Hunting arrows have been tagged with a number of catchy monikers over the years, while being compared to just about everything that flies. Thanks to Firenock, the arrow’s relation to a “missile” has just become one step closer to the truth. How? The activation switch in a Firenock lighted nock works on the same principle as the second arming switch in modern missiles used by our armed forces.
“The Firenock needs to sense a specific acceleration before it will arm,” said Dorge Juang, owner of the company. “This prevents the nock from turning on at the wrong time and draining your battery or, worse, alarming game. It takes a full 65Gs of force to illuminate the Firenock.” Juang, not coincidentally, is a retired DoD project manager for the Tomahawk cruise missile system. For several years he has worked and designed parts for other companies. Which companies—and what parts—are mostly buried under gag orders. “I could give you my history and how Firenock got started, but you wouldn’t be able to print it,” Juang laughed. He continued, “Really, the important thing is not what has happened in the past, but what Firenock has to offer now and the exciting projects we have planned for the near future. We have the most-precise lighted nock, with the most options and choices of any company. It’s ridiculous. Some of our nocks have options ranging in the thousands. Many I have to build as the orders come in; it would be impossible to stock them all.”
Juang has often been asked why he makes so many options and so many different colors. “Target archers and hunters simply have different requirements. Even within a discipline, there are different needs. Deer hunters do not need waterproof Firenocks, but when bowfishing they do. Some archers are color blind, but that does not mean they can’t see one color better than the next. If they tell me what part of the world they are from, I can usually select the color they will be able to see the best,” Juang explained.
For 2011 Firenock has created the Aerovane fletching jig for use in fletching the company’s unique vanes. “I have been selling Aerovanes for two years now and have been frustrated with the jigs on the market. I haven’t found one of them that’s precise enough. Currently, I am developing the Aerovane III and Aerovane X, both of which will require even more precision. My only option was to develop my own jig with the precision [1/72 degree offset] I needed,” Juang stated.
The Aerovane jig is a modular system featuring different chucks and hooks to ensure the maximum possible repeatability (precision) for different-size arrows. The entire system can cost as much as $800, which is a large bite for most to swallow. However, this investment can easily be balanced by the precision that Firenock products provide customers, assured Juang.
(815) 780-1695; www.firenock.com
