I just noticed that a couple of people had asked a question regarding how to adjust your nocks for a proper fit to the string and how to gauge the fit.

Some leave the fitting to natural nock wear after having shot numerous arrows. I consider this method to be a method that would require a lot of shooting and the nock may still not wear to a proper fit or each nock wear equally.

For tight nocks, some shooters will lightly sand the nock grove until he or she obtains the fit they prefer. I have never liked the sanding method because sanding has to weaken and distort the nock.

I am sure there are others that use different methods, but here is mine.

I still prefer and use the boiling water method:

1. With bow and arrows ready, and a cup of cold water sitting close by, I get a small pan of water boiling.
2. Once the water is boiling I submerge the nock just to the depth of the nock groove, and slowly stir in about a 3"-4" diameter the number of times that I have previously and experimentally determined is sufficient for the particular nock.
3. I found that 6-7 stirs was usually sufficient to soften the nock end for the larger glue-on nocks, and about 5 stirs for uni-nocks. However, you have to gauge for yourself. Just do not overly soften the nock.
4. For nocks that are too tight, once I have softened the nock I then snap the nock on my string 3-4 times, and then quickly dip the nock in the cup of cold water.
5. For nocks that are too loose, once I have softened the nock I snap the nock on the string an give the nock tip a quick squeeze, then quickly dip the nock in the cup of cold water. I do this until I get the fit I want. If I have squeezed the nock too much, I then readjust the fit using the "tight nock" method.

After I have pre-fitted and thoroughly cooled my nocks, I then check each one for proper fit:

1. I snap the shaft on my string and first check for a nock being too loose by hold the bow horizontal with the shaft hanging vertically. If the nock is to loose, the shaft will fall off. I set the shaft aside in a
"too loose" pile to be readjusted.
2. If the shaft does not fall off, I then gently pull the shaft using just two fingers. If in my judgement it takes too much pressure to dislodge the nock, I put the shaft in my "too tight" pile.
3. If the shaft requires a gentle pressure to pull the nock off the string, I put the shaft in my "good fit" pile.
4. I then readjust the nocks that did not pass muster.

For fit, I prefer that the entire grove have a slight pressure on the string. This helps keep the string bottomed out in the nock groove. I do not like the string to first slap the bottom of the nock groove before driving the shaft off the bow. The string slap in a nock can throw your groups off.

This is MY method. Some shooters are opposed to the "boiling" method, believing that the method weakens the nock. I have never had nock breakage that I contributed to having weakened the nocks using the boiling water method. In fact, I have only blown 1 nock in 40-years of shooting.