I have been shooting since the mid-80’s and continually come back to wood each time I try a new arrow material. Try various arrow materials and see first hand, that’s part of the enjoyment.
For me, wood has all the requirements I want in my arrows.

very few things compare with a good shot made with a wooden arrow for some reason…however…i must cast some aspersions, too.

cost became an influencing factor for me to continue to shoot the woodies like i once did; the way i lost and broke wood arrows where i live it bacame an issue, mostly breakage.

I have an arrow question also. I switched from compound to recurve about 3 years ago. I started with aluminum so that I could eliminate one worry when trying to tune arrows to bow – bent shafts. I know aluminum is straight out of the box. I shoot XX75 gamegetter aluminum arrows right handed, and occasionally, I get a flier that exhibits eratic arrow flight where the back of the arrow kicks to the left. I can’t determine if this is form, brace height, or what. I intend to toubleshoot this problem this spring. Has anyone had similar trouble with [cheap] aluminum shafting? Assuming it’s not a form problem, can the more expensive carbon arrow shafting material, e.g. from Grizzly Stick, be more forgiving and result in consistently better arrow flight like the ads say, or is this strictly a form/equipment adjustment problem that I should be able to correct with the shafts I’m using? Maybe some day when I trust the accuracy in my shooting more than I do today and can determine the difference b/n wrong spine and a plain miss, I’ll switch to wood shafts to.

Thanks,
SK

I shoot different arrows for different situations.Wood arrows are really neat to shoot but require alot attention. For elk hunting I use aluminum or carbon. I do this because elk hunting is rough on equipment and on the body. I find that I don’t have time to check my arrows for straightness so I use a material that won’t warp in the snow and rain.Back have in Louisiana I will shoot my cedar arrows. Unless the rain gets real bad. For the beginner he or she should go with aluminum until they gain some experience.If they have someone who knows about wood who can help them along then mabe go with wood. Now again I am sharing my experience with arrows someone else may have adifferent view on the subject. Good luck and have fun.

You have made a good choice. Later in the game you can experiment, but for now stay with what works.

Okay, I am totally new to archery. I haven’t shot a bow since boy scout camp back in the early 80’s. I have waited to find a bow and scored a Bear Grizzly recurve the other day. It is a 50# with 28″ draw. I am not worried about handling it as I do a bit of weightlifting and I figure I have spring and summer to shoot before going into the woods this fall for some venison.

I have settled on getting aluminum arrows for now. But, I get overwhelmed when I look at them online. So, I need some direction in what I should obtain. I plan on shooting broadheads (I guess that is obvious) but what about length and spine (not even certain what that is). I am figuring I will need a 125 grain broadhead, but that is just a guess. Any suggestions would be greatly welcomed.

Singletrack43,

If I were you I would get some Easton arrows. I have XX75. What are you planning on hunting for? If it is deer then 125 grain should work fine. I use Zwickey Black Diamond 2-blade broadheads, they are 115 grains.

What is your exact draw length? What is the weight of your bow at that draw length? This info is really needed to make a good guess. With out it I would say a 2016 xx75 would be a fair guess.I would not go heavier than 2018xx75.These bear bows are not cut to center so they need a weak spine arrow. Again 2016.

Don’t wish to hijack the thread, I have lost patience with wooden arrows they have been driving me nuts I can hear them warping in the quiver.
In my quest for consistency I’ve gone down the aluminium route and had some good results, I am now trying carbon arrows only because so many people rave about them but cannot get them to shoot well no matter what I do they porpoise.
I’ve moved the nocking point up and down and all that does is to exaggerate the porpoising.
I’m tempted just to put the whole thing down to experience and go back to ally arrows but don’t like to be defeated, any suggestions?

Happy hunting, Pothunter.

I use carbon arrows.

Good on yer mate, how do your’s fly?

Nice fish.

Pothunter.

I have been shooting traditional for about two years now. I have used both aluminum and carbon but I have been debating about switching to wood. Does anyone have any suggestions/remarks about wood. I know they are a little more trouble to upkeep, but I think I want to try them.

Hi Johnboy

My experience so far, wood adds a variable to the archery experience that may lead you to question your ability or form so be confident with ally arrows before making the move.

