Aluminum vs Carbon

[Jeff Strubberg]

I'll take that as an order, George.  

[Groundpounder]

Im shooting 55/80 Rhino carbons with a 170g tip and some xtra weight up front and total weight is 660 they seem to shoot pardon the pun but straight as an arrow and they really whack the target with authority. Ive only ever shot these carbons with my longbow cooks mountain 50@28 because im new to trad. but ive shot both carbons and aluminum out of my compound , and after a couple dozen aluminum i bought a half dozen carbons to try them out in 2000 i used three for practice and have always kept three aside for hunting other than replacing some fletchings and broadheads i still have the same half dozen arrows. and killed a fair amount of whitetails with them . You cannot match the durability you get with carbons you just cant.its not a preference its scientific.

[Bowtie]

Legacy aluminum for me........ for all the positive reasons stated previously.

[James Wrenn]

I have shot all 3 and have had all 3 break coming off the bow on release.Each time it was a damaged arrow that should have been checked closer before I shot it.I had a 1916 break into 4 pieces on release.Shooting a coonshoot one night I had a carbon do about the same thing.It was 6 shooting in our group and it got beat up in the dark and I did not see the damage.Wood just does it sometimes if you shoot groups much.Check your arrows well and none of them will happen much.I shoot carbon most followed by wood these days.I have not shot aluminum in a few years.Mainly because I just like carbons best for hunting and have to shoot wood from primitive bows at 3ds.

[Terry Green]

You mean folks are still shooting aluminum????  :confused:

[vermonster13]

Well people still shoot bows with just glass on them Terry.    :D   Aluminum stays in that vein. lol

[ishoot4thrills]

Hey, I still like aluminum. To each his own.    :p    

[George D. Stout]

Terry....I had a guy shooting a compound bow ask me that exact question about recurves and longbows 8^).

By the way...I still have that AD you sent me and I've shot it a good many times and it's still tickin'.  I'll have to return it one of these days.  Maybe 8^).  If they all worked as well as that Arrow Dynamics there would be more in use.

[Widowbender]

Its great that we have so many choices in arrow shafts. Everybody has their reasons for preferring one shaft over the other. I've shot owned and shot: aluminum, wood, pc carbon, aluminmum/carbon composite, wrapped/woven carbon, etc.  For arrow shafts, carbon is the best performer for a number of reasons, most of which have already been mentioned. That doesn't mean you have to shoot them. I shoot carbons almost exclusively ,but I like wood as well and am starting to play around with some river cane. Heck, I still shoot aluminums occasionally...to remind me how much better carbons are...   :D    :D    :D
David    

David

[Terry Green]

Yeah...that was a joke...glad you guys took it that way.  I still shoot wood arrows too, but I think carbons are definately better shafting than aluminums.

[bayoulongbowman]

Wonder if Alum are made from recycled coke cans??mmmmmmmmmmmm             :wavey:Budweiser???  

[Chortdraw]

Have tried carbons but still like my aluminum better. They are easy to tune and easy to straighten. I guess I am just to old to change.  

[Bonebuster]

I was one of those guys who declared carbon to be JUNK. All aspects of them were more difficult, if not impossible.

One day while shooting with a friend, my target fell over while it was stuck full of his carbons, and my aluminums.

We stood the target back up, and he dug the dirt out of his nocks, and returned them to his quiver.
My XX75 Platinum aluminum shafts were destroyed.

I gave carbon ANOTHER try...determined to learn, or give up forever.

If you are willing to learn, carbon arrows will bring bow tuning to another level for you.

I remember Bear metric mags, green Gamegetters that the color wore off, Autumn Orange, XX75 camo hunters and so on. I grew up with them and loved them all. My money is now best spent on carbons.

[Jeff Strubberg]

I have a friend that can do the same thing, Terry.  Drives me nuts.  he can grab my arrows and shoot them out of a 35 pound bow with perfect flight.

I have to tune the snot out of my arrows or I spend all my time wondering if it's my crappy shooting or a waggling arrow causing problems.

[SpankyNeal]

Thought I would throw this in since someone mentioned test kits. You can buy single Carbon Express and Gold Tip shafts from Black Widow for $8.00 each and they come with inserts and an assortment of weights. Can't beat that deal!

Ken

[ishoot4thrills]

Originally posted by Terry Green:
Maybe its just me...or my arrow choice...but I do not have to tune arrows to fit my bows.  I do have to figure out the brace height and nock point...but I dont' have to fool with the arrows at all...alls this cutting off, point weights, rear weights, etc....

I shoot Arrow Dynamics Trad Heavies out of all my bows from 55 to 70#s....with head weights from 175 to 250 grains.....same arrow, any head I want, from any bow I want.....always get great flight.

You know, I can shoot my tuned-in aluminum 2016s at 20 yds. and then shoot my too stiff aluminum 2117s at the same time and they all look good in flight with the same point of impact, but let me shoot a bare shafted 2117 and it's over-stiffness shows itself immediately.

So my point is, just because it appears as though you're "always getting great flight" with fletched arrows doesn't necessarily mean you're always correctly spined.

Doug

[JC]

Doug, from first hand experience, Terry's arrows are an anomaly out of his bows (and even some of mine). Could be he has super clean release (which he does), or great form (which he does), or maybe it's just because he hunts with a funny hat, or whatever, but he can get those trads to shoot out of any bow he owns, mix and match at the drop of a hat. And I don't just mean "shoot", I mean busting nocks and complete passthroughs. That ain't happening with poor arrow flight, least in my experience.

However, I've used his arrows and can't do diddly with them, on his bow or my own...so I'm stuck with tuning. Besides, I kinda like fiddlin with arras.

Your mileage may vary....

[Terry Green]

OK...to answer the original question....

Carbons are quieter on the shot as they don't have that resonating hollow sound.

Carbons are over all quieter in the field.

Carbons don't come out bent after a pass through from an animal moving on the shot.

Carbons are either straight or broken.

I have found Carbons to be much more durable.

Carbons correct paradox faster.

Carbons have better dimensional stability at impact....less noodling....so they penetrate better.

And...to beat it all....you can rattle in bucks with Carbons.  Yep, I've done it.

George...no worries...just pass it along to someone else inquiring sometime.

[ishoot4thrills]

JC,

Yeah, I understand too, that carbons can be well suited to a wide range of draw weights which is good because there aren't as many choices in spine as there are in aluminum. I would still be curious as to where Terry's bare shafts are grouping in relation to his fletched arrows, though.

I second the comment about his funny hat! I saw him wearing it on the Trad Gang DVD and thought it definitely was, let's say, unique for sure! I sure like his Hush Puppy silencers too. Maybe that's his secret, he has specially made Hush Puppies installed on his string that nobody else can get! AHH HAH!
               

Doug

[JC]

Funny thing about bareshafting: I can't fathom the innumerable game animals that have been harvested or the number of medals won in tournaments with arrows that have NOT been bareshafted for say....oh...the last 1000 years.

I believe in it for me, but it's not always necessary to get excellent arrow flight.