carbon vs. wood

[Mr Green 740]

I currently shoot Beman classics and when shoot I get a "click" that I think is the shaft hitting the riser. I shot a wood arrow and there was no noise and excellent flight. Being new to the sport and loving every minute of it(except buying a bunch of expensive things on a trial and error basis)I was wondering what are the pros and cons of shooting wood.I'm 100% in this for hunting and hunting only and I appreciate any feedback.

[texbow2]

For me the con's are time to build and breakage. I have limited time and want to spend it shooting. Maybe when the kids are older and I'm not driving to baseball and gynastics ervery night of the week I'll go back to wood. I've alway bought quality tapered shafts from RR or kustom king and they are as accuate for me as carbon. I've been shooting axis for over a year now and they are easy to "build" and tough but they don't look as good as wood.

[McDave]

I shoot carbons, because I haven't had any problems with them, but I made and shot my own wooden arrows for many years.  Some places require wooden arrows to hunt; it would be fine with me if all places required wooden arrows to hunt (can't you imagine the compound crowd trying to adapt to that?).  The problem with wooden arrows is that you will not get a bunch that are as close in spine, weight, and straightness as carbons.  The problem with carbon arrows is that they don't want to make a lot of different spines, for economic reasons I guess, so they offer internal weights instead.  The problem with that for me is that I want a properly balanced arrow, so I've limited myself to the brand(s) (is there more than one?) that allow weights both in the front and in the rear of the arrow.

The joy of a wooden arrow is that they are fun to make and inexpensive, so not such a big deal when they get lost or broken.  Of course, they get broken a lot more often than carbon arrows do.  I have a target hanging from a live oak tree in my backyard, and every time I miss the target and hit the live oak with a wooden arrow, it breaks.  A carbon arrow never has.

I like knowing when I shoot my tuned carbon arrows that when I miss, it was me, and not the fault of the arrow.  Probably if you worked on it, you could tune your carbon arrows so they didn't "click."  But I can't tell you how, and it might take experimenting with other carbon arrows.  In the mean time, you can have a lot of fun making and shooting wooden arrows.

[texbow2]

One pro for carbon is the ability to change point weights. I have 6 bow from 52-57lbs and get all to bareshaft well with the same shaft just by going up or down a little in point weight.

[ringo64]

the difference between wood and carbon to me is that carbon is something that you buy because it is easy and reliable and doesn't have natural variables.  wood or primitive arrows, i can make myself whether walmart or some other mass marketing selling machine is still open or in business or not.  it, to me, is the the same as the difference between a self bow and a compound.  one i can make and one i can't.

[slayer1]

I personally like the carbons. I would rather spend my time shooting than keeping up the wood. I like wood ok, but prefer the carbon because there is less maintenance. JMO  

[Gerardo]

our 3d tournaments specify that if you go in the longbow category you have to shot wood arrows,

These is why I started shooting woodies , and I find them easier to tune than carbon ,  I find the wood arrows to be better in weight and heavier which increases the pleasure in shooting my bow,

I think I will hunt with wood arrows these year, I love seeing them in flight

[George D. Stout]

Your clicking is more than likely from too stiff an arrow.  That said, there is nothing negative about wood, except they are not as durable as carbon or aluminum.  Aluminum, to me is a better choice than carbon at this point....at least until manufacturers decide to build a more varied spine within the sizes.

I just bought a couple carbons to try....supposed durability, and nock end split on the second day of shooting them, so I'm not sold on them.  I hear folks talking about not having time to build wood arrows, but they usually have time to waste on other activities.
It's a choice.

[wollelybugger]

I am shooting a self bow and to shoot anything other  than wood would seem odd.

[m midd]

i shoot only wood, im not saying theres anything wrong with aluminum or carbon, i figure carbon is about the best and most consistent arrow material there is. but its just not a fit with me and traditional.  And i enjoy making my own wood arrows, its just all part of it for me

[m midd]

[Stone Knife]

I like carbons, if you spend the time tinkering around with them once you get the right arrow and point weight, they are so much more consistent than wood. I do enjoy building wood arrows but I also enjoy building and tinkering around with carbon. As far as durability goes you can build a carbon that will out last the others.

[ishoot4thrills]

I had a string that was too short and of course it caused my brace height to be too high. Well, when I shot arrows through it, I heard the same noise that you're hearing. So, when I finally got the correct length string, which in turn I was able to get the correct brace height, the clicking noise was gone, never to return again.

