Archery/fletch own arrows anyone?

[NPloysa]

Anyone else into archery? I have a Hoyt Raptor with a Redline single cam, 75 lb, 29 inch draw, 75% letoff, fiber optic sights, 7 arrow quiver, 6 inch stabilizer, etc. I shoot 31" XX75 Gamegetter 2117s, with a crappy little Trufire release.



I have been fletching my own arrows for years and it works ok I guess. I buy the raw shafts from Cabelas and put the inserts, nocks, vanes, points on myself. I use right helical and cock vane down.



It's been a while since I had been practicing and had 9 arrows, 5 of one camo pattern and 4 of another. I mixed and matched vane colors since I was out of all one color. Now I am down to two after breaking 3, bending 2 (rock behind paper target), and losing some.



And the question is: Since I am getting new ones, should I try out carbons or buy a dozen or so premade aluminums? I don't hunt (though it is a hunting bow) but just target shooting stumps, paper targets, balloons, etc.



Any tips, ideas? Thanks!



Nick

 

[deaton]

Nick,

Try the carbons, you`ll never go back.

The main thing is buy good quality and get them matched to your bow (weight, spine, length).



I am currently shooting the easton axis arrows and I love them.

Dave

 

[BarryG]

Hey Nick, you might want to get a hold of Sticks up north of town. If I recall he was really into it.

 

[Sticks]

Hey Nick!



Past tense. Rotator cuff injuries in both shoulders have forced me to stop.



$5k worth of equipment for sale... C H E A P (my Turbo money when it sells)



Now to answer your question.



How much do you shoot, and how good a shot are you?



Last I checked the carbons were pricey, and to be loosing them in the brush or smacking them against a tree, rock, branch... it adds up real quick.



My A/C/C's that I was using for target were about $20 each when assembled. I thought long and hard before getting into a game of nock-nock or shooting a single spot target.



If you are looking for speed, then yes, carbons are the way to go. You can go a little lighter than recommended for your draw weight, but check the shafts regularly for damage.



Practice is the key. I've shot with many an old timer with stick bows and wood shafts that out shot a lot of boys with the latest and greatest, that their only practice was to sight in the bow the week before going hunting (those are the ones I loved playing nock-nock with ). For backyard shooting or stump busting, I would stick with a good thick walled aluminum shaft, in an obnoxious bright color with florescent vanes. It is real hard to lose a red shaft with pink vanes in the weeds. If you get into competition, or start shooting at an indoor range, then invest in the carbons.



Find a farmer with some nice green hay or straw bales that are wrapped REAL tight. Avoid the wire bound bales, the arrows will cut the wire. Those make excellent targets/backstops.

 

[NPloysa]

How good a shot? I can group seven arrows at 40 yards within 6 inches of eachother. Granted, this is just within the last week, when I took up practicing since a year ago. Most of the time I shoot sightless and am pretty good. I can shoot a 2x3 foot paper target (laying up against a steep hill) at 100 yards without sights.



Thanks for the tips. I will probably get more aluminums since they are cheap and I tend to break em.



Nick

 

[LRotter]

Okay, I'm going to go contrary to what Sticks said. I would personally get carbons, no matter what I was shooting at. I have found that carbons are much more durable than aluminum and they run about the same price as a decent aluminum arrow. You can shoot a carbon into a tree, pull it out and shoot it again. A lot of times, you will bend an aluminum arrow enough that it won't shoot good doing that. About the only thing that will break a carbon is a direct hit on a rock or a glancing blow on a tree or similar hard object. You will break an aluminum doing that too. Look at some Carbon Express arrows, they are good quality and are reasonably priced.



My stuff:

2004 Mathews LX 75lbs, 29" draw, 80% letoff

Whisker Biskit rest

Impact Hammerhead fiber optic sight

Alpine Soft-loc 6 arrow quiver

Flexi-Doinker stabilizer

30" Carbon Express 400s w/ Muzzy 100s for hunting

290 f. p. s.

 

[RHARVEY]

And you have us traditional shooters that cap and crest our own arrows. I use a tapered 23/64 laminate wood arrow that is cap'd with white and crested with yellow and black. Feathers are 2 whites and 1 yellow. And then its tipped with a 125 grain Zwickey 2 blade broadhead. This combination is shot from a 66" Jim Brakenbury recurve. At 29" it pulls at 65lbs.



Rick

 

[NPloysa]

How long have you guys been shooting and how accurate are you?



I have tried longbow and recurver but I prefer drawing, then holding and aiming instead of drawing and aiming together. Just me I suppose.

 

[LRotter]

I've been shooting bows since I was 12 and I'm 25 now so that's 13 years. I used to shoot 3d competitions from about age 13-18 but I kinda got burnt out of it. In my heyday of competitions, I was always able to hold my own and won quite a few times. Never went to any of the big regional or national events. I'm just now getting my grove back and am probably going to do a few shoots this year and try to get fully back into the swing of it next year.



How accurate am I? Not near accurate enough. I can put 6 arrows in the top of soda can at 40 yards but I'm not happy with that. I would like to be that accurate at 50 yards. I'm getting there though. Gonna go home and shoot some this evening. Might wait until it cools off a little bit. Right now it's 95 with a heat index of 110. Nice weather.

 

[Shovelhead]

Oh greeeeeat, bring this subject up... ... .....

Now I'm gonna hafta drag my butt out in the yard and practice again.

Currently 4 compound bows and 2 stick bows.



I've shot aluminum (fletch my own, 3" straight, cock vane up 2213 @ 30" for bullseye bow, cock vane down 2213 26 1/4" for 3-D bow) and Carbon.

I crono'd my 3-D bow @ ~10 FPS SLOWER (290 vs 278 @ 70#) with carbons than with aluminum.



I shot 3-D leagues and field in the warm months and bullseye leagues during the winter. Used to shoot in the mid 290s indoor.



Stopped shooting when my son was diagnosed with Leukemia in '94, never got back into it.



Never got into hunting,..... not enough patience.

 

[Sticks]

I was shooting NFAA 5 spot and Vegas 3 spot at local, national and international tournaments.



50 arrows in a hole the size of a quarter at 20 yards... that is why I don't like shooting two arrows at the same "X". You 'Robin Hood' a couple and all you can think is "Great, there went $50"



· Browning Medallion - 65% let off – 27”-30” draw – 45-60# - Golden Key Futura 3D micro tune arrow rest– power peep

· Browning Maxim- 65% let off – 28”-30” draw – 45-70# - Golden Key Futura 3D micro tune arrow rest– power peep

· Kudlacek carbon scope sight 4x Hoyt sight - scope or pin

· Bomar Archery stabilizer 30”

· Kudlacek’s 4x carbon rod stabilizer 32”

· Hoyt(?) “Y” stabilizer

· Fletchmatic 3 finger rope release

· Stanolowski(sp) three finger rope release

· 4 tube – 3 pocket belt quiver

ARROWS

Easton Superlite X7

· 6 – 2512 35” Match weight

· 6 – 2512 35”

· 7 – 2512 32”

· 6 – 2114 32” Match Weight

· 6 – 2114 30” Spin Wing

· 8 – 2114 30” 4x fletch

· 6 – 2114 32” Bare shaft

· 7 – 2114 32”

Browning/Beeman Mirage carbon shaft

· 11 – 8033 32” Bare Shaft

Easton Superlite Aluminum Carbon Competition (A/C/C)

· 6 – 3-39/440 29” Match Weight

· 6 – 3-39/440 29” Spin Wing