BY: JOHN DUDLEY
Most bow setups today have a D-loop installed for the release aid. D-loops are great if they are installed correctly. However, if they are not installed correctly, it can cost you dearly. First, you need to be sure that your D-loop does not pinch the nock of the arrow too tightly when you’re at full draw. “Nock Pinch” is something that many people overlook, yet it is so simple to check. When you draw back any bow, the string naturally forms a triangle at full draw. The length of the bow, length of the draw, and the bow’s brace height all determine how wide or sharp that triangle is. The sharper the angle, the more likely you will have nock pinch from a D-loop. The spacing of your D-loop and nock points will determine how much they pinch your nocks on the back of your arrows. To check this, simply remove the point from the front of your arrow and draw it back with your bow. If the arrow raises off your arrow rest, this is an indication that you have too much pinch. Another test is to draw the bow with and without a field tip and point it down at the ground as if you are aiming down from a treestand. Again, if the arrow lifts off the arrow rest either with or without the field point, you have too much pinch. For my bow and draw length I have about .5 mm of spacing between my arrow nock and tied nocks. This space goes away at full draw and provides me with the perfect nock fit at full draw with no pinch.
Bow strings create a natural triangle at full draw and preventing nock pinch at this point is critical to accuracy.
The next thing to pay attention to regarding your D-loop is what direction it is pointing. You want the D-loop facing straight back directly towards you when the bow is at rest. This is very important because when you fire the bow and the arrow leaves the string, you want the D-loop to stay directly behind the arrow nock as it directs the arrow from the string and not come in contact with the arrow. I’ve noticed with a lot of archers and bowhunters that as their string breaks in, the D-loop starts to move around the side of the string. Instead of addressing this problem correctly, they just clip on the D-loop and force the string to rotate around towards them as they draw their bow. What happens in this scenario is once the string is released, the D-loop tries to spin back around to where it started. Oftentimes, the momentum of the D-loop makes it spin even further than where it started, ultimately slapping the back of the arrow as it travels through the bow. This causes poor arrow flight and terrible inconsistencies.
A properly positioned D-loop greatly enhances consistent and accurate arrow flight.
Make sure your D-loop is pointing directly straight behind the string, and if it isn’t, you will want to tie a new one or get your bow in a press and rotate the string so that it is straight. Keep in mind that if your peep sight isn’t rotating properly, that could be due to string twist as well. I believe that every archer and bowhunter should know how to properly tie a D-loop, especially since you never know when you will need to tie one in an emergency. To help you learn how to properly tie a D-loop, I have put together the VIDEO BELOW. Good luck and Nock On!
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