Feather Length

[DanielB89]

Originally posted by Pete McMiller:
Daniel,

Take a look at Victory VForce HV shafts.  6.8 to 7.2 gpi - They run about $60/doz. if you shop around.

My setup - 60# R/D at 28".  29.375 BOP Victory VForce HV 300 shafts + 100 gr. insert + 75 gr. adapter + 235 gr. Grizzly Kodiak = 650 gr. with all the epoxy, nock, fletching, etc. & 31.6% FOC.  They fly like lasers.

Pete, so now the million dollar question..

do I get the .350's? or do I get the .300's?  


My current arrows are .340's and fly very well.  

Decisions..decisions..

[wallybowman]

I use 3 4" parabolic cut and my Razorheads, Snuffers, and Howard Hill heads all fly great.

[damascusdave]

Originally posted by DanielB89:
 

Originally posted by Pete McMiller:
Daniel,

Take a look at Victory VForce HV shafts.  6.8 to 7.2 gpi - They run about $60/doz. if you shop around.

My setup - 60# R/D at 28".  29.375 BOP Victory VForce HV 300 shafts + 100 gr. insert + 75 gr. adapter + 235 gr. Grizzly Kodiak = 650 gr. with all the epoxy, nock, fletching, etc. & 31.6% FOC.  They fly like lasers.

Pete, so now the million dollar question..

do I get the .350's? or do I get the .300's?  


My current arrows are .340's and fly very well.  

Decisions..decisions.. [/b]

I just bought a dozen .340 and a dozen .300 Full Metal Jackets at 150 dollars a dozen to learn exactly the same thing...all depends upon how serious you are about finding the arrow you wish to use for a particular hunt, in my case moose with my Blacktail...the cost of the arrows is rather insignificant compared to the value of 300 pounds of deboned venison

DDave

[katman]

Daniel, if your shooting 340's 30.5" and 175gr tip I think the 300 spine would work with 300gr up front starting full length yielding around 27% foc and 540gr in the victory vforce hv shaft. It is what I am currently, shooting 4x4" feathers for a little extra guidance although they fly just fine with an A&A fletch and turbulator.

[Bill Carlsen]

My friend Todd Gregory (Birdbow) has been experimenting with four 2" Razor vanes from Gateway. I believe he shoots 300 grains up front but found that only certain broad heads shot well. The best was the Grizzly head. Here are the results.

 

[shreffler]

x2 for the Victory VForces. I don't run a high FOC setup, but I can tell you they fly like lazers. I've shot about a million different arrows, and so far they're the best arrows for the money that I've found.

[Wheels2]

I shoot a 3" on arrow for the compound but shoot 4" on recurve arrows.  I went with 4" because I had a bunch of them.  I did try a few 5" that I bummed from a friend, but I didn't see any difference.  The 3" just don't look right on a traditional bow arrow.  I tried them and found they work well but I just couldn't get over the look of them.  
If I was just starting out, I would probably just go with the 5" though as it is more traditional and will help with a bad release.

[Diamond Paul]

The guy who writes that column at the end of Trad Bowhunter mag (African guide, can't remember his name now) said in a recent edition that he had been able to go down as far as a 1.5" or 2" feather on his extreme f.o.c. arrows with good broadhead flight and much better performance in windy conditions.  I would think 3" feathers would work perfectly well for most broadheads if the arrows are tuned and your form is good.

[Charlie3]

My arrows are about 23% FOC and bareshaft great. However, I continue to use 5 inch feathers.

I was under the impression that the larger feathers performed better in a stiff crosswind PROVIDED you have a broadhead and not a field point...is that not the case?

The two statements that seem to contradict each other: 1. You would not need feathers/vanes if there was no wind. 2. Smaller feathers/vanes make for better flight in a crosswind.

What am I missing here?

[Birdbow]

Bill Carlsen posted about my arrow setup for this season. I feel a comment's in order.
  Much of what I discovered that works for me was based on experimentation on the range and is based a lot on Dr. Ashby's research - EFOC, penetration, and most recently, less fletching than has been traditionally the norm.
  I should be from Missouri because 'show me' is in my nature. When I read the Ashby findings about SB broad heads and bone impacts, I tried it for myself, shooting through green bear shoulder blades. My observations about penetration on bone and the splitting effect of the heads rotation on that bone confirmed for me what I had read. In fact, I had to chisel broad heads out of a stump's heartwood AFTER the shoulder blade penetration.
  When I learned of the 'less is more' fletching equation, I experimented until I found the combination that I was comfortable hunting with. And that is the point - on game, I wouldn't shoot anything I wasn't entirely convinced would fly true and work.
  Don't assume anything, what works for me might not work for you. Try it out thoroughly before taking it to the woods.
  Good hunting.

[Diamond Paul]

Charlie:  The thinking is that less cross section (small feather) is affected less by crosswind than a large one.  Also, less drag so a flatter overall trajectory downrange, which probably doesn't matter much at the ranges we shoot.  I think he was saying that with that much weight out front, it tends to want to stay one course due to inertia more than a small f.o.c. arrow would, and so requires less feather to keep it on course.  Of course, I could be wrong, too.