aluminum tuning easier than carbon?

[sheepdogreno]

I picked up a half dozen Xx75 1916s last night for cheap and I have never shot aluminum before. I did some bareshaft testing with them tonight and found that a small point weight adjustment had them grouping about a half inch left with a near perfect nock alignment. Is aluminum that much easier to tune or did I just get really lucky? I'm shooting a 45#@28 longbow about 28.5in draw. Arrows cut to 30in standard 9g insert with 125g points. I picked these arrows up new for $17 and will have them fletched up for some backyard bag arrows. Will leave the carbons with 250g up front for 3d and hunting. Anyone else think aluminum is easier to tune? This is my first rodeo with them

[jhk1]

I mostly shoot aluminum and wood arrows out of my trad bows, and I think aluminum is easier to tune that carbon.  Aluminum shafts are available in a bunch of different shaft diameters and wall thicknesses, typically giving you multiple options for a given bow-- for example, a 2114 shaft and a 2016 shaft are both considered "500 spine" (I believe there's a little difference in the deflection number, but they're both considered 500 spine).  However, the 2114 is a little lighter in weight.  Both aluminum and wood shaft's spine are fairly sensitive to changes in shaft length and point weight, so you can make small adjustments in point weight and/or shaft length to adjust arrow flight.

That being said, proponents of carbon shafts would probably say that carbon is easier to tune, since carbon shafts have a higher dynamic spine range than wood or aluminum.  So, any particular carbon shaft (say, a Gold Tip 3555 shaft) should be able to be tuned to work for a wider range of bows (draw-weight range) than a particular aluminum shaft (say, a 2016 xx75 shaft).  I believe that most carbon shafts are less sensitive to point weight changes than aluminum or wood.  Based on what I've read in some other posts, I think the spine of a carbon shaft is more sensitive to shaft length changes than point weight changes (although both do matter).

I guess it depends on what you mean by "easier to tune".  Guys who like aluminum or wood probably think these are easier to tune because they can make small adjustments in point weight and/or shaft length and see differences in flight characteristics.  Some guys who like carbon might say that carbon is easier to tune because the shafts are less "finicky" (wider dynamic spine range)-- if you've selected the shaft that works best for your bow (say, 3555 vs. 5575), leave it long, stick a heavy point up front (whatever point weight you need to get your total arrow weight where you want it to be), and see how they fly.  If too weak, go with a lighter point.  If too stiff, shorten the shaft a little bit at a time until you get the flight you want.

Just my 2 cents-- I could be wrong.  I shoot them all-- wood, aluminum, and carbon (although I have much less experience with carbon).

[KentuckyTJ]

Coincidence. I ofter tune and retune my bows as well as the new ones I get and use .500 carbons and aluminums. You have just hit what your bow likes.

My 2016's are a little larger diameter than my carbons. I have found some bows that like them better. I have found its more from the diameter than the spine. The spines are supposed to be the same. I had a bow that shot the aluminums better but when I made my sideplate a hair thicker the carbons shot just as well. thickening my side plate simply put the carbon arrow point in the same place as the larger diameter aluminum if that makes sense.

[sheepdogreno]

Thanks for the responses. Both make perfect sense to me. I have heard both sides of the table so many times but never tried aluminum myself. I'm leaning towards I got really lucky in how fast I was able to tune these. I must have started off really close just in picking 1916s

[M60gunner]

Glad you "got lucky " with new arrows. I also find tuning alum easier. I think what makes carbon an issue for some guys is the loading up of point end of arrow.

[Jock Whisky]

I've found some carbon arrows have a ridiculous spread on spine. I shoot heavy heads so I use a very stiff arrow. One batch had a spread of 92 to 110 lb on my spine tester. You won't find that on aluminum.

[bigbadjon]

That's a very accurate statement Jock Whiskey but it generally falls on deaf ears around here.

[sheepdogreno]

jock whisky I just tuned some carbons the other day that same spine same box had one that just would not shoot anything like the others. took 50g less point weight to shoot like the others with heavier weight. all other specs the same. thought it was a form error at first until I marked the shaft and it continued to shoot differently from the rest. I didn't notice any difference arrow to arrow in the half dozen aluminums

[hvyhitter]

I have about 10 or more sizes of alminum arrows so it usually takes less than 15 min and 20 shots to get an arrow flying almost perfect. No bareshafting or paper tuning needed.............ever...........     And a 2018 autumm orange flys exactly the same as a 2018 gamegetter, gamegetter 2, camo hunter, treebark, serpentine, classic, legacy or JD natural.........

[damascusdave]

The other nice thing with aluminum is that it is not hard to get reasonable weight with soft spined arrows...most 600 spine carbons are pretty light

DDave

[SuperK]

Another plus for aluminum is that they are easier to work and tinker on.  No worries when using hot melt glue like with carbon.  A cheap copper tubing cutter works great for cutting shafts.  No need for an expensive high speed cutter or trips to the archery shop.  This is also a great time to stock up on your favorite shaft size as lots of folk are cleaning out their "inventory" of "old, outdated" but perfectly good aluminum shafts and arrows.  I remember when aluminum was THE shaft material because of its consistency with regards to spine and weight. (oh by the way, it still is!)  Like Hvyhitter said, a 2018 is a 2018 no matter if its a gamegetter, autumn orange, camo hunter,etc.  It also doesn't matter if that 2018 was made 10 years ago or 10 days ago.  Yes, they will bend on you sometimes when stumping but they sometimes can be straighten and used again.  I use wood, carbon and aluminum but I have more metal arrows than the other two.

[Red Beastmaster]

Several years ago I went from 20 years of wood to a trial run with aluminum.

I looked up my specs on the chart, bought the shafts, cut to 1" longer than my draw, fletched and added a 125gr point and watched lazers fly to the target. No tuning, no nothing. I tried a 145gr broadhead, same perfect flight.

They fly so nice I never saw the reason to even try carbon. I don't mess with something that works.

[sheepdogreno]

Thanks for the responses. Aluminum has been interesting me for quite some time. We shall see once I get them fletched how well they really do fly. At the price I got these I couldn't pass em up for an aluminum trial run.