Arrow Nocks: Everything You Need to Know
Arrow nocks are a crucial archery accessory. They help to keep your arrow in place and improve accuracy. In this blog post, we will explain everything you need to know about archery nocks including how they work, the different types of archery nocks available, and which archery equipment would be best for you.
About Arrow Nocks
Arrow nocks are archery equipment that help archers keep the arrow in their bowstring. Arrow nocks are typically made out of metal, plastic or wood depending on their design and purpose. Plastic arrow nock is usually used for indoor archery because they tend to break when they hit archery targets or other objects. Wooden arrow nocks are used by archers because of their durability, but they can be more expensive than metal and plastic arrow nock. It is important to know the differences in archery arrow nock materials so that you can choose which one is best for your archery needs.
NOCKS SHOULD BE FREQUENTLY CHECKED
Tight groupings and repeated use take their toll on nocks. They can develop cracks or become worn. If you’ve shot a tight group, inspect your nocks for cracks. If you shoot a cracked nock, it can break and have the same effect as dry-firing your bow.
NOCKS NEED TO FIT YOUR BOWSTRING
The fit between your arrow nock and bowstring is an important consideration that’s often overlooked. The ideal fit has an audible click onto the bowstring – with a light tap, the arrow comes off the string. If your nock is too tight, it won’t cleanly release from the string and can disrupt accuracy.
If your nock is too loose, the arrow might come off the string while you’re drawing, which is unsafe. If you have an ill-fitting nock, re-serve your bowstring to better match the nock. You can also change your nock for one with a different throat size. Some brands offer nocks in either a large or small groove.
Another consideration is nock pinch. This is when the string’s angle is so severe it pinches the nock and can cause the arrow to lift off the arrow rest. To test for nock pinch, remove the point from your arrow and pull back your bow, but don’t release. The arrow should stay on the arrow rest as you pull back the string. If it lifts, you know you have nock pinch.
NOCKS COME IN A VARIETY OF STYLES
Archery gear is meant to be customized to suit your individual needs. Nocks are no exception. Arrow nocks are available in a variety of styles, but the most common are pin nocks, insert nocks and out-nocks. Which one you choose will depend on the arrow shaft you are using and your needs.
Best Arrow Nocks
1) Letszhu Lighted Nocks, Automatically LED Archery Arrows Nock
A perfect-fitting lighted nock, if a bit heavy, that outperforms other nocks in this class, is simple to use, and is durable enough for many archery sessions.
2) Easton Super Nocks
A securely fit arrow nock that lasts through dozens of draws and will leave archers confident that their arrow will fly true.
3) Nockturnal-GT Lighted Nocks for Arrows
A reliable, durable lighted arrow nock designed with bow hunters in mind, making arrows much easier to find in brush or low light.
How to Nock An Arrow?
The Nocking Point and the Nock Locator
Nocking Point
To utilize any form of nock locator, you must first determine where the locator must be placed. To determine this placement, you must adequately decipher your nocking point. This is done with the assistance of a T-square.
This T-square is laid across the bow’s arrow rest horizontally in a manner that intersects the bowstring. You will then place your nock locator at a point that is approximately ½ inch above this point of intersection.
When you set the nocking point on your bow and attach the nock locator, you’ll be able to attach your arrows to the string at the same place, every time you shoot an arrow.
Nock Locator
A nock locator is a visual aid that can be placed on a bowstring in a way that makes the consistent nocking of an arrow possible. The most common form of knock locator comes in a metal bead variety that crimps onto the bowstring at the point in which the arrow is to be nocked.
Set your arrow on your arrow rest. If you’re using a recurve bow, make sure the index feather points away from the bow; if you’re using a compound bow, the index vane may be pointing up, depending on the arrow rest you’re using.
Now that you have the arrow on the arrow rest, click the nock at the end of the arrow into the bow string. There should be a nice, satisfying catch as the nock of the arrow connects to the bow string. You may not hear the nock clicking onto the string, but you should be able to feel the nock secure onto the string.
Target nock Materials
From antiquity, nocks have been made from substances with good compressive strength, so they could withstand the impulse from the bowstring. Nocks of horn and bone are found in all manner of ancient archery artifacts from all over the world.
