Anyone uses Forgewood arrows?

[Michael Arnette]

I was wondering if anyone her uses forge wood arrows from alaska frontier archery. How did they do for you? Esp. in the straightness department.
Thanks, Michael

[Bill Carlsen]

Mike: When I was making custom arrows i did a lot with them. Super good shafts for hunting....heavy, skinny and straight. Unfortunately they are no longer being made. If you are able to find some be sure you use a good solvent based sealer on them like MinWax  high gloss poly or a wood floor finish. If you use anything that has water (acrylic) in it you will ruin the shafts. Lacquers are ok but not as water resistant as the solvent based polys.

[joe skipp]

I shot the original Forgewoods for years. Great arrow wish they were still in production. Right now the cost is way too high.

[LKH]

I've still got a bunch, but have gone to carbons.  I do a lot of stumping in rocky sage country and just got tired of breaking wood.

They are quite heavy and I just like the trajectory of the carbons better, but I've got a couple of animals that the heavy arrow was more than necessary.

[Nakohe]

I have about three dozen, but probably need to sell them cause I do not shoot them anymore. Great shafts, but have gone to mostly Grizzley Stick Woodies.

[Orion]

I still have some original forgewoods.  Supply should last me for several years.  Best wood shaft ever made, IMO.

[Danny Rowan]

Orion, if you have the Sweetlands you are correct and very lucky to have a supply. I have a couple of doz of the Sweetlands stasshed as well, Also have two complete arrows signed by Bill Sweetland.

The Alaskan Forgewoods were made from Alaskan Hemlok and the Sweetlands are POC. The Alaskans are ok but not near as good as the Sweetlands. They had problems with quality control on the Alaskans and the hemlok did not compress as well as the POC.

Danny

[Steve H.]

Larry, Nakohe:

Let me know when you want me to store yours for you at my house.

[Orion]

Danny:  They're  Sweetlands.  You might not remember, but I got a couple from you in a trade a few years ago.  Just let me know if you  ever want to part with a few of the others.  

[Michael Arnette]

Thanks for the info everyone.

[snag]

I have some 80#-85# Sweetlands that are the "originals". With heads they are at 800grs. I need to introduce an elk to one of these for a test run! Bills shop was just a few blocks away from where I work each day.  Great shaft if you can find them. I know where a few are gathering dust...

[LKH]

I killed my best elk w/Sweetland w/4 Greybar and Zwickey head.  Arrow went in just in front of the left hip and stuck in the femur below the shoulder blade on the other side.  Weighed 700 grains.  Only have about 4 of those left and since they were made by Vern Struble, I'm saving them.  Got kudu, Impala and baboon with them.   I think the kudu would not have succumbed to a lighter arrow since I cut the front leg bone a bit then cut a rib in half with a hit that was perfectly perpendicular to the rib.

Gotta love that mass.

[marlon]

They are used for flightshooting.

[jonsimoneau]

I shot them for a few years.  Great arrow.  Too bad they are not being made anymore.  I used some that were pretty heavy, and blew right on through every whitetail I shot with them.

[Tom Phillips]

I have not used the 2nd generation Sweetlands.I have arrowed 2 deer & 2 bears with the originals and I like them.I really like how they make your bow whisper quiet becasue of the mass weight.I do use them still from time to time and hope the 4 dz. I have will last me !!!!

[d. ward]

Nope not tried the Alaskan forgewoods as yet but I have arrowed 4 black bear and several deer with original Bill Sweetlands forgewoods and they proooooformed flawlessly great arrows if you can find them bd

[Dr. Ed Ashby]

I hunted with the Sweetland Forgewwods for years, starting in the late 1950's, and shot a lot of big game with them. I also used the Alaskan forgewoods for a few years.

Best wood shaft I've every used was the original Sweetland Forgewoods ... followed by the Alaskan Forgewoods.

One reason the performed so well for me (which took me years to realize) was that, with the 190 Grizzly on top they just edge into the EFOC range; just over 19%. That was because of the differential compression at the shaft's front and rear. The front is (was) compressd at a 3:1 ratio, the rear at 1.6:1 ratio. In effect this created a 'one piece self footed' wood arrow; denser and heavier at the shaft's front than at the shaft's rear.

Ed

[Ted Fry]

Oh yes , best arrow shaft ever made ( original Sweetland) Like Ed said , we just didnt full comprehend the concept Bill was trying to teach us at the time.
one of the last bears I shot broke one of my originals, good thing he was dead when I found him.

[maxwell]

I had at one time almost 10 doz. of the alaskan forgewoods, now have about half that amount- in the years I have had them I have broken only the tip off one that hit a car in the forest (abandoned). Mine are straight strong and very heavy averaging over 800 grains with a grizzily head.  They are the best wood arrows I have ever used and only 5\\16 in size.

[Bjorn]

Way to go Ted! LOL!