[Fletcher]

in reply to: Help with fletcher! #24180

I’m sure most of today’s fletchers will do a good job. I’m still using the Bitzenburger that I bought in the late 70’s, and when I needed more jigs, I bought all Bitz. If you watch the classifieds and auctions, you can get one pretty reasonable. You won’t regret buying a Bitz.

[Fletcher]

in reply to: Mail order source for tungsten wire? #24171

I couldn’t find it anywhere until I searched it out online. I quite happy with it and need some more, so I’m going to buy a spool and add it to my arrow business. I’ll send you a couple feet.

[Fletcher]

in reply to: Arrow Spine #24162

Dennis, if you arrows are hitting the side plate, they are too stiff. Paper tuning will likely confirm this. I’m a wood arrow guy. My Robertson shoots 27″ arrows with 160 points that match spine with draw weight. For yours, I would recommend 65-69 lb spine. Go up a notch if you want to shoot a heavier point.

[Fletcher]

in reply to: Fletching Jig Preference #24147

Good choice, Patrick. The Bitz is what I use, too

[Fletcher]

in reply to: Most Trouble Free Wood Shaft #24143

Thanks, Dave. It’s great to be here and I hope I can help. I’m sure I’ll learn plenty, too. I have a post over in the Ashby forum describing my HFoC Spruce arrow. I’m over 20% right now and will be working on getting a bit more. Total arrow weight and spine limitations are going to be the limiting factors with wood arrow FOC, but we can clearly improve a bunch on where we’ve been.

Enjoying the journey!

[Fletcher]

in reply to: Mail order source for tungsten wire? #23137

Clearly, tungsten’s mass and stiffness make it a great choice for an internal weight for wood arrows. It’s cost is the major drawback. I’ve been having very good results with 1/8″ lead wire. It weighs 35 grains/inch and costs about $2 per foot. Two inches is pretty easy to do, but I see three inches to be the practical limit for drilling the hole.

A lightweight Sitka Spruce shaft with a 70 grain insert and a 200 grain broadhead will have some impressive FOC for a wood arrow.

[Fletcher]

in reply to: Wood arrows and EFOC #23113

EFOC in a wood arrow is going to be a challenge due to the shaft weight and spine limitations. It is possible to get some pretty high FOC, tho.

I shot this pig, 125 lb dressed, a couple of weeks ago. The arrow has 20.6% FOC. It is a Sitka Spruce shaft, 28″ BOP with a 50 grain 1/8″ lead wire internal weight and a 190 gr VPA Terminator. Shaft spine is 70 lb and the total arrow weight is 620 gr. The bow is a 58″, 54 lb @ 26″ Pronghorn TD. The shot went in near the last rib and stopped in the opposite front leg, centering the heart on the way thru.

A similar 125 lb hog was shot with a similar HFOC arrow, with a 70 gr weight and a Zwickey Delta. Full penetration, completely cutting ribs on both sides. I haven’t figured the FOC but it will be pretty close to the other arrow.

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[Fletcher]

in reply to: Most Trouble Free Wood Shaft #20733

I’ve made, shot and hunted arrows made with all three, so I’ll throw in my 2 cents. POC is clearly a fine arrow wood and easy to work with. It is kinda lightweight and the most fragile of the arrow woods. I agree that today’s POC is pretty lacking in quality.

Douglas Fir is, IMO, the best shooting arrow wood I have used; very “snappy” and recovers quickly, pretty durable and carries good mass for a hunting arrow. Mass weight varies a lot, over 100 grains in a batch of 100. It straightens well and will stay straight when sealed. It takes stains nicely and looks great.

Sitka Spruce is currently my other choice for an arrow wood. It has the highest strength to weight raito of any wood and is the wood that wood airplanes are made of. It is quite durable, straight grained, straightens well and shoots very well. Its light weight lends it to using heavy heads for high FOC arrows.

Hickory/ash I don’t have much experience with. They are heavy and tough, but can have straightness issues.

Laminated Birch: good stuff but heavy.

[Fletcher]

in reply to: UBI this weekend? #20690

Dave, it was an honor and pleasure to have you with us this weekend. I look forward to crossing paths with you again sometime soon, I hope.

[Fletcher]

in reply to: Big Thick Soft Warm Wool Sweater #20681

M, what size do you need?

[Fletcher]

in reply to: Ideal Broadhead weight #52280

I prefer 160+, but it’s more important that it tunes well with the bow.

[Fletcher]

in reply to: Cold Hands #52279

I wear a wool glove on my string had and just put my tab on over it. Helps to practice with it a bit but it will only take a few shots to get used to it. I have a heavy trigger finger glove for my bow hand. When it gets cold, my string hand will spend most of its time in my pocket, but the glove lets me use it to hold my bow and give the other hand a break once in a while. I like to keep my bow in my hand while on stand. Those flip top mitten things work pretty good, too and you can keep a handwarmer packet in the mitt part.

[Author]

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