dumb carbon questions?

[thumper15]

I know practically ZIP about carbons other than they have a wide spine range and you can do alot to bump up the weight. I was thinking of trying some for my bows and see how I like them but have questions. I have a 360 longbow and draw 28". First since they have a wide spine can I cut to 29" and tune with tip weight. Second, what kind of prep do you have to do to get the cocks and tip inserts to stay? Third, are they any easier to mess with than woods or aluminum? Finally, has anyone noticed the same arrow flying the same in two different bow weights i.e. #55 and #65 longbows?

[thumper15]

sorry meant #60 longbow.

[JRY309]

I never just cut a carbon to a certain length without shooting them first.They don't come in as many different spines as wood or aluminum.You pick a spine and you adjust the dynamic spine by shooting and trimming them.I pick a spine range and the point weight I'm looking to use.And then I shoot and trim to tune.There are alot of used carbons out there for sale that were cut first and could not get them to tune.I had some that were cut an inch past my draw and showed stiff.So I added weight to weaken the spine and they got worse the more weight I added,I believe they were bouncing off the riser.I think alot of it depends on how the bow is cut,if it is cut off center as most longbows are.I shoot and tune my carbons and what length they end up at is where I leave them.The nocks are a press-in fit and I just press them in and you can rotate them for your best clearence.Inserts,I like to etch or scratch up the inside with a prep tool or bore brush,then clean with alcohol and let dry a few minutes.I'll then epoxy them in with Bohning Powerbond or AAE two part insert epoxy.If I'm using a brass insert I'll scratch it with sandpaper also.You can get them to fly out of a couple of different bows,I had a set of carbons that I shoot out of 4 different bows by changing the point weight.Most of my carbons end up 2-3" longer then my draw.

[thumper15]

Thanks for the info seems pretty straight forward. How much do you take off when tuning? I would do like 1/2" on the aluminums until it got close then would go to 1/4 each till I got them where I liked.

[fatman]

Randy, here's another point of view....free, which might be exactly what it's worth...

I shoot longbows from 55# to 61# at 27".  When I started with carbons, I didn't want to cut and tune, so I ordered some 29" Carbon Express 250's.
I have shot these through all of my longbows, and they fly well with 225gr to 300gr up front...

However, after reading about the Arrow Dynamics shafts, I have been shooting them pretty much exclusively for the last 3 months.  A 29" arrow works with 225gr to 350gr up front...have used 5" shields and 4-fletch, 4 inch low-profile bananas, all with good results...

The real kicker is that I have shot these arrows from recurves and longbows from 35# to 65#, cut past center and cut to center, and the flight characteristics are great from all...plus, the taper on the AD's seems to make them easier to get a high FOC....

The Arrow Dynamics are kinda pricey, but I feel they are one of the most versatile carbons out there....

YMMV

Kevin

[McDave]

I shoot Gold Tips because I find them easy to tune and also arrive at the overall arrow weight I want, since you can add weights both in front and in back.

I start by cutting the shafts to the length I want, generally 1" longer than my draw length.  Some of my bows take 3555's and others take 5575's, and from my experience, I can generally tell which one a new bow will take.

I use the same hot melt glue they use for aluminum arrow inserts to mount my inserts in Gold Tips, without any other preparation of the shafts, and I have never had any problem with them coming loose.  I put a dab of hot melt on the threads of the weights before I screw them into the inserts.  Then I dab hot melt on both the weights and insert before I install it into the arrow shaft.  It is helpful to make a homemade tool out of a cut-off aluminum arrow shaft and an old target point that you install backwards into the shaft, so the threads are pointing out.  You can screw this into the insert when you're heating it and use it to shove the insert into the arrow shaft.  If you want to remove an insert from the shaft because you've changed your mind about what internal weights you want to use or because you've forgotten what you put in there in the first place, you just hold the tip or nock in boiling water for 10-15 seconds and pull the tip or nock end out with pliers.

I always bare shaft tune, and find that the carbon shafts are about as sensitive to small weight changes as aluminum or wood shafts are.  In other words, it makes a noticeable difference in how the bare shaft flies when I add or take off a 20 grain weight from the front or back.

Sometimes I find that the same arrow setup works for two different bows, even though the bows are different poundage.  When I say "works," I mean that a bare shaft set up with the same weights and point flies true out of both bows.  I'm not sure why that happens, but I'm appreciative when it does.

[thumper15]

Thanks guys. I just didn't know what kind of prep you have to do to get them to shoot. I'm tired of messing with the aluminums they bend too easy at least to me anyway. I was thinking the weight tubes for weight and had looked at the arrow dynamics shafts and grizzly shafts but for now I'm wanting a setup for deer. What about the seam on the carbons how do you orient that when putting on the nocks?

[fatman]

Randy, I think you'll be happier utilizing your point weight to get overall weight...your arrows will come out much more forward-weighted, and they'll fly better and hit with more authority...
I wouldn't mess with weight tubes unless you're really trying to boost your weight above 700gr...

This is something that's much easier to do with carbons than aluminum

$.02

Kevin