Yeah mine has a shelf. So when the arrow flexes under compression, the inner curved side is the weak side and thus should likely face towards the bow?
No not off the shelf for that usually weak side towards the bow window. My Tbow off the shelf shot best that way.
I don't think there is "always" a right answer to this. I posted this in another thread but, it’s just a function of fine tuning that particular arrow to that bow. An arrow that is slightly weak you could turn the stiff side in towards riser, slightly stiff you could rotate the weak side in, and everything in between. I can’t imagine a particular bow would ‘always’ want the stiff side in to tune, or vice versa.
The key is that the arrows are tuned to the bow and that all arrows match in orientation.
Now I recently got a Old Mountain Mesa longbow that is cut before center. Does it change where the cock feather should be because of that?
I find a ton of info on center cut and cut after center, but hardly anything on cut before center.
As far as cock feather orientation. In theory if an arrow is perfectly tuned to the bow it shouldn't matter. In reality I have found that some bows like the cock feather oriented different than others. Whether that's because the arrow tune for that specific setup isn't "perfect" or because I tweak that specific bow in a certain way when I shoot it. I have one bow that will not shoot a cock feather in any orientation other than 12:00. I have other bows that prefer the cock feather facing away from the riser, and some that it doesn't matter . I personally have never had a bow that prefers the cock feather towards the riser but, I know people that have and shoot that way.