Ha! Lots of ways to skin a cat, I'm hearing.  Interesting about the spine issues I'm hearing, too - I spent a lot of frustrating hours shooting the heavy tips and at 10 yards and 20 yards they looked okay, but when I'd move to 5 yards, they were awful.  In fact, I broke one arrow as it entered at such a bad angle that it cracked the shaft.  Now, I wonder if I should beg and borrow the test kit from my mother (she's the one that got me interested in moving from the wheels to traditional!) again and take another look at the heavy tips.    

Man you guys were right about the tight nock messing things up! I read this and got to thinking my nocks have gotten tighter with string and serving changes but I didn't realize it. I filed a few of mine and it really tightened up my shooting.
The file on my leatherman tool fits just right for this.
I'm glad I read this post!
Tedd

Man you guys were right about the tight nock messing things up! I read this and got to thinking my nocks have gotten tighter with string and serving changes but I didn't realize it. I filed a few of mine and it really tightened up my shooting.
The file on my leatherman tool fits just right for this.
I'm glad I read this post!
Tedd

That's why we're here Tedd!

Tight nocks can cause problems with tuning, plus add noise.  The simple solution, IMO, is get your string from a reputable string maker (not shilling here--I'm not taking orders, and won't be for a while yet).  It's no great feat to match the serving size to the type nock you shoot.  That way you don't risk weakening a nock, and the fit will be consistent every time.

The way I look at it is this:  You don't buy a suit that's way too big or small, then take it to be altered.  You don't buy shoes that are too big or too small then stuff them or put them on a stretcher.  You are paying good money, so get the size that fits.

I realize a lot of bows come with "one size fits all" strings.  For a small investment, you can get a string that not only gives you a proper nock fit, but will usually give you a better feel and better performance from your bow.  

The string is your bow's transmission--you don't put the same transmission in a Mustang that you'd put in a Kenworth.  Your bow isn't "one size fits all", your arrows aren't "one size fits all"...even your point's aren't--why should your string and serving be any different?

Chad

Tight nocks certainly cause problems.  If the bow is louder than expected I am curious if the brace height has been played with?

I would try shooting some bareshafts with fletched, paper tuning or broadhead tuning to get some real feedback.  The orientation of the nock when it hits the target is often suspect.  With better feedback you will likely have more to go on.  The nock thing is sort of a first step for me, like adjusting brace height.