Start with woodies? Or learn the ropes with aluminum?

[Alaskantransplant]

Hey everybody, I'm just getting started in traditional bowhunting and I really like shooting the cedar arrows a friend of mine hooked me up with but I've been told by several folks that I should hold off on woodies and shoot my Gamegetter II's to have the consistency while I learn the proper form, sighting, release, ect. I don't have any archery experience except what I've learned over the last couple months with my longbow. Any advice would be greatly appriciated. Thanks guys.

[reddogge]

Way back when in 1967 I bought my first big time real hunting bow and started with store bought cedars. They were cheap and the best way to go. I busted them up and lost them all and wound up with Microflights. So the moral to the story is it's fine to start with cedars but now they aren't cheap anymore. I'd advise buying them already made up. The only downside is they take a little maintenance to keep straight.

I've found for beginners the best shaft to start is Easton Blues since you will bust them up and loose them pretty quickly.

[Alaskantransplant]

Thanks reddogge I will check into those. I'd say I've broken just about as many cedar arrows trying to learn how to straighten them as I have shooting at gophers and rabbits. Another buddy of mine told me to buy the shaft tamer or the roll r straight for the tough kinks. I've learned it takes a light hand and a lot of patience. Thank you for the advice.

[Larry m]

A little sight down the shaft with a tweak here and there as you shoot woodies makes a world of difference. Correct bunched spine and weight is crucial for consistency. Good quality wood arrows are a pleasure to shoot and can be very accurate but require a bit of effort.

[Fanto]

Carbons like the GT trade are very tough, worth the extra couple of bucks! they bounce when you hit solid rock, even at 180fps

cheers

[Russ Clagett]

You could buy premade alums or carbons...screw in a tip and shoot.....but I think you'll be missing something....

I started that way but then fell in love totally with wood arrows...and now wish I had started with them instead....

Get some Surewood shafts and begin the journey.

[medic77]

I switched to Magnus' poplar woodies after shooting carbons for a couple years and honestly I can't tell the difference in consistency.  What I can say is that I love the woodies.  There is just something about them and I think they are quieter too.

[Bjorn]

We are a wood only family; but I did start the kids off with aluminum and it was a lot less work for me. Coupla' years of shooting metal and then they graduated to wood-no you can't shoot wood yet-you are not ready grasshopper-it is a powerful motivator. LOL
It is a lot easier being a one material family when you are the designated/only fletcher.

[Stumpkiller]

I don't know why some folks seem to think wood arrows are tricky.  Guys who couldn't read or write made wood arrows before there were metal tools and lived by them in conditions far harsher than we have.

I started with wood.  Tried aluminum briefly (too easy to damage and back then far more exinsive than wood - how times change).  Never have tried carbon other than a few "loaner" shots.  They seem OK.

I don't see a down-side of starting with wood.  Arrange a group of try-shafts from someone like Braveheart or Rose City to get the proper spine before socking up.

  http://www.rosecityarchery.com/2SpineTestKit.htm  

  http://www.braveheartarchery.us/arrow_building.htm

[ddauler]

Nothing wrong with woodies except they ain't cheap any more. When I started you could buy 100 raw shafts for 20-30 bucks and get 75 decent shafts from the bunch. Now I believe carbons due to durability are the cheapest. I love to shoot them all aluminums just bend too much still shoot them if I can find some cheap used shafts. Woodies cost to much and break easy.

[Alaskantransplant]

Thanks for the advice everybody.  Russ, I think you're right and I am missing something. So I'm going to shoot the aluminums and woodies I've got while I piece together the equipment to make my own wooden arrows. I ordered a taper tool, glue, points and nocks. Next payday it'll be a jig and feathers then a spine test kit. Can only do what the checkbook allows. So I'm guessing I can use some minwax stain and polycrylic sealant that I have left from a furniture project. I'm guessing the shafts just need to be treated and there aren't any specisl requirements. Thanks to all again. Joining the gang has to be the smartest choice I've made since diving into bowhunting. That and starting with traditional gear. I sure am addicted to my longbow and wood arrows!

[pznuts]

Start with carbons, stay with carbons.

[Stumpkiller]

Originally posted by pznuts:
Start with carbons, stay with carbons.

If I was starting out I might listen to that advice.

I started with wood and am mind-set to wood.  I just think that is what arrows should be.

I use Minwax Poly rub-on, Sharpie pens and Pilot metallic ink pens to crest my arrows after a rub with Fiebrings Leather Dye to stain the shafts.

Cheap, easy and beautiful.  Whether bunnies, bambies or birch stumps I shoot the same shafts.

 


Carbon is doubtless superior.  Just as lab alcohol will get you drunker than 25 year old scotch.

But which has more style and grace.

