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Performance characteristics of center shot bows
Part 2 of 3

Bow "A" Experiments

Distance of center of arrow groups to right of point sighted on when bow was held in left hand, or left of point sighted on when bow was held in right hand.

Arrow Set      Three-finger Release      
With Glove Bare Fingers
W 30" 23"
X 44" 30"
Y 56" 32"
Z 71" 45"

These experiments demonstrate clearly the faultiness of the three-finger or Mediterranean release and how the use of a glove or tab increases its faultiness, the worst condition is that shown using birch arrows "Z." The average distance the ar­rows grouped to side of the point being sighted on was 71 inches when a shooting glove or tab was used and 45" when the shooting was done with bare fingers. When shooting with bare fingers the string does not have to go so far around the finger tips to become released and therefore the arrow goes closer to the point it is being sighted on. In this group of ex­periments the arrow had no freedom to offset the faulty three-finger release as it had to pass right through the center of the arrow rest.

It is interesting to note the relationship between the dis­tance the arrows grouped to one side of the point sighted on expressed in inches and the deflection of the arrows caused by a one-pound weight expressed in hundredths of an inch.

Arrow Grouping, Inches from
Point Sighted on
Deflection, Hundreths
of Inches
W - 30 74 - W
X - 44 60 - X
Y - 56 46 - Y
Z - 71 28 - Z

These figures would indicate in a rough way that when arrows are shot through an arrow rest which forces them to leave the rest at its center, the less the spine of the arrow (within limits) the closer it will come to the point sighted on, which would indicate that the weaker arrows re-adjust them­selves to a greater extent to the side shove they get at release. Note that the relative spine of the arrows could be roughly determined by the distance they group from the point sighted on.