Which Arrows?

[elkcrazed]

I am new to traditional and was wondering what arrows most prefer?I am shooting a few aluminum that came with a used bow that I bought to start with now.
I have been shooting carbon with my compounds for years but see very few offered for traditional style bows and shaft weight is low on the few I have seen.
So is aluminum(XX75 or 78s) that I started using years ago the best way to go or should I look toward wood?

[McDave]

A lot of trad shooters do shoot carbon arrows: Gold Tips, Carbon Express, etc. We make up for the light weight of the shafts by adding weights internally.

The advantages of carbon arrows are that they don't bend and are harder to break than other arrows.  They are more expensive than other arrows.

The advantages of aluminum arrows are that they are almost perfectly straight when new, and are available in many different sizes.  The disadvantages are the noise they make and they get bent and have to be periodically straightened.

The advantages of wood arrows are that they are fun to make and decorate, and are a little quieter in the quiver and when shot than aluminum arrows.  The disadvantages are that they are not as straight and there is a greater variation in spine and weight for any given bunch than carbon or aluminum arrows.

You will probably develop a preference for one type or the other as you get more into trad archery.  Everybody ends up with a lot of arrows, and ends up using them for something or another.  Or else keeps them in a big barrel and uses them for stump shooting or for guests to use.

Far more important than the type of arrow is that you select an arrow with the correct spine and weight for your bow.  The cheapest wood arrow, provided it is reasonably straight, will shoot better in your bow than the most expensive carbon arrow, if it is tuned for your bow and the carbon arrow is not.

[Lone archer]

The above posts explains it well. One thing I would add is get yourself a spine tester as soon as you can. It will save you alot of money in the long run. If you have aluminums already and you get them to fly well you can spine them and therefore know which spine woods you will need to buy in the future.

After 20+ years of shooting I finally received this advise from an arrow maker. Aquire all aluminums size arrows. One or two in each size cut to the lenght you want (it will be different for longbow and recurves that you shoot). Then with the point you want either paper tune or bareshafts to see which flys the best spine them on the tester and then order your arrows wether wood or aluminums. Carbons well thats alittle different you might end up with a much longer arrow then you need.

Once you have the spine tester you can buy arrows with the same deflection reading.

[elkcrazed]

Thanks guys!
Still alot to learn with traditional gear after switching from compound shooting these last 25 years.But I am having fun with it.

[Stick_N_String]

elkcrazed,
The above posts gave a lot of really good info. I would like to add that with carbon's not only can you weigh up the shaft with interior weights you can also use brass inserts that weigh from 50 to 100 grains and use heavier tips or broadheads. This will get your spine lower on carbon arrows so that you can cut them closer to length and not have 2-3" of arrow hanging out.
All of that being said , I prefer wood arrows I buy shafts that are weighed and sanded then I finish them myself. I like the fact that my arrows don't look like everyone else's.
Daren

[bsigal]

A quick question on topic.  I've been shooting both aluminum and carbon and would love to try wood.  Every place that I've looked I find the spine charts very confusing.

I'm shooting a 44#@28 bow with a short draw (26.5").  I figure that I'm holding about 40#'s.
What is the correct spine weight for this setup.
The bow is a recurve.

[Eric in FLA]

What weight BH / Field tip are you using?

[McDave]

Ben, bows differ on what spine of wood arrows shoot best.  For example, a longbow not cut to center will probably shoot best with an arrow of less spine than the bow weight.  A high-performance center-shot recurve with fast-flight string will probably shoot best with an arrow of stiffer spine than the bow weight.  Some companies, such as 3 Rivers, will sell you a selection of shafts to try, so you can determine what spine shoots best through your bow.

[bsigal]

Eric in FLA,
I'll be using 150 to 175 gr. up front if that's any help.

McDave,  I dont know if what I have is considered a high-performance recurve of not.    What determines a high-performance recurve?  Is it the capability of using FF string?  Presently I'm using B50 string.  The bow is a Bob Lee Hunter Bicentenial.

[McDave]

My first guess, if you're going to cut your arrows to 28", would be 45-50 lb spine arrows.  If you're going to cut your arrows shorter, you could try a weaker spine; if you're going to cut them longer, you could try a stiffer spine.