5" vs. 4" feathers

[xtrema312]

Anyone have tuned arrows with 5" and go down to 4"?  Was there any tune change?  I have some great shooting arrows and need new feathers.  My bare shaft is great so I don't think it will not matter.  I am thinking about going down to 4", but don't want to mess with a good thing.

[ka]

I love 4 4" over 3 5" in comparison and my own opinion!! Dont have to look to see if nocked right or not !! The only way you will know what is best for your setup though is to experiment and see!!

[Fletcher]

You will do fine, esp with field points.

[CJC]

if your bareshafting well, then it does not matter.  imho, the less feather the better.

[Matty]

I'm with CJC  If youre bare shafting well it wont matter I like 4" x 4
or 4"x3

[ozy clint]

i also prefer 4x4". more stable for me than 3x4" or 3x5"

[TradOnly]

I have moved on to 3 X 2".  Fast, stable and quiet.

[30coupe]

I use mostly 3 x 4" now. They are cheaper, easier to find, and shoot just as well. I actually think they are better in windy conditions than 5" feathers, especially in a cross or quartering wind. If your arrows are tuned to the bow, it won't make a nickel's worth of difference.

[JC]

A lot of good advice in the previous posts. I'm a 4x4" convert myself. Not much to add to above other than from a purely economical standpoint, you can get 2 feathers our of one full length when you use 4".

[52 bow]

I too went to 4x4" , the only diff. is that they don't stand out in flight as 5" do but are acceptable.

[Deadbolt]

I started with 4x5 1/2" and over ther past 2 years have gone down to 4x3" and I have never had better arrow flight.  Ive picked up speed b/c there is less drag and its a much flatter trajectory.  But in the two years Ive gone up in bow weight as well and learned how to tune a bow properly and switched to the new fangled skinny strings.

Take it for what its worth but I'm sold on 3" feathers and dont plan on switching anytime soon...Ive also striped all my old feathers and refletched 4 dozen arrows to 3" I enjoy them that much!

[RLA]

I like 4x4 in the 60x120 configuration. I would also like to try 4x3 as I just came across a good deal on 3" feathers $5 per 100.

[xtrema312]

I was thinking about 4x4 also.  Is the 60x120 angle set-up what everyone uses?  I have also been shooting cock feather in to reduce bottom feather contact on the rest with the standard 3x5".  Do you get more clearance with the 4x4 set-up?  

I am also thinking about going to wraps when I refletch.  I am wondering if the wraps and feather change will have too much effect.  I have heard that wraps change spine some.

I am getting ready to set-up a new bow so can start from scratch with wraps and 4" for that.  I may just do up one of my existing shafts for my current bow at that time and just see what I get before going them all.

[flyguysc]

I have been shooting 4x3 on a 2016 shaft & get excellent arrow fight out to 35yds.I kind of run out of yard @35yds,that is I`am standing in the middle of the road in order to get that distance.Makes my neighbors a little nervous.I just got a dozen ics carbon shafts & think that the diameter might be to small for 4x3s,any thoughts

[JC]

Originally posted by xtrema312:
I was thinking about 4x4 also.  Is the 60x120 angle set-up what everyone uses?  I have also been shooting cock feather in to reduce bottom feather contact on the rest with the standard 3x5".  Do you get more clearance with the 4x4 set-up?

With a properly tuned arrow, I have no issues with 4x4"x90deg no matter where the feathers contact the shelf/riser. For me personally, I think folks place way to much emphasis on fletching contact (at least feather fletching).  Just my humble opinion, your mileage may vary.

[Fletcher]

I've shot 90x90 four fletch off the shelf for many years and haven't noticed any interference issues with it.  As for the wraps, weight on the rear of a shaft has the effect of increasing dynamic spine.  I'm not sure how much wraps weigh or how much effect they would have, but if you tune with them installed you will be fine.

[Deadbolt]

Flyguysc - I fit 4x3" on my axis 500s not sure how big them ics are.

[xtrema312]

I have not seen feather contact be an issue for shooting, just for feather life on the hen in the crease because it hits the back of the feather on the outside edge of the rest.

[Greg Skinner]

One of the advantages I have found with EFOC is that I get good flight with (3) 4 inch feathers even with the big Ace 200 grain BH.  I usually just use (3) 2 3/4" for my field point arrows.  Most of my bows don't seem to matter whether I shoot cock feather in or out, so I can still nock without looking if need be.