Your opinion on spine aligning arrows

[roosiebull]

So I just nock tuned the arrows I'm shooting (Bloodsport Hunter .004 straightness). Two were hitting right in the middle and two were hitting to the right. Nock tuning brought the two hitting right to group much better with the other two. As I don't have much experience with different arrows, would you say it's "normal" to need nock tuning regardless of the arrow brand and model? I guess I'm just curious if what I experienced was a normal part of arrows and archery or if it's more so from these specific arrows? Just trying to learn.

As 10ringer mentioned, it’s part of the process. Some are better than others, but they all need to be checked at least, once you start doing it you will never be able to not

 

[whitetailhunter1]

For your application, you are golden. Keep using what works!
I hate to put a distance or situation on when better arrows come in to-play. At some point as you push your abilities as an archer, you will know the equipment is due for an upgrade.


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Thanks so much!

 

[whitetailhunter1]

There were 6 arrows that grouped well in bareshaft testing, I didn't mess with those nocks but it would've been interesting to see if turning the nock would've caused them to hit outside the group. I've never tried an arrow sold with less than .003 straightness but would expect a higher percentage of .001 match grade arrows to hit in the group without turning nocks; pure speculation though.

That said, the one arrow that was a cull was an obvious outlier; it wouldn't hit in the group no matter what and I recall it was always high right about 3-4" at 25 yards and it was shot randomly about 40 times. I really have no data to base this opinion on but I would think the number of arrows culled or needing nocks turned would be relative to the grade of the arrows.

I did this nock tuning in a somewhat double blind fashion with three arrows in each round and had the arrows numbered. Each arrow was shot at least three times, if it hit in the group it got fletched, if it didn't I'd turn the nock 1/4 turn and throw it back into the untested pile until only the cull was left.

Hope this helps. I like the idea of fletching first then nock tuning but I run three fletch and a different color cock vane. Ultimately, I probably can't shoot the difference but am really glad I took the time doing it as I did and am glad I didn't have the culled arrow spun up with a broadhead in my quiver.

Added to clarify: each bareshaft was shot at least 3 times regardless of nock orientation. If an arrow hit in the group three times it was fletched, if not, the nock was turned and it got three more chances to hit in the group, rinse and repeat if it still didn't.

It definitely would have been interesting so see If the arrows that originally grouped well had the nocks turned if that would have changed how well they grouped. Either way, thanks for your information. There's so much info out there and it's hard to filter out what's "need to do" vs "nice to do". But this kind of insight coupled with trying things on my own is accelerating my learning curve and I'm gaining experience.

 

[whitetailhunter1]

For your application, you are golden. Keep using what works!
I hate to put a distance or situation on when better arrows come in to-play. At some point as you push your abilities as an archer, you will know the equipment is due for an upgrade.


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Thanks. One other question, I always thought arrow spines from one manufacturer to another were relatively consistent in terms of recommendation. But when I put in the specs of what I'm shooting into the blood sport website, they recommend a 300 spine, for victory they recommend a 350. Obviously, I knew there would be some slight variation from one manufacturer to another but wasn't expecting there to be such a lack of uniformity. Does this seem right to you? Basically look at the manufacturer's recommendation, try it and then experiment with other options?

 

[10ringer]

Thanks. One other question, I always thought arrow spines from one manufacturer to another were relatively consistent in terms of recommendation. But when I put in the specs of what I'm shooting into the blood sport website, they recommend a 300 spine, for victory they recommend a 350. Obviously, I knew there would be some slight variation from one manufacturer to another but wasn't expecting there to be such a lack of uniformity. Does this seem right to you? Basically look at the manufacturer's recommendation, try it and then experiment with other options?

I’ve seen spine ratings to be consistent across the board with most manufacturers. If you look at most charts, you will see overlap as you move from one spine to the next. You may be one of the lucky ones that can shoot both spine ratings out of your bow. For reference, I always order based off the manufacturers spine chart for the arrow Im buying.


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[dtrkyman]

I always think I have a flier, so I start paying attention to a specific arrow, then promptly put it in the dot at 60yds!

Operator error is the largest issue in archery, or most anything for that matter!


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[Mighty Mouse]

Thanks. One other question, I always thought arrow spines from one manufacturer to another were relatively consistent in terms of recommendation. But when I put in the specs of what I'm shooting into the blood sport website, they recommend a 300 spine, for victory they recommend a 350. Obviously, I knew there would be some slight variation from one manufacturer to another but wasn't expecting there to be such a lack of uniformity. Does this seem right to you? Basically look at the manufacturer's recommendation, try it and then experiment with other options?

The 3 digit static spine number is how much (in thousandths of an inch) the arrow shaft bends when a 1.94 lb weight is suspended from the middle of a 28” section of shaft. This spine rating methodology is consistent across manufacturers, so a 350 spine Bloodsport shaft will bend 0.350” during the static spine test just like a 350 spine Victory shaft. However, the methodology each manufacturer uses to recommend the spine you need for your particular bow/arrow setup can vary.

Spine selection is primarily a function of draw weight, arrow length, and the amount of weight on the front end of the arrow. Bow speed, let-off percentage, and rear end arrow weight also affect spine selection (to a lesser degree). Some arrow manufacturers (such as Bloodsport) “dumb down” the spine selection process and base their recommendation only on draw weight and arrow length. The unstated assumption in such simplified recommendations is that you’re putting a light-to-moderate amount of weight on the front end of the arrow (i.e., 100 gr broadhead and 20-ish gr insert). If you’re putting more than a “normal” amount of weight on the front end of your arrow, you may need to choose a stiffer shaft (smaller 3 digit spine number). The better spine charts/calculators (such as Victory’s), account for varying amounts of front end weight. The best spine calculators (i.e., Archers Advantage and Pinwheel) account for every detail of your bow/arrow setup.