wood vs carbon vs aluminum arrows

[Florida bowhunter]

I am currently shooting 2114 aluminum arrows.. but am thinking on switching to wood is there any advantage to wood over carbon or aluminum arrows if so what is it....

[Kris]

 

"is there any advantage to wood over carbon or aluminum arrows if so what is it.... "  

Not really...you just have to be romanced by the idea of using wood.  I enjoy building wood arrows and for true "traditional mojo", nothing beats wood for character and beauty.  It's always really cool shooting a deer with a self made wood arrow...if you haven't done it, I would encourage anyone to try it!  

Both aluminum & carbon are straighter and stronger per equal spine.  Wood shooters claim these shafts shoot quieter off their shelves.  I believe they are quieter than aluminum but not necessarily carbon, IMO.

There was a time 20 years ago when all trad shooters shot only wood arrows...that WAS the fascination.  I am one of them...but am corrupt using carbon now as well.  I usually apologize for this but carbon shafts are amazing in so many ways and I have a lot of fun experimenting with these attributes.

Nice having choices.

Kris

[ISP 5353]

I liked the idea of wood arrows, but I could never keep them as straight as I wanted.  I went to carbon and never went back!

[motorhead7963]

Wood and aluminum combined aren't as tough as carbon. Wood is too finicky as to spine and warping and aluminum if for some reason it gets bent you aint going to straighten it out right. In my mind if you want long lasting Bow ammo go with carbons.

[Pat B]

Hill cane and sourwood shoot arrows are tougher than all of them.
 I left the synthetic arrows with my PSE Nova back in the 1980s. I shoot the above mentioned natural arrows, cedars, fir, and poplar arrows also. When I went trad and later building my own wood bows there was no way I'd use carbon or aluminum. Wood is part of the tradition to me. I like to shoot traditional wood arrows and primitive arrows.

[Cavscout9753]

Wood arrows can be a pain to maintain. They're at the bottom of the barrel on a lot of aspects of shooting. Not convenient, or too durable. Carbon and aluminum will be less head ache in the long run after you get the right set up. Sounds a lot like traditional archery though doesn't it? Haha I won't shoot anything except wood. The pull of the man made arrow material is strong but I will continue to resist with the same mindset that resists cams and 350+ fps bows. Straight tip long bow, wood arrows, and as of late, back quivers. Still, I wouldn't judge anyone for what they shoot, arrows or bow. The idea of trad archery is broad and to each person it means something else. There are those out there knapping their own heads and splitting their own feathers, abd so the rabbit hole goes ever deeper.

[SuperK]

Well said, Cav.  I have and will continue to use carbon and aluminum  arrows, BUT I LOVE TO MAKE AND SHOOT WOOD ARROWS!  Yes, they are not as straight....yes, they are not as consistent...yes to any and all who point out the advantages of syn. materials over wood, but I LOVE TO MAKE AND SHOOT WOOD ARROWS!  To me it is an integral part of trad archery, just as much as a longbow or recurve is.  The only way YOU will know if you like wood or not is to try it.      

[WESTBROOK]

Nope...no advantage at all, its just something ya gotta wanna do. A well made wood arrow will shoot as good as any other AND stay straight.

Spruce & Doug Fir are very durable, not quite carbon, but darn tough! I broke broke my first woody in quite a while the other day, glanced off the back of a 3D deer. If that would have been a carbon arrow on that target it probably would have glanced and sailed off to who knows where...so I'd still be out an arrow.

But it is hard to argue against carbons overall durability, consistency and low maintenance.

[Wudstix]

I primarily shoot wood and hunt with wood.  They have part of me in them, they have soul.  I have found they are not as loud in the woods as metal arrows.  I shot aluminum when I do not have any unbroken wood, then I shoot aluminum until I make more wood arrows.  I play with carbon and am thinking about going with these souless shafts when I hunt hog.  Just don't like breaking a wood arrow on a pig.  The one benefit of carbons is the wider range of spine on most shafts.  
         

[LBR]

Depends on what you like.  I have all three, and shoot all three.