Another unique characteristic of the material used was that when the nock required replacement, the archer simply touched an open flame- as from a match or lighter- to the nock, which would ignite and burn so quickly that it wouldn’t damage the wood or aluminum shaft, leaving virtually nothing behind but fine, powdery ash that easily wiped clean.
G NOCKS
G nocks are found on some modern recurve bows and compound bows. They come in several varieties, of which the most common is a simple concave indentation that cradles the bowstring as it leaves the bow to go onto the arrow.
EASTON OVERNOCKS
Easton is a brand of arrow nocks that have been produced for over 50 years. Their most popular line, the A/C/C Over Nock has three internal ridges to keep it from sliding up and down the string when an arrow is drawn back. Some hunters also find them useful as they tend not to snag on brush or vegetation when hunting in the field.
PIN NOCK
Pin nock is found on most modern recurve bows and longbows. They consist of a small metal pin inserted into the end of the arrow that is then fit onto the bowstring to act as an index point for locating your fingers in order to shoot more accurately.
G PIN NOCK
G pin nock is similar to the pin nock, but they also include a small groove that helps keep the bowstring in place. They’re found on some recurve bows and longbows where accuracy is critical for longer ranges.
NOCK FIT
The fit of a nock is important, especially when it comes to the materials used for bowstrings. The wrong type of fit can cause damage to your arrow shaft and/or result in erratic flight patterns that will affect accuracy.
Different Type Of Nock Fittings
PRESS-FIT NOCKS
Press-fit nocks arguably are the most common nock today, as they are used with nearly all but the skinniest carbon shafts. They’re also used with many aluminum shafts, too.
As the category name implies, to install a press-fit nock, you simply slide the nock post inside the arrow shaft, and press down until the shaft end contacts the actual nock.
No glue is required with press-fit nocks. You just stick them in, and pull them out, as needed.
They are completely indexable, which means you can turn them to any position to align properly with your fletching’s and to achieve rest and/or cable clearance for your fletching.
PIN NOCK
Pin nock is used with metal- or aluminum-shafted arrows. What happens is the shaft end of the arrow has a hole drilled through it, which allows you to place an index pin inside it after installing your press fit nock.
To make things easier on yourself, use a small piece of masking tape across one or both ends of the shaft to make a mark for proper pin nock alignment.
This way, when you’re ready to install your arrow string on the bow, it will be easier to get your timing right.
OVER NOCKS
Overnocks were designed to be the answer for those who want a more secure press fit nock.
What happens is you install an index pin, and then slide your snap-on overlock (which has a hole in it) on top of the arrow shaft end, aligning with that index pin.
The snap-over secures your arrow nock in place, but is easily released when you’re ready to remove the string assembly.
CONVENTIONAL NOCKS
Conventional nocks are simply a notch cut into the end of your arrow shaft, which is then glued to keep it in place.
What you should know about conventional nock installation is that gluing can be tricky business! If not done properly, glue will ooze out and make removal difficult or even impossible.
How to choose the right nock (size and fitting)
Many people that are just getting started with archery think that every nock fits any string and any arrow. The truth could be farther from the truth. Every manufacturer has its own standards and there are many different fittings.
Therefore, we will discuss in this article how you can navigate through these confusing standards and choose the right nock. If you don’t have the time to read this entire article, the information below will help you out:
The fitting
Archers often talk about different nock types, which actually refers to the type of fitting. Not every nock fits every arrow, therefore you should always make sure that the nock can fit the arrow.
The mouth
The mouth is the part that slides over the string. When you nock the arrow, you often feel a click. This happens because the first part is narrower. This makes sure that the arrow stays firmly on the string.
The throat
When we discuss the throat of the nock, we mean the deepest part of the slit. This part of the slit is wider than the first part of the slit. This makes sure that the arrow doesn’t rotate with the string, which can influence the accuracy.
The ridge
Most nocks don’t have this feature since it isn’t necessary. But some nocks have a little line on the side. This line is to make sure that you correctly nock the arrow. If you would nock the arrow the other way around, the vanes are likely to interfere with the bow.
This can cause damage to vanes and decreases your accuracy. Most archers just learn how to nock the arrow, so I don’t think it’s very useful. But you now at least know where it is.
Conclusion
We hope this blog post has been helpful in explaining the ins and outs of arrow nocks. If you have any other questions about arrow nocks, or anything else related to archery equipment for that matter, please don’t hesitate to contact us at or leave a comment below. We look forward to hearing from you soon!
