Shooting Cock Feather In???

[Morgan Anderson]

Cock feather in works best for me. I use the feather on my nose as another anchor point.

[Encino Man]

Thanks guys, so maybe I am not crazy after all.

Well.. You still might be crazy, but your feathers will be ok.   :D    

[WarDancer]

The only thing important is good arrow flight. I am shooting some 2016 with soft vanes and getting excellent flight,not supposed to happen.

[SveinD]

I generally shoot cf inn when shooting vertical, and if i cant the bow, i use cf out..
don't think it makes to much of a difference though, just a habit..

[wtpops]

With a correctly tunned arrow as a rule it wont make a differance but we are all different so some will get better clearnce with cock feather in. I my self shoot cock feather in with the back knuckle of thumb on ear lobe and hen feather (now at 11:00) on the tip of my nose.

[brill16hockey]

I have better arrow flight cock feather in as well.

[rraming]

If these are wood arrows it would be a good idea to have the rift of the arrows pointed in the correct position. I shoot cock feather in.

[Doc Pain]

I'm with SS Snuffer, I prefer to shoot with my cock feather up.

[Jerry Wald]

I was watching a video - Maters of the barebow one or two...can't remember.

Fred Ichler was talking about his setup...the pretty pink feathers and all (he is funny).

Anyway he was showing why he shoots CF in cause he feels his bow bend enough to go around the riser anyway so he has lots of clearance.

He only shoots 4" feathers too and so the height of the feathers are less too (less bulk).

ANYWAY...he says he can shoot vanes off the shelf the same way cause of the archers paradox. He said if he tries it cock feather out the quill hits his rest and cock feather in it has a natural clearance.

All of that being said if your not getting enough paradox to go by the riser without making contact then you will have to play with is and tune the feathers and the nocks so it does have the clearance.

Kinda cool that you could shoot vanes if it was pouring rain though...but mine fly good even if the feathers are drenched

Jer

[Guru]

My arrow flight is the same in or out....but I shoot with it in only because I get zero feather wear that way.

When I shot with it out, the bottom hen would wear after a while.

With a well tuned set-up in or out shouldn't make a difference....

[Chris O]

In for me! I started that way since one of the gentlemen on Masters of the Barebow recommended it. Better clearence

[rightminded]

I shoot left handed.  I use right wing fletched arrows.  If i use helical left wing fletched arrows i need to turn the cock feather in to get good flight.

[Orion]

Cock feather inl ets you shoot with a lower nock point,as Spikemaster points out. It also seems to compensate a little for a nock point that is too low.  I shoot both ways, but cock feather in seems to be a little more forgiving of nock point location regardless of where it is.

[doubleo]

It depends upon what bow i'm shooting. Which ever way gets better arrow flight.

[Covey]

I see no differance! I use my cock feather for another anchor, that's the only reason I have mine out! Jason

[BighornTn]

I shoot the cock feather up which allows the hen feather to ride the slit in the shelf strike plate just like SS Snuffer described earlier. RJ

[manfromthepast]

Cock feather in for me.  The late, great, Jack Howard was a proponent of shooting cock feather in based upon his early use of high speed photography to test his equipment.

[Chuck Hoopes]

I definitely get better arrow flight w/cock in with may longbows.  Recurves either way seems to work as well.

[Old York]

Absolutely!
Except mine's just a hen feather,
then I can see the cock feather easily.

[hayslope]

I always considered it part of the tuning process.  Each bow/arrow combo ultimately has that "sweet spot", where all the stars and planets align.

Once I'm almost to that point, I will play around with CF in or out (or up - gotta love tunable nocks) till I'm happy with one or the other.

I usually end up with CF out.

However, my favorite go-to bow, a Dale Dye TE, happens to have a preference for CF in.  I get distinct fletching rub on the very edge of the shelf when shooting CF out.  While this rubbing never seemed to have a negative impact on arrow flight, it had a negative affect on my mind....I knew it was happening!  A bit of testing with CF in and powder...no more rub.

Hard to say that one way or the other is correct....many folks just shoot that way because someone told them to or "that's how I've always done it!".  I seen a lot of BW shooters shoot CF up, because someone at BW recommended that way. Many of us "ol timers" probably shoot CF out by default, because that was the way we were taught.

Bottom line....don't shoot one way or the other because someone tells you to.....experiment on your own.  We aren't talking some drastic change here. Ya never know.....one little change like that may make the stars and planets align!