arrow comparison to ponder

[PAPA BEAR]

i really need to know about why you shoot the arrows you do and what you like about them and dislike about other material arrows,i.e wood,carbon aluminum etc.i totally get making your own from wood and going through that entire phase in your hunting life.but they cannot be very accurate compared to alum,carbon can they? i mean in consistency and trueness.i guess i am trying to convince myself to try wooden arrows and really just need some input on how they perform overall.would you shoot them in competition or just hunting situations?  thanks

[Cottonwood]

I've seen woods fly just as accurate as alumumims or carbons.

[Arrow4Christ]

I don't buy that wood has to be an inferior shaft material. If I didn't believe they could be very consistent and dependable, I wouldn't shoot them.
It's all about what goes into making them, and much more does go into making a good wood arrow than does a good carbon or aluminum, but that's part of the mystique. If you get good shafts to begin with, sort them closely in weight and especially spine, straighten them well, put a waterproof finish on them, tune them well, and put the closest matched arrows in the front of your quiver, I'm convinced you will have a dependable arrow that will shoot just as well as carbon or aluminum. One disadvantage would be durability, but I find when I put internal footings in my arrows I rarely have any break...in fact they're more durable than many carbons I've shot, though not all.
Interestingly enough, at least half of the carbon shafts I have put on my spine tester have come out less consistent than a good set of wood shafts...if you're going to shoot carbon make sure you're getting good quality, matched carbon.
Another thing a lot of people don't think about is taking small measures to bring your shafts closer in dynamic spine. Weigh all your points, nocks, and feathers. Put the heavier points and lighter feathers/nocks on your heaviest spine arrows and vice versa. We're talking about maybe 8 grains total here, but that equates to almost 2# in dynamic spine, which can't hurt.

Craig

[JRY309]

When I uswed to shoot in a winter league,my woods shot just as good as my aluminums,my scores were pretty equal.Never shot carbons back then.

[KentuckyTJ]

Oh boy    

[magnus]

Wood arrows were used for thousands and thousands of years and got use where we are today. It's just a personal choice. Good and bad in everything. Just my 2 cents.
Magnus

[Rusty in Fla.]

I started out shooting wood and it took me some soul searching to make the move to Easton Game Getters. Now I see people switching over to carbon. I need to mull that over in my mind a good bit to take that leap.
  The first man I ever saw shoot a recurve was shooting a 45# recurve and fiberglass arrows. That was back in the '60's.

[arky714]

Carbon arrows are like instant coffee,wood arrows are like real brewed coffee,,not that wood is better,,just that carbon is easier,and doe's not taste as good.

[Orion]

Are you trolling, Papa Bear?  Not much of that on this site.  I've been hunting with wood arrows for more than 50 years.  Probably started shooting competitively about 30 years ago.  Always use wood.  I might add that when I was in my prime, I won most of the shoots I entered.  

Why do you shoot as stick bow?  "They can't be very accurate compared to a compound, can they."  

[Bjorn]

Tried them all and went back to wood. The others are fine, just not for me. Love making them and seeing that perfect flight.

[PAPA BEAR]

i really doubt i'll ever shoot carbons off a trad bow.i now shoot easton 2613's off every bow because they are a fatter arrow and i get good flight from them.but,these are an arrow for heavier poundage bows.the mystique has always been there to shoot wood.

[PAPA BEAR]

i recently shot a charity shoot here in washington.one of my practice rounds i shot 373 out of 400 so i'd say a guy can get pretty dang accurate with a trad bow.clay walker beat me darn it.          

[Orion]

That's my point, Papa Bear.  One can get quite accurate with wood arrows, too.  

As a number of folks have already suggested, wood arrows can be made to tolerances as close as carbon.  And wood arrows have a degree of forgiveness, if it can be called that, that carbon and aluminum arrows don't.  But, as Arrows4 has pointed out, making good wood arrows takes good material to start with and a skillful builder.

To the extent that wood gets a bad wrap from some, it's usually due to their experience with poor quality arrows.  And, a lot of folks don't know the difference.  Wood arrows can look real nice, but if they're not closely matched in spine and weight, and matched to the bow, of course, and if the grain is poor, etc., they won't shoot good or consistently. In truth, it's a lot easier to buy or make good carbon or aluminum arrows than it is to find/buy/make good woodies.  

Should you decide to try wood, I hope you find some good stuff.  

[PAPA BEAR]

thanks orion,good advice

[centaur]

I have shot wood forever, but I just got some Carbon Express 350s, and I have to admit that they fly more consistently than my woods, and they sure are tough. They aren't as much fun to assemble, however, and they sure don't smell as nice as cedars, but they have got me to pondering what to hunt with this fall.

[Ragnarok Forge]

Hey Larry,

Yah, I beat you but not by much.  

As you know I shoot Carbons.  Easy to put together, easy to get the same exact weights, easy to get high FOC at reasonable arrow weights, easy to get consistant flight, no arrow straightening, tough, etc.....

Nothing wrong with any other material choice.  I love wood arrows and stump shoot with them exclusively.  I simply want my hunting arrows to have every possible piece of the equation covered so that I know any errors are mine and not my equipments.

[Jim Wright]

If you start with good wooden shafts, STRAIGHTEN them, carefully construct them paying particular attention to grinding your nock taper and check the nock installation on a roller and check your point intallation by spinning you will have finished arrows that are very, very straight and fly better than you shoot

[Bigkid]

I have shoot all three types.
Carbon just don't seem right out of trad bows to me. Yes they shoot great and are easy to set up. They don't seem traditional enough for me.

Aluminum,  this is my favorite to shoot, easy to set up, Straighten, and were easily available!  I get just as good of groups with a good set of aluminum as I do with the carbons but price plays a big role in the choose between these and carbons.

Lastly wood!  I have just started building my own wood arrows and this last set of six took a few weeks to complete. Yes they take all kinds of time to build. I really enjoy spending the time finishing them. The choices of how finish them are endless. I use shaker can to paint the dipping. I have built my own crestor machine using a old hand mixer and some scrap materials.  Accuracy! You get a few that don't match up to the others perfectly! But that's the whole point! You have to know your equipment! If you have one arrows of six that shoots 2" right every time you mark it differently from the rest and shoot it by how it flies.  

I am no expert on all the arrows choices available. I only know from my personal experence. I prefer woods and aluminum for diffrent situations.  Carbons can stay with the wheel bows they were designed for.

[Wannabe1]

I have, and shoot all three carbon/wood/aluminum. Just depends on what bow I'm shooting that day, and what my mood is.

With that said, my favorite shaft is the AD Trad Lite because it is very versatile from my different bow weights. Good luck on what ever you decide Larry.  

[brinkwolf]

I have shot all types of shaft material even the old fiberglass in the past. My reason for shooting strictly carbon has only to do with the durablity of todays carbon shafts over the other shaft materials. Like I said in another post I used to shoot alot and found carbon to be the best for me for this reason only. I would bend or dent aluminum and split or chip wood shafts. Even the first carbons(the really small ones)didn't last like todays newer carbons do(I use GoldTip shafts now). As for accuracy and consitency I have had good luck with them all.