Reply To: Carbon vs Wood which is tougher

[George D. Stout]

#41836

I’ve got some cedar arrows from the 1950’s that were shot for target over a summer. They belonged to someone who was a very good target shooter and now they just reside on my rack.
I have cedars that I still shoot from at least four years ago. I broke three of that dozen, and lost four of them…the other five are still usable.

Anything fibrous, such as wood, fiberglass or carbon will weaken over time if used significantly….that’s life, but the notion that it is only for a few hundred shots is ridiculous. I don’t base my feelings on conjecture, I base them on experience..period, and lots of it.

I have never seen aluminum tubing weaken in spine over time and shooting….and I have shot them more than most folks I would guess…at least way more than the average shooter. If I don’t bend one beyond help, or break them, they will last for decades.

I would honestly say more arrows are abused through pulling from targets than the shooting process….or just plain abuse overall. My granddaughter shoots some 1616 aluminum arrows that my wife used extensively in the late 1970’s for over a dozen field rounds; they are still straight and at spine and fly great.
I also have eight usable 1816, 24SRTX from the early 60’s that were used for field rounds. They are straight and work great as well.

I would venture to say that carbon, wood and aluminum are ten times more durable than most folks realize. Most good shafting will be broken or lost before it’s worn out through wear. I think we should all be happy we have so many good choices. Whoooooda thunkit’ when Doug Easton figured out that first aluminum tubing in the 1930’s.

And, for those who think aluminum isn’t traditional for some reason, it was used to win the 1939 Nationals.