School me on carbons & recurves

[Johnny Reb]

Most of all my old 2117s have been depleted so its time to up grade to carbon, I shoot a grizzly at 50lb DW, Have been eyeball'n the beman line of arrows (made in the USA..I like that), I've treid the wally world cheapos just to play with but I think thers better chioces.

What do I need to know about swithing to carbons ??

[jrstegner]

You will get a lot of different advice on where to start, but you will probably have to experiment quite a bit to find an arrow you like. I recommend getting a test kit from 3 rivers, and some field points in a wide range of weights.

[Wallis Wetzel]

I'm not sure how many others will agree, but I have been messing with the spine calculator on the 3Rivers' site.  It seems to be working for me so far.  I started by plugging in the numbers that I was currently using that worked through trial and expensive error, and went from there.

[Easykeeper]

Your 2117 spines out to .400, that would be the logical starting point.  You don't say your draw length but it's never a bad idea to start with full length, or at least plenty long, shafts.  Tune as you always have to find the optimal combination of length and point weight.

Easton Axis is a good arrow as is the ACC (carbon/aluminum).  I have some of the older Beman MFX Classics and they are a very nice arrow, pretty much the same as the Axis.  The Axis and MFX use the HIT insert which is fine but you need to be careful putting them in, I have had a few slip a bit as the glue dries.  Carbon Express shafts have many fans but I have no experience with them.

[Shawn Leonard]

Just remenber carbons recover from paradox way quicker than wood or aluminum. Thus you can get away with a lot lighter spine than most people think. I honestly believ most folks shooting carbons are overspined. Things are changing as people realize they are different. Carbons are spined using 14" centers so remember if you spine them on 13" centers like wood and the trad method they cecome real stiff. I say most folks could add 50-100grains of point weight to what they are shooting and if they thought they were getting good flight will really be impressed with the results. Shawn

[oldbohntr]

Right, I shoot 250-300 grain points on CX250s and FMJ 400s, out of bows scaling 50-57# drawn 28".  Mostly pretty deep sight windows.   Those two spines seem to be the most versatile for me.  

The grizzly probably has a narrower shelf, so you might want to go to 150s or 500s.  But, I don't look for a light arrow, and those lighter spines don't seem to cut it for me.

[Johnny Reb]

Draw length is 28in, as far as grains per inch for a recurve, is ther a standard number that everyone considers a starting place for 50lb DW & 28in DL ?? or what would ya'll suggest

 With aluminum arowws it was easy to figure out but now theyre kind of a hassle, just another learning curve I guess.

[Shawn Leonard]

For hunting grains per inch does not really matter, you want an arrow that has a finished weight of 8-12 grains per pound of draw weight for lighter weight bows in the 40-45# range 9-10 grains per pound is a happy medium. Shawn

[Johnny Reb]

Finished weight : is this the weight of the arrow & broadhead ??

So for a 50lb bow that should be 400(8gr)-600(12gr), correct ??

Thanks for the info by the way.

[Longrifleman]

Try the Beman Centershot arrows. Start with 500 spine, and install an insert and field point & shoot without fletching. They come with 75/50 gr brass break-off inserts, and I found the best flight by making a  25gr insert using a Dremel tool with a small cutting wheel. My 64" Eagle Wing draws to 50# at my length (29"- my arrows are 30")

This combo flys so well, it's what I'm hunting with this year!

 Check out the Adcock website for a great article on bow tuning.

[JamesKerr]

I would highly recommend the Arrow dynamics shafts in the traditional lites. You won't find an easier arrow to get good arrow flight with.

[D.J. Carr]

Deer Crossing Archery.  These are as good as any carbon arrow I have shot (GT, Carbon Express, Easton, Carbon Impact) and they are about 1/2 the price.

[Burnsie]

Originally posted by JamesKerr:
I would highly recommend the Arrow dynamics shafts in the traditional lites. You won't find an easier arrow to get good arrow flight with.

X2

[Johnny Reb]

I'm green when it comes to carbons, confuse'n at first but just have to learn so I can keep up.

Thanks guys.

[Deeter]

I shoot the Beman center shots and love them but then again I have only been shooting trad since feb.  Good luck brother

[Caughtandhobble]

I am surprised that no one has mentioned the Gold Tip arrows. In my opinion they are hard to beat, they have every option available as far as inserts, nocks. One big plus with Gold Tip arrows is the option to purchase Gold Tip blemished arrows at a very discounted price.

The OL Adcock method of tuning is a great learning tool to help you understand tuning along with good arrow flight. The Adcock tuning method helped me understand tuning and arrow dynamics more than any other source of information.

There are several arrow calculators out there, some find them very helpful, and others not so much. I personally find the calculators to be very helpful after I played with them enough to understand them. My personal favorite is Stu's Calculator.

There's a lot of good information out there, just experiment and have fun learning. If you know anybody in your area that shoots carbon arrows try to get with them and shoot some different setups and see what works best for you. This may save some time and money. As mentioned above there are some arrow/ point combination test kits available that may be your best option. Good luck with the change to carbons.

[BuckeyeGuy]

x2 on the gold tip blems, i'm giving them a shot for my first time with carbons this year so far so good!

[Paul WA]

I have had some of Big Jims blems and they are very good shafts. Still have a few I haven't lost or broken from at least 4 yrs. ago.

[Paul WA]

I have had some of Big Jims blems and they are very good shafts. Still have a few I haven't lost or broken from at least 4 yrs. ago.

[Biathlonman]

I'll throw it out there, why not just stick with 2117s?  Good shaft, cheap, available everywhere.  If it ain't broke, no reason to fix it.  I shoot all three and carbon are my least favorite.