bows shooting high---bowyers?

[Dale in Pa]

OK,just a little background,I've been shooting trad bows for a long time and making bows for almost 20 yrs.

I'm also a bowaholic and love to try different bows.Also like to see the differences in construction and design.

I've bought and sold over 50 different bows over the years,a lot of them high end customs.

My question is, what makes some bows shoot a lot higher than others? I've had a bunch of bows that felt and shot great,but I just can't get used to the point of impact.

Before somebody tells me to just keep shooting it and get used to it,well that just won't work because I make most of my bows and they seem to shoot lower,more to where I'm looking than other customs,but I still like to try other bows and would like all my bows to roughly shoot to the same point of impact.

The difference isn't speed either,I've just had 2 different 50# recurves that shot about the same speed and one of them shot great,right where I was looking,but the other one shot 8-10" high at 20 yds.

Difference doesn't seem to be tiller either,as I've messed around while finishing bows with different tiller.

When I make bows,I make them to balance on a finger at the throat with the shelf cut as close to the throat as possible,usually about 1" to 1 1/4" above.

I'm gonna make a new form this summer for a static recurve and would like some input as to what makes certain bows shoot to a lower point of impact.

[Jim Wright]

One possibility is the difference in grips on different bows.

[Dale in Pa]

Grips may have something to do with it,but I have had "high shooters" with low and med high grips.

The one recurve I mentioned in my 1st post was a 50s style curve with a low grip that shot high,and that is my preferred grip.

I've had 2 different RER Arroyos that I sold because they shot high,and those have a med-high grip.

[Mojostick]

If you shoot 3 under with your fingers an inch below the nock point, I've noticed if the nock is loose on the string arrows go high. I imagine the nock slips and slides upon release, if loose with the gap between nocking point and fingers.

[Dale in Pa]

No,I shoot split finger.

[Overspined]

Not a bad idea Bob.  I'd try nocking above the nock point. You may be getting arrow travel on the string when loosed.  I've seen it in slo-mo and it can be quite drastic. Or use 2 nocking points

[amazonjim]

I don't have that many bows but one of I my longbows does the exact same thing shoots high the only way to lower point of impact was to put the nocking point much higher than my other bows, afire asked me why do you have the nocking point so high, that's the reason.

[Mojostick]

Overspined clarified what I was trying to say, concerning the arrow travel.

If fact, I have to get new, tight nocks for some of my alum arrows because the "classic" nocks are way too loose.

[dougedwards]

If bare shafts are hitting high and straight with fletched arrows I don't see any evident benefit of raising the nock point.  You could try to play with string silencer placement or even different arrows but it is probably in the limbs.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I would think it has to do with how high above center the shelf is located.... If you are used to shooting right off the knuckle with your arrow closer to the strings center. (3/4" above center shelf) your sight picture is going to be different with the same anchor point with a bow with a slelf cut 1" to 1 1/4" above center...check those high shooters out for shelf location. i'd put my money on that one.....

[Pat B.]

I've seen the same thing with different bows and didn't know why, only that the high shooters didn't stay with me long...

Thanks for the input Kirk..

[zipper bowss]

Originally posted by Kirkll:
I would think it has to do with how high above center the shelf is located.... If you are used to shooting right off the knuckle with your arrow closer to the strings center. (3/4" above center shelf) your sight picture is going to be different with the same anchor point with a bow with a slelf cut 1" to 1 1/4" above center...check those high shooters out for shelf location. i'd put my money on that one.....

Yep!

[Dale in Pa]

Thanks for weighing in Kirk and Bill. I thought it might have something to do with either the height that the shelf was cut,or the shelf in relationship to bows center.

In other words,do some bowyers offset the shelf on the riser one way or the other?

Like I said, I balance the grips throat at the center of the riser,and then cut the shelf as close as possible,usually 1 to 1 1/4" above.

If I'm thinking correctly,you're saying that some bows,the high shooters,have the shelf higher than that,say 1 1/2" above the throat?

I just sold the one 50s curve I had that shot so high so I can't measure it.

[Red Beastmaster]

Shelf higher than you are used to would be my guess too. I like my arrows low, close to my knuckle.

That's my biggest peeve with the Bear line of recurves. The shelf is much too high from the deepest point of the grip. Drives me nuts how they cut their shelf.

[Gordon Jabben]

Could it be that the bottom limb is a lot stronger and just ahead of the top limb forcing the arrow to hit high?  I know I had a bow with 3/8" positive tiller and it shot very high for me. Regardless, if I have a bow that hits high I don't keep it very long.

[nineworlds9]

Dale is it the SS that's giving you trouble?  I wonder why it worked for me?  I shoot split and the way I sent it to you with the string in place and nock set it was shooting right where I was looking.  Interesting topic.

Call Dan Toelke and ask him about it, if youre referring to the SS, he built it after all.  I'm curious if he'd say the same thing as Kirk and Bill.

**Edit:  glad to hear the SS is working.  Great great bow.  I'd like a 2pc someday.

[Dale in Pa]

No Chuck, the SS shot lights out,right where I looked. It was the other bow I had for sale.

[Dale in Pa]

Gordon,as I mentioned earlier,it doesn't seem to be a matter of tiller. I've played with tiller while making bows and it really didn't seem to affect point of impact.

In fact the bow I just got rid of.one that shot really high was only 1/16" positive tiller.

[Guy Layton]

Hi guys, very interested in this thread... I have two bows by the same bowyer which both shoot noticeably high for me...
I'm looking forward to hearing all your possible reasons to why this may be....
Guy

[Lefty]

I am not a bowyer, but agree with the shelf height.  No different that switching a bow over from shooting off the shelf to shooting with a stick on elevated rest.  May just be a small height difference at the bow hand, but those arrows are going to shoot a few inches higher down range.