Fiberglass arrows - why not?

[Stinger]

I have a number of Herter's Farbenglass arrows left from my earlier shooting days.  Are there any reasons why I shouldn't shoot these?  I'm pulling 44# at 27 inches on a take down recurve my father made 35 years ago.  Also 44# on my Martin Howatt Hunter at the same draw length.  The 28 5/8 inch Farbenglass F shafts that I have weigh 568 grains with a 125 grain head and spine at 49 lbs on the spine-o-meter.  With new 5" helical feathers I can't think of a reason these shouldn't perform as well as any new aluminum arrows, and better than woodies.  They all spin true on my shaft spinner.

As an aside, I originally thought I would try shooting some of my old Herter's silver aluminum arrows, but when I put them on the spine-o-meter they read out at 73lbs and are only 545 grains with a 125 gr head.  I'm going to try them, but think they are going to be way too stiff.  Funny, because I could hit 2 inch circles consistently from 25 yards as a teenager with these out of my old Shakespeare Necheda at 47 pounds.

[Ga.boy]

No reason at all not to shoot the Farbenglass arrows. I shoot them (F) from my 45# Nomad Stalker and they fly great for me with 125gr. points.

[d. ward]

I actuly kinda like some of the glass shafts.Micro flights and herter's farbenglass,both shoot great for me.They are pretty tough too.I know Glenn StCharles shot them for a good many years in his younger days.He really likes em.........bowdoc

[jacobsladder]

never shot fiberglass....whats the spine and weight consistency?  how do you install inserts and nocks?

[Kingstaken]

Just put a bid on some. So guys stay away..  

[JImmyDee]

I used some about 20 years ago.  The only caution I heard was, "Make sure you don't shoot a damaged arrow!"  They were supposed to be nasty if you got 'em in your skin -- like if the shaft broke upon release.  I'm sure that wood or carbon or aluminium would be nasty, too...

[flitz]

45.00 a doz at fox fire only two spines
42# &47# was thinking of some also

[indianalongbowshooter]

Ive got 4 doz. Micro-flie #8`s, shoot good out of a variety bows from 50-60#....weigh in the mid 500 gr. w/125 gr. point..make a bow really, really quiet....

[George D. Stout]

They are just like carbons....only different 8^).

Tough, accurate and heavy.  All the things the modern day shooter is looking for.  I would like to see them manufactured again.

[NDTerminator]

I grew up about 30 miles west of Herter's, which was in Waseca, Mn.  Consequently, much of my early hunting gear was Herter's stuff.  Went there often, the place was a kind of combination sporting goods store and museum where all the neat artifacts & trophies the Herter's had collected was displayed.  Heady stuff for a kid in the 60's.  I still have & use Herter's decoys I bought as seconds from their closeout quonset on the back lot.

Used to shoot both Herter's & Bear fiberglass arrows back in the late 60's/early 70's.  If I recall, they were outlandishly heavy for the 45/50 pound bows most of my crowd shot back then, on the order of 900 grains for a finished 30"-31" arrow with a 145 grain Razorhead!

They were tough but when they broke it was nasty, with that linear fiberglass construction...

[Stinger]

Thanks for the vote of confidence guys.  It's funny as a kid my dad and brother shot them, while I was shooting heavy aluminums.  I never saw any of them break unless they hit a rock.

For Jacobsladder, the older tan Herter's Farbenglass that I have came pre-cut to length from the factory and has what looks like metal tapers on both ends of the arrow to glue on both the nock and the point.  I never took one out, so I don't know if they are true inserts or not.  The newer (later 70's) Herter's green arrows had inserts similar to what we use today so that you could use screw in heads.

..........so, if they are tough, accurate and heavy, why is it they aren't readily available?

[NDTerminator]

Originally posted by Stinger:
..........so, if they are tough, accurate and heavy, why is it they aren't readily available?

To a big manufacturer sales of Trad specific gear hardly justifies what is now available to us. With a couple exceptions, (Legacies, Heritages, Carbonwoods) we make do with arrows that are made primarily for the modern archer. At that, the Legacy shaft is just a standard XX75 with a poorly done "wood grain" finish.

Rest assured if the modern archery world wanted a heavy arrow like this, they would be available...

[George D. Stout]

Patience Grasshopper,  traditional archery is growing every year.  If you think manufacturers aren't noticing, then you aren't paying attention.   It used to be that you couldn't buy screw-in points over 125 grains.  Then 145 became available...the 160's...now over 200 grains are available.

There are more viable traditional bowyers then ever...especially custom bowyers.  Samick has noticed the trend and has stepped-up manufacturing of hunting style recuve bows to accomodate the need here in the US.

Arrow manufacturers will continue to develop better carbon shafting that is more user-friendly (a term I hate 8^)).  The effects of Dr. Ashby's studies will also have an impact on manufacturing, especially in broadhead design and shaft developement.

Metal risers are making a comeback and we are continuing to pick up archers from the compound side of the sport.  And, I think we will continue to see that, especially those who will shoot both recurve/longbow and compound bow.

Fiberglass and carbon are not far apart in makeup and design....a heavier carbon with the shootability of fiberglass is clearly just around the corner.  It's a good time to be into traditional archery.

[Dr. Ed Ashby]

In my early years I shot a lot of the Herter's fiberglass shafts, and those by Shakespear too. Later, I used MicroFlite #10's. I liked them all. I had no concept to Extreme FOC back then, and wish I knew how those fiberglass shafts would have responded to it.

BTW, a little birdie tells me that we'll have a moderately heavy (heavier than anything currently available in a parallel carbon) combination E-Glass/carbon shaft available REAL SOON.  I hope to try some out in this year's testing. They are parallel design, with standard dimensions; approximately 5/16" OD and accepting the same inserts as CE's and GT's - including the Internal Footings, whenever its design is finalized.    

Ed
TGMM Family of the Bow

[laddy]

I just layed a hundred buck bid on some with broadheads.

[laddy]

Dr. Ed no insult intended, what kind of little birdy is it, I don't have the patience to wait for testing, I want to play with them now.

[Dr. Ed Ashby]

Larry, all I know is that I'm told the shafts should soon be available, and if they are on the market in time, I'll get myself some of the regular production models to test.

The IF's however, need testing before the many thousands of dollars get spent on the injection mold needed to make them in commercial quanties. I'll be testing hand-machined pre-production versions of the IF's. The won't be going to production until its certain that they will work like the ones I made up (which were designed around materials not deemed commercially viable - too time consuming to make).

Ed
TGMM Family of the Bow

[Kingstaken]

Laddy,
Stay away from mine..LOL.