Help me with my Wobbly Arrows

[AM_Hunter]

Background: Im shooting a PSE Evo NXT 33 at 70lbs draw weight, 28.5" draw, with 27" Easton Storm 350 spine arrows and 100 grain field tips.

I am very much a beginner when it comes to bows, arrows, and all that jazz so dont critique me too hard. I pulled the bow out to practice this afternoon and noticed some accuracy issues, particularly my arrow spiraling or wobbling in flight some of the times. I just got some nockturnals, as well as 6x new arrows. The nockturnals sat snug in my old arrows but are much looser in the new arrows, dont know if this plays a factor but thought id mention it. I had the bow shop match the new arrows to my old ones, so arrow, length, and spine were all the same though the veins are a little more forward on the new ones and i think the weight is about 28gr heavier (so much for matching them). The nockturnals are also about 16gr heavier than the original nocks. So total weight of new arrow is around 44 grains heavier.

So with the new arrows and nockturnals it shot great at 20, 30, and 40 yards, didnt see any wobble or have any accuracy issues. Once I went to 50 yards I first saw the wobble/spiraling and the group opened up. I recorded it in slow motion and you can see the back of the arrow drop after it releases and the arrow wobbling. Switched back to the old nocks and felt like they shot better but hard to tell as I couldnt notice if it wobbled without the illuminated nock. Also took a shot at 60 with my old arrow with the nockturnal and that seems to fly fine.

Im gonna try to shoot it at paper and see what its doin but wanted to get some insight on what others thought. Is it an issue with the nockturnal being loose or added weight in the back and increased weight overall means it may need a re-tune? I read it could also be caused by bad release or an issue with the drop rest. I plan to go shoot again early next week and if I cant remedy the issue or test my old arrows with the nockturnals to isolate if its specific to the new arrows. May take it to the bow shop to re-tune it the following weekend if I cant figure it out.

Appreciate any insight!

 

[SDHNTR]

It could be caused by any and all of the above. Start by ditching the Nocturnals. Weight on the back of the arrow is rarely beneficial. Then make sure your arrows are properly spined. A .350 spined arrow could be on the softer side depending on what inserts you are using and how much weight you have up front. You are probably fine at 27”, but generally speaking, most modern bows with aggressive cams at 70#+ and 28”+ arrows tend to shoot better with .300 spine. Especially with weight up front. Then, rule out any contact. Use lipstick or foot powder spray on the arrow and see if it’s contacting anywhere. Also make sure you have a relaxed, mostly open, grip. Don’t press your release into your face and use back tension to trigger it, not punch it. Lastly shoot through paper and micro tune the rest for a clean hole.

Then broadhead tune accordingly.

 

[Shawn_Guinn]

I would think 350 cut to 27 inches at 70 would be fine unless you’re using a ton of insert weight but I would assume stock inserts in the storms. Which aren’t the straightest arrow to start with if I remember correctly they’re Easton run offs like qc control was slightly out of spec so they slap a storm label instead of which ever model it was going to be maybe epics back in the day. Not saying it’s a bad arrow but they might open up in groups at longer distances. You might a have a lighted nock issue some are just poorly made. Adding weight at the back simply stiffens the spine so that’s a give and take. Videos are hard to see the question is the arrow grouping at 50? Or is it a perceived wobble from your perspective?

 

[ddowning]

I highly dislike most lighted nocks for accuracy. Halo nocks or fire nocks are about the only nocks I consider. Deep dive into nock fit to bowstring serving. That is one of the most important aspects to accuracy and forgiveness that people overlook. That, and nock tuning the arrows for group to get them to all behave the same out of the bow (a lot easier if you take them to someone with a shooting machine that knows how to use it).

Since the nock is the most important part of the equation, a loose fitting nock could definitely cause an issue. Put a plastic bag or piece of dental floss around the nock where it inserts into the shaft to tighten the fit and see if that helps.

Nocturnals are usable, but I would want to have several to test and get the arrows to group. The rest are expensive trash nocks. Firenocks are expensive up front, and the owner has a huge ego for a product that still has a few small issues, but they are the best I have found. You can also swap batteries and use a practice weight to keep from ruining the expensive circuits in practice. Other nocks are throw away when the batteries are dead and you really need to practice/tune the bow with them to keep everything the same as far as tune/sight in goes. Once you have multiple years with the same nock/arrow you can just use the dead ones to practice.

Very few nocks, period, will allow me to shoot consistently under 6" at 100 yards with field points. Firenocks and Beiters have been really the only two I have tried that would do it. This is why I highly dislike lighted nocks. There's not enough info out there on nock fit and a lot of people will shoot a lighted nock at 20 yards a couple shots and they hit with their other nocks and they assume they are fine. If you are only killing game at 30 yards or less, they probably are. As you discovered, around 40 or 50 yards things get further apart and start to show their differences.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

So many potential issues. Ultimately, you're in a condition known as "out of tune." To fix it, you need properly spined arrows, good nock fit, no nock pinch, and no fetching contact. From there, you need to make adjustments to your rest, d loop, and cam shims to achieve perfect arrow flight. This is not necessarily a quick process, especially for a beginner with inconsistent form. The bow shop bible app does a good job explaining the process, other online sources are less reliable but still sometimes give direct info.

Get to work, the season will be here soon.