As far as accuracy...look at the shots that modern archery pioneers like Pearson and Hill made with wood arrows.  

One thing aluminum and carbon have over wood is consistency.  No matter where you buy it, a XX78 is a XX78.

Some tournament classes require wood, if that matters to you.

[damascusdave]

My main reason for going with wood is my desire to shoot the North American Longbow Safari where only wood arrows are required...only just getting into it and I already know wood is going to be frustrating to deal with...which just makes it all the more interesting

DDave

[Surewood Steve]

The one advantage of wood that no one has come up with yet is the cost.  Wood can be about half that of alum. and can be about a third the cost of some top carbons.  Besides the cost the romance of using wood and traditions is what it's all about.

[overbo]

You will never find a more beautiful arrow than a nicely crafted wood arrow, NEVER! Most trad guys love gorgeous wood in our bows, so why not the arrows?  Although there is a gentleman on this site that dose a very nice job w/ carbon and aluminums.

[Roger Norris]

I have built a couple hundred wooden arrows in my life, bought a couple hundred more. They ARE neat as heck. I completely respect guys who are committed to using wood.

I'm not. I use mostly carbon these days, because I want the perfect arrow, every time.

Also...I think one of the biggest roadblocks to a guy new to traditional archery is the thought "I have to use wood".I have seen more than 1 new guy completely frustrated with his shooting skill, only to switch to carbon or aluminum to find out they are doing fine...it was mismatched arrows that was screwing them up.

We all shoot traditional for different reasons, and an ongoing theme is trying to build our own gear from scratch. I think thats awesome....it just aint me...

I just had to add....that seemingly anti-wood arrow rant aside....I was sitting in the woods yesterday, one of my daydream topics (while waiting for a buck) was what fletching and stain I should use for the 2 dozen wood arrows I will make this winter....so that should tell you something. I don't even LIKE wood arrows yet they keep pulling me back in....

[stagetek]

Over the years I've used them all. But, I always come back to aluminums. Plenty of choices, priced reasonable. Don't have to fool around with weight forward, and having arrows a couple of inches longer than your draw. A very uncomplicated arrow.

[snag]

Just wondering if those who are "frustrated" with wood are some of the folks who have been away from them for years and relearning them OR have never been exposed to wood and it is all foreign to them. I talk with many guys who just aren't familiar with wood...but once they have some good wood arrows and start shooting them they are locked in and don't have any desire to change back. Sometimes I think we just like to do the same thing because it is "what we have always done".  Just a thought.

[Diamond Paul]

Arrow choice is personal preference, but wood is probably going to be the least consistent arrow material, but also the most satisfying to make and shoot.  It is very quiet compared to aluminums, for sure.

[DaveT1963]

Good wood arrows take a considerable time committment.  If you have the time and enjoy working with them they can become very addictive.  As I got older I guess time was the one thing I just never seem to have much of so I use carbon and use any "extra" time to scout, put up stands, shoot, etc....

There is something "magical" about a finely crafted wood arrow complete with stain, splicing and caps/cresting........

[Kevin Dill]

My evolution was from wood to aluminum to wood to carbon. I killed with wood for basically 20 years and believe I have a pretty good understanding of how to make good arrows from it. I love a well-made wood arrow and know they are capable of killing a majority of large game. I mainly stuck with them out of my impression that anything newer than aluminum just wasn't traditional...couldn't be traditional. When I got over that line of thinking (and admitted I was simply tired of building/maintaining wood arrows) I gave carbons an honest try. I wasn't surprised that I liked them, but I was surprised at all the advantages they offered me. After 8+ years of hunting with them, I am convinced that my Axis carbon arrows are completely superior in every way to the woodies I used to use. I easily got over the aesthetic issues, too. I strip the decals off my shafting, prime dip, crown dip, paint-crest, and give them a first class fletch with splices. Equipped with a 250 gr single-bevel hand-sharpened head, they are both classy and deadly.

[mangonboat]

I like the predictability of aluminum, but I have a fetish for old fiberglass Micro Flite and Dura Flite arows..straight, dense and more durable than wood if you take care not to shoot them into each other ( I aim at a different spot with every arrow).