getting set up

[kyhuntertoo]

well, i went and bought my first recurve the other night.  found a new bear kodiak supreme for 289.  i think that's a good price?!  anyways, i bought a beaman .400,  gold tip 55-75, and an easton lite 2016.  none have been cut down yet.  i'be also got some 5 inch feathers that are going to go on, and a nock. bought a glove, stringer and some 125 points.  the bow says 50#, so, having said that which one of the arrows will be best set for this bow.  I'm a wheels guy trying to get in to this sport and i'm lost as can be.  I cut and fletch my own shafts, so i guess i'll just be experimenting unless someone can point me in the right direction. i'm shooting off the shelf and, right now, plan on shooting 3 under, gap style.  any and all tips would be greatly appreciated.  draw lenght on my wheels bow is 28, so i should cut my shafts down a little less than that, right?  Thanks!

[NDTerminator]

First thing you need to do is measure your draw length so you know exactly what it is.  Until you do you won't know your bow's actual draw weight, and so won't know how long or what spine arrow you need to start with.

Take one of your full length arrows, come to full draw, and have someone mark it even with the front of the sight window.  Thats' your draw length.  You will need 3/4"-1" longer arrow for safety, although your arrow may tune out longer than that.

If your bow's draw weight is measured at 28" (this info will be marked on the bow), it will be more or less if you draw more or less than 28".  2#-3# difference per inch is normal.

It is common with Trad bows to have a shorter draw length than you do shooting compound.  It's also likely your draw will vary as you experiment, until your form settles down and gets consistent.

I'll leave others to advise on arrow tuning, but speaking for myself, all my bows draw 51#-55# at my 28.5" draw length and shoot great with arrows of .400 spine.  With alums I shoot 29.5"-30" 2117's, and carbons I shoot 29.5" 4560 CX Terminators or Terminator Hunters.  I can also shoot the .340 spined 6075 CX arrows as long as they are 30"-31". I use 4" vanes and 125 grain points so these arrows weigh from 480 (carbons) up to 550 grains (2117s), depending on configuration.

I personally don't like longer arrows than neccessary so I tend to shoot the stuff that tunes out at 29.5".  Just as with compounds, I like a stiffer spined arrow for broadheads.

Although I find alums much easier to work with & tune, more & more I'm graviating to the carbons....

Hope this helps...

[kyhuntertoo]

ok, just cut down the aluminum to 29.5  that's about an inch past the shelf.  threw it on the scale, as well as the feathers, insert and point and came up with 475.  I need to be closer to 500, right?  There's no way either of those two carbons are going to get  close.  I think they came up to 420 and 440 before being cut down.  How are you guys using carbons?  Are you putting extra weights in the insert? Doesn't that weaken the shaft?  Is 475 going to be close enough or do i need to try a heavier shaft?  Thanks again.

[kyhuntertoo]

and reading the easton tuning guide, the adjusment methods for recurves are assuming that you're using a rest.  i'm shooting off the shelf.

[NDTerminator]

475 is just fine for your setup.  A lot of guys add weight to their carbons by replacing the alum inserts with a brass insert of 50 or 100 grains, or use weight tubes that go inside the shaft.  I keep 50 grain brass inserts around in case I need more weight but I rarely need them to get the weight I want. 3 Rivers sells this stuff, BTW...

I use carbons of 9-10GPI (grains per inch), with vanes (much heavier than feathers) and cap wraps, so with an alum insert and 125 grain point they come out to 480-490 grains at 29.5-30 inches...

If you want a heavier carbon, look at the Carbon Express Heritage which are made for Trad. The 250 size, which would work great with your setup, are 11GPI...

[kyhuntertoo]

thanks! ND.  if i don't need that much weight, then why is everyone shooting such heavy arrows? Is my bow going to blow up?  Will it be too loud? I personally like a flatter trajectory.  I know it's not going to be a speed demon, that's now why i'm making the trad switch. I know a heavier arrow will be smoother and quieter.

[NDTerminator]

Arrow type & weight is just a matter of personal choice, Ky. In my experience, there's usually more than one way around the barn.

Heavier arrows tend to penetrate better and are more quiet, but give up speed/trajectory/usable range compared to lighter stuff.  You have to decide which way to go. Most seem to compromise and strike a good balance, myself included.

10 grains of arrow weight per pound of draw weight is a generally accepted goal for Trad. At 50# a 480 grain arrow is 9.6GPP, which is plenty close for me. If your bow blows up shooting that arrow, the arrow wasn't the problem.  

If you shoot a carbon in the 475-500 grain range and I think you may be very surprised at the speed your Kodiak produces.  I would expect 180-185 feet per second with that combo.  That's plenty of buck for deer sized critters.

Noise with a recurve is a common issue and has to be dealt with on a case by case basis.  Musk Ox wool silencers and a well broken in Dacron string are the way I go.  Once I find the individual bow's sweet spot brace height, my recurves quiet right down.  

Heavier arrows do cause your bow to shoot more quietly, that true.  My 550 grain 2117's are more quiet than my 480 grain carbons, but I like the speed and flat trajectory the lighter carbons afford. The heavier arrows seem to shoot better in windy conditions, though...

[nipp-c]

Kyhunterto are you also known as kyhunter on BC forum, because if your not I need to find this bow store that keeps selling bear kodiak's for $289 lol.

Anyway it seems you got some good advice on selecting shafts, sometimes you just have to experiment.

[kyhuntertoo]

yeah that's me.  who are you?  i think the store sold it to me in error.  i guess us archers do sometimes benefit by having the punk know it all kid working in the archery dept!!

[kyhuntertoo]

well i got two fletched up.  the 2314 weighs in right at 500 on the nose.  but it doesn't seem to fly too well.  i can definately see some funny flight going on.  the 2016 lite weighs in at 470 and seems to be flying better.  both are still producing a little bit of hand shock and i can't tell the difference in noise. i've put about 4-5 twist in it.  is it possible that the 2314 is too fat?  i mean this shaft takes up much more space on the shelf and i'm wondering if i'm not getting good clearance.  also, how do you orient the feathers?  i'm sitting here looking at the 2007 easton arrow guide and i'm seeing some .300 spine shafts that i could get pretty dang close to 500 grains with a little bit of insert weight.  i'm thinking this may be worth the try.  anyone got any suggestions?

[kyhuntertoo]

bueller?