Whisker biscuit ??????

[Orlip]

Need a little help. Bought the boy a bow for Christmas and it has been roughly 15 years since I have shot. I think my last boy was a XI Legand. Any way I have never seen these whiskers before and the 2 things I noticed were 1. The arrow is smaller in diameter than the whiskers. Wont that let the move a little on release making it hard to site in. 2. the arrows I bought don't knock up on the string like before. Is that because of the whiskers?? I hope someone can understand this and provide insight, thanks.

[koonie]

Whisker biscuits come in a few different sizes so you may need to look at one with a little smaller hole. I believe they come in small, medium, and large arrow sizes. A little gap is alright and you shouldn't have too much problem sighting it in.

As far as the nocking is concerned it shouldn't have anything to do with the rest, it's probably the knock itself.

[Knute78]

First,Make sure you have the correct WB for the type of arrow(carbon or aluminum)AND make sure you get the correct size of WB for the size of arrows you shoot, this should take care of any fitting problems with the arrow and WB. If this is done correctly sighting in should not be a problem.

Second, What do you mean by the arrows don't nock up like they used to? Even with the "normal" two prong or drop rests of today the nock on all arrows are generally the same as they used to be and attach to the string in the same way. I have not noticed any difference in nocking the arrow using a WB with my bow.

If you explain that a little further maybe we could help a bit more.

Thanks, Chad

[Orlip]

I remember there was and is one feather lets say yellow and the other two green. The yellow would be horizontal when properly knocked but I am guessing that with the wb this is no longer an issue. As far as arrows and such goes they are carbon.

I appreciate the help but I think the ball is back in Cabelas lap because they were the ones that sold it all and said ohhhhhh you need this and ohhhhhhh you need this so it better all work together.

[Knute78]

With the WB I have heard that the "cock" feather(the single off color feather/vane can be either perpendicular (horizontal) to the string or parallel (down) to it. This is because the with the WB there is no issue of clearing the rest prongs or the drop bar as with other rests. I prefer to shoot with the cock feather down, that is just me, many will argue against that. I think the biggest issue with the WB is making sure none of the fletching are hitting the hard outer wall the wiskers come out of when shooting.

[irvingdog]

It absolutely does not need to be sized perfectly to the arrow! As long as the hole is bigger than the shaft, everything is fine.

[crookedfisher]

here's the scoop on the WB. The odd fletching always goes up because the black whiskers on the bottom are stiffer than the brown ones. if you shoot with the fletching down it will tend to put more drag on the arrow and in some cases makes the arrow shoot slightly low. Also the size of the hole does matter because the differnt size holes were designed for the type of arrow your using not using the correct size hole could affect the occilation of the arrow.

Another thing is that after a while I've noticed that the vanes tend to warp and that can also cause the flight to be affected.

[Knute78]

Right From Carolina Archery HSOforum Page Tuning Tips: "Cock Feather Down - Depending on the string nock travel path of your bows (determined by the type of cams) the cock feather can come in contact with the bracket at the bottom of the biscuit. To eliminate this potential contact you can do one of the following: If you have tunable nocks, turn the fletching so that it clears your cables and riser. This will move the nock away from the bracket at the bottom of the biscuit. For fixed nocks, simply turn the arrow over and shoot with the cock feather up."

Pretty much you can shoot with cock feather any way you like as long as it clears the cable and riser, this mentions nothing about bristle stiffness from what I understand.

From the HSOforum about WB hole size: "In general, a loose fit is good, and a tight fit is bad. A tight fit can result in more noise and possible left-right errors from hand torque. How do you adjust the biscuit to fit the shaft?

The biscuit can be removed from the rest by loosening the two set screws. To increase the hole size, grasp the two ends of the ring on either side of the split and pull them apart while twisting the ends up and down. Only minor adjustments to the hole size are possible. Excessive adjustments may create a weakening in the bristles beneath the arrow where support is needed. If a gap in the bristles is created during adjustment, then the next larger size biscuit is recommended. A large amount of clearance around the arrow shaft does not cause any problems. A loose fit works best."

[irvingdog]

Sorry Crookedfisher, you're incorrect on several points. The size of the opening can and actually should be larger than the shaft. It's just a fact. Secondly, distorted vanes mean about as much as "fuzzed" feather-fletch arrows. as long as it is symetrical, it's overall effect is minimal at best.

[almostthere!]

So, from all the problems which every can not agree on, the WB is junk? This is the impression I'm getting from all the posts.

The best thing to do is return the WB and get a drop-away rest.

I've kept up with this thread closely because I am in the market for a new bow and will need a rest of some sort. Part of the reason for a new bow is speed, which translate into a flatter trajectory and more kinectic energy.

I went into cabelas and tested the Black Ice with a WB and it was slow as my old bow, which is so slow one can see the arrow arch.

[JiggingSpoon]

I have a WB on a Bowtech Old Glory and i love it, all i had to do was use feathers instead of vanes. It tore the vanes off the arrow. Once i started shooting feathers, i never have had a problem, shoots fast and straight. Harvested 2 deer for me this year with no problems at all. Just my experience with it. I shoot with the cock feather up, because i also heard that the darker whiskers on the pottom are tougher to hold the shaft up so the vanes or feathers shouldn't pass through them, it wouldn't be consistent with the rest of them.

JS

[Swamp Scooter]

I tried one on my new Trykon for hunting and thought it went alright but tried to see it on paper and am having trouble getting it to not tail high. So I am going to try the drop away next. I liked the WB and the security of the arrow in the rest was nice when drawing. I shot 2 years with one for leagues and did just fine. Just matters what you can shoot but they have their place.

[Orlip]

Thanks for all the info guys. It sounds like the cock feather issue is resolved. One thing i am still curious about is the gap, There seems to be different opinions about this. The gap i am seeing is about 1/16th of an inch around the arrow??? From what I am reading I would guess that is okay. I will still call Cabelas to see what they say and then post it here.

[irvingdog]

Don't presume I hate the bisquit. I don't. It is what it is; an excellent hunting rest that makes accomodations for some of the most frequently encountered hunting snafu's. It is wonderfully accurate for most folks who shoot it. Would I use it to shoot "X" at 75 yards? No. Is it a brilliant hunting rest? Yep. Killed 3 deer this year with it. It is, without a doubt, the best "spot-stalk" rest on the market. I've sold, and installed a lot of rests in my time.......

Your mileage may vary.

[snapcrackpop]

I like my WB. It is a HUNTING rest. No worries about the arrow falling off when moving around, drawing and letting back down(important) and quiet. Other containment rests look good too, but some are metal or larger and I worry about the arrow making noise.

Cock feathers/vanes.

The old style WB (without the black fibers), cock feather does not matter at all. The black fibers are stiffer so turn your nock so the vanes or feathers clear the black fibers.

Hole size, want a medium for most carbon arrows. The new extra small arrows like Easton Axis and such would use the small, and the aluminum ones would be for the large WB.

The "wiggle room" is minimal when drawing back, the arrow rests at the bottom of the hole, thus centered.

Another thought. I have been toying around with the idea in my head to use the 4 short blazer vanes without any twist.

Ooooh the possibilities are endless. You are going to be going crazy about August!