Placement of D-loops for Compound Bows

This is part 2 in a series about D-loop. In part 1, I talked about configuration of D-loop for compound bows and the effects they have on your setup. In this blog post, I’m going to talk about placement of D-loop and how it affects your "sight picture."

THE JOB OF D-LOOP

As I mentioned in the previous blog post, D-loop is one accessory found on pretty much every compound bow these days. The D-loop has 2 jobs. The first job is to give archers a place to hook their release to draw the bow. The second job is as a nocking point – to hold the nock of the arrow and keep it from sliding up and down the string during the shot. Before D-loops, nocking points were either brass nock sets crimped onto the string, or a “nock tie” made up of several overlapping wraps of serving material tied on top of the center serving.

D-LOOP PLACEMENT

Placement of D-loop on the string can affect many aspects of your shot, from how a bow tunes, to how your pin holds on the target while aiming. Loop placement on the string is an area that sometimes gets overlooked, but the location of your D-loop will affect how the bow holds on the target. In this article, I’ll explain the differences D-loop placement can make.

MEDIUM D-LOOP PLACEMENT

Let's begin with medium D-loop placement. If  you're not sure where to initially place your D-loop, this is a good starting point. This is typically where most archers start. 

HIGHER D-LOOP PLACEMENT

The higher a loop is tied onto the string, the more the sight will want to climb up the target as you pull against the back wall. In my experience, when archers move their loop up, it helps them to keep their pin up on the target with less effort.

LOWER D-LOOP PLACEMENT

The opposite will happen if you move the loop lower on the string. The bow will want to pull down on the target as pressure is applied to the back wall.

PRACTICE SESSION

When adjusting your D-loop, the rest and peep will also need moved, and the bow re-tuned. How high or low you can run your arrow and loop will depend on how your setup likes to tune. You’ll also need to check that you’re getting proper vane clearance. Keep in mind it’s possible to go too far one way or the other with this. After any adjustment to loop height, you’ll want to give it a thorough practice session. For example: I had a bow that paper tuned and held great with a high loop location, but the bow had very poor forgiveness. What do I mean by forgiveness? When a shot isn’t executed perfectly, it will miss its mark by a greater distance than normal.

Unfortunately, there’s no manual that can tell you what placement of D-loop will work best for your shooting style and bow setup. An educated guess, along with some trial and error, will eventually lead you to the most forgiving setup possible. Hopefully this D-loop deep dive: blog post #1 and blog post #2 will help someone get that much closer to reaching their archery goals.