T/D arrows

[knobby]

Has anyone been successful in making T/D arrows for travel?
I'm assuming aluminum would be the best route to take for strength and precision of fittings. What method was used to join the two pieces and how much did it stiffen the arrow spine?
I'd only be interested in using aluminum or carbon, but I'd be afraid that the carbon would splinter. Aluminum would seem to be the logical choice.

[MikeM]

Good luck on getting responses to your question. I posed this question some time back and only got responses that ridiculed me for asking the question.

[M60gunner]

I was asked a few years back to try a takedown arrow. It is carbon and tapered at both ends. It was a prototype sent to me by an old friend. Anyway I tried it one day. It was not spined well. It was stiffer than it was marked. After I shot it a few times and passed it around we found we could not take it apart!!! So much for that. Oh yes I tried everything short of pliers to take it apart. It had what I would call a self ferrel for assembly.
Over the years take down arrows have been tried but never caught on. I think Hoyt had some to go with the "Rambo" compound like in the movie.

[Retnuh Wob]

I think it could be done using sizes that could tellescope together such as a 2216 with a 2016 insert or 2117 with a 1916 insert.  If you used the 2216 for the front half and the 2016 for the back half it would probably work as long as you lapped them enough to develope the strenght and spine. I would think at least 4" and possibly more. If you cut a 30' 2016 shaft into a 13" section and a 17" section, then cut a 17" section of 2216, you could inser the 13" 2016 section into the 2216 section. If you then put inserts in to the two 2016 section you could use a #8/32 screw with the head cut off to fasten the two together so that the back 2016 section would screw into the front 2016 section inside of the 2216.

The arrow would be quite heavy. The shaft alone would weigh 570 to 580 grains without point, point insert, knock or fletching. Spine would have to determined by building one and then trying different points to see what would tune to your bow. I don't know how accurate it would shoot, but it would have great FOC and penetrate well if it held up.

I't would be an interesting experiment.  Try it and tell us how it worked.

[flyne]

I was shooting some earlier to day made of a 2117 cut in half with 5" of 340 power flight glued in the centre then just friction fit the 2 parts togeather I originally made them as a bit of a gimmick to go with my kt44 they shoot ok and seemed to stiffen the original spine I don't know how to post pics but if some one can post them for me just let me know and il email them to u
Cheers jim  

[stringstretcher]

Years ago a friend of mine made some just using the inserts and screwing them together.  He was going on an island hunt some where and was using them.  And he harvested goats with them.

[Gdpolk]

I've never thought to do so because they are always smaller than my bow but I'd assume you could just use inserts and epoxy some threaded rod into one of the inserts and screw the other half-arrow onto the threaded rod.

[Burnsie]

TBM had an article on how to make them several years ago.  They used aluminum sizes that fit inside of each other.

[knobby]

Thanks for the responses, guys. I didn't know if it was possible, but figured over the years someone here had to have tried it. Can't hurt to ask, right? I'll check for the old TBM issue.

[The Whittler]

Years ago when the movie Rambo came out he used TD arrows.

I think it was Hoyt came out with a black C-bow with TD arrows. The arrows went together like tent polls (bungie cord).

Ask around I am sure someone must have a few of those arrows laying around.

[wihill]

It can be done with inserts with carbons, or sleeved with aluminums, but IMO it's bad mojo.  Anytime you start changing the internal flex of the arrow's spine, you're rapidly going to change the stiffness of the arrow and how it reacts.  On a bow with an offset sight window, where the arrow is released inline with the string (I'll let you figure out what kind of bow that is), it's not as big of an issue, on a traditional bow you'll be fighting extremely stiff arrows.

At one time I kicked around the thought of take down arrows, but at the end of the day - 1) I've only got a 27.5-28" draw, my arrows are cut to very near the shelf, and most of my takedown bows are nearly the length of the arrows without the tips on them.  So - to me - it wasn't worth trying to reinvent the wheel when my arrows only stuck out an additional 3" over the rest of the takedown, and UNDER the limbs if using a two piece takedown.  

Of course, your mileage may vary, and I have no idea what your plans for the system would be.

Good luck with your experiments!

[habujohn]

I have made them with allum. shafts but I found that if I made the feather end a few inches shorter than the braodhead end I did not effect the spine as, much.  put an allum insert between the two sections and glued the insert into the feathered side. Put bow wax on the other side and then when you put them together use a bic to just warm the wax and slide together.  The wax will hold it really tight and you may need to warm up the shaft over the insert to pull it apart.  Used them on backpack hunt in Utah.
John

[knobby]

Thanks John. Good idea.

[Archie]

I've taken bent aluminum arrows, cut off the bent parts, and stuck them together with two inserts and a threaded rod.  Yeah... they probably have different flight characteristics, but these are the arrows I fling around in the woods with reckless abandon.  They fly good enough to go where I want them to go.

[S. Brant Osborn]

I read an article many years ago by Don Thomas in Traditional Bow Hunter that mentions takedown arrows used when lion hunting.

Also, the latest issue of  Backwoodsman magazine shows how a guy did it for another purpose.  Good luck.

[gringol]

Seems like the joints would make for inconsistent spine along the shaft.  For stumping, flu-flus, etc I don't think that would matter much, though.  Let us know if you figure something out.

[Prairie Drifter]

Check this out

 http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=109099#000000

Lots of good info

[Craig]

A friend of mine made his own take down arrows and made some for me. They shot perfect. He was a machinist and he was able to press the aluminum down to fit into the bottom section of the shaft. You would just twist them together. My draw length is only 27" and my arrows flew perfect. His draw length was 34" and he would use them if he was going on a hunting trip. He shot a bear with one of them. I have one of his arrows in a case that I'm saving. No glued inserts, just pressed aluminum and were pressed to the thinkness of the shaft so when you put them together they felt like there was no seam.

[knobby]

Prairie Drifter, thanks for the thread!

[awbowman]

Had a buddy do it with aluminum arrows.  The broadhead and half the arrow would go through the deer, the front half normally stayed with the deer.

He'd pack his arrows and a TD Bear in a regular nap sack and hunt woodlots in subdivisions.  He was hunting "urban deer" long before people did it!  lol