straight or helical

[WilliamMcC]

hey everyone,

What are the pros and cons of a straight fletching? I normally use left wing helical. Are they any disadvantages of using a straight fletching compared to a helical?

[BobW]

In "Instinctive Shooting - Vol. 1", G Fred emphatically says "don't".  especially in hunting situations (broadheads).  Perhaps with a heavy offset, you might, but that is essentially helical.....

Just repeating what has been written.  I'm sure someone will have a different idea.

[d. ward]

Everything I learned was the helical was kinda invented for stabilizing broadheads faster by the spining of them..ie like a bullet ???Rotation helped it stabizlies a bit faster and prevent wind plaining.But do to the spinning the less speed and less distance the arrow would travel with the helical fletching.All long distance flight arrows are always straight fletched ??? bowdoc

[Horne Shooter]

My fater is an aeronautical engineer.  He expained to me like this...when it spins, it's a rocket. When it doesn't, it's a missle.  Just like Bowdoc said "rotation stabilizes the arrow" like a top or a bullet.  And like Bob has in his post....don't straight fletch a hunting arrow.
Spinnig creates "dirty air" from the broadhead to the fletching and this begins as the arrow  leaves the bow.  This means that it really doesn't matter how the broadhead is alligned in relation to your fletching or if your broadhead it vertical or horizontal at full draw-only that it is tuned and alligned properly with the shaft.  It may look better or give you more confidence, but when it leaves the bow and spins...it all becomes irrelavent.  Hope this helps.

[BEN]

I hunt with carbon arrows and I'm not very good at flecthing so I can't get helical on them--just an off-set. However, with my larger wood shafts that I shoot alot in the summer, I can usually get a decent helical on them by starting them out with my fletching jig and then rre-setting them by hand----WOW! what a difference in spin and they fly like darts.

[maineac]

On that note I am shooting Easton legacy arrows that came already fletched.  the fletching appears straight.  I have shot a broadhead several times to see if the flight would be good with the broadhead how I hhave the bow tuned.  It shot better than with the field points.  Should I be concerned even though  the fletch is not helical, or ecven offset?

[Dr. Ed Ashby]

William,

At one time I would have emphatically said helical - always - with broadheads. However, arrow setup is a HUGE factor.

If you're shooting an arrow with normal or high FOC, I'd still say use plenty of feather surface area, and with a large amount of helical spiral. However, with an Extreme FOC arrow THAT'S BEEN PERFECTLY BARE SHAFT TUNED FOR THE ARROW'S SPINE it's becoming very apparent that extremely small amounts of straight fletched feather can provide supurb stabization to broadhead tipped arrows.

This is new ground, not well explored yet. Check out the Fletching and Extreme FOC thread.

For decades my hunting arrows have carried 4 fletched 5" helicals, but that's being rdically changed, based on the results showing up in the early testing of what Extreme FOC arrows need to stabalize broadhead flight.

Smaller fletching, set staight, has several advantages (when used on arrows that they WILL stabalize with a broadhead). There is a large, and highly noticable, reduction of the sound of the arrow in flight. There is a gain in arrow velocity and force, both during launch and downrange. The smaller surface area of the fletching means less arrow wind drift when shooting in windy conditions. By using the reduced fletching area required to lower the highth of the fletching, there is a greatly reduced tendency for the feathers to mat down when used in wet weather.

I MUST CAUTION that such fletching HAS to be used on a an Extreme FOC shaft that has been perfectly tuned FOR SPINE. You can't just stick them on any Extreme FOC arrow and get perfect stabalization with broadheads, and they WILL NOT provide either adequate stabalization or fast paradox recovery on normal or high FOC arrows having broadeads.

Bottom line; if you are using broadheads on normal or high FOC arrows, stay with a fairly large amount of fletching area and use an off-set helical feather. If you are using Extreme FOC, it's well worth some experimentation to see just how small an amount of straight fletching you can use to still achieve perfect stability and arrow flight.

One additional item. The Extreme FOC's I'm working with now, with their tiny amount of straight fletching, are recovering from paradox faster than my older (high FOC) arrows are with their off-set helical 4-fletched 5" feathers! That means more retained arrow force and more penetration on shots at very close ranges. On the surface it all seems paradoxical (no pun intended), but that's precisely what the testing shows.

