My aluminum arrows are bent!

[Savate]

I think I found one factor in the my inconsistent shooting...I noticed two of my aluminum Stalker arrows were bent back by the fletching!  (and here I thought it was all about inconsistent form or anchoring....)    

I'm not sure how this happened.

Can they be straightened by hand or do I need some kid of special arrow-jig or something....should I take them to the archery shop were I got them?


A

[Stringdancer]

Buy a arrow straightner with a run out dial, and you can save your aluminums.  I think there might be some in the sponsors list.

[Savate]

Thanks Stringdancer; Haven't found one of these dohickys yet.

BTW, this begs the question: why are my arrows getting bent?

[Stringdancer]

www.fsdiscountarchery.com    You can find them here.

Mike

[Savate]

Cool...I've seen some on ****.

[Savate]

Are bent aluminum arrows not fixable?  I took them to the local archery shop and he told me they were too bent to fix without breaking (and was quick to try and sell me on carbon arrows).

He put them on the little straightener do-hickey and said it was no use.  :(

[Stringdancer]

If they are bent like a horseshoe than throw them away, but just bent a little they can be straightened.  Most people don't know how to use that do-hickey as you call it LOL! And of course he want's to sell you new arrows, that way he don't have to try, and straighten yours.

[Terry Green]

Bent aluminums are not only not fixable...they are dangerous to shoot.

Get more arrows....and carbons are FAR better than aluminums IMO.

[NDTerminator]

Many bent alums can be straightened.  Long ago I bought a shop quality straightener, as I simply couldn't see paying the local "pro shop" guy 50 cents to a buck per arrow for this simple job I could do myself.

That being said, arrows that are bent close to the tip or back near the fletching can be extremely difficult to impossible to straighten.

This is because they don't have much flex in those areas, and are very easy to crease or break when trying to straighten.  When I get arrows bent in these spots, I generally just toss them.

I shoot both carbon and alums.  I've never had any alum blow up on release, even those I've straightened numerous times.  I have had one early carbon blow up; both the damage to the bow and my bow arm were spectacular.

This event illustrated the sneaky little thing carbons will pull on you, in that they often conceal their flaws inside where you can't see them.  I suspect the carbon that blew up glanced off a metal fence post, but there were no outward visible signs of damage or a flaw.

At least with alums, a guy can see if it's bent or creased, and make a judgement call on whether to keep using it...

[marlon]

Savate if the alluminum is made of cheaper grade of alloy they will bend very easy. 6075 alloy

[Terry Green]

A bent arrow is like a bent nail, it will NEVER be as strong...if they aren't as strong, then they aren't fixed IMO.  If shot at an animal, they could colapes and rob you of valuable penetraition.

How much do you value your fore arm?

[Walt Francis]

Terry, I value mine more now then I once did.  Here is my thoughts regarding aluminum and carbon arrows, for what it’s worth.  When switching from left-handed to right-handed I spend the first three weeks doing nothing but practice my form and building muscles, pulling back a 45# bow to my anchor then letting it down.  The bow hung in the corner of the living room and I picked it up and drew it at least five times every time I walked past it.  I never released an arrow during this time.  The following six weeks was close up big bale/block, usually from five to ten yards, where I would shoot a dozen arrows with my eyes closed three to six sets each day.  I started with aluminum arrows and within the first few days all of them had been bent and straightened with my straightener (is that a word?), some of them several times.  It is a amazing how small the groups one is capable of shooting with eyes closed at ten yards when you do nothing but concentrate on form.  Anyway, even though I had been examining the aluminum arrows after each shot, one of the arrows broke and took off a piece of my leather arm guard.  Luckily, I was unhurt, at least physically.  It scared the **** out of me and took the better part of a week before I could control a newly acquired automatic jerk of the bow arm down and to the left when I released an arrow.  After this mishap I went to carbon arrows and did the next five weeks of short range block work without any problems, other then breaking three of the carbons when hitting them with other arrows.  I ended up using the remaining nine arrows for the next two years when I only had five left and could not replace them because that type of carbon was no longer available.  The cost savings on my annual allotment for arrows was significant.  A dozen carbons would last me around tow years before I either lost or broke seven arrows and need another one to fill out my six arrow quiver.  Prior to carbons, I went through at least three dozen aluminums each year.  I will let you do the math.  My thoughts on carbons are they are either straight or broke.  Sure, there are exceptions, like an interior crack as stated above, but then so are unseen cracks in the aluminum arrows.  Overall they are a better bargain, both in regards to cost and accuracy, in the long run.
I know, everybody is wondering why anybody (me) would so lazy or stupid to shoot twelve arrows before retrieving them.  Two reasons, I had a broken foot and was on crutches and it was the middle of the winter and three feet of snow on the ground.
Oh ya, currently I used the least accurate and most expensive type of arrows, wooden ones.

[Bowtie]

Well, I guess I have to throw my 2-cents in, with all due respect to everyone. I echo what NDTermintor has said.  Personally, I shoot quality aluminum (Easton Legacy's) in my Trad bows.  They work well, easy to work on, and are very durable.  I should note though that I don't shoot high poundage (max. 50).  I also agree with Terry's comment regarding bent/straightened arrows for animals.  I will not use an arrow that has been straightened for hunting.  
Jerry

[AllenR]

The compound pro archers who shoot aluminums routinely straighten their arrows with no loss of strength.  However, they are going from .006" to .001" straightness.  The amount of bending & straightening is very slight.  

It depends on how much the arrows are bent.  If it is slight, there is no loss of strenth or durability.  If there is a kink or crease in the arrow, it's garbage.  

You have to use judgement.  A little straightening won't hurt, but if it's major, it can decrease strenth and durability like Terry posted.

Unfortunately, the Stalker arrows are not made from Easton's best grade of aluminum.  That's why they are less expensive.  They won't take as much straighting as the more expensive grades.

Bending near the fletching is probably not from anything you did while shooting.  It is probably from damage while stored or transported.  

There are some tricks to using an arrow straightener that most don't know.  The main one is that the support posts should be set to different widths for different sized arrows. Smaller arrows, closer posts.

Rather than trying to straighten significant bends in the Stalkers, you are probably better off getting new arrows.

[NDTerminator]

Terry is right, never shoot straightened arrows at critters.  I only use new shafts for hunting, and check them on my straightener to insure they are true in the rare event of a miss(        ).  If they need to be straigntened I do so but they then go to my practice arrow stash.

Also, I use  only  high quality XX78 or XX75 shafts. The lower quality stuff will  shaft you every time     :D    !

XX78's in particular are amazingly tough. Time and again I've seen them take a licking and not bend. Just yesterday, I missed (        ) an angled shot and bounced one hard off the 4" fence post frame of my big bag target. I would have bet my farmstead it was bent, but a check on my straightener proved it was as true as could be...