Arrow tuning help.

[Orebear]

made up some new arrows recently that are the same spine i have been shooting with great results. they are cut to the same length with the same points. bow is a 55 lbs @ 27 inches selfbow that i pull to about 26. the arrows hits exactly where i want them to but they smack the bow upon release. arrows are 40-45lb spine sitka spruce cut to 29" with 190 gr tips. ive tried 125 and 160 gr as well but the smack keeps happening. im starting to think maybe its my knocking point making the arrow hit my shelf? any tips would be greatly appriciated.
thanks,
Casey[p;'l

[TSA]

hey Casey, can you ascertain whether the arrows are hitting the shelf or the  strike plate?
have you changed you release recently- or anything about your form?
when i am having trouble i shoot some shots with my eyes closed
so either a bale of hay- or a nice steep bank, or close to a target-
for me- i find when i  dont have the target to focus on- suddenly my shot regimen and focus is way better- my release is crisper and more consistant.
this might just help eliminate- (at least for your own peace of mind) any thoughts on form issues.

do you still have some of the previous arrows that shot well- shoot them interchangeably- and see if the problem comes and goes with the different shafts.

[TSA]

now if the problem only presents itself with the new shafts- you might need to scrutinize the shafts a bit- check the diameter and the spine.
 and also check your old shafts diameter and spine- changes in humidity and temp can have an effect on wooden shafts- as we all know

[Orebear]

Thanks for the tips! It seems like they are hitting the shelf. If i move my hand up they hit my knukle but the smack goes away. Ive thought it was my release so i shot them mixed with an old dozen and only the new ones make noise. Something to add is that the nocks fit a bit tighter than my previous self nocks. Could this lead to something weird happening?

[DC]

Do you have a spine tester or are you going by what you've been told they are?

[aaron]

It could be the nocks being too tight... do your other arrows do this? have you tried raising brace height or nock point a little? Do you have any arrows that do not strike the shelf? How long have you been into archery?

[Urufu_Shinjiro]

Could the different knocks be different enough diameters to be effectively changing your knock point on the string? Are the arrows porpoising?

[Orebear]

New to primitive shooting. And i think the nocks beeing a little larger like urufu said changed my nock point just enough to hit my shelf. I tried nocking my arrow on top of my nock point (an extreme example of nock high instead of exactly parallel) and the noise goes away. Now i think with a little fine tuning ill be able to dial it in. Thanks for all the help!
Casey

[TSA]

hey Casey,
if the nocks are too tight, they will wreak havoc with the fine tuning, best tension is as follows- clip the arrow onto the string, hold the bow so the arrow is pointing down, then tap the string kinda close to the arrow about as hard as you might tap the enter key on the keyboard- so a little firm rap- but dont clout it
the arrow should fall off the string. too tight it will create problems- too loose and can be a bit dangerous- possibly lead to a dryfire- if they slipped off the string unbeknownst to you.

to adjust the nocks "grip" dip just the horns of the nock into just boiled water, for a few seconds, then either squeeze them together slightly - or pull them apart slightly, then while holding them-dip the nock and your fingers under the cold water running tap- well thats what i do- boil a coffee mug of water and take it over to the sink- turn the cold water tap onto a light run.
dont over heat the nocks- to the point where they are too pliable , and dont heat the glue portion of the nock.- if the nocks have worn a bunch over time- they can be retightened - to be like new

hitting the shelf- i would look at nocking position on the string- like you did. just check that your shelf has a nice radius from belly to back- it should not be flat- where the arrow contacts the shelf should be the highest point.

good luck
 cheers!

[mullet]

I would bet it's the tight fitting nocks. I had that problem once, drove me crazy. After some light sanding and they got a little looser the noise and erratic flight went away.