Shelf vs Rest - Dynamic Spine

[YosemiteSam]

I've been shooting off a simple Hoyt rest for the last year because that's what the guy at the shop recommended.  But after wearing out 3 of them, I wanted to try shooting off the shelf with a Bear Hair rest.  However, I noticed that my arrows that bareshafted straight to 30 yards with the rest are now showing a little stiff.  Is a shelf more sensitive to spine or is this likely just user-induced error?

[Charlie Lamb]

The Hoyt rest is a very forgiving rest so it's not surprising that you would experience different tuning results "off the shelf".

The difference you see shooting off the shelf may be an indication of why you are wearing out the Hoyt rests. The rests are "absorbing" the contortions of the slightly stiff arrows.

Find the correct spine and you'll not only get better tune off the shelf, but you'll also get better life from the Hoyt rests with the possibility of improved accuracy.

[cuboodle]

Great advise from CL !!  ENJOY the process of tuning and setting up your bow/arrow combination don't view it as a chore or hassle. This great forum with hundreds upon hundreds of years of knowledge will provide all the help you need

[Pine]

Also your arrow could be closer to the center of the bow and that can make an arrow act differently too .

[Orion]

Arrow closer to the center of the bow will make the arrow act weaker.  The closer to the center of the bow one gets, the stiffer spine the bow will take.

Charile is right on.

[kat]

Originally posted by Charlie Lamb:
The Hoyt rest is a very forgiving rest so it's not surprising that you would experience different tuning results "off the shelf".

The difference you see shooting off the shelf may be an indication of why you are wearing out the Hoyt rests. The rests are "absorbing" the contortions of the slightly stiff arrows.

Find the correct spine and you'll not only get better tune off the shelf, but you'll also get better life from the Hoyt rests with the possibility of improved accuracy.

X2  sound advice

[damascusdave]

x3

DDave

[YosemiteSam]

Sounds like I need to get some new inserts & play around with the point weight a bit.  CL - thank you for your insights.

Just for kicks, I shot the same setup (shelf) but split instead of 3-under.  Bareshafts tightened right up & went straight down the middle out to about 28 yards.  Does a split-finger significantly change the dynamic spine?

I don't think I'm up for split-finger since my gaps are too large.  I've tried shooting instinctive & didn't like the results (I can't throw a baseball very consistently either).  This is just a curiosity question.

[Friend]

Likely a mismatched arrow for the setup.

[Orion]

No, split finger doesn't dramatically change the dynamic spine.  Something else is at work.