Helical...LW or RW?

[Iron]

I am fairly new to traditional, got a dozen or so bows now mostly older Bears.this winter i thought it would be fun for my son and I to try to make arrows. a video i have made by Paul Brunner shows the process, in here he states that right handed shooters need to have LW helical..which i have now he shows how a LW rolls of the rest for a right hand shooter . but i thought somewhere along my readings i read that the twist didnt matter. I want to buy a couple fletch jigs but before i did i need to make sure the LW is correct. thanks in advance, and i am sorry if i posted this in the wrong place.

[bowmaster12]

im new to the trad thing myself, its my understanding that it is personal choice i am unaware of one being any better than the other the only thing i have heard is that some feel that rw helps keep screw in points tight

[myshootinstinks]

You're gonna get a few opinions on this but IMO, R / L makes no difference.  I no longer use a helical jig but prefer a straight clamp and offset the fletchings to the left or right, depending on what the fletchings are.  It gives me plenty of spin because I use 5 - 5.5" feathers.

[Iron]

This would explain the over abundance of RW jigs for sale on ****.

[dragon rider]

The tradition for a long time was that RH shooters needed left wing and LH shooters need right wing.  

As far as I've been able to learn the only thing that will really mess you up is mixing them on an arrow.

[buckster]

Left wing feathers will make the arrow rotate counterclockwise, while right wing will do the opposite.

I bought a RW clamp when I switched to lefty a few years ago and fletch my arrows in this fashion.  But, in reality, it doesn't make much difference which you choose, as long as they are fletched properly.  

While I have no scientific proof of this, I do know that a pretty decent amount of well-known bowyers and gurus including T.J. Conrads "The Traditional Bowhunter's Handbook" support this idea.

[Shinken]

Like it is stated above - LW or RW have flown equally well out of every bow I have ever shot.

Selection of LW or RW is beneficial when shooting a single bevel BH since shaft rotation in the same direction as the BH will aid in the cut through the animal.  RW for right bevel BH and LW for left bevel BH.

Happy fletching!

Shoot straight, Shinken

[Fletcher]

The right hand/left wing thing goes back to the days when bows had little to no shelf.  The feather quill would clear the shooters hand/shelf better and not tend to cut the web or finger as much.  I've shot a good deal of both and as a RH shooter, prefer left wing as it seems to shoot better for me.  If I'm fletching for a lefty, I'll use right wing.   If you are shooting screw in points, RW is a good choice.

[rickshot]

I use both so I’m on board with both fly equally well. Left wing does tend to loosen screw in points , but my right handed friends and I heard the right-handed shoot left song, so I have more left wing clamps.

There was also something else in the wind (as you mentioned) about how one wing or the other spins into the bow but that just doesn’t add up. At brace height, which is roughly when the arrow leaves the string, the fletching is already close to an impending collision with rest material…and the arrow is simply not going to start spinning until after it’s left the bow (…too much information, perhaps, but that’s just something that’s been stuck in the craw too long).  

From a bit more practical point of view, at times you will see there is a shortage of one wing or the other; don’t know how it stands at the moment, but if you apply the old “standard” and factor more righties than lefties into the equation…then there’ll be a surplus of RW.  

Whatever you ending up choosing, having the jigs makes more things possible and that’s a win-win in my book. Enjoy. Rick.

[JRY309]

I use and shoot both LW and RW,being RH I used to like LW for the best clearence.But today with most arrows with tunable nocks you can just rotate them for best clearence.On arrows eith glue on nocksI would just shoot cock feather in.They both fly great.

[J. Cook]

I shoot both, they fly the same.  I would challenge anyone to prove otherwise.  I do have both RW and LW jigs, that way I can buy any fletching I find a good deal on.    

[BobW]

On some of my bows, (I'm RT handed), a RW fletch cuts the web of my hand.  Your results may vary, as it does for me depending on the bow....

yep, clear as mud!  

[boznarras]

If you wind up using LW fletches and use screw in points, you can keep the points from unscrewing by just putting a little string wax on the threads of the point. Or better yet, wrap a short piece of waxed dental floss around the threads, and trim off any tag ends after the point is cinched down. Works for me.

[owlbait]

I like to four fletch with 2 left wing and 2 right wing that way the arrow stays straight!

[The Ursus]

I don't think this was covered earlier so here goes. I used to notice excessive fletching wear when I shot right wing out of a right handed long bow.  The fletching contacting the shelf would wear while the other two were unaffected.  

Otherwise, I agree with most that left or right has little effect on performance.

[Mudd]

Hey! Watch it!!!....lol


"BobW Member # 8462
yep, clear as mud! [banghead]"

God bless,Mudd

[Iron]

Thanks a lot guys....tons of great advice here!