Rawhide for arrow pass material?

[toomanyknots]

I'm am absolutely sick of all material I have used for arrow passes. Even the thickest toughest leather gets beat up on like the first arrow. Hair on hide leather losses all it's hair, essentially becoming hair off hide leather. Velcro adhesive will just literally melt. I know the obvious answer is to learn how to do a horn inlay, but that is just miles away from my capability. And to note, I am aware that most likely my arrow whipping is not as neat as it could be, and could be a big reason I am having so much trouble. Still, I was wondering, how does a rawhide arrow pass sound?   

EDIT: One more thing to add I forgot to say, my arrows are typically overly stiff, so that may be a cause too...

[Pat B]

Rawhide will work but it will be noisy to shoot off of.   I don't think your problem is the material you use but you might be shooting arrows that are not spined for your bow and draw.

[toomanyknots]

Rawhide will work but it will be noisy to shoot off of.   I don't think your problem is the material you use but you might be shooting arrows that are not spined for your bow and draw.

Right on the money.  My arrows are always too stiff, I just got use to shootin em that way a long time ago. I guess I need to try some properly spined shafts first.

[Pat B]

You might be surprised how well you actually shoot with properly spined arrows.    Bows get all the "publicity" in the archery world but without a well mated arrow a bow is only a stick and string.

[toomanyknots]

I really need to fork out some cash for an arrow spiner. Arrows are not my thing in the least. I am the biggest weirdo when it comes to shooting. I shoot right handed, but shoot with my arrow off the left handed side, off my thumb. I started doing that with toy bows when I was really little, no one ever showed me I was doing it wrong!  And on top of that, I spin my arrows way over stiff, and aim the arrow to the left of the target, almost instinctively. I bet when I first try some properly spined arrows I won't be able to hit crud. LOL

[osage outlaw]

You can make a super easy/cheap spine tester out of a scrap piece of wood, some srew hooks, a small ruler, and a 2# exercise weight.

[Weylin]

Something that helped me with this problem (though it may not help you given all of your shooting idiosyncrasies) was a tip that Gordon gave me when we were shooting. He told me to turn my wrist that was holding the bow out more (more bent, less straight). Just by doing that I have drastically reduced the arrow slap on the strike plate. They were getting chewed up instantly, like yours, but now they just get chewed up gradually. (because I forget to turn my wrist sometimes... ) Though I need lower spine arrows as well.

[mikekeswick]

Arrows,arrows,arrows are the problem.
Fix the problem not the symptoms!
You shouldn't be getting anything more than a mild scuff on the arrowpass when shooting.

You might be surprised how well you actually shoot with properly spined arrows.    Bows get all the "publicity" in the archery world but without a well mated arrow a bow is only a stick and string.

Absolutely right on. The best bow in the world is useless without a set of matched arrows. I have a bin of about 100+ arrows that were all part of sets at one time or another but their pals got broken and now they just get used to shoot new bows in.

[Pappy]

What Pat and Mike said. no doubt.
   Pappy

[DarkSoul]

Why would you ned an arrow pass in the first place? Leather, rawhide or velcro is all way softer than the material underneath in...WOOD! What's wrong with a few minor scratches on the wooden handle? That's the worst that could happen.

I don't use an arrow pass usually. I just place the arrow on the leather handle. Sometimes, with soft woods such as yew, I apply a horn inlay or even an exotic wood inlay/overlay. It requires only a sliver of abony/rosewood.

[Jude]

With my hickory bows I just buff the paint smears off from time to time.

[lesken2011]

Hey, 2many. I have used several different materials, but prefer velcro when I am not "going primitive". Then I generally use the same leather I use for my handle. I haven't really had too much trouble wearing them out, though.


FYI- I was given a right handed recurve when I was a teenager. I am right handed, but left eye dominant so I have always shot guns and bows in a left handed stance. So, similar to you, I shot a right handed bow left handed. I took an archery class in college and gave my archery instructor fits, but she couldn't argue with success. I shot really well. When I took the plunge to buy a longbow, the bowyer encouraged me to try to shoot correctly. (a left handed bow for a left handed shooter). I was amazed at how quickly I made the switch. By the end of the day I was shooting extremely well. The good part about it, is it solves other problems you don't think about till they are gone. I won't go into them, now, but I highly recommend trying it. I never went back.

[Jude]

Come to think of it, the Mongols, with their thumb-rings, were shooting with the arrow pass on the right for right-handed shooters, just as if they were using the wrong-handed bow.  One advantage was that it made it easier for them to roll backwards in the saddle and shoot directly behind and downward.  I once read a translation of an old treatise from a Mongol in India, on using that method to shoot tigers when they stalked the horse from behind.  Anyone care to go bowhunting for tigers?

[osage outlaw]

How long do your feathers last on your arrows.

[Del the cat]

Just to offer a different perspective from everyone else.
It may be worth checking the string line, is it running central.
Also put an arrow on the string with the bow held heavilly canted and see how it sits against the face of the cutaway (not the shelf) is the cutaway gently curved and does the arrow contact i the central area?
Check the nocking point on the string too, is it too low and thus driving the arrows down into the shelf.
Then when you've done all that make some correctly spined arrow like everyone's said
Del