Wood arrow accuracy

[Gordon Jabben]

Just read an article on wood arrows in TBM.  The undertone of the article (Troubleshooting Wood Arrows) is that wood arrows shoot poorly compared to other shaft materials. It's stated that "no two wood arrows will fly exactly the same, even if the spine and weight are identical and he finishes the article with "If I can get three out of a dozen (wood) arrows to fly true and group tightly when tipped with broadheads, I'm satisfied.
My question is, how do wood arrows compare to carbon and aluminum arrows?  I only shoot wood arrows and have since the early 1980's and I am wondering if I'm just not good enough of a shot to notice how poorly my wood arrows shoot. I can make a dozen broadhead arrows and they all seem to fly fine for me but would my accuracy improve with carbon?

[Charlie Lamb]

Gordon... much ado about nothing!  A creative writing instructor once told me, "controversy sells". He was right.

[Gordon Jabben]

Charlie, that's what I wondered.  I love making and shooting wood arrows but have thought about getting a dozen carbons just to see how they shot.

[wingnut]

Gordon,

Don't do it!  You will loose the romance of the wood arrow quickly.  I've had and shot some of the best wood arrows built in years past.  There has never been a wood arrow that I have shot that is anywhere close to a well tuned carbon arrow.

Mike

[kat]

I have to say that I shoot wood poorly. It is not a nock on the wood, just can't seem to get the proper spine combo, I guess.
That being said; I have many friends that shoot wood as good as carbons.
Man has fed himself for thousands of years using wood arrows.
Shoot what makes you happy.

[Red Beastmaster]

I shot wood exclusively for 20 years then I got fed up with poor quality of cedar. My last bundle was actually stuck together.

I switched to aluminum and instantly shot better than ever! I thought I was a fair shot before but the aluminum turned me into a good shot. Nothing else changed, just the arrow material.

Been shooting alum for 10 years now and recently got a bit nostalgic and made a dozen cedars. They absolutely are not as consistent, I don't care what anyone says. My groups are bigger and I spend more time behind the target scratching in the leaves.

I have no experience with carbon and have no desire to try them. I will play with wood and kill stuff with aluminum.

[LBR]

Get the video "The Legendary Hunts of Ben Pearson" (think I still have the contact info. for Ben Jr.  Check out the Wilhelm brothers shooting wood arrows.

 

Good wood shafts are harder to get, takes more work to make them into arrows, but they can be shot very accurately.

I'm no pro, but I've shot better scores at tournaments with wood arrows than a lot of others using aluminum or carbon.  

FWIW, I shoot all three.  For convenience, aluminum and carbon win hands-down.  For accuracy...I can't tell a difference.

Chad

[SuperK]

I'm sure a lot of people will disagree, but I find that wooden arrows are easier to tune than carbon, more forgiving and a heck of a lot quieter.  You MUST start with good, matched shafting (like Surewood and Wapiti) and follow certain basic "rules" when building them.  You will also have to retune your bow.  (I used to have carbon, aluminum and wooden arrows.  Guess which one shot the best?  The one that my bow was tuned for.)  I can't tell any difference in accuracy out to 20-25 yards.  Past that its more me than arrow material.

[TSP]

Ignore the naysayers.  Wood arrows have been used for thousands of years and still do their job very well for those who prefer to stay with the traditional side of archery.  

While true that an almost cultish fascination with precision shooting and high-tech materials has developed in archery at all levels, a well-made and matched set of wood arrows will do anything normal archers want or need them to do without compromising the basic premise that traditional archery is known for...respect for simple materials, methods and applications.  Wood arrows and bows led the way in archery well before metal and plastic ever existed, and while some still honor that fact and the basic premise behind it others will take liberties to disparage it as a way to embellish their own chosen preferences.  For many it seems, winning ribbons is the new traditional and all is fair in the pursuit of perfection.  

Wood is a fine choice. Use whatever you prefer for gear, enjoy yourself and pay no heed to those who over-embrace technology and in doing so give 'the shaft' to the simple stick and string side of archery. That dog just don't hunt.

