Feather Orientation

[elkhunter45]

So I was trying to get my new 55/75 GT 400's that are cut 29" to fly out of my 47#@27 Bear Kodiak Hunter. I tried 200-300 heads and was getting decent but not perfect flight. In all honesty I couldn't tell much difference between 200, 225, 250, or the 300 heads. I remembered something that I was told several years ago about spinning the shaft to orient a hen feather horizontal to center the strike plate which places the cock feather almost vertical and the other hen lining up vertical to the shelf. That fixed my problem and the arrows fly perfect with the 200 grain head which is what I had calculated beforehand. I was just wondering if others have tried this.

[Pine]

A friend of mine shoots cock feather up , he swears by it .

[M60gunner]

Some years back we were trying out a new spine tester. We spined a couple different brands of carbons we had. Since then I spine mine to find the high side, just like I do my woods. It might not be necessary to spine carbons but it does take a variable out of my bare shaft testing.
I think you have found the same thing just in a different way.

[ChuckC]

I generally like to put mine near the back of the arrow.  It is harder to shoot the other way.
     
sorry
ChuckC

[Shadowhnter]

Ive shot cock feather up for 20 years now, so obviously I prefer it. Having said that, development of a clean and good release is much more important.

[dringge]

I had never heard of having the cock feather up. I will have to do some testing. Just for my own curiosity are you shooting off the shelf or a rest?

[Tajue17]

black widow really pushed for the cock feather up in their videos,, I've tried it but when your arrows are already flying perfect its hard to say they got any better with cock feather up.

the folks that shoot 4-fletch I would think unless its a off-set set-up the fletching would end up being a cock feather in and a cock feather up right or do you turn the fletching a certain way.

[Orion]

Elkhunter.  Glad it worked for you.  I suspect that raising your nock point a little would have accomplished the same thing.

[elkhunter45]

One more adjustment this morning. I rotated the cock feather perfectly vertical and in line with string. The arrow flies like a dart. I am shooting off the shelf which I lowered and radiused some years ago. I have always shot woodies. This is my first experience with carbons for myself. My son has been shooting them for some time.

[BUCKY]

Saw Ken Beck tuning with cock feather up and its great for me too.

From my experience, most hunting stickbow shooters shoot arrows that are way too stiff.  That generally leads to contact on the shelf of some type or another.

A properly spined and tuned arrow will flex around the riser, never touch the shelf and feather orientation doesn't matter. That's why a lot of folks can shoot vanes off the shelf. When our arrows are a bit stiff it's helpful to rotate the feathers to alleviate contact.

Some of you may find these interesting--or not.        

     

...and the first three and a half minutes of this one:

 

[olddogrib]

I agree with what Jim said.  There are bunches of videos that demonstrate that a well tuned arrow's fletchings are nowhere near the riser when it clears, so why would it matter....unless the arrow is too stiff?

[damascusdave]

I am one of those fellows who shoots vanes off the shelf and I agree completely with Jim...come to think of it I cannot remember a single instance where I did not agree with him

DDave

[the rifleman]

My experience has been that cock feather in helped/hid minor tuning issues.  I spend a good amount of time bareshafting-- used to shoot one feather up-- inverted Y but now orient so feather touches my nose.  My arrows come off the bow well no matter how feathers are oriented because they are well tuned.  That being said every bow and everybody are different-- use what works best for you.