Swapping from carbon to wood

[Hoofhearted]

For those who have shot both or swapped to wood, any advice or dislikes??        Never shot wood before, but always wanted to give it a try.  Also leaning towards the tree sharks glue on.

Ordered a wood test kit from 3 rivers.  along with a field tip test kit.  can't wait for it to get here to try it!!

[owlbait]

Don't do it! Wood is too much work, they aren't consistent, it is hard to get FOC, the spine is critical, they break easily, and I'm sure there is more. Try bamboo instead.  

[Earl Jeff]

Owlbait X2

[bowless]

Yeah, but it's all fun.  I love shooting woodies!

[m midd]

Ive tried carbon and always go back to wood. I do shoot aluminum some but all my hunting arrows are wood. They just feel right to me

Hoofy find out where Owl is getting his wood arrows and avoid them.  I get mine from wapiti, they work nice for all of our bows.

[Shedrock]

I have shot the rest, but stick with the best, wood!      

[slowbowjoe]

My wife and I both shot wood for a couple of years; didn't know much about straightening arrows, and we broke lots of arrows stumping. Decided we'd try carbons for durability and consistency.

Found them much LESS forgiving than wood, a bit louder off the bow, they get lost just as easy as wood, and it's a process getting the right weight, length, and balance. Didn't like the feel of them.
Broke a bunch of them as well, though they are stronger than wood for sure.

Finally decided to go back to wood: we're set for spine, length, FOC, got a straightener and learned how to use it, and with some basic tools we're ready to build 'em up from shafts. Favor Doug Fir
right now, also have had good luck with Sitka Spruce. More careful
with stumping' shots, and the breakage is down. That helps with making one arrow count, as well.
Feeling very good about staying with woodies these days. It was almost a relief when I busted the last of the carbons.

Just my personal experience and preference.

[horatio1226]

Wood = Trad

[owlbait]

WHOA, back up guys, I was just funnin'. Those were exactly the comments I've heard in the past. I love my cedar and spruce shafts, and I'm just now starting to work with bamboo.   :D        :p

[el greco]

My advice is to try and buy wood shafts from one of the sponsors here and all the tools required to make your own complete arrows.You can search the how to thread.It will be much cheaper in the longrun than buying completed arrows.

[Rick Richard]

If you buy quality wood arrows from reputable makers, then the only disadvantage is......uh.  Sorry, I can' think of any.

[Hoofhearted]

ok thanks.

BTW what is FOC??

I like the idea of making your own from shafts, only problem is i got to many hobbies already -- gotta figure out how to sneak the equipment by the wife -- may just have to build her the deck she's been wanting.

I already knew that you were in love with all kinds of wood shafts, Owl. FOC is forward of center. Funny thing is way back when we, us older guys at least, had no problems getting pass throughs with 125 grain Zwickey Eskimos and Bear broadheads with FOC at no more than 10 percent, with today's much tougher deer we need at least 14 percent. Tapered cedars have marginally more FOC.  I just finished a dozen 47-48 pound arrows from Wapiti tapers. Not a flare grain in the bunch and the arrows weigh from 448 grains to 451 grains with 145 grain points. I don't know or care what the foc is and I bet with those 145 Grizzly heads, they will do a heck of a job on any whitetail around here with my 51 pound left hand Robertson or my 54 pound right hand Hill yew bow. They fly perfect out of either one.

[Grey Taylor]

Owlbait, you got me, that's for sure. When I read that earlier today my hackles raised up and I was all ready to bang out an angry rebuttal. Then I decided not to get into it and clicked off the thread.
Gotta watch out for some of the trouble makers on here...    

Guy

[darin putman]

The hardest part for me was getting my woodies bareshafted without breaking them, just seemed that shooting into targets and not straight that they tended to snap, thought might be supplier but three different suppliers two different wood types equals my fault for lack of knowledge.Shot 400 spine easton carbon, went to aluminum, shot 2117's with 175 up front just a tad shorter than carbons though,shot like a dream, but when bareshafting them they would bend if not straight into target, even XX75's just not as bad but did bend a couple.What I did figure out was shooting a properly bareshafted aluminum arrow through my setup to get my nocking point on string prior to shooting a same 11/32 woodie sure does save on broken shafts, and by the way for all the trouble due to nothing more than my lack of knowledge not equipment or suppliers, I now have about three dozen surewoods properly bareshafted and I LOVE THEM!!!! Trial and error an everyone here great teachers!!!!

[rraming]

With wood-Depends on your bows, heavy lbs over 55 lbs it's easy to find the proper weight. Light bows 45 lbs and under the shafts get pretty heavy and you need to be selective on what you buy.
Carbon is easy, wood seems to shoot better for me

[Hoofhearted]

Originally posted by pavan:
Hoofy find out where Owl is getting his wood arrows and avoid them.  I get mine from wapiti, they work nice for all of our bows.

HAHA, yeah, he had me worried for a min. until i read the rest of the post!!  I thought i had messed up.

Anyways, the test kit came in yesterday, and hopefully i can send a few downrange tomorrow.  I really like the look of the wood arrows with the trad bow!!!

Are the spine weights of wood pretty much the same with different species -- say a 65-70 spine Cedar the same as 65-70 douglas fir, etc???

[maxwell]

I have never had a problem with wood arrows, I have had lots of tuning issues with carbon.  Wood is just plain easier.  IMO

[Easykeeper]

Even though I shoot carbon these days, nothing is as beautiful as a nicely made and finished woodie.  The only reason I shoot wood arrows now days is to have an excuse to make a dozen.  That is the real allure of wood to me, sanding, staining, capping, cresting...making woodies is the best part of them for me.