Crossbow nocks

[Firehawk1]

What is the reason for the two different styles of nocks, flat, and half moon? Does one have an advantage over the other?

I just bought my first crossbow, and I am curious.

[Leo in Ga]

Excalibur's do not use the half moon nocks because of the design of their triggers, not sure about the other Mfg crossbows.

An added advantage of using inserts on both ends of the aluminum arrows is the ability to view through the arrow in order to detect any problems with a bent arrow, and also to use the threaded aid in removing the arrow from targets

[wabi]

There are two basic types of "claws" used on crossbows to hold & release the string - top release & bottom release. Excalibur uses top release which tends to force the string down as it is being released and eliminates the problem of the string jumping up off the rail as it is released. On some popular crosbow brands the bottom release is used and the string could actually jump off & over the end of the arrow if a half moon nock weren't used. If the half moon type isn't properly oriented with the string it can cause the string to jump off the arrow. too. Best stick with the one the manufacturer recommends, and avoid creating problems!

[GaryL]

Firehawk1, wabi hit it right on the nail....

[Firehawk1]

Thanks for the info.

No I don't own a Excalibur crossbow, I bought a Horton. I was looking at a Tenpoint, but seeing it is my first crossbow, I simply didn't want to spend that much money. There isn't a Excalibur dealer anywhere near me here in Indianapolis.

So am I correct in that Horton bolts come with half moon nocks, I should stick with them? Horton does have a bottom release.

Since I bought a Horton, can I still come here and play?

[LC Bowhunter]

Can you change nock types on the crossbow arrows? LC

[Woody Williams]

.....

Since I bought a Horton, can I still come here and play?

Absolutely.

We don't discriminate..

But sooner or later you'll be wanting to buy an Excalibur..

No need for a dealer.

You can buy from a dealer right here on the Excalibur forum (Wayne aka BJ) or through Archer's nook..

[GaryL]

.....

Since I bought a Horton, can I still come here and play?

Absolutely.

We don't discriminate..

But sooner or later you'll be wanting to buy an Excalibur..

No need for a dealer.

You can buy from a dealer right here on the Excalibur forum (Wayne aka BJ) or through Archer's nook..

DITTO W.W. above,

So am I correct in that Horton bolts come with half moon nocks, I should stick with them? Horton does have a bottom release.

Recommened on their bolts....

[wabi]

Not an expert by any means, but I believe Horton and Barnett use the bottom release, Excalibur & TenPoint use the top release. I'd use the manufacturer's recommendation to avoid warranty issue conflicts.
That being said, I have shot half moon nocks from my Excalibur & flat nocks out of a Horton with no problems. The half moon nocks do require attention to the cock feather orientation to be certain of nock alignment, so for Excalibur or TenPoint they would simply complicate things unnecessarily. For the flat nocks on Horton or Barnett, they could cause the string to jump over the nock and give a dry-fire, so why take unnecessary chances?

[ninepointer]

I am shooting half-moon nocks out if my Excalibur Exocet. All I can say is that it shoots very accurately. But I have not done enough precision shooting with flats or half-moons to draw any comparisons myself. I chose to use half-moons on the advice of two competitive 3D shooters that I know, one of whom shoots an Excalibur.

Ninepointer

[LC Bowhunter]

Can you change nock types on arrows