An observation that may or may not have some merit, a friend uses tapered wooden shafts and these appear to be more consistent in flight, only thing I can think is that the weight is more forward and that any variation from straight is within the maximum diameter of the shaft. I’ll leave that for someone more mechanically qualified to comment on.

Let me know how you get on Johnboy.

Good luck, Pothunter.

Carbon has always been my favorite, alluminum sucks in my opinion. It bends to much. I hunt alot of small game so i miss every once in a while and hit trees or rocks and the only thing that can really stand up to that is carbon. Easton makes a good shaft no matter what and the best carbon shaft i have probably ever shot was Beeman MFX classics, look of wood but the strength of carbon.

I’ve had good luck with aluminum. My primary arrow stock is XX75 Gamegetters, but for hunting, I do believe that Easton Legacy shafts are a bit tougher than the GG’s. They don’t seem to bend quite as easily. I’ve shot some carbons, but haven’t taken the time to find one that shoots well and tune the shaft to my bow. I may eventually sit down and seriously try the Beman Classics, but that requires money, and in the current economy, money’s tight and I already have 2 1/2 dozen GG shafts. As for wood, I just flat don’t have the patience that they require. Just my thoughts and pennies.

Michael

For those of you thinking of changing to carbon with the look of wood you may want to look at the carbon express heritage. They look pretty good and I get good flight with them. I recently switched a few of my arrows to 4″ feathers I usually shoot 5″. After changing to the smaller feathers, the arrows seem to fly just as good as they did with the 5″ but they also are noticably faster. would changing to a smaller feather make a speed difference that is acutally noticable with the naked eye.

Just thought I’d add my 2 cents worth. I shoot carbons for practical reasons. I’d break too many wood or aluminum arrows. It would just end up costing me too much, and I don’t have to worry about them bending…or breaking, for the most part. Plus, I don’t have to spine test them, etc. I like the simplicity.

EDIT: I JUST switched to the ABS Grizzly Stiks (It’s too soon to give my impressions of them).

i agree with patrick totally, and to the fellow who suggested carbon express heritage made a decent call if you are coming from wood, but if you have shot carbon your whole archery career then the Beeman MFX classics are the way to go!!!

Pot,

Tell me a little about your bow…what is it, draw weight, your draw length, ect.

Now tell me about your carbon arrows. Brand, size, length, fletch type, tip weight.

I may be able to give you a few ideas…

Hi Steve O

It will be useful to have your views on my current predicament, I am using a Dwyer Longbow 64” 54lb. at 28”, and I am drawing 27.5”. After an accident I was drawing 26” and draw weight was 47lb. so I guess the bow is still around its original draw weight at 28”

Arrows, Terminator light 45/60, 5” helical fletch, 125 gr. pile or 125gr. SteelForce premium 2 blade broadheads, I don’t have the all up weight of these arrows.

Nocking point, between 1/8-1/4” above 90 degrees.

Any comments suggestions will be appreciated.

Best regards, Pothunter.

Pot,

I don’t know anything about Carbon Express arrow shafts…I have a problem with anything associated with Eastman; but that is another story.

The thing about carbon arrows is they are very easy to tune to a bow. You don’t just cut them to a specific length; you let your bow tell you where it likes them.

With a longbow like that you are going to want a weaker arrow to “wrap” around the riser. The closer to center cut a bow is, the stiffer the arrow can be.

To make the arrow weaker, which I suspect is the problem here, you either make it longer…which is impossible in this case or add point weight. Try picking up some 250g field tips or broadheads and see if your flight improves.

If you start over from scratch with carbons, get yourself something that has a .500″ deflection. Eason labels their carbons 300, 340, 400 and 500 and that is the actual deflection. Leave them unfletched to start with and shoot them thru paper or at a target and watch them fly. If you are RH and they are flying nock left, they are weak. Cut off half an inch at a time till they go straight. All this is done with the weight tip you want to use in the field. Once you get close, fletch a few and put matching weight broadhead on and compare flight with the bare shafts…you want them going to the same spot. Keep tuning in this way and increase your distance.

This method will also let you tune in your nock point…yours seems a tad low and that may be contributing to the issue. Nock point is eaiest to fix…start high and bring it down.

There is a much better explanation for tuning the stickbow and arrow here:

http://www.acsbows.com/bowtuning.html

It works well; have fun 😀

Hi SteveO
Thanks for your suggestions, my experience with aluminium arrows was telling me that the nocking point was about right but on reflection I think you may well be correct.

