Ramon wood or Roman wood for arrows?

[Cy14561]

First of all I'm new to wood arrows, I found some shafts at a local archery shop the lady said they were Ramon wood or roman wood I didn't quite understand her. They are spined at 55# we tested them there they have a lot of different spines and they were a buck a shaft so got some and made them up and the shoot pretty well, but I don't have anything to compare the too. Does anyone know anything about this type of wood does it make a decent arrow shaft? Does anyone have experience or have heard of it? Should I look at other woods like poc or Sitka spruce? And what are the advantages. Thank you

[John Scifres]

Ramin.  It'll make a tough, heavy arrow.

[Stumpkiller]

Ramin splits too easily IMHO.  I had poor results.  It is the cheap hardware store dowel wood (vs. poplar or yellow poplar).

If you shoot Ramin be sure to wear an armguard.

[rainman]

First time I have heard of Ramin splitting.  I have some shafts that are 20 years old from Kerry Gesink and they are as tough as laminated birch.

[Grey Taylor]

A good ramin shaft will be a good, tough arrow.
A bad ramin shaft will be a nightmare.
One issue with ramin is that it can be difficult to read the grain. If the shafts are sorted by someone who can read it well then you're good to go. If not... well, you know.

Guy

[TOEJAMMER]

I, too, have some of Kerry's ramin shafts.  They are compressed and tapered.  My experience is the same as rainman's.

[SELFBOW19953]

I too have used ramin shafts for over 20 years.  I've never had a single problem with them.  I have bounced a lot of them off trees while stump shooting, most survived.  If there are knots or bad spots on the shaft, I chuck it.  They don't take point/nock tapers using a pencil sharpener type tools.

[Raminshooter]

Great shaft material and tough as nails.  Most people get frustrated by this material since it doesn't have a "straight" grain to it like Cedar does. The advantage is in the cross sectional density of this wood, the grain is so tight that when you cut it it looks like a piece of metal rod you just cut into. Your going to shoot shafts that are stiffer spine that your bow it but you can make up for it if you have a center shot or past center shot bow like a recurve. Otherwise you can simply shoot a longer shaft to get good flight.  Lot of ways to work with this material. Unfortunately, the government of the country that exported this wood has declared it to now be so important that they don't allow it to be exported now.  Some of the dowling companies have some stock on hand but it is rapidly disappearing.