wood vs aluminum arrows

[sticks&stringz]

What are the pros and cons of aluminum shafts and wood shafts? do aluminum shafts bend really easily?

[Bud B.]

I prefer stumping with carbon, then wood, then aluminum last. Aluminum is great and straight, until it is bent. I can straighten wood with consistency.

It is really a matter of personal preference.

Of the three materials I mentioned, I think aluminum is the easiest to tune. Still, it is a matter of personal preference. Of the three materials, I own/use aluminum the least.

[Recurve7]

Aluminum for me, especially stump shooting. 2117's are very durable due the it wall thickness. Cedar arrows are quite and can be made beautiful. Not a carbon fan, though they are tough I have seen them splinter when damaged.

[JRY309]

I shoot all three arrow types and like all three.Aluminum arrows come in a wide variety of spines,easy to work with.And usally don't require the extras to get their weight up.Tune them to length with the proper spine and add the point weight and you'll have a good arrow of enough weight for the bow.They can be bent but use a better shaft like a XX75.They cheaper alloys like say a Easton Fall Stalker,they have about 1/2 the strength of a XX75.Wood I like them too,all I shot years ago because it was a requirement for Trad 3D classes back then.With wood you have to put more effort in them unless you buy already made up ones.I preferred to make my own wood arrows,straighten them stain and seal,then crown dip and crest them.A good quality set of woods will cost you more then a good set of aluminum arrows.Carbons are tougher then both but a whole new learning curve in getting a properly spined carbon arrow for you and your bow.

[reddogge]

Carbon for me is the toughest and most maintenance free with aluminum a close second. I haven't bent one in ages but I do own a straightener so no big deal to straighten one. Wood is the most delicate and requires some maintenance to keep straight. I shoot all three for different things.

[Cavscout9753]

I shot aluminum arrows as a kid. No real problem with them. Maybe not the best for a back quicker or any side quiver where they'd rattle around? For toughness carbon always wins so there's no real sense in worrying about wood or aluminum durability. You will bend or break either of the two. I'm not a wealthy man, but I have accepted that my wood arrows will be broke. Or I'll have a wonky one here and there that goes into the stumping-arrow bin.
The "pro's" of wood arrows are contentious and debatable. Everything I say about them can and has been refuted and argued aside from just personal opinion.

- I can tune wood arrows very easily. I imagine I could aluminum too, just haven't tried.

- I shoot long bows and they seem to want wood arrows.

- They're quiet in the woods. Either in my back quiver, taking them out, putting them in, bumping them on the riser, etc. they're just quiet.

- Douglas fir is a great arrow wood. When done right, they stay straight a long time, and are very durable.

- I can get a heavy arrow pretty easy without a crazy amount of tip weight. 160 grain tips is about my limit and the arrows hit hard.

- sometimes the weather sucks. Or its dark and I can't shoot. Tinkering with my arrows is relaxing and fun (to me). They each develop their own personality, (im not a weirdo I swear).

- This last one...take with a grain of salt; it is entirely my opinion: I shoot a traditional bow. I shoot a long bow. I enjoy the challenge, the nostalgia, the effort, the limits. To back out when it comes to my arrow seems wrong. How could I explain to some wheelie shooter what I love about traditional archery just to shoot a carbon or aluminum arrow? The argument for one is the same argument for another. Again, that's just ME.

[Sam McMichael]

I have shot aluminum and wood. I prefer wood. Both aluminum and wood are more durable than many give them credit for. However, you are going to lose and break a bunch of arrows. If you don't you are not shooting enough nor pushing the envelope enough. As Dan Quillian once told me, "Don't fall in love with your arrows, because you ain't gonna have them that long."

[NY Yankee]

If you like to work with wood or don't mind taking a little extra time to tinker with your arrows, wood makes a great arrow if they are done well, and that takes knowledge and experience, but it is an education worth having. I enjoy working with wood arrows and if you take care of them, they will last a good while. Half the fun of wood, for me, is making new ones so I personally dont mind if I damage one. If you shoot poorly, you may break or loose one. I have seen hardwood shafts bounce off some pretty hard things and still be usable. PM me and I would be glad to elaborate. This is my opinion of wood arrows.

[NY Yankee]

I also shoot aluminum arrows. I grew up shooting Easton Game Getters and Autumn Orange shafts. Aluminum arrows are very easy to build and are pretty much maintenance free. You can keep a bunch of shafts on the shelf and the other components in a box and have a dozen arrows assembled and ready to go in one night. I have done it. All you need to know is what the specs are for your last set and you can easily duplicate them with aluminum arrows. When you are done hunting, you can set them in the corner in your quiver, ready to back out again that afternoon. If you hit a rock or real hard stump they nay crumple, but otherwise are an excellent arrow. Use a heavy walled shaft like 2018, 2117, 2219 if you can get it tuned correctly. Thais is my opinion on Aluminum arrows.

