son needs help.

[inthere10x]

His arrows in flight "barrel roll"(spiral of arrow not tight, see it in the nock). Is that a release problem? What should I be looking for? Can lack of back tension and creeping forward be the cause?
According to Stu calculator his arrows should be close, but i did go up and down in point weight, no change.

[New Wood]

Hey Jonathon,
Could be a release problem if he is plucking the string. Is this a new problem?
What I am asking is, was the bow tuned to the arrows and shooting well before and now "all of a sudden" this problem cropped up?  
If that is the case I would think he is probably plucking the string, or the bow somehow went out of tune re brace height/nock point.

Good Luck

[reddogge]

Probably something like fletch bouncing off the shelf or poor release, not spine. Try raising the nock point slightly and also try shooting his bow to see if it is the release.

[inthere10x]

I didn't see it. pointed out by a another shooter. I thought they had been shooting good. We were shooting for awhile maybe just plunking.  He does short draw alot, when his thumb hits the corner of his mouth he releases. He refuses to dropp in draw weight, I offer to buy him a new bow. He says draw weight not the issue (14y/o).

[Stumpkiller]

Nock point too low?  Sometimes this causes the nock end to strike the rest.  This kicks out the tail and as the tip is alteady moving out straight the fletch spiral tries to correct - giving the barrel roll you describe.  Try nocking ABOVE the nock point and see if it disappears.  If so - raise the nock point.

Another cause may be too low of a brace height.  The fletch gets to the riser while the nock is still on the string (the string goes forward 2" or so beyond the at-rest position when released).  This causes the tail to bump out as the fletching hits the riser.

[Don Stokes]

Short drawing may be the problem. Sounds like shafts are too stiff, maybe.

Strip off some feathers and see what happens.

[Jim Wright]

I am not sure what you mean by arrows "barrel rolling" and this may only muddy the water but if it is the same as "cork-screwing", the culprit may be nocks that are too tight on the string.

[Jim Wright]

I am not sure what you mean by arrows "barrel rolling" and this may only muddy the water but if it is the same as "cork-screwing", the culprit may be nocks that are too tight on the string.

[George Vernon]

What does it sound like when he shoots?  If the brace height is too low, nocks too tight, or there's plucking of the string during release, the arrow can 'slap' the shelf making a really noisy shot.  The nock will be seen making erratic moves as the fletching tries to get control of the arrow.

If the arrow is hitting the shelf, you should also be able to see signs of damage where the fletch is scraping the rest.