Regarding stumping arrows...

[IsraelHands]

Im relatively new to archery.  Target shooter #45 recurve and longbow.  Been watching some Grey Archer videos about stumping and led me to a bunch of other links about stumping.  

I came across a couple of links on trad gang and videos showing technique of reinforcing the carbon shaft with aluminum.  

My questions are:

1) How far up the shaft do you reinforce the front end?  Just the length of the insert?

2)  Is it necessary to reinforce the nock end?  I saw some people reinforcing the nock side.

3)  Where and how is a carbon arrow most likely to break anyways?

4)  What happens if I don't reinforce the arrow at all?  Is breaking very highly likely on the first few shots or is it the angle of a errant shot or what?

Thanks for the input.

[Wudstix]

I ususally put a 1 1/2 inch piece of aluminum on the point edge.  Reinforcing the nock end also helps.

[tradarcher816]

I stump shoot with carbons all the time and never reenforce my arrows I've busted the occasional arrow that hit a rock square on but otherwise I don't usually have any trouble. Just get some good judo tips or another good blunt you should be fine.

When I have suffered damage to the arrow it's usually splintered by hitting a rock or hard tree and driving the tip down the shaft.

[macbow]

If you are only a target shooter it may not be,worth it to try ruining arrows on stumps etc.

Stump shooting is great practice for hunting and maybe 3D shoots where learning judging distance picking a spot are important.

With that,said stumping is fun especially with a couple of other archers.

[ChuckC]

There are several aspects of "footing" your shaft.  The first and most important is to keep the shaft from splitting and allowing the insert to be jammed into the shaft on a hard hit.  Any ring around the very end of the arrow shaft should help with reinforcing that.

The next is keeping an arrow from breaking behind the insert.  There are issues here.  If you beef up the arrow for 1", it will likely break right behind that 1".  If you beef it up 2"  then the same will happen there.  I guess there comes a point where this stops.  

These breaks deal mostly with indirect or oblique hits, especially if you are using a wider (than the shaft) head that catches only an edge.

There are likely 100 different ways to do it and good reasons why it is done that way.  When I personally add a footing to my carbon, it is only a 1/2" ring to keep the shaft from splitting on a hard hit (1st comment).  Works pretty well.

ChuckC

[Dale in Pa]

IsraelHands, One of the most important aspects in prepping carbons for stumping is cleaning and abrading the inside of the shaft and using a good glue.

You really have to work at abrading the inside of the shaft before you glue in the insert or the glue simply won't stick and the result will be an insert shoved up into the shaft and splitting it.

I use rolled up sandpaper and abrade the shaft,then glue the insert in w a good slow cure epoxy.I also glue my nocks in so they won't pop out on a hard hit.

 If you prep shafts like this and also foot w a short piece of alum shaft they will be darn near bulletproof.

[Drewster]

I foot my carbons for stump shooting with a 1 1/8" or 1 1/4" footing.  Seems to work really well for me.  My arrows have taken some really hard hits that probably would not have survived without the footing.

I don't usually reinforce the nock end unless the arrow has taken a hard hit and the nock end has a small split in it.  I probably should trash those arrows but have had good success with a small nock footing.  The arrows I've repaired like that have held up really well.

The only time I've broken a footed carbon arrow was with a glancing blow.  I've never had any shafts that would withstand that kind of abuse.  And then they usually break well above the footing.

Carbon arrows are tough but tougher with an aluminum footing.

[njloco]

About 1 1/2", seems to work very well, but it is difficult to break a carbon arrow. I seem to break more at the nock end than I do the tip end.

[IsraelHands]

These are all great posts and I appreciate the input.  Why does the nock end suffer damage?  I can't understand that mechanically.  I can see the tip end of course and I understand that the arrow can still break up past the support, especially on a glancing blow of the target, but I can't get my head around why the nock end breaks.  Any thoughts on this?

[tracker12]

1) How far up the shaft do you reinforce the front end? Just the length of the insert?
1 1/2"

2) Is it necessary to reinforce the nock end? I saw some people reinforcing the nock side.

I don't but some do.  Never broke a nock but have had some fly out on heavy impact.  If the impact is really hard I can see thenock coming forward and creating a small crack.  It would be cheap insurance if you want to go that way.

3) Where and how is a carbon arrow most likely to break anyways?  

I have never broken an arrow other than at the business end.

4) What happens if I don't reinforce the arrow at all? Is breaking very highly likely on the first few shots or is it the angle of a errant shot or what

You will bust up the ends.  That is a given.

[Dale in Pa]

Nock end breaks after continually hitting hard objects. After you make the front end bulletproof,the shock transmits up the shaft to the next weakest point,which is the unsupported,unfooted nock end.

Glueing the nock in and footing will prevent the splits.

[ddauler]

All the input here is spot on. I would add this..we shoot a lot at milk jugs and water bottles with judos in grass aluminums hold up best for this as the arrows hang in the grass kick sideways and other arrows hit the side snapping every carbon that gets hit. Aluminums take this muck better. Summping? footed carbons all the way.

[njloco]

"Why does the mock end break " because I shoot two arrows at the same target       keep practicing, you'll see what I mean.

[Submarinokotbw]

Get some blunts. Some old beat up soccer or volleyballs, take a little bit of the air out of them (but not too much). Throw them out on a field or back yard. Shoot! the targets move every time you hit them so you are always having to adjust. and whats more...NEVER BREAK AN ARROW AGAIN!!!!

[-snypershot317-]

I reinforce my carbon arrows with an inch of aluminum shaft i also have brass inserts that stick out about a quarter of an inch and are slightly larger than the diameter of the carbon shaft. i have yet to break one due to an errant shot...the ones that i have broken have either been unfooted arrows or because my wheelie bow friends thought it would be funny to shoot at my arrow  :rolleyes:

[McDave]

The thing to watch out for, as has been alluded to in other posts, is a fracture on the point side of the fletches.  If it just broke in half, you would say, "oh well, isn't that just too bad!" (Or whatever choice words you might say at times like that).  But what can happen is that the shaft gets fractured and it still looks okay.  Then when you shoot it the next time, it just explodes.  That's REALLY too bad!  Especially if you end up with carbon fragments in your bow hand.  To avoid that, be sure to flex your shaft often, especially every time it has a glancing blow on anything.  Or hits anything hard, whether it's a glancing blow or not.