Bow "B" Experiments

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

In these experiments the arrows were not allowed the same degree of freedom of motion as they would have if shot from the standard type of bow, as they struck against the left side of the bow opening after leaving the arrow rest, the opening being ¾ inches wide and ¼ inches from back to belly of bow, but as they had more freedom than with the "A" bow type of arrow rest they grouped nearer the point sighted on when either a glove or bare fingers were used.

Experiments Using Bows "C" and "D"

All arrows irrespective of their material, length, diameter or spine grouped around the point sighted whether shot with three-finger, pinch or mechanical release, with a glove or with bare fingers.

With the type of arrows rests used on "C" and "D" bows the arrows were free to move to the left (bow held in left hand) without obstruction and the arrows had an oppor­tunity to readjust themselves after receiving the side push caus­ed by the string going around the finger tips, and they there­fore grouped around the point aimed at.

Tests Using Pinch Release

With the pinch release or its equivalent in a mechanical releasing device, all four sets of arrows shot from all four bows grouped around the point sighted on, the sight being kept in the vertical middle of the bow at all times and adjusted vertically to take care of the different weights of the arrows in the different sets.

If matching target arrows for spine to a fine degree is as difficult and important as many archers appear to believe, then the center shot bow of proper design has an advantage over other types, in that arrows of greatly different spines will group together on the target without any allowance be­ing made for differences in spine.

The center shot bow also has the advantage that very light arrows may be shot with heavy bows giving flatter trajectories than are possible with bows that force the arrow to bend in order to go around it. The 28"—7/32" diameter 290 grain "Z" arrows performed very well when shot with a 45 lb. "D" type bow. This "Z" arrow has so little spine it became per-manently bent when shot just once with a 45 lb. bow of con­ventional design.

No doubt hundreds of center shot bows have been made and shot but it is seldom that one is seen in use. However, as indicated above, properly designed center shot bows have certain inherent advantages which, when more generally re-cognized, should increase their use considerably, and may be­come the favorite type with many archers.

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