Hardwood Arrow Shaft Question

[oldway]

I'm thinking of trying some type of hardwood shafting this year for hunting.Being that the only wood arrows that I have made were cedar and pine.I was hopeing that some of you guys could give me some help in my choice.What I'm looking for is opinions on straightness,durability and how they weigh up when finished.Looking forward to all your thoughts and ideas,Oldway.

[Matt Fowler]

I like ash. they are tough and heavy. Sometimes a pain to keep straight but I think they are worth the trouble. With a 190 gr Ribtek, my finished hunting arras come in around 700 - 725 gr.

[B.O.D.]

I second ash, I shoot tapered ash and love them. with 145 gr. points they come in at 675 grains.
Tough as nails and great flight.
Bd

[Dave Rice]

My favorite arrow shaft is tapered ash--incredibly strong. White birch is also a great shaft and is lighter, but not quite as durable as ash (much more durable than cedar, lodgepole, and fir though).

[varmint]

I prefer Birch,at my length,arrows are about 610 grains total which is about perfect for my 60lb bows.Not difficult to straighten,and they take stain pretty good also.

[Bjorn]

I am using barrel tapered white Birch; like was said before not as tough as Ash, and a bit lighter. My finished Birch shafts are 500-550 grains. Douglas Fir is also a good choice; finished shafts are 400 grains, easy to keep straight, and almost as tough as Birch. I am not talking about laminated Birch-I have found them very tough to keep straight.

[oldway]

Thanks for the help guys,its looking like ash is the way to go.I noticed Big Dog and Dave are shooting tapered ash arrows,do you find tapering improves their alot over non tapered arrows?

[SlowBowinMO]

I had the same problem with Lam. Birch, it wasn't hard to get them all out of whack.  I'd take regular birch over laminated.

[Mulberry River]

I got too frustrated with the straightness problem with ash, myself.
Dan

[Orion]

I tend to favor birch just slightly over ash, probably because the grain seemed to be a little straighter on the shafts that I've had over the years.  The ash looks prettier stained though.   There is a fair amount of variation within any species, so I'm sure you could find ash and birch of the same weight.  I also like hickory for an even heavier, tougher arrow.  Pretty plain Jane to look at though.

[Chad Sivertsen]

From my experience I think Ash is a good choice. They are heavy but not extremely so and tough. Remember wood shafts vary in weight and straightness. It depends on where the tree grew, how the shafts were doweled in relation to grain, moisture content, etc. Shafts from the same species can be good or bad, heavy or light, straight or crooked. they are wood and have variations even from the same tree.