Go with wood or stay with carbon arrows?

[Lonala]

Call John @ Twig Archery he has cundoo bought some tapered ones and they were straight and within 5 to 10 grains.Shoot nice and tuff.

[Lonala]

My bad Chundoo

[59Alaskan]

I shoot both but gravitate to wood.  When cedar breaks there is a fine smell to intake.  When carbon splits it's just the pits.  

Spend $50 on a half dozen from Magnus.  They will last longer than you think.  When you do this you'll then know the quality of matched wood.  You can then decide if you want to make your own stumpers etc....

[Craig]

They don't last too long if you are going stump shooting. Make your own it's not hard at all. I now only shoot carbons. If you shoot alot like every day stay with carbons. It is a lot cheaper. I use to make and sell a dozen years ago for $60.00 those same arrows today would sell for $150.00.

These arrows here are priceless.

 

[tecum-tha]

Wood arrows can be repaired and toughened up using the arrow-fix tool. A 1.5" long "footing" behind the point made out of black locust makes a cedar arrow unbelievably impact tough.It is not the amount of hardness which makes the difference in the footing material, but the right combination of hardness and springiness.
Unless you want your arrows only plain, buying them from a reputable fletcher is the more economical way over time. Do yourself a favor and buy a test set before you buy your 1 or 2 dozens.

[DTD]

Dink's Feather Shop makes great quality arrows-very straight. Dewayne is a sponsor on this site.

[centaur]

I have been shooting the chundoos I recently got, and they fly great. I did manage to dead center a rock with one of them, and instead of breaking, the field point just got pushed back a bit on the shaft, so they are pretty tough. They don't smell good like cedar, though.

[wooddamon1]

Wood is good. I like Douglas Fir shafts lately, but I never had a problem with Cedars.

DF is a little tougher though...

Tapered Cedar

 

Douglas Fir

 
Douglas Fir

 

Some Douglas Firs in process...

 

[Bob B.]

I shoot woods.  I think carbons fly a bit better, but I shoot longbows and desire to shoot woods.  I stump with them, I hunt with them.  It jsut feels right to me.  It feels traditional to me.

Bob.

[John Lipinski]

I started out with wood because I wanted to make all my own stuff, and have shot aluminum before. I stick with wood because it works, works well, and is a blast to make.

[PaddyMac]

I am going through the same process. But I'm pretty determined to make some wood arrows after the first of the year. I don't relish the thought of retuning my bow and rebuilding the strike plate build up, but maybe I won't have to. I just think if you're going to go through all the trouble of instinctive shooting you ought to at least have some wood arrows to shoot. I've refinished a lot of gun stocks, and I like working with wood. I'm kind of a consistency freak (a carryover from wheels) but I shoot so much now and my arrows get so torn up, I'm losing that bad habit. A little inconsistency isn't so bad ... it's freedom.

[Craig]

So. all you guys that shoot wood, If you had to buy your wood arrows would you still be shooting wood? Sounds to me all of you make your own. Sounds like Stick N Strings wants to buy his.

[wooddamon1]

Craig, I'd shoot wood even if for some reason I couldn't make my own. I've seen some beautiful woods for sale and bought them at shoots and K-zoo even though I can make them myself.
To me they are the prettiest, quietest choice and if I do my part they fly just as good as any other material.
Besides, who can argue with tens of thousands of years of history?    

[Bjorn]

I make my own and if I want fancy I get a hold of Snag at Wilderness
Arrows.    

[varmint101]

I started out buying a half dozen cedars off the big auction site.  It was $40 something for the 6 and they were well made.  I then bought a dozen of the no frills woodies from 3Rivers.  Decent shafts and they lasted a while except for the 1 that was split from the start.  They are $80 a dozen now.  I then bought a bunch of different type shafts off Bill Carlsen and have been having fun for a while with them.  Still have a bunch!  

Wood shafts are fun, and they don't have to be expensive.  I like the pretty arrows, but you can put a few coats on them fletch and go if you want.

I'm no arrow snob though.  I shoot wood, carbon, and aluminum.  I still like a freshly broken crimson wooden shaft!  Good times there.

They really aren't a pain to keep straight.  Birch for me was the hardest, but man what a hard hitting arrow and they last.  Cedar, chundoo, sitka spruce are pretty easy maintenance I thought.  I really don't have a favorite between the 3.

They don't have to be fancy to work.  These are chundoo I got from Bill.
 
 

One from the auction site.
 

3rivers which is 4yrs old there and had been shot a bunch.  It had been broken, but I shortened it and used it for small game.  Worked!
 

[Benny Nganabbarru]

Mate, as for toughness when stump shooting, nothing carbon or aluminium can beat Douglas fir. Some of our termite mounds can get pretty tough, and are death on modern-material arrows; but the Douglas fir survives again and again and again.

Hunting with any arrow is fun and challenging; but when you walk-up to game you've downed with a wooden arrow, it is a really special feeling you get inside you.

[Ray Lyon]

I've been shooting traditional bows for 45 years now. I've shot wood aluminum and carbon arrows. Up until this fall, I've shot carbon arrows for my hunting for the last 8-9 years. In my opinion, you will not find a better (maybe equal) arrow made from an Easton Axis shaft with a brass insert properly matched to your bow.

That being said, I've been hunting with vintage Acme Premium shafting wood arrows, that I built myself, for this hunting season.  I wanted to hunt with wood arrows again.  Very good wood arrows will shoot as good as you can shoot.  Good wood arrows are not cheaper than carbon.  But that's ok to me, because I get enjoyment from them and I can't put a price tag on that.  

I'd make the following suggestion. If money is an issue, hunt with carbon arrows and buy/make a set of inexpensive (not cheap) wood arrows to go roving, small game, stump shooting with.  When I get down to 4-5 arrows from a dozen wood arrows because they've been broken by a deer or something else, I use them for practice arrows, stump shooting or early season 3-D shooting and save my Sunday best for serious practice and hunting.  

Many people have said it before; shooting and building wood arrows is just plain fun and good for the soul.  

Good luck with your decision.