Bow Quiver: Effect on arrow spine and POI?

[ErikT]

This may be more appropriate in the Shooting Forum- not sure.

I have always been a bow quiver guy. In my opinion there is nothing more functional than a bow quiver, at least for the type of hunting that I do.  I also think bow quivers add a cool appearance to bows.  That said, the past 2 summers I removed the Selway bow quiver as I normally use a back quiver for practice and stump shooting, and started shooting my recurves bare.  I found that I could be more accurate without the quiver and using a high wrist grip, the bow reacted more naturally in the hand following the shot.   About a month before hunting season I put the bow quiver back on and loaded it with 3-4 arrows for practice.  I found that the extra weight and new balance really affected my point of impact as well as my group sizes.  With the quiver on- My POI shifted about 4" to hit to the LEFT.  I also realized just how much that quiver and arrows weigh and noticed some arm fatigue in the bow arm.  I'm not abandoning bow quivers but my Question is:

What is the net effect of adding a bow quiver + arrows to arrow spine?

For the record this particular setup is a 60" Bighorn T/D recurve 44# @ 27".  Shooting 50-55# spined woodies with 190 grn points.

[Stumpkiller]

I much prefer an unfetterred bow, but do occasionally strap on a Great Northern bow quiver for small game.  I had a Selway slip-on for my longbow.  For whitetail hunting I use a homebrew one-arrow quiver.

I don't note any change of spine or impact, but it does effect the feel of the bow for sure.  I guess, depending on bow & quiver, it could alter how the limbs are working??  

The added weight may cause you to drop your arm a hair when releasing would be my guess.  Really can't say.  But unless you're changing brace height I can't see the effective spine of the arrow changing.

[cbCrow]

I don't think it effects spine of your arrows what I do think happens is with the grip the added weight causes the bow to torque. When I shot recurves I would leave the quiver on at all times just to be able to compensate for the different feel of the bow. I have a LB that I use a quiver on and it has only come off the bow one time to wax the bow.

[BobCo 1965]

I agree, nothing to do with spine. But is could effect torque created by you in order to hold the bow (effects the balance of the bow which will have to be compensated by you), as well a the bow reaction after the arrow leaves.

[Crash]

I don't think it can have any effect on the static spine but I do believe that it affects the dynamic spine.  The bow reacts differently at the shot which affects the arrow as it passes the bow.  It can also affect the limbs, depending on the type you are using and the placement of the quiver.  You normally need a weaker spined arrow with a quiver as opposed to without one.

[Bjorn]

If the straps, clamps whatever attachment points are anywhere on the limbs the arrow is generally going to go left-unless you tuned with the quiver on. IMO
Even though bow quivers are not my favorite thing I keep mine on, full of arrows all the time.

[mcgroundstalker]

I like to hunt with a bow quiver also... All above statements make a point. The most simple answer my be the added weight does torque your bow at the shot. Follow through, push-pull and keep that bow arm up... Best Of Luck!

... mike ...

[Benny Nganabbarru]

I haven't noticed any difference in arrow flight or accuracy with them on or off.

[LONGSTYKES]

I do not find any change in accuracy or arrow flight in my bows, with a bow quiver. I mount mine ( slip on or strap on ) at the fad out on the limbs. Never had any problems.

[Jake Diebolt]

I find my accuracy improves as the extra weight steadies my aim a little. I don't know if I'm a good enough shot to tell.

[dave19113]

I have actually tried with on and off. I only noticed a difference if I started to creep the quiver away from the handle. Just as long as I kept it close I saw no difference in accuracy. I DID see a noticeable difference in hand shock when using lighter arrows. Hand shock and noise were reduced.

As for balance, that is a personal preference. I ddnt see av difference but some would.

[Greg2201]

I have found that I shoot just as bad with my quiver on the bow as I do with it off.

[dave19113]

Originally posted by Greg2201:
I have found that I shoot just as bad with my quiver on the bow as I do with it off.

I feel your pain...............

[2fletch]

I believe that most of what has already been said is true. Putting a bow quiver on a bow properly shouldn't require stiffer arrows, but sometimes it does. It has to be due to torque.

There is more to it however than just the weight of the quiver and arrows in it. How it fastens to the bow, fastening mechanism, how it is positioned to the side of the riser, and how far from the riser can all be factors. A bow quiver acts as a stabilizer to the bow, but it can have an adverse affect depending on the weight and positioning.

Several years ago I conducted an inhouse test using our EFA bow quivers and several others on the market. Someone else, shooting his bow, was shooting the same sequence of quivers that I was with my bow. At about 12 yards (inside) we shot first with bare bows to make sure we were "on". Then we tried two different EFA bow qivers. The results were the same as with bare bow, with no noticeable change. Then we tried two other quivers from other manufacturers. Both were heavier then the EFA quiver. One of them showed an obvious shift of the arrow impact of about 2" to the left. (Same results by both shooters on the two different bows.) When we went to the third quiver, which was heavier than the second one, much to our surprise, it shot similar to the bare bow.

What this says is that there is more then weight involved here. You can add weight without necessarily changing the center of balance of the bow significently. If you feel a change in the center of balance of the bow then you will probably see it in how the bow shoots.

     

[Terry Lightle]

There is no difference that I can tell with my Cari-Bow with my Great Northern strap on

[Cootling]

When you shoot without a quiver, all the stuff that is "moving" is pretty much in line with the horizontal center of mass.  Put on a quiver and the center of mass moves to the side... so you have "stuff" hanging out there that causes rotation around the vertical axis because it resists forward and backward motion.  It's like having a stabilizer mounted out to the side of your bow.

All else being equal, the effect will increase as the physical weight of the bow decreases and the amount of hand shock (a manifestation of forward movement) increases.

In other words, you ought to expect a bow quiver to have some effect... whether it's enough to have a meaningful effect on your shooting may depend on your bow and idiosyncracies of your shooting style.  I see quite a bit of effect on my lightest weight longbow (really don't like the way it shoots with a quiver) and very little on my heavier recurves.

[ErikT]

Thanks for the input, guys.  Using a high wrist grip using only the web of my hand, thumb and pointer finger to support the riser, I find that the bow will follow the quiver and fall away to the right at the shot.