Cock feather in?

[brackshooter]

Anyone have any idea why my arrows fly so perfectly with cock feather in, but no so good with it out?  This is the first time I have ever experienced this, but they fly great with field tips and broadheads, maybe I shouldnt worry about it.  BTW, I know there is still a little fletching contact, the outside edge of all my cock feathers is getting just a little worn.....

[robtattoo]

I found the same thing, before I started shooting 4-fletch.
I wouldn't worry about it, as long as you're getting good flight, that's all that matters.

[Maxflight]

I started shooting cock feather in this spring and I noticed an immediate improvement in arrow flight.

[Don Stokes]

Bows close to center shot are more likely to have this problem. You can build out the side plate a bit, or rotate the nock to find the best clearance. Changing from RW to LW, or vice versa, might help too. Having a relatively short third finger on your drawing hand can also cause the problem, through torquing the string slightly.

[brackshooter]

Yep, right hand, rw....

[Pat B]

If you check the spine on all four sides of your arrow you may find the cock feather side is slightly stiffer. I don't use store bought shafts lately. I use cane or hardwood shoots and this is the case with both of these shaftments.

[Kelly]

Ever since reading about shooting cock feather-in, in Jack Howard's Bowhunters Catalog some 30+ years ago I've been shooting that way out of all my bows, whether they be recurve or longbow. Immediately after changing, my arrow flight improved dramatically and I had much less feather wear. Plus, as an added bonus was able to lower nocking point significantly, yet still have perfect flight. One will get a little more wear when using cock feather-in out of non-center cut longbows and especially with too stiff of an arrow.

The only other fletching option I will shoot, and it is my preferred preference, is 60/120 four fletch done with the three fletch setting on your jig by applying two feathers in the cock feather position and two in one of the hen feather positions. The hen feather position depends upon whether one is right or left handed. Turn the knob on your fletching jig counter clockwise form the cock feather position to the hen feather position if you are a right handed shooter. If left handed shooter turn the knob clockwise to hen feather position)In effect, done this way one still has a cock feather-in alignment but with 4 fletch. I learned this from Roger Rothhaar shortly after reading the info from Jack Howard.

[JRY309]

I'm RH and when I shoot RW feathers I would shoot cock feather in,it gave me better clearence.When I shot LW I would shoot cock feather out.But these days with tuneable nocks I just rotate them forbest clearence.

[Pat B]

If your arrows are tuned properly for the bow you are shooting and with your style of shooting the arrow(or fletching) shouldn't touch the bow once it is released.

[joe skipp]

I shoot cock feather in with RW feathers,  and cock feather out with LW with all my recurves. I like the cock feather in, gives me a second anchor point as the back part of the feather touches my mouth. I started shooting this way back in the late 60's after a phone conversation with the late Jack Howard. He was an advocate of cock feather in, said it helped stabilize the arrow and cut down the paradox on bad releases.

[swampbuck]

I shoot 4 4" feathers fletched to shoot cock-in

don't have an answer as to why if the spine is correct it shouldn,t matter either way

[redant 60/65]

When you shoot cock feather in, the feather acts like a plunger, kind of like shooting off a rest.
I started shooting cock feather in this year, left or right winged. It works for me.

[LC]

Works for me also. If you rotate your nock so your cock feather just barely angles towards the corner of your riser and shelf should take care of the feather wear or atleast it does for me.

[Old York]

I shoot with "cock feather in", except it's
actually one of the hen feathers that's
at 3 o'clock position.

Thus I can more readily see the cock
feather and arrow position when
it's laying in the bow.

Cock feather in + dead nuts spine
= best fletch clearance and one
less tuning issue to tease out.