I have some aluminum arrows that have shot thousands of times and they are still straight.  People must really get rough with their arrows.  I have one cedar with a judo point that is over 20 years old and been used as my warm shots for that long when I am hunting with cedar arrows that match it.   I notice many thread where folks are scratching the heads trying to get carbons to fly.  Seems like  a lot of experimenting takes place.  Most people that I make arrows for always want wood, they pull a poopy lip when I tell them that I do not have the right woods on hand for them and suggest aluminums.  Either way, if I know the bow and how they shoot exactly, I can hit the right spine for them.  With carbons, I am afraid that I would have to help micro tune everyones arrows for them.   If you make your wood arrows and follow any online directions, like on the Wapiti Archery web page, wood arrows are not so difficult and better than most nay sayers will tell you.   Sure if you shoot a rock with a wood arrow it could break, but if you make your own from quality suppliers you can save some bucks.  One thing with aluminum, when the spine is just right, they are good.  but when the spine is off they can show worse arrow flight than a wood shaft that is off that same amount.   By that I mean if you draw shorter than normal or go to heavier or lighter heads.  The aluminum will let you know that it is not as happy before the wood arrow.  They both work, just don't pick pretty rocks as stump shooting targets.

[Red Beastmaster]

I was a diehard wood shooter for over 20 years. I even chastised buddies for shooting alum or carbon. I used to say shooting aluminum was like petting a dog backwards, it gets the job done but it just ain't right.

Around 8 years ago I secretly tried aluminum after yet another dozen crappy cedars. Holy cow! Perfect flight from every arrow!

I am now an unashamed aluminum arrow shooter! I shoot my old woodies at stumps and kill stuff with aluminum.

[last arrow]

My cousin gave me a beautiful set of ceder arrows several years ago that he made from a "matched" 60-65 lb set of shafts purchased from a reputable supplier.  Though the correct spine for me, I couldn't get them to shoot well.  I acquired a used Ace spine master tester a few months ago.  On seeing this post I decided to test those arrows. They were evenly distributed in spine from 52 to 69 lbs explaining why I couldn't get them to work.

As a comparison I pulled the remaining 5 tapered ceder arrows from the last 2 dozen I made in the mid 80's and every one spined at 66 lbs.  Note I didn't own a spine tester then. I shot a few groups with them last night and they still shoot well.  I purchased them from a supplier that said he matched them in a 65 to 67.5 spine range and within 10 grains weight. I liked that he took the time to write the spine and weight on each shaft as I did not have the equipment to test at the time. I believe the per dozen cost was slightly less than the cost per dozen of xx75 Al at the time.   I would return to wood if someone would match them like that supplier did even if the cost was similar to a dozen xx75 shafts. Maybe that can be my retirement business. For now I will shoot Easton FMJ as they offer the best blend of AL and carbon characteristics.

[FlintNSteel]

Thin walled aluminum arrows can dent and/or bend fairly easily.  Not just from hitting something hard or a glancing blow off an object, but just from being struck by another arrow in a tight group.  By thin walled I am referring to shafts with .012 -.014 wall thicknesses.  I like heavier walled shafts like 2018's, 2117's, 2219's, or 2020's depending on bow weight.  2020's and 2219's are hard to beat, in my book.  My wife has shot 1918's and even though they are small diameter, they are a pretty tough shaft due to wall thickness.

I have also shot a lot of wood arrows and there is just something special about them, especially in longbows.  To me wood arrows and longbows just go together.  Wood arrows, properly straightened (I like to hook straighten as they usually stay straight that way)and sealed can be quite impervious to bad weather.  They will never be weatherproof like aluminum or carbon, but they are very good.

IMO wood is a quieter arrow in both handling and shooting.  Aluminum seems to have a "ting" when it shoots.  Of course for weight and straightness consistency in new shafts, aluminum (or carbon) is hard to beat.  Aluminum or carbon are a lot less work to make because of the straightening and finishing wood shafts require.

Hope that gives you a few things to ponder.

[longbow guy]

I like em all , again depending on the job at hand. Deer  wood. Squirrels carbon. Turkey's carbon or aluminum. My arrows are setup for specific game .

[Jock Whisky]

I shoot 'em all. I like wood for the traditional aspect and the fact that I just plain like making and shooting them. I use plain glue-on blunts for stump shooting and rarely break any.

My favorite aluminum is 2020 (talk about tough) and 2016. Unfortunately I'm dropping poundage due to age I no longer shoot 2020s. Aluminum is very consistent in weight and spine.

Carbon is very tough and won't bend. They will split at the ends and shatter if you heap too much abuse on them but they are very tough. Be careful of weight and spine. I've found up to 18 lb difference in some of the cheaper carbons and weight variations too.