Puzzling bolt weight question need help?

[Woodsman]

Could something be deflecting...maybe the vanes? Otherwise a heavier arrow should shoot lower.

[wabi]

I think it might be the nocks. I've re-served a string and had my elevation change, so just a few thousandths of an inch on where the string contacts the nock can make a differance!

[wabi.]

You could carefully file one of the half moon nocks to make it a straight nock & see if it changes point of impact.
wabi - not logged in

[Guest]

JH45gun, I have a barnett ranger too, (recurve) I got on ebay I tried different arrows thru my chrony the 10inch stroke with the 150 lbs was slow with the aluminum arrows and i was worried about string jump. I finally got 230 fps out of a smaller diameter carbon arrow( 330 grains). It is much smaller in diameter than any of the arrows you mention and the string does not go over it( got 2 deer with it). I am using the flat nocks.
I would go with what shoots the tightist groups at 20 to 30 yds. be it flat or half moon and forget about one arrow versus another, the heavy arrow should hit low so something is wrong and I don't think you can get good groups
with the wrong set up.
James

[Tar Heel]

Gee wish this thing would stay logged in
James

[Woodsman]

Are the vanes all the same height on all your arrows. I'm thinking maybe the lighter ones push up in the track (too high for the track) causing them to drop more.

[GaryL]

Got this reply from a other site sounds reasonable to me.

Quote "but common sense should tell me that a heavier bolt should drop instead of rise but this is not the case?"

Not if the heavier bolt stays on the launch platform longer (even ever so slightly) than a lighter bolt, and is subject to a longer in duration upward force (because of weight), caused by the workings/actions/forces of the crossbow when the trigger/lever is pulled, on the crossbow than of a lighter bolt; thus the heavier bolt will impact higher because of the increased angle of launch

Duh! must be a longer bolt, no that would make no diff as rail travel would be the same.

Help me out here what would keep it (bolt) on the rail/platform longer

[BUCKSHOT]

I am still learning about arrow sizes, weights e.t.c. But I was wondering, if the center of ballance or weight differential between the two different arrows, was different, would that not affect trajectory? I believe the proper ballance is for the front to be 10 or 11% heavier than the back.
Please correct me if I am off on this! It just seems that perhaps if the ballance isn't just right on the heavier arrow, it would take longer for it to drop, as the front of the arrow should lead the bolt to the target.
Hope I nailed it for ya!

[steven in England]

This sort of thing is some of the baffling things about bolt flight. I would guess f.o.c as well maybe the difference. It would be good if you measured them both and posted the results. Are your vanes or feathers the same and is the offset the same?
Steven

P.S Barnett customer services don't know zip about crossbows. Its really frustrating to buy any product and get a so called customer service person who has not got a clue about the product. Happens to me all the time from mobile phones to other electrical gear and most of the time I am speaking to someone in India who cannot understand my English accent.