Wood vs. other materials. Accuracy.

[jonsimoneau]

I've been shooting wood a lot lately. I have not shot an animal with wood for a long time. But I may do so this year. My question is this. We all know carbon is more durable. But are they really more accurate?  Seriously I cannot tell the difference. Im talking about a set of well made wood arrows. Other than durability I am having a hard time remembering why I stopped shooting wood while hunting.

[snag]

I spoke with a past World Champion the other day. He used wood arrows in a tournament and beat the "carbon guys"....I think if you have good quality wood shafts and they are made properly they can shoot as good as carbon or aluminum.

[Ceb]

I've shot nothing but wood since the early '80s, accuracy problems are not with the arrows, but strictly with me.

[jonsimoneau]

Kinda what I'm getting at Snag. I mean is anyone really a good enough shot to be able to tell the difference?  Again I'm talking accuracy. Not durability or anything else. I do know this. The first deer I killed with a recurve was killed with a wood arrow I made myself. He was just a small buck. That deer sticks out in my mind just as much or more than the buck in my avatar that I killed with a carbon. In fact I remember a bunch of critters I killed with wood arrows. And I cannot think of one animal that I killed with a carbon arrow that I would not have gotten with a wood arrow. I do understand that in the long run you will save money shooting carbon but just curious if that is the only real benefit.  There is just something about taking an animal with a wood shaft you made yourself. Think I'm gonna go back to that this fall.

[JamesKerr]

A quality set of wooden arrows will shoot every bit as good as carbon or alluminum.

[7 Lakes]

How can you shoot around trees unless you use wood arrows  

I love wood arrows.

[Hermon]

It is just easier to get a good set of carbons.  Once you know what your bow likes, it is easy to duplicate them.  I still prefer wood.

[SuperK]

We all "know" that carbon arrows are more durable than wooden arrows but don't tell that to my Douglas Fir arrows!  Shot a stump a couple of weeks ago after hunting for "swamp chickens".  The carbon arrow was trashed.  The insert was pushed back into the shaft and splintered  it.  Shot the same stump with a woodie and the arrow just bounced back at me without the Ace Hexhead.  It wasn't damaged at all.  I'm still using it today.
As far as accuracy goes, get yourself some good, quality shafting that is matched to your bow and if you make a bad shot, check your form!  When I do what I'm supposed to do, I can't tell any difference other than the wood arrows are not as loud.
Sooooo...if you want to shoot wood, have fun and enjoy yourself!  Its all good!    

[jsweka]

I certainly can't say that I shoot better than a wood arrow shoots.

[wooddamon1]

I've been shooting wood again lately and when I do my part I can't tell any difference between shaft types. I just love wood arrows, especially the ones I make myself.

[njloco]

Yeah, I shoot good enough to tell the difference between carbon and wood,      

I use carbon because of time, or lack of it, as far as wood being more durable than carbon, this I have to see , not doubting anyone but I have shot rocks and not damaged my arrows. The trick is to use an adhesive that won't let the nock push back into the arrow, and or use an aluminum footing cut from an aluminum arrow.

[el greco]

I ve been shooting only for about a year,and only last month I discovered woodies.Much much better feeling and flight than carbons imho.

[Atennishu]

I love wood arrows, I build them myself and carbons too.  As far as accuracy goes, I can shoot the woodies every bit as well as the carbons, I just enjoy building arrows, either type. I have done just about every type and style of fletchings and tips, and when you make arrows that really match your bow, they just sing.

[cahaba]

I havent picked up my carbons since I made a matched set of Surewoods. I lovee wooden arrows and in my opinion you are not loosing anything by shooting them. Shoot what makes you happy. They are all good, wood carbon and aluminum.

[bigbadjon]

If you can match the spine of a wooden arrow to the pound and keep them straight wood arrows are as accurate as any synthetic shaft. In my opinion the standard 6# group woods are sold in is insufficient.

[Red Beastmaster]

Not to sound all boastful or anything but I can tell the difference.

I shot nothing but wood for 20 years and know how to make a good arrow. The problem is consistency within a given number of arrows. Wood is not a consistent medium. Never will be.

I tried aluminum 6 years ago and was blown away by the improved accuracy. Make a dozen arrows years later and they will fly just the same.

For now, I'm shooting aluminum for target and hunting. My woodies are getting shot up on stumps.

[ron w]

I shoot wood ,carbon and Alum. Mostly carbon and wood. I find it a lot easier to tune wood than any thing else. I foot my carbons on both ends for stumping.......I have broke more carbons stumping than wood [cedar,poplar,lam-birch and ash] I just love wood arrows....they just seem right! Carbons are consistent, but wood is good!

[lpcjon2]

I think shooting is 60% archer and 40% gear. I have a ton of busted nocks,and a nice bunch of robin hoods to show how accurately functional wood arrows are. Wood forgives Carbon doesnt.

[Running Buck]

I am a strong proponent of bare shafting. As long as the arrow has correct flight, the material makes little difference in terms of accuracy. I started out in the '60's with cedar then went to microflites then to aluminum and then to carbon. Fiberglass was pretty tough but carbon has it beat. Any wood shafts I have had in the past were quickly made into tomato stakes.

[Jeff Strubberg]

It's possible to be plenty accurate with wood.

Still, there's a reason the bigger tournaments won't allow other arrow materials into the longbow class.  Compare the scores between classes sometime.

I'm not saying there's a significant difference between aluminum/carbon and wood in terms of accuracy, but saying there's no difference isn't true, either.