I also shoot Beman MFX Classics. Best arrows I've ever shot.

[Russ Clagett]

You gotta be careful!

Once you start building and shooting wood arrows you are gonna be hooked. There's nothing quite like watching a wood arrow fly that you built.

They can be a pain in the a-- though...for reasons already mentioned...but still lots of fun if you have the time and interest.

Carbons are great, and I shoot them too. Find the right spine and tip weight and go. Much much more durable, but I lose more than I break so maybe that's not such a big deal to you either.

Why not enjoy both?

[Pat B]

Wood has a proven record for thousands of years and carbon only for a few. I prefer to keep trad archery trad.

[Killdeer]

I just started playing around with carbons this year. I like them, as they are quick to set up and I don't have to straighten them. I have bought CE Heritage 150s, and 90s, and Grizzly Stik Woody 600s. Upon hard impact, the GS Woody shafts split the nocks, so I will sleeve all of them, and foot the fronts also, especially on stumpers and such. The finish is not as nice, or slick, as the Carbon Express shafts.

I bought the first dozen CE 150s and they were the cat's eyebrows! I just cut them to my length and put 175 grain points on them and they shot true. So I then bought another dozen at the next shoot.

Y'know what? They don't spine the same as the first dozen. The are too stiff. Even full length, with 100 grain inserts and 250 grain points, they are just too stiff. I put them on the spine tester, and they are different than the first dozen. Well, crap.

So I bought the CE Heritage 90s at the next shoot. They fly nicely. Cut them to my length, put on just about any head, and they are good to go. I asked when I bought them if they were a standard 5/16 shaft, and was told they were.

They take a different size insert and nock. There are no heavy inserts available for them, and I am limited in the use of nocks. I would like to be able to use the standard nock adapters so that I can use a Merc or Bohning nock, but there are none available. The factory "Thunderstorm" nocks aren't bad, so I guess that is no big deal. But the 150s, if they are all the same as the first dozen would give me so much freedom. I just don't know which dozen is the norm, and which is the anomaly.

So, Snag sent me some Surewoods. I sure like them, and wood doesn't give me the "yeechy" feeling I get when I think of a carbon or aluminum shaft sitting in the body cavity of a deer. I know, not logical, but I get a definite yeech when I think of these shafts in a deer. I am seriously thinking of using the wood again, as always.

I am not caught up in the "more trad than the next guy" stuff, so that is not in my list of motivations. Pragmatically, a synthetic material that is repeatable and always straight is the logical choice. But I am a human, and illogical, and must follow my medicine and my heart. Each archer looks at the choices and reaches for the one that clicks with him or her. One will feel right, and you will take it in your hand and go afield with it.

Killdeer

[Jeff Strubberg]

Wood makes a great arrow.  As you've found, it's probably the quietest material available.

Your clicking noise isn't a material problem, though.  Sounds as if you are overspined by quite a bit on those carbons.


Me, I shoot carbon.  I can stretch a dozen carbons for years where I regularly went through three to four dozen woodies a year.

[Don Stokes]

Durability of wood arrows is not a problem if you use hardwoods. All softwood arrows break easily, but I have hardwood arrows (poplar) that I've been shooting for a dozen years. My favorite practice is random shots with a judo arrow while roving, and the one I'm using at the moment has bounced off rocks and trees at least 100 times, and except for ragged fletching it's still perfect. These poplars are tougher than the 2117 aluminums that I shot in the distant past. Never had a need for carbons.

[Doug in MN]

I just like wood arrows, I have not tried carbons but there are a dozen shafts by the bench just never made them up.

I however have a good supply of 2018's and 2020's that I shoot a lot. The 2020's are as they say tougher than Woodpecker lips.

All that being said I just like wood arrows and I like making them.

D

[Kevin LaPean]

I picked up a half dozen each of both CE 150s and douglas fir arrows to experiment with this summer and have fallen in love with the woodies.  They're quiet, fly beautifully, and just feel right.  I've broken two of them on unfortunately-placed lawn furniture, but the others have survived collisions with tree trunks.  The carbons fly erratically at times, most likely because I haven't taken the time to tinker with the tuning.  

I was hesitant to try wood arrows when I started shooting my longbow this spring, but Fletcher introduced me to them this summer and now I can't imagine giving them up.

My woods arrows have been anointed with broadheads for this fall, and the carbons relegated to blunt duties.