Help me with my Wobbly Arrows

[AM_Hunter]

Make sure it's not your form before re-tuning or de-tuning your bow setup.
I would identify a wobbly arrow and only shoot it for maybe 20-25 shots. Is it always wobbly?
If so, replace the lighted nock with unlighted and check accuracy at distance. Maybe a friend can watch for wobble. Some arrows for what ever reason just need to be culled out.

If not always wobbly, it could very well be your bow arm form or other form inconsistency.

As much as we hate to admit it, most accuracy problems for new archers can be attributed to the archer.
Compound archers like to adjust and replace stuff but very few can out shoot a reasonably tuned bow. I sure can't which is why I cannot justify a new bow. Some days I bitch about my bow then my neighbor (better shot) will try my bow and stack arrows in the 10 ring. Wake up call.

I should have mentioned Im not new to shooting, just to messing with arrow and bow tunes. Ive been shooting for 5+ years and im fairly comfortable with my form, grip, release, etc. I by no means have a perfect or even very good form but I believe its well enough not to be causing major accuracy issues. I very much could be wrong though and would need a true professional to review my form. If I dont have my issues fixed by my next shooting session next week ill likely be taking it to the bow shop to have them look and while im there ill have shoot and have them check my form just to be sure.

I don't have enough of a sample size yet to confirm if its arrow specific but it did not seem arrow specific. I would note the arrow I saw wobbling in flight and shoot that first next and it would fly fine and hit where I was aiming and then the one that shot well before would end up wobbling.

 

[AM_Hunter]

Of all the things that have helped me out most since I dove deep into archery it has been the following:

1) Eliminating vane contact
2) Good nock fit
3) Eliminating nock pinch
4) Proper to stiff spine
5) Square and no wobbles
6) Having enough vane

Obviously you need a good tune but you really can't get there without these. So much of the other stuff online is a bunch of gobblty goop.

I think eliminating vane contact will be my first step. Hopefully Ive resolved the good nock fit but ill check that again. Ill double check for no nock pinch but I wasn't seeing my arrow rise up before the rest was up, which I think is the indicator of nock pinch. I should be properly spined at 350 but ill ask the bow show that setup my bow and spec'd me those arrows what they thing. Can you specify what you mean by Square and no Wobbles? How would I go about confirming I have enough vane?

Thanks!

 

[AM_Hunter]

I agree with most of what has been suggested. Also keep in mind that in many instances, maybe even most, when an arrow looks like it is wobbling, it is an optical illusion. Your larger 50-yard group may just be related to the natural difficulty of being more accurate at longer ranges until you become more proficient.

Its possible but I dont think it was an optical illusion, with the lighted nock I could see the ones that would fly well and theyd land right on top of where I was aiming. And then the ones I'd see that would wobble would land well off of my release point. In the videos I uploaded one of them flew well I didnt notice a wobble or weird movement in the video, but the other one had a wobble in flight and you can see the back of the arrow actually dip down shortly after release. Ill see if I can edit the video to be more clear.

 

[AM_Hunter]

I took some screenshots of the arrow flight and you can see it starts out straight and then the rear dips down for a little ways before the trajectory flattens out again.

 

[MallardSX2]

I took some screenshots of the arrow flight and you can see it starts out straight and then the rear dips down for a little ways before the trajectory flattens out again.

View attachment 917171View attachment 917204

The arrow is flexing/oscillating for 30 yards. I wouldn't get hung up on pictures. You need to do it by eye from the back of the arrow.

 

[AM_Hunter]

The arrow is flexing/oscillating for 30 yards. I wouldn't get hung up on pictures. You need to do it by eye from the back of the arrow.

What should I be looking for when looking from the rear to tell? From the naked eye I could see the lighted nock swirling/circling through the air erratically. From the video it travels with the rear down and the head point up for 5-10 yards.

Another thing I noticed from the video is that my drop away rest bounces back up a little when it drops, Im wondering if that rebound is catching a fletching. Maybe since my old arrows the fletchings are a little further back it drops back down in time to miss them but the new arrows catch the fletching on the rest when it rebounds?

Marking the fletchings with something to see any impacts on the rest should hopefully answer that.

 

[MallardSX2]

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What should I be looking for when looking from the rear to tell? From the naked eye I could see the lighted nock swirling/circling through the air erratically. From the video it travels with the rear down and the head point up for 5-10 yards.

Another thing I noticed from the video is that my drop away rest bounces back up a little when it drops, Im wondering if that rebound is catching a fletching. Maybe since my old arrows the fletchings are a little further back it drops back down in time to miss them but the new arrows catch the fletching on the rest when it rebounds?

Marking the fletchings with something to see any impacts on the rest should hopefully answer that.

If the arrow is kicking I would lean towards a rest or a knock high or low. If your getting a whirly bird, I’m leaning towards arrow contact.

Lipstick….

 

[AM_Hunter]

Here are the shots on paper:

1. Old arrow old nock
2. Old arrow nockturnal
3. New arrow standard nock
4. New arrow nockturnal
5. New arrow nockturnal again
6. New arrow old nock
7. Old arrow nockturnal

Looking at 4 and 5, looks like it could be a downward tear? 3 and 6 a right tear?

Old arrow and nockturnal look pretty decent right?

I tried adding baby powder from my wind indicator to my fletchings and didnt see anything on the rest. Dont know if it work effectively or not but dont have access to lipstick at this moment. Ill see if I can try something else.

 

[AM_Hunter]

Adjusted my rest up and hole looks good for the arrow i was using to test, however the other two arrows, which are also the new arrows + nockturnals, tears dont look nearly as clean. Any thoughts?

Either way im going to shoot next week but likely going to take to the bow shop to paper tune it either way as im just not as good as theyll be, ill probably be chasing my tail the whole time.

 

[dtrkyman]

The nock is the most important part of the arrow, different nock fit definitely effects tune, longer ears on the nock, wider base and different fit on the serving all create different reaction off the string.

Very over looked piece of the archery equation, it's the only thing attached to the bow through the entire shot process besides the archer.

 

[SDHNTR]

You are chasing your tail. Pick one type of arrow and one nock and run with that alone.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

You need to eliminate variables, not add them. Your arrows are different. Your nocks are different. Paper tune is the starting point, not the destination.