I have not done any scientific testing, but I know I shoot my FMJ's more accurately that I can my woods. YMMV

Bisch

[Orion]

See below.  Somehow double posted while trying to edit.

[ron w]

I shoot wood, carbon and aluminum.......makes no difference in my results on a target or 3/D course.  

[Orion]

Originally posted by Orion:
There's a fair amount of misinformation in that article.  He starts out by shooting arrows mismatched in spine to his bow and complains about poor arrow flight. What does he expect?  He doesn't know his bow weight nor the spine of the arrows he 's shooting.  Not a basis on which to argue that no two arrows will shoot alike.)  

Regardless, if he can only get three good arrows out of a dozen shafts, that means he's started with some mismatched shafts to begin with or screwed them up in the building process.

It's not difficult to build well matched wood arrows that will shoot together, but to do so, they need to be the same spine, weight, length, and have have consistent good grain, and have straight nock and point taper grinds, and the nocks and points must be put on absolutely straight.

Of course, it's easier to achieve all these things with aluminum and carbon shafts and plug in components, but there are very few folks who can shoot the difference between a set of well made woodies and other shaft materials.

Keep in mind, too, that he's shooting a self bow. Though the bow itself is capable of consistent results, a lot of shooters aren't capable of getting consistent results with them.

[redfish]

I shoot wood, aluminum, and fiberglass. Aluminum is easiest and straight until they bend, then they  are repurposed. Fiberglass is tough, heavy, and a little harder to deal with, not as consistent as aluminum. Wood arrows require more attention, but are better for shooting off of not-to-center bows because they can maintain weight while shooting a lighter spine. I will probably be shooting more wood now than before because the aluminum options for my bows are not real good, and my fiberglass are of limited supply and I can't get more with a lighter spine.

[LBR]

Great info. Orion.  I didn't read the article...but it appears the problems were built in before the author even started.

For the record, I don't shoot wood arrows for the nostalgia.  The only reason I started shooting them was, when I competed, they were required at most tournaments to shoot in the longbow and selfbow classes.  There was a strong learning curve, especially building my own, but I soon found out they could be shot as accurately (by me) as any other arrow as long as I did my part.

I do like the fact that I can get a reasonably heavy arrow (8-9+ gpp) without having to put a spear point on the end of my arrow.

[Rick Richard]

Oh, but the sweet smell of cedar.

[Jack Skinner]

Fake News

If what Orion says is true then this was a "experiment" meant to fail.

Gordon Jabben I thought I have seen pictures of you with several dead squirrels. How much better do you need to shoot?

Shoot what gives you confindence and joy

[M60gunner]

Ah, a friendly discussion of an old topic. I like making and shooting wood arrows as well as the next guy but finding matched shafts is a witch hunt unto itself. I just happen to have acquired some dozens from an estate sale of an arrow maker in CA. Unfortunately maybe only six are exactly the same.

I wanted to make some woods like the Bear offering in 1962. I used the calculator and found I needed 60# spine for my bow. I made up 8 as that is all I have exactly 60# spine. They are a little light for huntingIMO but they fly as well as the carbons I have for that bow. I shoot out to 40 yards or so and except for my miscalculation of the range both carbon and wood ended up next to each other.  Good enough proof for me.

[Sam McMichael]

Wood arrows, if well made, will generally shoot tighter than most any of us can hold. I wonder if anybody told Howard Hill how innately inaccurate his wooden arrows were.

I have found woodies to be totally adequate for my shooting, and I have found that they are easier for me to tune.

[Michael Arnette]

Well, I do know that I'm not nearly as good of a shot on those squirrels as you are with your wooden arrows! Lol
I don't shoot wooden arrows nearly as well past 20 yards. However I have found that if I only shoot one wooden arrow it will fly with incredible consistency.

I think if you put a dozen matched Cedar arrows through a shooting machine and then a dozen full metal jacket (or other high quality shafts) through the same machine the man-made arrows would be more accurate. It might take 30 or 40 yards for the difference to be very noticeable but I think it would be there and the difference between man-made and wouldn't components would be exponential as the range increased.

Inside hunting distance I don't think it matters much if you know how to work arrows.