Tired Arrows?????

[Downtime]

I have been shooting the same four-2016 gamegetter arrows for the last year and a half.  Putting new fletching on as required.  I shoot just about everyday during good weather (even in the winter).  I am a fair trad shooter and normally shoot at 4 different points on my target bag to prevent arrows from hitting each other.  This prevent damaged arrows, nocks and helps with my aiming.  These arrows have been shoot thousands of times each.    

[USN_Sam1385]

Is it possible that the aluminum on the old arrows has bent slightly.

Enough of a bend to affect accuracy, but not enough to be visible??

I am curious what others think. I will be following this thread.

[Jake Diebolt]

Possibly the sheer number of times it has been violently flexed by shooting them has weakened the spine or bent them very slightly.

[Orion]

Don't have enough experience with aluminum to offer an opinion.  It can happen with wood though.  It's not often that I have wood arrows around more than a year or two, but I do occasionally.  Quite often, those that I've shot a lot, i.e., thousands of time just get soft and lose a good deal of spine.  They pretty much become unshootable.

[The Whittler]

You should be able to tell by spinning them to see/feel if there is a warble.

[moebow]

Check the spine.  It could be that the old shafts are starting to "work harden" or crystallize which may be affecting the spine.  Just guessing  

[Downtime]

I have table rolled them and spun them, with no noticeable wobble.  One arrow has a very very slight oval toward the tip, that can barely be felt, but visually cannot be seen.  

I should have taken a picture, at 20 yards the fletching of the four new arrows were touching each other while the other four grouped outside of the new four arrows by an inch or two.  Plus this was a mix group of new and old during the releasing at the target bag.

[Night Wing]

You said you've replaced the fletching as needed on the four old arrows, but you never said if you have replaced the arrow nocks on the old arrows?

[SCATTERSHOT]

If your old Gamegeters are the green ones that just say Gamegetter, and the new ones are GGIIs, they are different alloys, and the old ones will be stiffer.

Is the fletching identical? Same length, wing, etc.? same nocks?

[m midd]

I wish i could keep arrows that long

[Downtime]

Yes, they are all the second generation of Gamegetter arrows (black-GGII's).  All are fletched the same (left wing, 5'' AMG sheath, left spin angle, straight clamp, miller master arrow fletcher, and all fletched at same position on the arrow.)  

Nocks are all in good condition, that I have never replaced and have replacement nocks and uni bushings on hand.  I tune my nocks by filing so they all fit on the string the same.

Bow is a 45#, Martin Saber, my draw is 29'' and arrow length is 30'', 125 grain tips.

[flinthead]

In shooting a compound w/ sights the six aluminum arrows shot for 6 months seemed to be grouping wider than normal. Took the other six of the same dozen and the group was 1/2 the size. Arrows looked and spun the same. Must have been a lot of small bends ,metal fatigue, or stress had made the first 6 group wider.Did not have a spine tester.  Changed to carbon then. Have been told carbon will also do this after a lot of shots. Stands to reason all that shock will have an effect. One opinion , Roy

[cyred4d]

Interesting thread. I hope some one with metalurgical experience can chime in and tell us whether flexing metal like arrows do when shot will change the metal characteristics.

[Benjy]

I did notice that when I bought new aluminum arrows that I felt I was shooting better. I have never done a comparison like you did. I thought it was just in my head   :D

[emac396]

I would say archers paradox over many many shots would change spine, along with arrow gets bent a little each time pulled out of target. I would be curious of spine test and spin test.

[cedar]

I use aluminum to shoot indoors in the winter season.  I used to use the same arrows for several seasons.  One day an old timer I was shooting beside told me to change out aluminum arrows every season because the aluminum will suffer metal fatigue like any other metal due to the paradox of the arrow on every shot.  Made some sense to me.

[Bjorn]

Everything deteriorates and fatigues over time and will fail due to defects, wear or fatigue sooner or later. Check your equipment regularly; arrows especially take a tremendous beating regardless of material. Just stopping in a bale-going from 170 fps to zero within a foot or two-will put a strain on anything.

[Earl E. Nov...mber]

I doubt the spine has changed but don't put a lot of faith in the table roll method..
I prefer to put the point on my right thumb nail, while using my left thumb nail and an arrow shaft to make a "V" .. Holding the arrow close to vertical I blow the fletch giving the arrow a rapid spin.. Watch the nock..
I'll bet a ham sandwhich to a doughnut you see some wobble on the old ones.

Pulling arrows will take it's tole on the shafts.

[Downtime]

Other than the one arrow having a super slight dent, all the old arrows are straight.  I even checked then as advised by Earl E..

Yesterday, I got the chance and stripped all the old arrows of fletching and installed new fletching.  

Now I am no super traditional archer, but 30 yards and under, I am prettee dam good.  I can now say, that the old arrows were not tried, but the fletching on them was.  I now have 8 arrows that I can shoot at 20 yards and have them all grouped tight.  I even had many groups in which all arrows had others arrow fletching touching each other or shafts, this included the slightly dented one also.

I am now going back to shoot each arrow at a differnt spot on the target bag.  This will prevent shaft and nock damage, plus the fletching last longer.

Thanks