There are other threads recently on this exact same subject. The answer hasn't changed, no.

 

.

 

I have not noticed this, but nocks take the brunt of the force of each shot and can get worn. If you are flex testing your shafts regularly and change out your nocks if a shaft seems to be less accurate, I think you will find they are pretty durable. Skinny graphite fishing rods.....especially the tip area....get stressed a great deal more than an arrow hauling in a good sized fish. I've had a few for many years without noticing any loss of strength or resiliency.

 

that’s one thing I have learned recently about nocks - I never really thought about them being a wear item. Is there a recommended interval for changing them out?

 

My dad and I used to shoot quite a lot back in the day (lol), but yeah we usually found out that our groups started opening up after about a year of heavy shooting. My dad made a spine machine and actually documented it once.

It takes a LOT of shooting though, and I think really thin walled, lightweight arrows (like what's used for competition) are more susceptible to it than your average hunting arrow.

 

Some will, yes. Some formulas can bend/take a set over lots of shooting or hard impacts/deflections/getting hit by other arrows.

And yes, change your nocks, often.

 

I’m new to this sport, good to know about changing your nocks, I would t have thought of it unless one was damaged. They are inexpensive as well so no real issue with changing them regularly.

 

Thanks. I was curious to get other's thought on this. I like the idea of changing nocks on a more regular basis.

Dale - I wasn't aware of related threads on this topic recently.

 

From a strictly engineering structural standpoint, what would be ones explanation for degradation of carbon (hint, there won’t be one)? There can be damage to the binding of the fibers, but weakening of the material will not occur. Carbon is stable indefinitely

 

From a strictly engineering structural standpoint, what would be ones explanation for degradation of carbon

Simple. It's not the degradation of the carbon.

Not all arrows are made of 100% carbon. Many, such as most of Easton's (and previously Beman) Hunting offerings are made with a blend of lower or high modulus carbon and a fiberglass composite. This allows them to continue to produce arrows in the USA, where EPA (and Taxation) regulations are much tighter than in Mexico and Asia where nearly everyone else build their shafts*. I admire Easton for this, but because of it, they have always been a step behind their peers when it comes to "all carbon" shafting.



*Tangent-
Some Easton arrows, such as the original Lightspeeds, Fatboys, Redlines, and a handful of others were 100% carbon. They were also built overseas, and so are most of their successors. The easiest way to tell is look at the Easton catalog- any arrow made in the USA will say so on the catalog page and they are blatant about it. Those made overseas have no such mention. For the current 2021 Target catalog, take a look see at all the Superdrive, Avance, and Inspire shafts. No "Made in the USA" to be found. Yet the A/C and Alum shafts proudly wear the Made in USA emblem on their respective catalog pages.

 

The main wear mechanism to carbon arrows is largely tied to target materials.

Shoot at separate dots into a quality foam target and your arrows would literally last for decades. Shoot into excelsior, Stramit, or other abrasive materials, or shoot tight groups repeatedly, and you can measure changes relatively quickly.

Nocks are a wear item and need to be changed according to frequency of use, impacts from shooting groups, bow weight, chemical exposure, and string fit.

 

Everything manmade degrades at some rate over time (and if you look at entropy, then everything in nature degrades as well, but that's another story). I don't know if carbon arrows degrade enough to be concerned over 5 years or a lifetime or another number. But anyone saying that something made in a factory using epoxy does not degrade (they will be found in 1,000 years in a sedimentary layer by aliens) has to be wrong based upon basic principles.

 

I'd avoid leaving carbon arrows stored, for years, in direct sunlight. UV rays would break down some polymers used in manufacturing some of them. Other than that highly unlikely circumstance, shafts won't degrade.

 

Good stuff.
Another part of my post was whether you believe the "straighness" is impacted by shooting and pulling arrows out of targets over a long period of time.

 

Carbon fiber doesn't break down over time, its why its actually really bad for the environment. Doesn't degrade. Can't be recycled well yet. It does fail when it stresses, bends, binds, cracks. SO if you are storing arrows in a not direct heat/cold type place they will actually last more than your lifetime. And if stored in a proper place they will be just as shootable as the day you purchased them.

The wreaking or cycling of the carbon fiber themselves and delamination from terrible cutting is how they fail. Or a hard side impact. Not time.....

I am not an expert of any means but i have done lots of reading on carbon fiber as it relates to cycling, not saying its apples to apples but carbon fiber is a pretty amazing product.

Short answer don't worry about the carbon over a value of time, but measured by the abuse it takes. It will take LOTS of cycles shooting the arrow because it was designed to take the load that way, side way or flexing is where the damage is at. Why we flex the arrows to hear if it has a weak spot or crack.

 

Carbon itself has a half life of 5730 years and so the material itself is unlikely to break down, however with this said the bonding agents and additional filler materials are subject to differing levels of decay and can be impacted by a number of issues. I generally check arrows before every shooting and retire any that have even a slight indication of a splinter.

 

Hunting type diameter arrows seldom show wear. I have some 20 years old and still shooting. Large diameter arrows do wear, but it still takes quite a bit of shooting.

Good stuff.
Another part of my post was whether you believe the "straighness" is impacted by shooting and pulling arrows out of targets over a long period of time.

Rare is straightness effected and if anything it would be larger diameter shafts.

that’s one thing I have learned recently about nocks - I never really thought about them being a wear item. Is there a recommended interval for changing them out?

Nocks don't wear as fast as some say - like change often. Reported is changing nocks every 200 shots. I have yet to change a nock due to wear and I've shooting 20 years.

These are Carbon Express CXL 250s I used for testing vanes back around 2010 - about a 1000 different vanes. Someone said Platinum glue wasn't any good. Got these arrows out and shot them. So 10 year old arrows and vanes and glue still holding. Still accurate.
Picture is dated 8/4/2020.