D-Loop Knot Orientation

[Mighty Mouse]

Pretty sure this can be filed under "minutiae that doesn't really matter", but I'm going to ask anyway: what's the appropriate way to orient the knots when tying in a D-loop?

Most of the guides I've consulted advise that the knots should point in opposite directions but don't say which knot should point which way. I found a few sources saying the melted bulb on the top knot should point away from the shooter/toward the riser and the bottom knot should point toward the shooter/away from the riser. Stated slightly differently: when you draw the bow, you should be able to see the bottom melted bulb but not the top one. For those that tie their own D-loops, I'm curious exactly how you do it and why.

 

[wapitibob]

Most tie the knots opposite but the best archer over the last 40 years and the only guy that's won every pro tournament on planet earth has both knots on the same side. He says it keeps the serving from separating under the knots.

 

[OR Archer]

I’ve tied them each direction. Makes zero difference. Never had a bow tune differently because of the direction of the knots.

 

[Rob5589]

As long as they're opposite for me.

 

[Elkhntr08]

I put this in the same category as “ indexing shafts”. Had a guy tell me I had to start doing this for perfect arrow flight. Makes some sense until you think about adding glue for the vanes in 3 different spots and epoxy for the insert.
It’s archery, don’t overthink it.

 

[Billy Goat]

I do it so it allows the loop to be twisted a little. Top of the loop comes off left side of string for a right handed shooter, bottom of loop comes off right side of string, or top bulb away from shooter I guess. But I feel like they center anyways once you put tension on them. Don't think it really matters.


I do know someone who didn't oppose them when he put a new loop on and it changed his left/right. He went back and realized what he did and put a new loop on and was back to where he was previously.

 

[CB4]

It doesn't matter IMO unless you have your D loop twisted funky to the point when you clip your release on and twist it to your anchor point it then torques the string. Then you have an issue. A longer D loop can minimize that though. For short draw people who want the smallest D loop possible is where it matters the most.

 

[5MilesBack]

Most tie the knots opposite but the best archer over the last 40 years and the only guy that's won every pro tournament on planet earth has both knots on the same side. He says it keeps the serving from separating under the knots.

This is the kind of stuff that always had me wondering......."gee, if I can shoot this well with a setup that's not set up correctly, just think how well I'll shoot with it changed". And in every one of those instances, changing it up didn't change a thing. Except draw length......draw length makes a big difference for accuracy from my experience.

 

[Gerard Marcaurele]

I tie it so that the d loop has a natural curve to it that matches the position of my hand held release at full draw.

 

[wapitibob]

This is the kind of stuff that always had me wondering......."gee, if I can shoot this well with a setup that's not set up correctly, just think how well I'll shoot with it changed". And in every one of those instances, changing it up didn't change a thing. Except draw length......draw length makes a big difference for accuracy from my experience.

Yep

 

[dkime]

I tie it so that the d loop has a natural curve to it that matches the position of my hand held release at full draw.

This is how I do it, a bow can tune either way but the difference shows up in POI shift being minimized from switching releases. If you're only gonna run 1 release then shoot whatever style you'd like.

 

[ZDR]

Does D loop orientation become more critical with thumb, tension or hinge releases?
I notice some hook from the right side versus others (carter for ex) that hook from the left.

 

[dkime]

Does D loop orientation become more critical with thumb, tension or hinge releases?
I notice some hook from the right side versus others (carter for ex) that hook from the left.

Only because the head of those releases can’t float like a trigger release can. Jaw swing will still play a part in POI shift with an index finger release but it’ll be less. Brandon Reyes has a YouTube on all this using a hooter shooter. I think it’s on Tru Balls YouTube page


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BTShooter]

Have the top knot on the same side of the string that you're on. Bottom knot on the other side. The reason is that when you draw and anchor, your hand naturally sits at a slight angle (maybe a hard angle if using a thumb release or hinge). If you angle your loop the same direction as your hand, there's less torque on the string. I hope I described that correctly, it's easier to see in person than explain!

 

[xcutter]

I do it the same way as BTShooter explained.

 

[BucksNBulls]

It's more important for a hand held release than an index. Because of the twisting of the D loop if right handed you want the bottom bulb left and the top to the right. With an index it doesn't matter.

 

[Plowboy85]

It's more important for a hand held release than an index. Because of the twisting of the D loop if right handed you want the bottom bulb left and the top to the right. With an index it doesn't matter.

This fella has it right, i couldn’t recall how I tied mine but if you take a thumb release and twist it to lay on your face one knot orientation is much less stress than the other. You can test this by twisting your loop with your fingers 90 degrees left and right and it all makes sense the .

 

[Chilson Archery]

I do melted bulb on top pointing away from me and borrow towards me