The Carbon Conundrum

[bullcalf]

#6738

I am having difficulty transitioning to carbon arrows. I love the weight I can get from them, but want to stay with wood. However, since ethical kills are the primary goal everytime I loose an arrow at game, I am going to go with what gives me the best performance. So, that being said, what type of carbon should I try. I shoot a 56 pound longbow and a 60 pound recurve. Any suggestions are appreciated. God bless.

[sapcut]

#54251

I’m sure others know more than I but I would suggest Gold Tip Ultralight 500. It is probably stiff enough for you to add weight to increase FOC IF you so desire. They are reasonably priced as well.

[mikelee]

#54455

Really any of the better carbons will work. I have a 55 # Hawk bow and have had good luck Shooting Carbon express Heritage 250s .Easton Axis 350s. and beaman Classics350s,as well as the Gold tip 5575 Traditional. They all work fine for me . I have also tried the Alaskan Grizzly stiks . But decided they were to expensive in relation to performance. You can find all of these @ three R. or Kustom king Archery. I get my CE arrows from Rocky Mt.Specialty gear . The folks at 3-R also sell test kits of the various brands .Good luck And have fun experimenting . Mike

[Homer]

#55276

Bullcalf — what type of “difficulty” are you having? You didn’t say, unless you mean the emotional difficulty of choosing to leave wood in favor of carbon. Many of us reside in that gray area. My solution is to shoot both, depending on mood and game. A good cheap carbon shaft for your weight bow is the CE 250. I’ve never had one split or break and they exhibit a very wide range of spine tolerance which is good when you’re experimenting for max FOC, which is my own primary reason for going to carbons over wood. That and the handiness of screw-in heads. If you have a local bow shop you should be able to buy single shafts and try a few different brands. Good luck, Homer

[Bounty Hunter]

#55887

A lot of the difficulty that folks have with carbons is none of the Manufacturers label the spine of thier shafts in a consistant manner. You have to research each one of them to determine what is the right shaft for you.

With a 56# and a 60# bow you could shoot the same shaft in both but either your point weight or shaft length would vary between the two. Your 60# would like a little less point weight or a shorter shaft than your 56#.

If you are going to setup for max FOC (front of center) then you are going to have to start with a 300 spine shafts.

Easton = 300
Carbon Express = 250
Gold Tip = 7595

Your draw length also plays a role in the overall out come, so you will need to know what your draw length is for both your bows. It is not uncommon for it to vary between two different bows. A lot of us tend to have a bit shorter draw with a heavier bow over a lighter bow.

Start with your shafts 2″ longer than your draw length (if you can) and get yourself a field point test kit (actually you will need to order 3 test kits to have enough points). Then you will be ready to start your bare shaft tuning. If you would like a procedure for bare shaft tuning PM me with your email address and I’ll send you one. Good luck – Derek

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