I started at full length as you suggest, missed out the paper tuning, and when they were flying straight stopped. It’s the porpoising that I have been unable to tame.

I will try some more weight up front out of curiosity, may try some thin washers so as to add the weight in small increments.

I’ll drop you a line after the weekend, let you know how I get on.

Pothunter.

OK, scratch the weekend, lots of wind and rain, not good for trying to be accurate. Will try again one vening during the week.

Pothunter.

I shoot Woodies exclusively!!! To me, its part of the Traditional world. Don’t get me wrong…Carbon and Aluminum arrows are great…I just feel they belong to the Modern bows. Ifin all your interested in is shootin the center out of a target, better jus get a compound bow and be done with it. I left that world behind to become a Traditional Archer. To take up the challenge of learning to shoot with longbow and arrow…No sights, no wheels, and no let off. Am I Good???…Afraid not…But Happy???…You bet ya!!! My goal is to make a well placed shot in the kill zone. Wood arrows are more than up to that task. Plus I get the joy of buildin em and tunin em. Theres a lot more work involved in buildin a good Wood arrow, but a lot more satisfaction as well!!! Course that again is One man’s opinion!

I will agree with WildCat about making and shooting wood shafts. I have been shooting the same 5/16″ Hickory shafts for about two years now and even after bouncing them off of trees and rocks I have not broken one yet.

Kemp–I have found some brand-spankin’ new aluminum shafts to have a very slight bend in them. I assumed they were straight, being brand new, and had a terrible time getting the to fly worth a darn. Closer inspection located the problem and after I straightened them they flew great.

Most people who shoot wood want POC shafts. Those are good, lightweight shafts and are easy to straighten. Some other woods to try are:

Poplar–Just a tad heavier than POC and tougher. Easy to straighten.
Douglas Fir–Same as Poplar
Ramin wood–A little heavier and tougher yet. Easy to work.
Chundoo or Lodge Pole Pine–Good shaft material.
Hickory–Heavier and a little harder to straighten but one of my favorites. Tough as he**. There is a reason why they make sledge hammer handles out of it. I shoot a lot of them and have never broken one yet.
River Cane–More labor involved but well worth the time learning to make them. One of my favorite hunting shafts for deer.
Bamboo–Same as cane and my go to hunting shaft material. Heat is an absolute must for straightening ‘boo and cane.

Dang, my floor hasn’t been that clean in forever:shock:

Dennis

I shoot nothing but Tonkin cane, there practically indestructable…

Hey, here’s what I’ve been doing, I shoot two different bows mostly, a 47# Pearson Flame Hunter T.D., and a 56# Pearson Hunter one piece, and I have found that XX75’s cut to 30″ with 3 4″ offset feathers and 125 gr. tips shoot well out of both bows, and they can be readily picked up at Wally world here during hunting season for about $4.50 ea., you’d just have to strip the vanes off and replace with feathers, and possibly cut them down an inch. Works for me, anyway…

what is it with people and complaining about bad arrow flight,i have shot arrows spined from 45 to 70 spine on my 60lb bow as long as they were strait they flew strait.if yall really got that mutch trouble with arrow flight i want to know the makers of your bows so that i never by one.not to sound rude but really why so mutch trouble with arrow flight,i have straitened shoots over a fire fletched them with 5 in helical feathers and killed squirrells with them,they fly just fine.i want to know why do yall have sutch a hard time with good flight and,in fact would like to know whate the heck tuning an arrow even means.one more thing i agree that hickory is tough i made a few arrows to play with out of oak dowwels,tougher than anything i have ever shot.

Hi Crittergitter

I have met three guys that can pick up any bow and arrow combination and shoot well with it, within reason, so I guess you belong to a very unique group.

Myself when everything is going well I can mix and match a little but never to the point of being confident enough to hunt.

Mark.

[What kind of carbon arrows are you using? I tried four different brands before hitting on carbon express. THey work great for me I use the heritage 250’s shooting them from a 55# bear cheyenne longbow. They fly beautiful for me. I tried Grizzly stiks in the same bow they had real bad propoise that I 45# recurve though. I guess what im saying is experiment with different brands before you give up on carbon.

Happy hunting, Pothunter.