed nock".... my point being that the tighter the nock the more it's going to affect your arrows performance both speed wise and how it interacts with the bow.
Been using the boiling water technique for both closing and opening nocks for quite some time.
Like it.
Not only do I submerge the nock ears for 20 seconds, I close down or open nock by utilizing a gage pin or drill bit and hold for 20 seconds.
This option works well for me since I sometimes end up having to change throat openings between my bows and my sons.
Thanks for the info, all. I ended up sanding the nicks until they all seemed good. I also used an old trick I had used with my wheel bow when I'd get a new string and loop. I rubbed Vaseline into the fibers of the serving. I know, and many mentioned, that the serving would break in some. So I left the nocks just short of perfect and lubed it up. For those that said performance and accuracy would be compromised, I cannot believe the difference. I have no chrono, but I didn't need one to tell. I gained speed for sure. Accuracy was much better as well. Funny as this may sound, but for all the reading, work on form, follow thru and just plain shooting, correcting my nocks has made the biggest difference. I feel like I've been cheating myself for a while now. Important lesson learned. Thanks, all.
Good to hear...looks like this topic stirred some interests as well. Lots of other's checking nocks now.
Terry, after you showed me about sanding knocks at Solana 2010 I noticed a big difference in my shooting. That is one of the things I hadn't seen in any videos or articles and I think its real important.
I suggest those of you who might question the idea, sand a few down and shoot them head to head with tight nocks and see if you notice a difference.
Carl....every year at Solana someone has seen me fine tuning a nock with sand paper while waiting to hunt out at the pavilion....and they ask the same thing you did....what are you doing?
You are correct...no one talks about nocks being too tight and the problems they can cause in the 'media'.
Sand paper for me as well. Quick and easy.
I have been using the hot water & nail since I stopped finding Mercury nocks. Lately I poked around to find a faster (and drier) method and came up swith this: I found a bamboo hibachi skewer that was a tight fit in the Bohning snap nock jaws and chucked it into my drill press. By running it and pushing the nock into the spnning bamboo it is just enough roughness and friction to open and smooth the plastic jaws. Working them on and off the shaft and up ane down it removes the bumps and opens the nock jaws. I did up three dozen new and "proofed" some of my old arrows with this and it works great so far.
You can even run your fingers into the bamboo with no problems. I found that as a final step that by pinching the nock closed and pulling it off the skewer it smoothed the groove and was ready to go. I'd just recommend you raise the table so the tip is well guarded and can't spin too wild.
Thanks for the info. I'm going to check my nocks when I get home.
"For those that said performance and accuracy would be compromised, I cannot believe the difference. I have no chrono, but I didn't need one to tell. I gained speed for sure. Accuracy was much better as well. Funny as this may sound, but for all the reading, work on form, follow thru and just plain shooting, correcting my nocks has made the biggest difference. I feel like I've been cheating myself for a while now. Important lesson learned."
I second this- did it earlier this week and was very pleased with the result- a really good tip for us noobs
TTT
Ttt
Some folks here have recommended heating or boiling the nock horns to reshape them to the string. I'd recommend against that. Yes, heating nocks will soften the plastic and make it meldable but it'll also soften the adhesive holding the nock on. It's a great method for removing old nocks when repairing arrows...just heat and twist off. But as a string fit method it's risky/scary...just have one come off at a full draw release and you'll find out why in a hurry!
The safer approach really is is gentle filing. I use a small slim mill file that fits in the nocks just right...occasional cleaning and it lasts forever. The emery board disposables are also very good, as mentioned. Be careful, a little filing goes a long way.
This is the first time I have heard of this. With a 16 strand string and probably too thick of a serving. With a new arrow I can actually pull the nock off the arrow before the string. Now this will relax some as I shoot them more. But with all the advantages I have read here about a proper fit nock, I can see some of the problems I have been having in shooting could be resolved.
Can't wait to try
well, call me johnny opposite of johnny opposite!
just playin', robtattoo, you might be my favorite poster...behind ron laclair, of course.
i was amongst 2 mamas and 2 litters of hogs last week, with my german shorthair sally and my dachshund samson(be nice, now, they're enthusiastic amateurs, just like me), and every time i went to draw, the arrow came off the string.
fortunately, they were too busy with the dogs to notice my ineptitude, and i finally threw that arrow on the ground, nocked another......and missed a beautiful 25 yard shot.
still...i like that rascal to stay nocked.
'course i shoot with the advantage of a mechanical release.
my teeth.
joe
I believe in the goldinocks principle. If its too tight its noisy and affects flight, if its too loose it can come of at the wrong time and cause a lost opportunity or dry fire (happened to my brand new bow less than 2 weeks ago). So you want them JUST right. Goldinocks. (errr Goldilocks ;) )
I took the emery board to my nocks. They were quite tight, with my 16 strand string.
I cannot believe the difference it made in my accuracy. I am not sure if there are other factors involved but I am really happy I listened to the opinions of this thread
I have used the boiling water method where I submerge only the ears of the knock and have never had any issues. I would prefer this method instead of removing material.
I like to sand out my nocks too but I like them to hold "just enough."
I've had them fall off my string in the treestand and had to go down and pick them up, that's a pain. In Africa I had two fall off the string while I sat on a steep and deep donga that was more than a "pain" because it affected the outcome of my hunt. Come to think of it I lost an arrow in a big spruce and it slid out onto the edge of a branch where I couldn't reach it and it took all kinds of fooling around to retreive it.
I'd still recomend filing them out though, as the otheres have said it makes a bid difference in accuracy.
This has been helpful again for me. I agree that the nock has to fit properly-arrows stay on the string until lightly tapped. I'm about to "fingernail file" my 12 Surewoods from Snag after about 300ish shots through a new string from SBD strings. I read before about the serving "settling in" after some shooting. That seems to have taken place and now on to the nock work. I'm looking forward to the improved accuracy. It'll happen.
This seems like one of those "little things" that can make a big difference. I believe it to be important as how can the arrow release cleanly if you to have pull it off with a "pop"?
Method used is your choice, just make sure the fit is good.
One the other side of the coin, if they are too loose I have problems with them falling off and then I dry fire the bow. This has happened several times.
Funny how things come back around and creep up on you. I made up 3 nice arrows and used some new S nocks or whatever they are called for the 5/16" carbon. I have been busy painting the living room and not concentrating well when taking a few shots each day but Accuracy deteriorated before I realized the darn nocks are too tight. They must make the nocks for compound shooters because all the carbon nocks are really tight. This package of nocks seems tighter than they used to be.
Anyone know if they still make that nock tool someone mentioned on this thread?
I think I have some smaller serving but that might get hard on the fingers during a long shooting session.
I have tried the glue on nocks adapters for carbon but they seem to have a big effect on the tune.
Tedd
Call me old school I still use mercury speed nocks the 5/16 ones on tapered wood and aluminum. Love them serve string to fit and they don't wear out string like snap nock and never effect arrow flight.