Wear on edge of arrow shelf?

[Kentucky Jeff]

I'm getting some wear on my Buffalo Bow on the left rear corner of my arrow shelf.  This is a good ways from bear hair rest.  I'm also getting a little black finish streak on the leading edge of the arrow wrap. Is my nock height causing this?

I'm not getting inconsistent arrow flight either...

[Good Stuff]

Me too.I get the same thing on my Great Plains tackdown longbow. Can't wait for the answer.

[Javi]

Nock height or the arrow is too stiff..

[Green]

What Mike said X2....post up your bow/draw specs and then your arrow, spine, length, and insert/tip weight.....but I'll bet you're shooting too stiff an arrow.

[Kentucky Jeff]

Bow is a RH Buffalo Recurve 62" 50# @ 28" but my draw is about 30" and when we measured the bow at the pro shop it was 57# at 30".  My arrows are Trad Only carbons 300 31" long with 125 grain inserts and 125 grain field points fletched with 5" left feathers and I set the cock feather 90 degrees to the string facing to the outside.  I shoot a 3 under release if that matters. Brace height is 8 1/8" and the nocking point is 1/2" above the top of the shelf. Its got limb saver string silencers and moehair under the string on either end.  

I did try some 400's today set up exactly like the above arrows and it seems to not have the noise the 300's did.  The 400 bare shafts shot a little right of fletched arrows at 15 yards--not much, maybe 2-3"  

I also moved the nocking point down to a skosh less than 3/8" and that also seems to have improved things some.

This bow is still not as smooth or quiet as I want it.  I have an SBD string on order. But compared to my Protege longbow this thing vibrates, has more hand shock, and I'm not as consistent with it as the long bow.

[NBK]

Had a similar problem a few months ago tuning a new bow.  Shafts were too stiff, but when I went to a weaker shaft I was still getting a mark.  I raised my nock to 3/4" (shooting 3 under also) and the problem went away. FWIW.

[CEO]

Check your arrow. If the wear is on the bottom, nock point is too low. If on the side, arrow is too stiff. Or, may be a little of both as NBK found.

[Bill Skinner]

Or your brace height is too low.  If the spine of your arrow is correct, you have a tuning problem.  It usually has nothing to do with nock height, it is due to a too stiff spine and that can be adjusted by raising your brace height.  Bill

[Kentucky Jeff]

Took some of the advice I have been reading on this forum and ordered a set of Trad Only 500's for my bow.  I previously tried 400's and 300's.  

So the Brown Truck of Happiness left the box on my porch while I was at work with my new shafts.  After dinner, I hot glue in the 100 grain inserts and screw on the 125 points and proceed to shoot the bareshafts at 10 and 15 yard groups with the Buffalo Bow.  The 500's and were literally banging in next to each other right in the middle--golf ball size three shot groups.  I also noticed that the bow was quieter with apparantly with no riser slapping noise...  Guess I found my arrow spine...  Makes no sense as its a good two spines less than the arrow chart recommends.  But everyone says the arrowchart is way overspined.  Why they would do that is anyone's guess...  Maybe it makes you buy more arrows to tune your bow?      

I'll try to paper tune it in the next day or so and see how that goes.  But I feel much better about the bow after tonight.  First time I shot it since I got it that it actually "felt" right.


Also, my longbow with less centershot and less draw than this bow seems to really do well with the .400 carbon shafts.  It could be the longbow  is more forgiving than the recurve and is good at masking spine problems.  It will be interesting to see how it shoots the .500s...

Goodnight for now....confused (but happy) in KY

[cjgregory]

I find it generally to end up being the nock height.  If you don't have some bare shafts just throw your broadheads on some shafts and plane tune it.

[Mike Brockner]

Jeff,
Bare shaft shooting will tell you a lot.  Shoot one arrow with and without fletching, you will find out right away if yor are close.  First work on nock height, this is the easiest. Then change point weight to bring both groups togeather (bare shaft and feathered shaft).  
I shoot a similar setup as you, less a few inches draw length   . I shoot full length 2315 w/200 grain points and 55/75 carbons with the same points, both paper tune bullet holes. ( I do have to change the nock height though). Mike