[Brock]

most any wooden arrows you buy from reputable companies or individuals are going to be MORE accurate than you.

dont buy into the hype that you cant shoot accurately or learn the basics unless you use the super arrow of carbon or even aluminum.  Wooden arrows that are spined and weighed for a matched set...hell even if not...are going to be more than adequate for learning to shoot, practicing, hunting, target archery, 3D archery, etc.


buy some in bulk...leave them raw or wipe on some poly finish or minwax...fletch them up...put on some glued on field points and shoot the things.

by listening to some people on here you got to be shooting a $2000 bow, an ILF or carbon arrows with FF to be a responsible hunter or have any accuracy.  That is nonsense....pure and simple.

I recommend you quit reading so much on internet...get a couple good books or video on shooting like Byron Ferguson, Fred Asbell or others...and just go in the yard and shoot...work on your form...your release...your follow through.

Once you get that going and start grouping in the same area you can fine tune things.

Dont over analyze it....plenty of people for thousands of years have been very successful hunters and even world class target archers with wooden arrows and WITHOUT the benefit of all the experts on the internet. LMAO

I dont think Howard Hill ever did a MANLAW POST! LMAO

[Stumpkiller]

Originally posted by Brock:

I recommend you quit reading so much on internet...get a couple good books or video on shooting like Byron Ferguson, Fred Asbell or others...and just go in the yard and shoot...work on your form...your release...your follow through.

Or Larry Whiffen, G.Howard Gillean, Maurice Thompson, H.R. Wambold, etc.

Folks been doing well with carbon arrows for 20 years, aluminum arrows for 60 years, wood arrows for 40,000 years.    

[Alaskantransplant]

Thanks Brock, I appriciate the way you put it in perspective. Makes sense to me. When I ordered my bow I went and bought "Become the arrow" by Byron Ferguson. So far that's been my main source of info on how to shoot. Form, release, ect. And it's been a great starting point. I've got Instinctive shooting by Fred Ashbell on hold at the library when comes back in. I also just joined the Sandhills Archery club here in town. I now have a large, heated place to shoot when in another month or two it'll be -25 and blowing 30mph. There's a good group trad guys there and have a trad only 3d league that I think will be a huge benefit to me. It can't hurt to hang out with some folks that have the same intrests I do, and more experience than I have. I figure I'll just shoot as much as I can, hunt small game as much as I can, and learn as I go from the people I meet. Whether they're on here or at the club. I'll probably try some carbons at one point too, but so far I really like shooting the woodies the most. And Stumpkiller, I really enjoyed the 25 year old scotch comparison and I'll be trying your staining and cresting technique while enjoy some Jameson signature reserve. And probably some Pabst Blue Ribbon as well. Thanks guys, for helping a new bowhunter learn a few things.

[Wolfshead]

I just got my order for some surewood shafts.
They are amazing!
I am just starting out as well, and I was looking into which arrow material to use also.
I have very very little experience with the different types, but I can tell you that these arrow shafts are as straight as can be all within 4 grains weight. I have half doz of them stained and the crowns painted...
can't wait to get them sealed up and fletched (which will also be a first for me)
Man This stuff is fun and very addictive!!!
Good luck with your search and your journey

[hvyhitter]

Just starting out aluminum is the easiest to tune and most consistant so when developing your form you can tell its you and not your setup........

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Start with carbon... and Stay with carbon until you get her down good. then go to building woodies for the nostalgia part.... i'd skip aluminum all together. now days its cheaper buying a tough arrows that are either dead straight or broken.IMO

There is nothing more worthless than a bent aluminum arrow. You are better off breaking them over your knee than trying to straighten an aluminum shaft.

[Zradix]

I agree with Kirk about skipping aluminum. There just isn't any good reason to use them in my mind.

I started with wood and really enjoyed making them...still do.

Decided to go with carbon for a while just this last year. MY driving force was to try a 10gn/# arrow from a 45# bow that still had some foc.

...hard to do ALL that with wood.

The carbons seem to be soooo easy to tune...as long as you have the correct spine range.

Unlike wood, they'll shoot pretty well with a big range of tip weight that would send wood squirming down the range.

I don't know why but it sure seems true.
This may only be true on more center cut bows.

I still prefer the "trad" aspect of wood.
But not having to worry about straightening arrows now and then is kinda nice.

Wood is a little more touchy to get right.
Trimming off 1/2" of a wood shaft will/can make a big difference in arrow flight.

Trimming 1/2" off a carbon might hardly be noticeable in flight.

Get the wrong spine range in a carbon shaft and you might be up the creek because of this.

Get a wrong spine in wood and you can generally "make it work". as long as your only one 5# range off.

I'd either go wood if you REALLY want trad.
or carbon if you just want ease of learning and great performance too.