Carbon vs.aluminum vs.wood?

[lpcjon2]

Lets assume (and I know what assume breaks down to)that we use an average bow with 55#@28. Ok my question is simple(ha ha)off the string wood flexes more than carbon and aluminum,does the carbon and aluminum being stiffer cause more strain on the bow? And does carbon and aluminum hit harder and carry more energy that than wood?And what about the speed difference between the three? I use wood and was wondering if I get more if I switch.

[dragonheart]

carbon recovers quicker from paradox.  What are you wanting to gain?

[dragonheart]

penetration? speed? durability?

[lpcjon2]

Wood comes with maintenance like straightening and gluing on tips I used to shoot carbon my my wheelie and they were tough arrows. I see that a lot of guys use aluminum and carbon and I want to know what the perks are associated with carbon and wood and the downfall.and for penetration you can rule out speed( can you have both ) durability is a definite.

[Gordon martiniuk]

no Question Carbon is the best,,I have shot alumimun,, Wood, and Carbon outdoes them all does not bend you don't have to straighten them and they are easy to tune ,, make sure you bare shaft tune them with field points only then use 100 gr brass inserts  point weight of you choice leave them long to start with and only shorten them a 1/4" at a time till they fly good in your bow Congrats your done and have the best arrows matched for your bow you will have good F.O.C. and super Penetrating arrow ,, that wont warp and you never have to straighten ,,  

[Shawn Leonard]

I choose carbon for one reason and one reason only, durability. I love wood but it does not hold up well for the type of shootin I do. Aluminum well I never liked it, it is noisy and bends to easily. Tuning has never been an issue for me with any material. I have shot some of the same carbons for 4 or 5 years or more so it is way more cost effective as well. Shawn

[Flt Rck Shtr]

Carbon's are either straight or broken, wood arrows are quieter than any of the others in my opinion. Alumuinums always seem to bend very easy. I've shot two deer this year with carbons and still haven't broken one yet.
         Just my two cents

[Fletcher]

I suspect that carbon recovers faster than wood, but I'm not sure that aluminum ever recovers.  My woods will penetrate just as well as alum.  Initial speed is more a function of arrow weight than material.

Wood will never be as precise as carbon or aluminum.  They are also cold, noisy and have no spirit.  Good, straight, well matched wood arrows take a bit more effort but can be made and will perform right along with the modern materials.

[Ragnarok Forge]

Penetration is best determined by arrow weight, arrow diameter, and FOC.  Carbons allow the easiest way to achieve FOC, have the skinniest shafts, and you can adjust arrow weight with inserts and heavy heads that increase FOC.  If you want durability, I would give a serious look at the Axis FMJ shafts in brown camo.  Carbon shaft with aluminum shell.  Tough as nails, good shaft weight and you can put a lot of weight forward to get a great penetrating arrow.

[George D. Stout]

Carbons are tough, but most people foot them with aluminum tubing...wonder why.  It really depends on enths of degrees of penetration on game.  All of those have done a commendable job in killing game, the only fallback on any of them is the guy behind the string; particular the guy who worries more about what he shoots or how he looks than how well he can shoot.

Any of those arrows will perform passthrough shots on game if the shot is well placed, flying perfectly, and has a sharp cut on contact head on the killin' end.  But, alas, every zealot has his one and only so you have to sort the grain from the chaff.  Give me a well placed arrow, and I will worry about what it is made of later.

[freefeet]

I switched to carbons this year.  I love 'em.

I wanted to take all the variables out of my shooting so i could only blame the shooter.  The carbons are all the same spine, made up 12 arrows are within 2 grains of each other (and my grain scale only weighs in 2 grain increments), and they're all straight.

Haven't broke one yet either.

If you ain't sure, give 'em a go.  Nowt wrong with trying something new.

[Benny Nganabbarru]

Aluminium:
 

[Benny Nganabbarru]

Carbon:
 

[Benny Nganabbarru]

Wood:
 

[freefeet]

Which one tasted better, Ben?     :D

[Benny Nganabbarru]

Wood smells better!

[cacciatore]

Way to go Ben.Yes I think all arrow material are good if taken care off.With wood it takes much more time and knowledge but they make very good arrows.Alluminium is very dependable if you use the best:XX78,never trusted in anything less. Carbon are tough and straight.I use them all.Felix

[Bill Carlsen]

What Shawn said earlier. However, wood can be made to even better tolerances than aluminum but it takes a lot of shafts to get a dozen that are matches as well and then to get another dozen the same after you break the first dozen. If your game is  bowhunting I think that carbon, because of its toughness and endurance is the best just based on cost effectiveness. What George said is also true. Any arrow not tuned perfectly is not going to penetrate as well as any other. However, the skinny carbons with high FOC and tuned properly have done a better job for me than any other shaft material for hunting purposes.

[Don Stokes]

ipcjon2, if I understood your question correctly, I think you may be misinformed if you think that wood flexes more than the other two when shot. They must all flex to the same degree to clear the riser when tuned properly. Apologies if I misunderstood.

All will do the job, it just depends on what you're looking for, and how much of yourself you're willing to devote to the craft. Of the three, you put more of yourself and your archery skill into making wood arrows. For me, that makes them more a reflection of my overall skill as an archer than the other materials. It's analogous to going to restaurants for your meals versus learning to cook.

I like to cook! I've never felt limited by shooting wood, because I learned to make wood arrows that perform as well as anything else. It's a labor of love!

[George D. Stout]

Well there is nothing limiting about wood, as long as you get good shafts up front.  There's still good shafting out there you just have to buy it from suppliers who stand behind their product.  There are quite a few of those actually.  Wouldn't hurt to have some of all three around the house.  If my mom would have had carbon arrows, the Lilac tree wouldn't have needed pruned so much 8^).