Discussing bow string / arrow noise...what are we actually hearing?

[Russ Clagett]

I was bareshafting an arrow yesterday when a thought occurred to me. I have a very quiet bow...I shoot a Firefly 59@28 with an arrow that's just under 650 grains...and an SBD string with a couple wooly ball silencers out toward the ends.

I also shoot with no glove or tab cause I got tired of losing / forgetting them.

This is a hugely quiet combination, and I am very satisfied with the barely audible twang/thump it makes when I shoot.

So the question is: Where is that little twang/thump coming from?

Is it the nock letting go of the string maybe? Could I make my setup even quieter by adjusting nock fit a little? I'll admit I never paid much attention to nock fit....

I'm just trying to get my head into what is really happening when the arrow leaves the bow...and if nothing changes I'll still be happy...but if I can make the setup even quieter than it already is...

I like the non sound of that....

Our bow season starts in a little over 30 days and I can't wait....

[LBR]

Tons of variables.  IMO, bow design is usually #1.  How well you release and how well you tune are the two major ones that would be next.  Arrow weight and nock fit are also big factors.  After all that, the string material.  

Chad

[DanielB89]

I believe you are hearing 2 things..

1. the contact make between the string or arrow and the bow.

2. the energy left in the limbs or what was not transferred to the arrow.  

These 2 are just my speculations, and are probably wrong, but were all right in our own minds..  

[VA Elite]

I noticed that when I shoot with a much thinner glove my bow seems louder? does this make sense?

[Russ Clagett]

Yes it does. I noticed things like that too before I quit using a glove. The first thing I noticed once I started shooting bare fingers is how amazingly quiet my bow became...

I know there are lots of variables, and I'm trying to narrow them down to see if I can affect any of them.

The bow is super quiet now, fast and efficient. I have set up a video camera on a tripod in front of me before and shot past it to try and capture the sound of my shot...to see what the animal might be hearing.

the bow makes no noise...at least that the video picks up..the only noise is the arrow swishing by....

But I can hear just a little something when I shoot...that little thump twang.

It might be the string stopping as the bow shoots which I can't do a whole lot about...or possibly it's the nock popping off the string...which maybe I can by adjusting the fit..