5/16" points and nocks too small for 5/16" shafts?

[Scott S.]

I got some 5/16" shafts (laminated birch) but both the points and nocks seem a little small.  I can't find my calipers, but with a precise little steel pocket ruler, the shafts really do seem to measure the 5/16" (so do the points).  The points look and feel too small.  When I bear down on the points as I glue them, they cut down into the wood at the junction.  I tried 11/32" nocks and points and they are just a teeny-tiny hair too big, but actually fit better than the "proper" ones.  

What gives?  Is a 5/16" shaft just a nominal dimension and are they really a tad smaller than that?  I don't have any other 5/16" shafts to compare.

[Rob DiStefano]

it's organic: wood shrinks, wood swells, and not all shafts are turned to precise dimensions.  use the 11/32" points and nocks, but swell the wood at those mating areas with water or alcohol for an even better fit.

[Orion]

Your shafts just may have turned out to be 21/64 as well.  That was  a size offered back in the day.  May be whoever produced these shafts let his equipment get a little out of adjustment.

One of the problems of going with an oversize point is they become more difficult to pull out of targets.  The small lip where the point meets the arrow shaft tends to hang up, particularly in nylon bag targets.  Not a big problem, but an annoyance.  Doesn't make much difference which you use for nocks.

[Bjorn]

Sand the unfinished shafting a bit at both ends to get that custom fit.

[Scott S.]

I considered the "lip overhang" with regard to the target, that's why I tried the smaller points.  I also felt the nocks made less difference and used the 5/16" at that end.

The shafts were already varnished before I noticed this problem, but the sanding is a good idea.  I think I'll try to taper the tip just a bit.

Thanks for the good ideas, guys.

[Fletcher]

I'll go along with Bjorn.  A little 150 grit will solve this quickly.  Going oversize with broadheads works just fine, but with field/target points it really makes them hard to remove from targets.