Arrow questions

[TrapperJohn77]

Hello,

I got a wild hair to pick up a bow again after 25 years.  Needing some arrows, I headed to Bass Pro Shops.  The salesman insisted that I buy arrows with fake feather fletchings and refused to cut the shafts down for me.  He said I couldn't shoot solid plastic fletched arrows on my bow.  He also said that the arrows we're not designed to be cut - even though the inserts needed to be glued in.  They are Easton traditional.  My draw length is 29.5 and the arrows are 32.5 inches in length.  Is the salesman correct?  I can't shoot solid fletchings, even off of  stick on rest and the arrow length is fine as is?

Thanks

[moebow]

Sorry you had this experience Trapper!!  BUT if you go  t o a "big box store" you will get what you deserve!!  I MIGHT buy a T shirt from one of the "clerks" but ONLY IF I tried it on first.  NOT sure what you mean by "fake feather fletchings" -- either you are getting feathers or you are getting plastic vanes.  You don't say what bow you are shooting, but after 25 years, you'd be well advised to buy full length arrows to get back into the game and only cut later after your have regained some proficiency.  All arrows can be cut but when first starting out, leave them full length!!

Arne

[McDave]

I’ve heard of fake feather fletching. They are plastic vanes that have been sliced somewhat like feathers, so they fold in when passing by the arrow rest. I haven’t read any reviews on here, so I don’t know how well they work. But real feathers work so well, I don’t know why anyone would bother with fake feathers. But if they are already on your arrows, I would go ahead and use them. Maybe you can write us a report on how well they work.

[Jock Whisky]

Good advice above. When it comes to stickbows the big boxers haven't got a clue. Arnie's right. Get back in your groove then think about cutting to length. I've tried the fake feathers that were sliced as McDave mentions. Not so great. Best shot off an elevated rest. See if you can find someone local that knows what he or she is talking about and go from there. Otherwise, lotsa help here.

[TrapperJohn77]

I appreciate the replies.  It has been a long time since I even held a bow.  For some crazy reason I gave my Grizzly (graying green) away when I went to college.  Before that, I got my first bow when I was six and shot consistently through high school.  Been missing it for a while and decided to try my hand at archery again, but with a  different bow.  Anyway, I clearly don't know all of the terminology.  Just looking to get going again.  New bow arrives Tuesday and had limited options for shopping.  It was either Dick's, Bass Pro or Walmart.  I'll glue in the inserts and a let a few arrows fly before I try anything fancy.

[jeffbelben92]

I’ve heard of fake feather fletching. They are plastic vanes that have been sliced somewhat like feathers, so they fold in when passing by the arrow rest. I haven’t read any reviews on here, so I don’t know how well they work. But real feathers work so well, I don’t know why anyone would bother with fake feathers. But if they are already on your arrows, I would go ahead and use them. Maybe you can write us a report on how well they work.

I have the sliced canes on my arrows and it seems to work ok, the thing I’m worried about with natural feathers is hunting in the rain they get heavy

[McDave]

Hi Jeff, welcome to the forum!

When you respond to posts, you might want to take a glance at the date of the last post.  In this case, the issue had pretty much run its course by April of 2019.  Unless there is some reason to resurrect a post that old, it is probably better to start a new post of your own.

The second thing to be aware of is that the Shooters Forum is aimed at questions relating to how to shoot the bow.  Of course, the definition of what that really means changes over time, but these days, questions pertaining to bows and arrows themselves as opposed to how to shoot them are best posted in the PowWow forum.

[Wheels2]

Avoid shops like BassPro.  If he know anything about archery it is compound or crossbow.  I tried the TradVanes and they did shoot off of my recurve but they were fragile andike any vane, once nicked or crinkled, they don't fly well.