Feather effect on spine

[8Charles]

Am I correct to think a 4" feather will show a weaker spine than a 5" feather on the same shaft?

Thanks

Emmett

[daveycrockett]

yes

[Orion]

Huh?  The difference in weight between three 4-inch feathers and three five-inch feathers is less than 5 grains.  That's certainly not enough to affect static or dynamic spine.

[kat]

I have always been of the opinion that the bigger the feather the greater the drag, and stiffer the shaft shows.

[JamesKerr]

If the shafts are well tuned bare shafting than I don't think you will notice any difference at all.

[Zradix]

YES

however, I think the only difference you'll notice between the two at normal hunting ranges will be the 5" will be a bit more forgiving of a less than perfect release.....

I use 4 5.25" myself and didn't notice any difference on the same arrows using 3-5"

I'm certain if I shot at 30yds or more the difference would start to be apparent.

[Caughtandhobble]

Yes...

The difference is very little as far as spine goes. The difference comes in on how well your bow is tuned. I prefer 5" to cover up my indiscretions and also aid in broadhead flight. I try to use every advantage I can to aid in my learning curve.

[Gray Buffalo]

You mean you can tell the difference between Fly poop and pepper. Come on guy’s this is hunting

[old_goat2]

Originally posted by Gray Buffalo:
You mean you can tell the difference between Fly poop and pepper. Come on guy’s this is hunting

Depends on how fresh the fly poop is!

[xia_emperor]

yes

[CRS]

yes, but you probably will not be able to measure the difference.  If you can, there is another issue that needs to be resolved.

Why don't you fletch up three with 4", three with 5" and report back to us vs the bareshaft.

You can get by with more with cedar arrows if you use high 5.5" feathers if your arrows are a bit varied or off in spine. They will fly straighter at a closer yardage, but the spine as they come out of the bow will not hardly change at all.

[Bowwild]

The answer is yes. It is simply a physics question. Putting weight on the back of the arrow stiffens the spine. Putting weight on the front weakens spine.  

Can a bowhunter tell the difference at bowhunting ranges (or even double bowhunting ranges)? I doubt it. Maybe, if your set-up was borderline?  I would expect more difference in crest-dipped vs. not crest-dipped (or wrapped) shafts.

The difference in arrow stabilization affects of the longer fletching would likely mask any differences.