Nocks and Nocking

Nock sizes vary considerably!

One of the least thought about parts of archery kit is the arrow nock. To many, its just a tiny bit of plastic that goes on the end of the arrow and not worth thinking about but nothing could be further from the truth. The nock is vital and its size, colour, material and condition are things you really need to consider. So lets get into some details about this annoyingly expensive and insanely fragile piece of plastic.

For all its size, the nock has a vital role. Its the connector between the stationary arrow and the thing that supplies all the energy to make the arrow MOVE! ie: the string. On a recurve bow, the arrow will accelerate up to 150mph in the space of 30" and 1-2 tenths of a second. Its even more severe on a compound! That's a lot of potential energy being converted into kinetic energy extremely quickly and its all going through that tiny piece of plastic. Believe us, its taking a beating every shot so here are a few things to think about...

Firstly, you need to check your nocks on a regular basis. If any cracks appear in the nock or gets ANY damage from being rear ended/smacked with a vibrating arrow ... it needs replaced/discarded right now. The damage need not always be obvious which is why inspection is important. Don't wait. Either pull the nock and put that arrow away or replace the nock immediately. You don't want to accidentally use it again. If the nock fails as you shoot that arrow, you could get a dry fire. The arrow falls on the floor and all the energy that would normally go into the arrow is now going into the bow. Something expensive could break as a result since that energy needs to go somewhere, it doesn't just vanish**. In compounds this often involves catastrophic consequences. Recurves are a little more durable but still ... you don't want this happening! Always a good idea to have spare nocks in the spares drawer/your pack. We cant emphasis enough how important it is to check those nocks and discard the second any damage is detected. (Internationalists check their nocks EVERY end which can be seen in any match on the WA YouTube channel).

not the best pic but you can see the L and S for groove size

Next most important is size. Here we are talking about the size of the groove that connects to the string. Some nocks are visibly larger like the Easton 3D Super Nock (top nock first pic - for high spined aluminiums) or tiny like the Easton Pin Nock (bottom nock above pic - for carbons). A suitable nock is dependent on what sort and spine the arrows are. However, there is no real standard sizing to the grooves. For example: On the pictured Easton pin nocks (left) - they have 2 groove sizes. The Large is 0.098″ (2.49mm) and Small 0.088″ (2.24mm). These give you the opportunity to fine tune the nock onto the string. The arrow should click onto the string securely but a solid flick of the string with the arrow hanging downwards should cause the arrow to detach. Too tight and the arrow doesn't leave the string cleanly. Too loose and you are flirting with a dry fire. The thickness of the string is dependent on the number of strands and the material used as well as the thickness of the central serving material and how tightly its wrapped. Also wear will reduce the string thickness at the nock point as the string gets used so worth ensuring nocks on a new string are a little tight. Every string is slightly different and it can take a bit of experimentation and fiddling to get your groove right ... bit like life really!

Material is important and while many archers aren't aware of this, it is worth considering. Some plastics are more durable than others and others are quite brittle. Transparent nocks are always on the more brittle side and can fracture internally. This is visibly checkable, think cracked ice. Opaque (typically white and black) in the main seems to be much more durable without all the cracking, they tend to either be fully functional or wrecked. However, all nocks should be considered a perishable item. Worth considering materials if your arrows clash a lot like when shooting indoors.

Hmm .. what colour nock will look best in medal celebration pics?

Once again we return to colour in archery is important. Why is this important here? Well, some colours of nocks only come in transparent ... so your arrow colour scheme might push you into one particular material that might not suit. Secondly, its worth considering how your arrows will look in the target at distance. At 30m and beyond it becomes very difficult to pick up your arrows in a busy target even with a scope. Some colours stand out well in the gold but less so in some of the other colours. Conversely some show up well in the other colours but not gold. Sort of similar to not putting green fletches on your arrows if you put a lot into the grass!

So nocks are a pretty vital part of your arrow construction and there are many designs to chose from. We know the cost of these puppies is often ridiculous and they are frustratingly fragile but its a false economy to ignore them. It's a good idea to have a complete set of spares and if you are a regular shooter of arrows, to completely replace the nocks a minimum of once a year. Nock failure can do a lot of damage to your bow especially a compound so "check and replace" can be vital to the health of your bow.

In closing we'd just like to say (possibly predictably ;o) ... NOCK ON DUUUDES!

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** “Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be changed from one form to another.” ― Albert Einstein