Outside shelf wear

[ScottinPA]

Regardless of the bow (longbow or recurve), poundage, etc. I get wear on the outside of the shelf, always have.  It typically doesn't affect my shooting other than I know it isn't right but cannot put my finger on the culprit.  A few months ago I purchased a longbow and noticed the same wear.  The stickler here is the shaft/fletching is tearing up the last knuckle of my pointer finger.  Any ideas?  I imagine its more a form issue since I've played with nock point a lot.

Would high elbow on the string hand do this?  I know I tend to do the high elbow and my bottom string finger gets sore.

[ncsaknech1ydh]

Do you grip your bow tightly? Could it be that you are putting torque on you bow by doing that? I know alot of people use a tight grip, I have always let the bow just rest in the web of my hand being completly loose. Does one of your feathers on the arrow get wore down? That might tell you your set up is not tuned properly, It sounds like for some reason your arrow is leaving the bow a bit wide to hit your hand with the fletching. I have had my inside fletching get wore down before because my set up was out of tune and the arrow was slapping against the riser as it was leaving the bow. Just some thoughts!

[kevgsp]

Masters of the barebow video mentions downward pressure on the arrow can cause it to paradox up and down as well as side to side causing this. Sometimes this can be seen as a bow in the arrow at full draw

[ScottinPA]

No wear on any feather.  I hold the bow with a loose grip. Not open finger but no death grip.  The downward pressure idea is kinda where I was heading.  If I shoot high elbow my bottom string finger gets sore which would mean, I think, that its either pulling more than it should or last to release.  Either way I'd think it may put some downward pressure.

I'll get the video camera out and have my son video me shooting. That may show all.

[Bill Skinner]

Usually, shelf wear is a sign of a too stiff arrow.  If the arrow seems to fly great, but you get shelf wear, you can tune it out by raising the brace height.  The fletching hitting your hand is your nock point being too high or too low.  If it is too high, the shaft will hit the shelf and flex.  If too low, it won't clear the shelf.  A too stiff arrow will compound the problem.  A high drawing elbow will cause torque on the string.  Hope this helped, Bill

[ren sarns]

could the wear also be from a  poor release,  not a solid anchor?  I have seen people not reach their anchor and release from a inch or so off the the side of their face... never touching.  I have also noticed that they have that same wear.  Not that they miss their anchor that often.

[Bill Skinner]

If they short draw, then they are reducing the poundage of the bow.  45# at 28" becomes 40# at 26" and their arrow, spined 45# is now too sriff.  Their poor release usually will not cause shelf contact in the same place shot after shot.  Bill

[xtrema312]

I have had fits with this the last year after some form changes.  A lot of things made temporary improvements, but I think it is mostly in the release if you eliminate the arrow spine, and nock height.  I put white electrical tape on the edge of the self so I could quickly see if one thing or another stopped it, and I could keep tabs on it when I was not hitting to make sure I didn’t start.  You can see rubs easy with the tape on sometimes just one arrow.  

Arrow spine has an effect, but can be misleading.  A weak arrow can mask it when a correct arrow will seem to cause it.  Slight changes to spine or draw length can get the timing just right so you miss the shelf until you change something a little.

String torque vertical can change the limb timing to cause the hit.  While grip and other things can also cause it, they can also mask the root cause when you play with those variables.

Check out the thread about finger blister or sore ring finger and to see if this is your problem.  Torquing the string side to side and up and down with a getting off the string late with the ring finger can do it for sure.  I had some torque, but mostly late off with the ring finger causing a lot of my problem.  I think that throws the shaft wide and then back into the shelf before the arrow clears.  Late off with the ring finger also causes sort of a three under or worse limb timing issue that drops the back of the arrow lower than it should.    Funny thing is I can shoot three under no problem.  I get off the string much easier for some reason.  Must be string angle, pull angle, or something with the fingers being all nice and close makes the difference for me.

[bauke]

Scott

I had the same problem and cut myself badly with feathers.

I changed to a higher wrist on bow hand and cock feather in helped a lot.

What also helped is a deeper grip with fingers on string to make sure index finger do about 20% of draw and not only touching the string.

[graysquirrel]

If all else fails trim about 1/8 inch of the front of the feather down and wrap it about 12 times with b50 bowstring.  This is what the Japanese did on all their arrows shooting off their thumb and what most archers in the early 1900's did shooting off their knuckle. Stops the quill from cutting you and your shelf material.

[Whump]

Whump Sez: I am with  Bill the Skinner on this one. A nocking point too low and a possible over spined shaft.  Hunt Safe.

[Xavier]

I recently experienced this and with a fellow archers help deduced it was over spined arrows. Will check back once I test new lighter arrows.

[hvyhitter]

If the only thing wrong is shelf wear why sweat it? It could be just your form. All my bows have the same wear also but my broadheads hit deadnuts were my other arrows do(have to aim at different spots or I trash arrows) and thats the whole point of tuning a bow. My shelf wear shows up after about a thousand arrows or more, not ten. The fletching in the fingers is usually from a really low shelf, I get my finger on my predator every once in a while if I start shooting sloppy, and on some longbows that I've shot till I adjusted my grip.........YMMV