Th excellent slo-mo videos that have been linked here show that the final flex that the shaft makes as the arrow clears the riser takes the nock end well clear from the riser. If that is the case, why is there so much concern for fletching contact? Does the paradox of a stiff/weak shaft and or wrong nock height look drastically different? If so, does anybody have a good link to a video showing those conditons? I'll admit it may be luck, but I have bows with a sealskin rests and a calf hair side plates that still look like new after years of shooting. I recently did put together a new riser/limb combination that caused me to drop 75 grains of point weight from the riser combo that the limbs were on. I know this isn't unusual and could be a slight difference in center shot, but I'm hearing a tick that I'm wondering if the nock is now too stiff and nicking the riser on release. I've got no wear marks, so what's the best way to check for this?
Baby powder or cornstarch on the rest or side plate.
If an arrow is properly matched to you and your bow it should not make any contact with the bow after the arrow is released. Its paradoxical!
The padding on the rest, shelf and/or strike plate is for silencing the drawn the arrow.