Cock feather in?

[adirondack46r]

I have just finished tuning POC arrows to my bow, and when all is said and done I get very, very good arrow flight. What I have found, however, is that I get consistently better flight - i.e. none of the once in a dozen shots wobblers - if I shoot cock feather in.

I'm just curious, how many shoot cock feather in as opposed to out?

46r

[wollelybugger]

I shoot cock feathers in. Seems to work for me.

[J.Williams]

I was shooting cock feather at 12 o'clock to cock feather in a few months back and really like it.Been thinking of switching to 4 fletch though...I just can't seem to leave things alone.  

[joe skipp]

I'm RH..if I shoot LW, I have the cock feather out. If I'm using RW feathers, I shoot with the cock feather in. When you find something that works, stay with it. I was shooting cock feather in since 1970 after a conversation I had with the late Jack Howard.

[xtrema312]

I have been playing around with it some.  I am shooting carbons and I find if I am just a touch stiff at all I get some bottom hen feather contact on the very outside edge of my rest. With cock feather in I get no noticeable wear on the cock feather, and the hens clear easily.  I have also played with feather to nose anchoring with cock feather in.

[Ringneck]

Cock feather in for me as well.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

some arrows I have need to be shot cock in.

[Otto]

My bow doesn't care what color my feathers are, it just needs them to clear the riser.

[sunshine]

cock feather in against riser for me and my widows.

[Curveman]

I've tried in, out, top-I can't tell much difference. Anyone do slow motion photography?  

[DylanK]

With field points, cock feather out, with broadheads, cock feather in.  

The broadheads tend to shoot about 3" high and to the left if i dont shoot cock feather in.

[SteveB]

It should not matter at all if the setup is tuned well.

Steve

[SteveMcD]

Originally posted by SteveB:
It should not matter at all if the setup is tuned well.

Steve

Steve you are right in that respect. If your bow is tuned correctly the fletch is going to clear the paradox anyway. However, I'm not a physicist,     I just know cock feather in results in consistently better flight, and tighter groups.  

[adirondack46r]

Originally posted by SteveB:
It should not matter at all if the setup is tuned well.

Steve

Steve,

I have spent hours tuning this setup with bareshaft, field points and broadheads. I am pretty confident that this arrow configuration is spined correctly for the bow. What other explanation might there be for - all else being equal - better flight from cock-in? How about, it's more forgiving in terms of a poor release?

46r

[xtrema312]

I think it has a lot to do with the arrow and bow.  If you are shooting carbon they correct fast.  5” or longer helical feathers provide more or longer possible contact of the riser.  Also a bow cut to center, past or close with a wide shelf could all play into it.  For me with carbons, wide shelf, cut to center, and 5” feathers I got a little bottom hen contact.  The arrow shot perfect and was correctly spined, but if the release was off a little I think I got a harder hit on the shelf with the feather.  I think the base of the feather was possibly tracking a bit on the edge of the rest material.  Turning cock feather in I get no contact with the bottom feather on the rest, and any contact if the cock feather on the riser is just a light brush on the outside tip of the feather.  This would have much less effect than the base of the feather running on the rest material.

[Daddy Bear]

I've used cock feather in with a standard RW three fletch since I was a kid while shooting longbows and self bows. If I have a bare shaft coming off the string, around the plate, and over the shelf of my longbow clean and straight, adding RW feathers cock-in will clear equally well. But, If I add RW feathers cock-out, the bottom hen will bump the corner of the shelf plate and effect flight. I must slightly raise my nocking point to allow extra clearance for the hen feather with RW cock-out. Therefore, cock-in with the lower nocking point gives me cleaner flight.

As to the high speed videos, every single one that has been posted here and on *********** shows the RW cock-out hen feather striking the corner of the shelf plate when using full size hunting fletching. You may clear with tiny fletching, but I think it is impossible for hunting fletching to clear the corner cock-out with a tuned low nocking point.

later,
DB

[Overspined]

I always would try cock feather in before changing anything for tuning. Sometimes, just changing helical will make it better, other times, just cock feather in. The arrows just need to flex appropriately with the feathers clearing well. Use what works. Just remember which bow likes what...

[jacobsladder]

foxfire traditional archery use to have some great photos that showed how you got better clearance with cock feather in.... the cock feather was pretty much sitting at 3:00 or 9:00 towards the riser depending if you're rh or lh.....it showed that the better clearance would allow for a slightly lower nocking point..which would obviously raise trajectory and make the arrow shoot flatter... unfortunately i their website is down and i couldnt bring up the link.. i do shoot cock feather in and like it.

[JOKER]

I get the best clearence by shooting cock feather up. Steve

[STEVE R.]

It has to do with feather orientation..... If the quill of the feather striks the riser it will deflect the arrow. The cock feather in will keep this from happening.