Hope this helped more than confused,

Ed
TGMM Family of the Bow

[TimZeigler]

I tried a similar setup to what Dr. Ashby mentioned when preparing for a hunt in inclement weather.  My arrows in my opinion were bare shafted exceptionally well for my feather setup, and flew very well with 4 LW helical shield cut feathers.  In my attempt to prepare for inclement, windy weather I attempted to use 4 "Blazer" vanes in the same setup.  I assumed that they would cut down on wind effect, and be less succeptable to the rain, and also increase speed due to less weight.  I attempted to put them on in a Left helical position as my feathers had previously been, and due to them being only 2" long the Helical didn't take quite as well as I hoped.  My arrows were not Extreme FOC nor would I consider them High FOC, using only 145gr 2blade up front.  In the end the arrow failed miserably, my first shot at 20 yards, burying itself  a few feet in front my block target.  The second shot again was extremely low, and stripped off 1 of the vains, as well as pulling one partially off.  I've yet to figure out if it was the lack of spin, the lack of vane surface area, or the lack of FOC weight. When I get the time I'd like to revisit that setup with heavy up front weight to see what and where it went wrong.
Tim

 

Originally posted by Dr. Ed Ashby:
William,


Smaller fletching, set staight, has several advantages (when used on arrows that they WILL stabalize with a broadhead). There is a large, and highly noticable, reduction of the sound of the arrow in flight. There is a gain in arrow velocity and force, both during launch and downrange. The smaller surface area of the fletching means less arrow wind drift when shooting in windy conditions. By using the reduced fletching area required to lower the highth of the fletching, there is a greatly reduced tendency for the feathers to mat down when used in wet weather.

[Dr. Ed Ashby]

Tim,

Most vanes will require more surface area to stabalize a given arrow than with feathers. This is due to the lower coefficient of friction vanes show, in comparison to a like area of feathers. I have HEARD that the Quick Spin vanes do a better job, but have not tested this out yet.

The longer rear leaver (the stearing arm) of Extreme FOC arrows permits any given amount of drag to exert more pressure on the shaft's center of pressure during launch and flight.

Ed
TGMM Family of the Bow

[Pat B]

I shoot mostly self bows and prefer 5 1/2" high backed slightly offset straight fletch. I tried helical and to me they were noisier and slower than the set up I use. Even with a straight fletch that is aligned with the arrow the arrow will rotate because of the shape of the feathers.
  Most of my arrows these days are either sourwood(hardwood) shoot arrows or switch cane and they are all tapered(naturally) so the forward end is heavier. With a 125gr head and 29" length most are in the 600+ gr range for the 55#@26" bows I shoot mostly.     Pat

[TimZeigler]

Dr. Ashby, thanks for the response, makes sense.  Maybe in the future a similar setup with more surface area ( a normal vane opposed to a 2" Blazer) would provide more coefficient to steer the arrow, combined with added weight up front and longer shaft? Tim

Sorry if this is off topic, don't mean to hijack the original thread. Tim

[Orion]

Tim:  I see at least two possible reasons that setup didn't work for you.  If you're shooting off the shelf, the vanes don't give like feathers.  They bounce off the shelf/arrow plate.  Also, aren't the blazers short, but quite high?  Their height would contribute to hiting the riser somewhere, throwing the arrow off.  And that could happen even if you're shooting off an elevated rest.

[TimZeigler]

Orion, I forgot to mention that it was off a flipper rest and not off the shelf.  The blazers are somewhat tall, so it may indeed help explain why they did in fact dive down into the dirt.  Thanks. Tim

[WilliamMcC]

Thanks for the response everyone.

I’m curious to know what effect these “newer” arrow tuning techniques have on more primitive equipment. I am shooting an Osage self bow #45@27 with no real arrow rest to speak of, just a folded piece of leather to keep the arrow in position. The arrow set up I have now is p.o.c shafts 28in to the back of the tip, reinforced self nocks and 5inch high back shield fletching. These arrows along with the bow were made by the master Bill Darr of Whipperwil Archery. Mr. Darr was a competitive champion in his day and now is a showmen at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Festival, he is the best shot I have seen since howard hill. And he shoots the same primitive equipment! So natural I have never try anything that diverse from his because I saw no reason to go against the grain.