XX78's, Does it Really Matter?

[mrpenguin]

Gents,

So after doing some research here, I found a post about Stu's Dynamic Spine Calculator and the door of "OHHHH!!!" opened for me in arrow choice.  My frustrations all make so much sense now!  According to the calculator, I have been shooting arrows that are either too stiff or too weak for quite some time... but anyway, my question here has to do with arrow choice.  I have been shooting carbon for some time, but am thinking about going back to aluminum.  With Stu's calc, I found that I can get a precise match of spine to my bow with aluminum.  So, my question is regarding your experiences with XX78 material verses the XX75.  My key concern is durability then accuracy as I am a pretty tightly strapped guy for money.  From your experiences, is the xx78 aluminum more durable and accurate overall?  Is it worth the extra 40+ a doz?

Thanks!!

[Old York]

Is it worth the extra $40?
Dunno, too subjective.
Research the different specs on tensile
strength, straightness, and tempering. At 20 yards, I personally
can't shoot the difference, but the 78's are nice, LOL!
Crazy, eh?

[Running Buck]

When I shot aluminum the only difference I had found between the two was 75's were cheaper and 78's were more prone to breaking rather then bending. To be honest,I think the plain old gamegetters are hard to beat plus you can find them on sale at times.
RB

[cacciatore]

The XX78 is by far the best huting shaft ever made,period.A brand new XX75 is as good as a XX78,at least maybe Chuck Adams can feel the difference in accuracy but with the use the 75 doesn't remain that straight and it bends,breaks much easier.When I went from the XX75 to the 78 I saw an increase of accuracy and durability.They well worth the price difference.IMO.

[BowMIke]

When I shot a compound I really liked the xx78's. I prefer carbon now for Trad shooting though.

[hvyhitter]

xx78 only come with the uni bushing which I really dislike, most of the xx75 still have glue on nocks. Have not noticed any other real life differences in performance.

[Night Wing]

Originally posted by cacciatore:
The XX78 is by far the best huting shaft ever made,period. A brand new XX75 is as good as a XX78,at least maybe Chuck Adams can feel the difference in accuracy but with the use the 75 doesn't remain that straight and it bends,breaks much easier.When I went from the XX75 to the 78 I saw an increase of accuracy and durability.They well worth the price difference.IMO.

I second the the above. I shoot XX78 X7 Eclipse arrows in size 2212. They're durable for me considering their (.012) wall thickness. Maybe they're durable for me since I shoot at leaves, twigs or other small objects on dirt banks when I go "roving" and not at tree stumps like those that go "stumping". Also, the strength of the X7 Elipse arrow is made out of 7178-T9 alloy which equates to 105,000 psi. A XX78 Super Slam is made out of the same 7178-T9 alloy, but it's only 100,000 psi. In comparison, a XX75 Camo Hunter is made out of 7075-T9 alloy which equates to 96,000 psi. The Gamegetter 2 is the same as a Camo Hunter in psi specs. I don't skimp on arrows because I want the best aluminum arrow I can shoot out of my bows at game. I can feel the difference between a 105,000 psi arrow and a 96,000 psi arrow. They "feel" stiffer to me and they are straighter at (.001) compared to (.0015.) for a Super Slam, (.002) for a Camo Hunter and (.003) for a Gamegetter 2.

[vermonster13]

I like uni-bushings.

[Arne J]

I've used both XX75's and XX78's and can't see any real difference in performance.  Price has been driving my buying decisions lately, especially since arrow destruction seems to be pretty common for me. Doh!

The ability to fine tune arrow alignment for the bow is why I like uni-bushings also.

[J. Cook]

Apparently I'm not good enough to tell ...but I have a real hard time seeing how someone could honestly say that a '78 is more accurate than a '75 if both are straight, properly spined shafts, but that's just me.  

If you are like me, with my curves I like to hunt, stump, target shoot, wing shoot -- anything really.  So eventually a '78 will bend just like a '75 will.  Both are great shafts for multi-purpose use, so if money is main consideration, then I say you will NOT be disappointed in the standard XX75 shafts.  I have both, and have had success with both shafts.

[RUTANDSTRUT]

xx78 are a little more brittle with side impacts, xx75 are more prone to bending with side impacts.  with comparable "hits", if one bends the other one will probably bend with same impact.  i find aluminum is very forgiving making them generally more accurate.  the straightness doesnt matter as much as spine tolerances does and both shafts are extremely consistent in spine therefor just as accurate as another.  you could buy 2 dozen black gamegetters shafts and install aluminum uni-inserts for about the same price as 1 dozen xx78 and have a comparable top notch accurate shaft!

[Ground Hunter]

I think its 6 of one 1/2 doz. of the other.  I do wish they made 2219s in XX78.  H

[Dave Lay]

I've never really been able to tell the diffrence,in accuracy etc.. I shoot 2216's,and have for a long time..along with cedar, but I pretty much stick with xx75's as I just dont see spending the extra$$

[Northwest_Bowhunter]

I have shot the XX75 Gamegetter 2117 400's and now shoot the Beman ICS Hunter 400.  I felt the Bemans went further but I am going to reevaluate that before this season.  At the time I did this test the the Gamegetters were using 5" fletchings and the Beman's were using 4".  Now all my arrows use the same 4" fletching.

[cbCrow]

I have shot both and can see no real world difference other than cost. They both shoot the same and as I like xx75 camo's thats the way I go.  

[firsted]

Hey, Eric, where is the link to Stu's spine chart?  I could use an "Ohhhhhh" moment myself!

[Night Wing]

Here is Stu's free spine chart.

 http://heilakka.com/stumiller/

[Sixby]

I've shot both for years and sold hundreds of dozens when I had my shop. My experience with them is that the xx78 is the best arrow shaft ever made of any type. It is more brittle than the xx75s though and will tend to break on the ends if you hit a rock where the xx75 will bend. If you are good at straightening arrows out then the xx75s are the best buy. Actually the Gamegetters are since the material is exactly the same. If you simply want the best hunting arrow ever made and don't shoot rocks the xx78 is the best. I can go to a shoot with xx78s and the arrows stay straight. I will usually have an xx75 or two bend.

[tukudu]

I am right in line with Sixby. I owned a proshop for 9 years and XX78 were way superior to XX75. The nocks were tunable and they were just more accurate overall, and then came carbon arrows.

[vtmtnman]

Go with the 78's.