Fiberglass arrows

[statikpunk]

so I got the complete set of fred bear videos.  he mentioned using fiberglass arrows in one of the hunts. I know that fiberglass arrows were popular once, and they still use them for bowfishing and kids arrows, why dont people still use fiberglass shafting for their regular hunting arrows anymore?

it seems like they would be good, darn near indestructable, and nice and heavy.  whats the deal?  what made people stop using them?

[lpcjon2]

Probably the straightness factor, and maybe cutting them may compromise the integrity.

[Stumpkiller]

At the time they came out heavy was not a desireable trait.

[statikpunk]

I was discussing it with a buddy and lack of straightness was what he figured too.  I realize they could never compete with the extreme precision of a carbon, but they have to be at least as good as a wood arrow, and a lot of people still shoot those.

I did think that they might be dangerous if they shattered, but then i got to thinking that they couldnt be any worse than when a carbon comes apart.

[tuscarawasbowman]

Pretty sure the shafts they were using were micro flites which are hollow not solid. So not quite same as  bowfishing arrows. Anyhow as has been mentioned on other threads main reason fiberglass died off was because of aluminum.

[statikpunk]

what made aluminum so much better?

seems like now with a renewed interest in heavy arrows that it might be a time for them to make a comeback.  Im sure they could even be made now to incorporate tapered shafts and FOC weight, and probably at a much cheaper cost than carbons.

[tuscarawasbowman]

On other threads what was mentioned was easier to keep straight,more durable and cheaper. Do a search and you should find a good bit of threads on this topic.

[statikpunk]

I did try my search foo must be off, all i could find was threads on bowfishing.  but all those reasons must have been good enough.. its hard to believe that aluminum stays straighter, I figured fiberglass was like carbon, "its either straight or broke"
oh well, it was a thought anyway  

[turkey65]

Back in the late fifties early sixties fiberglass shafts were made by microflite,browning,shakespere,herters,and a few more I probably forgot,I believe they were discontinued with the introduction of a tougher aluminum tubing that was cheaper to produce then the fiberglass.I still use microflites and buy them whenever I can find them in my size,a very durable shaft.

[ishoot4thrills]

If I'm not mistaken, someone killed a record brown bear several years ago with a long bow at 7 paces and a very heavy fiberglass arrow.

After doing some research, I find that it was Monty Browning and he used a solid fiberglass bowfishing arrow to take his prize. He still holds the record for the largest brown bear killed with a longbow.

[vtmtnman]

Carbons are the new fiberglass...

I personally would love to see glass arrows again.The weight was better.

[ripforce56]

I just got a bunch of olive green fiberglass Ben Pearson shafts from my neighbor! They are a 55lb shaft! I have 5 of them fletched up, cut to 30 with a 145grn point! They shoot real well out of my R/D Bama longbow, diameter is bigger than the CX heritages or my Gold Tip trad shafts! To me they shoot a lot like my carbon arrows, really like them!

[Orion]

Fiberglass fish arrows are solid, and yes, Monty Browning used a fiberglass fish arrow to take his bear.  I believe he also uses them on moose.  Regardless, target and hunting fiberglass arrows are hollow. The tolerances on some of the better brands of fiberglass shafts, like micro-flite, are quite good. They were/are consistent in weight, spine and straightness. They do not take a set or get out of straightness. They're either straight, or broken, like carbon.

That being said, aluminum shafts were even straighter.  Not really tougher though.  Aluminum bent fairly easily, and though it could be restraightened, usually not to original specs. Fiberglass had a tendency to split on the point ends when a solid object was hit.  The insert would get driven back into the shaft, splitting it.  The same thing can happen with carbons today, though carbon is much tougher.  Back in the day, no one thought of footing fiberglass with a piece of aluminum shaft, as they do with carbons now.  That would have solved the splitting problem for fiberglass shafts just as it has for carbons.

Fiberglass shafts are a good arrow material; they just lost out to aluminum.  In today's market, they couldn't compete with carbon.  Still good shafts though.  When I find some in my spine weight, I buy them and shoot them.

[njloco]

If you look at this wood fence behind the target, you can see it's made of individual slats. Well sometimes I miss the whole target and the arrow gets wedged in between the slats.

I shoot carbon arrows but have recently shot some fiberglass arrows. When I miss with the carbons and they get wedged in between the slats, nothing happens to them. When this happens with the  fiberglass arrows the wood pinches the arrow between the slats same as the carbon arrows, and crushes the fiberglass arrows. I will still use them for hunting they are just not as strong as carbon.

[RLA]

I shoot some MJ-log-No.8 Glass arrows from time to time 55# bow, there tuff pretty straight and weigh in at about 585-600gr. finished arrow with 125-145gr. point weight.

I cut them with an arrow saw just like other shafts, no problems.

Straitness is not a problem with the shafts I've had.

I have yet to break one, so there tuff as, or tuffer than anything I've shot.

I will say, I think guy's don't like the weight consistency or lack there of. There might be a 30-40gr. difference in a dozen shafts.

I've taken deer with wood, aluminum, and carbon, all that's left is glass, hope to do that soon.
 
...

There was a fiberglass shaft maker in Everly Iowa.  They made three different shafts. the heavy grade shafts were very tough.  when they went broke they sold off their stock.  the problem was they did not auction off the inserts with the shafts. I bought some to shoot out of my heavy longbows and stuffed them with wood to mount a nock and points. That worked so good I did the same with my Microflites. However, I picked up some Bear glass arrows with Bear heads.  I checked them out took some  practice shots and decided to use them. I took a shot at a turkey and the arrow did a beautiful semi circle all the way to a turkey and missed by an inch, hitting a burr oak limb. the broadhead bledder blades and all was buried past the insert into the hardwood, however the shaft was shattered behind it.  The reason for the semi circle? Apparently, some of the heads were crooked. Out of  the dozen I glued the four of the heads with the softer melt glue. It did not hold them straight and I forgot to recheck the alignment after sharpening.  The amber Stanley glue sticks works way better for short ferules than the gummy ferule sticks.

[hvyhitter]

When I used fiberglass arrows in the late seventys they were nice and heavy and at least as straight as wood.  I would also wrap the first inch or so of the shaft with fishing rod guide thread and coat with epoxy to help prevent the ends from splitting. It worked the same as aluminum footings now on carbon shafts

[Cedar&Flint]

They were great shafts, tough and straight. I think they went by the wayside in a quest for a faster, lighter, flater shooting arrow and aluminum fit the bill. I always thought they lacked the "warmth" of wood or fiberglass. Aluminum is a very loud and unnatural sound when it his the riser.

[statikpunk]

Thanks everybody.  I just remember shooting them as a kid, I had the same three arrows for years and never broke them. and i was just thinking with the technology today that someone could bring back the fiberglass arrow and make them better for the traditional archer than carbons are.  it seems like they would posses all the features that a traditional archer would like.

[StickBowManMI]

I still hunt with some K10 shafts that I purchased around 1970. They are heavy and they penetrate very well. Great arrows, if I saw some more I would pick them up.