2 fletch

[Stixbowdrew]

Was watching Jim neaves hunting video and saw that he was running 2 fletch on his axis steering his big game heads...... Anyone else doing this?

[awbowman]

Why would you do this ????

[Stixbowdrew]

I guess it's just setting the bitz for 4-90 deg. And using every other ?? It looks intriguing

[Will Cocke 2]

Better feather clearance, less drag on the arrow. In smaller quivers better fletch clearance.    4x90 is correct I have shot it and like it.

[slivrslingr]

Do you use a lot of helical?

[Stixbowdrew]

I would think with just two fletch one would want to use as much helical as possible, but I'm not an expert, gonna try it soon

[Pat B]

Two fletch can shoot as well as 3 or 4 fletch. When I make Eastern Woodland style 2 fletch I usually put about 90deg of twist to the fletching.

[Slickhead]

there are a few guys out there that use 2 fletch
arrows stack easy in a backquiver
less drag and I hear there is no difference.

gotta figure that if you bare shaft tune them it really should make a big difference.

I like the look of three better though

[Kris]

I've experimented with it.  It works...surprisingly better than you might think.  I was exposed to it by Gordy Mickens of Selway archery at Compton's one year and I'm sure he had an influence on Jim Neeves in that regard.  

Gordy purported that a shaft fletched 180/180 flew better at every angle in the wind.  He did this in an open field on a windy day and 360'ed a target...the two fletched arrows w/BH's (big Magnus I's) out performed everything else he had fletched-up.  I hope I have the details right..it's been a few years.  

Fletch with same amount of off-set as you would anything else, orientate fletch at ~ 2 o'clock and 8 o'clock when nocked.

Makes for a simple and clean looking shaft.

Kris

[Sockrsblur]

is 5" fletching ok or are larger feathers used on these arrows? seems interesting!

[halfseminole]

I've never shot anything other than two fletch.  Can't see putting the extra feather on for nothing.  I still hit anything I aim at, and the wind bothers it less up here in the mountains.  Besides, getting feathers here is rather difficult.

Mine are 11 and 5 o'clock, 3" feathers chopped to 1/2" tall.  I also do Seminole two fletch on cane (both split and tied.)  All work well enough I've never cared to try anything else.

[Stixbowdrew]

Awesome! In the process of doing some up now! Will post pics

[Nativestranger]

Originally posted by Kris:
I've experimented with it.  It works...surprisingly better than you might think.  I was exposed to it by Gordy Mickens of Selway archery at Compton's one year and I'm sure he had an influence on Jim Neeves in that regard.  

Gordy purported that a shaft fletched 180/180 flew better at every angle in the wind.  He did this in an open field on a windy day and 360'ed a target...the two fletched arrows w/BH's (big Magnus I's) out performed everything else he had fletched-up.  I hope I have the details right..it's been a few years.  

Fletch with same amount of off-set as you would anything else, orientate fletch at ~ 2 o'clock and 8 o'clock when nocked.

Makes for a simple and clean looking shaft.

Kris

Thanks for the tip. 2 fletch is something I would want to try this year. 2 and 8 o'clock orientation makes a lot of sense for shelf clearance.

[VictoryHunter]

I really want to try this! Can we see some photos? How should the feathers be oriented in relation to the nock?

[TURKEYFOOTGIRL]

Orientate the fletching so when you arrow is nocked the one against the bow lands in the crease between the shelf and your strike plate on the riser.  This way you never have to look at your arrow.  Either way you nock it it will be the same.

[VictoryHunter]

Makes sense. I'm going to have try these out this season. I really dig the way they look. Will a regular old fletching jig work?

[halfseminole]

 

First set of modern type arrows.  Far more modern than any I'd ever used.  Arrow length is 36", no tips yet (either have to make or scrounge) birch sealed with polycrylic.  Feathers are natural duck.  I absolutely suck at fletching.

[dlnwohio]

Here's my 2 fletch arrows. I leave my bitz on 3 fletch setting turn it to glue on the cock feather glue the first one then remove the arrow spin it and then glue the second one one. In the end you have one at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock which is no different then shooting cock feather in. The steer my tree sharks just fine and they are 5" feathers.

[Kris]

As traditionalists, we've used too much fletching.  Back in the eighties, when all of this really took off, we had regular hunting arrows (almost exclusively wood) that looked almost like flu flu's.  We liked how they looked and liked seeing them spin to the target.  I still like that affect, however...  

We've come a long way in bare shaft tuning/bow tuning.  Carbon arrows and front loading (FoC) have contributed greatly for allowing less fletching to be effective.  It is surprising as to how little fletch you actually need.

Attributes gained; quietness, greater clearance from the hor. & vert. shelves,  less drag i.e. more retained energy, flatter traj., also low profile fletches are very durable and more resistant to wetting (oil line) and compression (stiffer).
 
An excellent read is Ashby's article on A&A (Adcock & Ashby) fletching, very similar to halfseminole's above.  Ashby found that he could obtain faster arrow recovery (somewhat counterintuitive), which was something he wanted for extremely close shots (3 meters) on buffalo.

Exciting stuff IMO.  Fun to experiment, no harm in that!

Kris

[halfseminole]

I still shoot some unfletched cane, ones that I know will fly straight off my bow anyway.  Anything I shoot gets tested with only a nock cut into it-not even a tip.  After I determine if it needs fletching or not, I'll fletch the worst and the best, and the rest will get used for stumping or harassing squirrels.  Amazingly a bare cane shaft will knock a squirrel senseless with no blunt on it-but the blunt is better insurance for responsible hunting.  I learned from Seminole Nation tribesmen, and I never shot seriously before that.  So the way I do things and the way many on here do things is very, very different, but I still hit my target and so do they.  

It reminds me I need to get more shafts.  I like cane better than wood so far, but I can't just go cut it when I want to.  Doesn't grow much round here, have to drive for a while to get it.

If you have an arrow to play with, and you can sacrifice its fletching, cut it down to 1/16" and see what happens.  It'll enlighten you.