Are wood arrows more forgiving???

[STICKBENDER98]

I recently bought a test kit from Surewood Shafts, and have them dipped crested and fletched, and finally had some ok weather to shoot a little bit.  I called and talked with Steve  and ordered a dozen and a half shafts starting at 40-45 spine and ending with 65-70 spine.  I had the 60-65 and 65-70 spines back tapered from 11/32 to 5/16, all the rest are 11/32. I shot five different bows tonight, my two Northern Mist 51# @28" and 52# @ 28", my Black Widow recurve, 51# @ 28", Hill Country Wildcat 41# @ 29" and my JavaMan Elkheart 41# @ 28".  All of them seemed to shoot the 60-65 spine the best.  I fletched them with 3-5", these were the only ones I didn't notice any "kick" up, down or left, right.  Just curious if anyone else has come across this, I was very surprised with the light weight bows shooting so well with the heavy spine weight.  These shafts came in with a 670-680 total grain weight, which also surprised me with how well the light weight bows shot them.

[Orion]

When you go up un in physical weight, you also need to increase spine.  That's why they shoot well out of your lighter weight bows.

But, to answer your question, Yes, I do find wood arrows a bit more forgiving of spine mismatch and shooting flaws than carbons. Been shooting them close to 60 years now, carbons only the past 10 years.

[longbow fanatic 1]

What field tip weight are you running with this shafts?

[STICKBENDER98]

I'm shooting 125 grains with 100 grain woody weights on  all my test kit arrows.  I have been shooting this same weight on my carbons and aluminums too.

[slowbowjoe]

That much weight up front is why they're liking heavy spines.
And yes, I do find wood arrows more forgivin than carbons.

[SuperK]

It sure seems like it to me, too.

I have wood arrows that will shoot well out of five of my bows of different weights, and a set of carbons that only fly right out of one of those bows.  I tried lots of point variations on those carbons but they insist on being right for just the one bow. i have tried different point weights on the woodies as well, they have at least a tem pound draw weight forgiveness. Why people cannot get wood arrows to fly right is sometimes a mystery, considering the quaility of shafts that are coming from Surewood and Wapiti these days.

[crazynate]

I also have trouble shooting one size carbon or aluminum out of multiple bows.when I make woodies they shoot gracefully out of more than a few with the same spine.

[Red Beastmaster]

I have two recurves, two R/D longbows, and a hybrid that all shoot the same cedar arrows. The bows range from 42-47#, the arrows are 45-50# spine.

I need two different alum sizes to shoot well from those same bows.

[Michael Arnette]

Yes in my opinion both aluminum and wood or more forgiving of spine errors than carbon

With wood arrows it is easier for to set using bop net, I use the back of the head as a draw check. I have also found that Hill style bows of modest length allow for some draw length tolerance as well. Combined, the two tolerances allow for a straight flying shaft that still keep the arrow behind the head.  My one set of carbons are also bop net, tapered from Alaska, they are not as tolerant of short draws with 200 or less grains up front, but when I went to 190 grain heads on the long ferrule they told be that they didn't like anything hotter than my standard shot.  Like I said, from the one bow they are darts, albeit, heavy darts.

[Tim Finley]

When I make a poor release I see it off center more with wood than I do with carbon . So for me I would say carbons are more forgiving but I still like shooting woods more .

[Sawpilot 75]

Yes, I find wood to be very easy to tune and more forgiving than anything else I have shot. It is beyond me how people have a problem with wood.

[STICKBENDER98]

This definitely has me thinking, I started shooting POC, roughly 20 years ago and made the circle to aluminum, and carbons, and now back to wood.  Really like the thoughts of being able to use one shaft the same length and same point weight up front on all my bows and not have to worry about anything, other than if I'm doing my part with my release and follow through.

[Shadowhnter]

For me and my shooting, woods are more forgiving in some areas, and less forgiving in other areas. No one arrow material is perfect in every aspect, but they are all certainly good. I love lots about the wood arrows, but there are some things about them I could do without. I can say the same for every material type. Your definition of forgiving, could mean something different to another person. All in all, I think there are things about each, that levels things up.

My lightweight bows shoot heavy woods,heavy aluminums,  or heavy carbons very well.

When I make arrows for my friends, I need to stay  on their case about their draw lengths, but I have a tough time guessing spines when they want arrows full length.  Every bow reacts to extra arrow length differently, it can really show up with wood arrows.  With net arrows they seem to stay with a softer release and an extra hot release.  With full length and the spine selected to match the extra length, a soft release shows a loggy arrow flight more, while a jerked release can get the arrow going places more with full length arrows and 28 or under draws.  It seems like a wood arrow likes to have something to fly around, or perhaps more precise, something to leverage against to get its spring action going.  One Hill shooter here likes carbons, but his arrows skip of the bow when he gets a soft release, which is about every time he shoots at a deer from a tree stand. He gets good flight on level ground at targets and says he hears the hit and sees the reaction when he shoots at deer.  A common ailment, to shoot a little weak when shooting down from a tree stand.

When I make arrows for my friends, I need to stay  on their case about their draw lengths, but I have a tough time guessing spines when they want arrows full length.  Every bow reacts to extra arrow length differently, it can really show up with wood arrows.  With net arrows they seem to stay with a softer release and an extra hot release.  With full length and the spine selected to match the extra length, a soft release shows a loggy arrow flight more, while a jerked release can get the arrow going places more with full length arrows and 28 or under draws.  It seems like a wood arrow likes to have something to fly around, or perhaps more precise, something to leverage against to get its spring action going.  One Hill shooter here likes carbons, but his arrows skip off the bow when he gets a soft release, which is about every time he shoots at a deer from a tree stand. He gets good flight on level ground at targets and says he hears the hit and sees the reaction when he shoots at deer.  A common ailment, to shoot a little weak when shooting down from a tree stand.

[hitman]

Not to the animal!  

[snag]

Yeah, they'll forgive you for shooting those carbons and welcome you back...

[forestdweller]

I'd be interested in knowing what makes wooden arrows more forgiving over carbon or aluminum arrows.

Maybe the fact that it goes through more paradox has something to do with it? I have noticed that aluminum arrows are more forgiving than carbon arrows and it could be because they like to bend more in paradox.

Carbon arrows are finicky in that they do not like going through paradox (are more resistant to it).

As an example I have a set of .500 spine carbons and out of my 50# glass longbow with a 300 grain point they show a near identical amount of stiffness compared to the same arrow with a 125 grain point.

I had to drop down to .670 spine with 145 grain points to get them to fly correctly whereas that same .670 shaft would probably show up quite weak if it were aluminum.