Bows Shop South Africa

By Author: James Bens
Total Articles: 4
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One of the biggest risks from an arrow is being hit by the unpadded nock end. This can happen if the arrow is thrown, if it bounces off something or if it spins end over end due to being parried with a weapon or shot badly (more likely with a crossbow).
When gathering arrows after a shooting, check:

# The head is firmly attached to the shaft, still intact and safe.
# The nock and fletching’s are intact and firmly attached.
# The shaft shows no sign of cracking or splintering. This is hardest to spot near the nock.
# The head is clean and dry: water lubricates the arrow to go deeper into the target butt
*Always check arrow heads before shooting.

During shooting the arrow flexes while the bowstring exerts a large force on it. If it breaks, the bow can push the back half of the arrow through your bow hand or send it flying at your friends.
Some arrows have wooden shafts and some are fibreglass and some are carbon fibre, which is tough but has a reputation for shattering into nasty splinters when it does break. Wood tends to make sharp points when it breaks.

When an arrow ...
... is shot it bends ("archer's paradox"). It bends less with a lighter head, shorter shaft, stiffer shaft, or weaker bow. Your release technique makes a difference too. With a traditional bow if the amount of flex is too much or too little, the back of the arrow will strike the bow on its way past.
This can through the arrow of target.

Check bow limbs regularly for nicks, cracks and twisting.
Never "dry fire" a bow by drawing and releasing without an arrow on the string. This could happen by accident if the nock breaks when you shoot or if it falls off the string at the wrong moment. Therefore it should be in good condition and should grip the string adequately.
(The danger is that all the energy you stored by drawing the bow goes to accelerate the bow limbs and then at the end of the stroke the string tries to stop them, or at least their tips. You might break or damage the bow or string.)

Check bow strings for cuts and general fraying. To help them last longer, rub them with wax from time to time. Beeswax is traditional, and special mixtures are available from archery shops.
The moment of greatest force on the string is just after the arrow has left, when the bow limbs are still moving and the string has to stop them.

A small decrease in string length will cause a larger increase in the brace height, and will increase the strain (bending) in the bow limbs throughout the draw. Due to the string-angle geometry and the spring properties of bow limbs, depending on the bow this will have only a small effect one way or the other on the steepness of the draw-force curve (the way draw force grows as you draw). However, the draw will take place over a shorter distance (from increased brace height to same full draw) so at full draw the draw force will be less, as will the total energy stored by drawing. Therefore the arrow will fly more slowly.

Lowering the brace height will mean more energy available for the bow to give to the arrow, but if you set the brace height too low, the string will tend to hit your wrist when you shoot. (This can happen due to poor technique too, so you might want to wear a bracer to protect your inner forearm.)

The brace height has some effect on the dynamic spine of the arrow (how much it bends as it is shot), thus affecting left/right fishtailing.
The string thickness and arrow nocks should be matched so that the nocks can grip the string lightly without falling off. A serving on the string helps here, and also helps the string to slip off your fingers or thumb when you shoot. A serving is a wrapping of fine thread around the few inches of bowstring near the middle, where you hold it. Also, for consistency and to stop the arrow sliding up or down the string by accident, most people like to have a nocking point on the string over the serving: one under (or over) the arrow and perhaps another above (or below) it. This can be a little purpose-made piece of brass, or some people use a little wrapping of dental floss. You should adjust the height of this to suit your bow and arrows before fixing it in position: set it so that the arrow flies straight rather than purposing up or down. If it is slightly above the place on your bow hand where the arrow rests, the fletching’s should not hit you as they go by.

You might want a wrist protector to protect the inside of the forearm of your bow hand from the bow string.

If you draw with your fingers ("Mediterranean" style), you can protect them from the bow string with a tab or a three-fingered shooting glove.
If you shoot using an aid(trigger) make sure your D-loop position is correct and make sure it is secure, checking often for damage.
When setting the draw weight on your bow always make a mark on the adjusting bolt and your limb.
Turn the bolt in fully and mark top and bottom bolt, the count as you turn the bolt out to ensure both limbs are set at the same distance from the riser.
Do not turn out the bolts to far as this will cause serious injuries if limb bolts come out.
Most bows you can turn out the limb bolts 7 complete turns but some bows can only be turned out 5-6 turns, ensure you use the right standard for your bow.

All the above are common items available from all archery suppliers.