[Hank D Thoreau]

I am new to tuning a bow for shooting off the shelf. I was wondering about what is normal for nock locator height. I am shooting a 70 inch longbow with about a 7 1/8 inch brace height. I am currently using the nock locator that Falco installed on the string that came with the bow. It is at 5/8 inches measured from the shelf. I am currently shooting 11/32 inch wood arrows, but will also shoot 5/16. What range to you experienced folks find for your nock locator positions?

 

[Easykeeper]

I think whether you shoot split finger or three under will play a part. I shoot recurves off the shelf and 1/2" -5/8" above level for the top nock locator is where I usually end up. When I experiment with three under my top nock point ends up around 3/4" or so, even higher on a couple of my bows (all tillered for split).

I like to use two nock points, set it a bit high to start, then shoot bare shafts to tune it's final position. I've found that a slightly high nock point is not a bad thing

 

[13033]

I buy into what Easykeeper says.

everything included hand position and bow tiller will effect the position.

(most) shelves have no "give" so start high & bare shaft it.

Put some chalk, or such' on the shelf.

Once the arrow is realesed, there should be no further contact with the shelf.

If the shelf show signs of wear, you are nocked too low.

 

[Rednef]

Oddly enough it seems that most everything I shoot off the shelf winds up at 9/16" above dead level with shelf. That is for 3 under. I suck at split finger so I really can't say with any degree of certainty for that.

For certain venues, such as Indoor I have gone as high as 3/4" to 1" and still had good arrow flight, but I would say that that is probably about max. If you happen to find yourself above that range, then there are probably other issues in the mix messing things up.

 

[hammer08]

For Field I have a low anchor because it's comfortable and I'm able to use back tension a little better for those long shots. To keep the point on where I like it I nock at 7/8th's.

For indoor and 3d I anchor really high to get the point on down close to 20 yards. I usually nock somewhere inbetween 5/8th's and 3/4th's.

That is with my longbow and wood arrows.

For my hunting bow I normally go with my high anchor and nock somewhere around 1/2 and 5/8th's.

All 3 under and off the shelf.

 

[Thin Man]

I shoot woodies (11/32 and 5/16) and split finger. I can often shoot off of an elevated rest with the nock at 4/8". Off the shelf I am invariably at 5/8" on the average and my Hill longbows are usually at 6/8".

I've never had an arrow shoot well for me under 4/8" on any bow ... so take everything I state with salt. These are my own rules-of-thumb to get started with on a new bow. I ultimately end up using temporary masking tape strips starting at 1" above center and working my way down to near 0" just for observations purposes. My averages often present themselves during this process, once again confirming their "average" status within my fingers. I'm inclined to believe what I see rather than what I expect, so I do like to give the nock location gambit a whirl, for a little experimentation is simple to perform in these matters.

Good luck.

 

[Hank D Thoreau]

I did not mention that, for now, I am shooting three under. I may shift to split after the IBO shoot. I will determine that when I get my new arrows. It will depend on what gives me the best coverage for the distances.

 

[olddogrib]

5/8ths inch seems to be where I've always ended up on more than a few bows. Your mileage may vary, be it seems to me it's as much individual form dependent as it is bow dependent.

 

[UrbanDeerSlayer]

Hank, I will often tune nock locator purely to diminish my gaps. I do not bare shaft when I do this, bare shafting with wood is difficult anyway. I have shot with nock locator as high as 1", I have sacrificed pristine arrow flight to gain a lesser gap especially with short range 3D, or shooting indoor FITA. I can usually tune it well enough to gain an aiming benefit. By the way I shoot 3 under with a high anchor and often tune a 25-30 yard point on.