Barreled Arrows

[Jon Kaw]

I got a dozen barreled Sitka Spruce shafts to try.  They have a 10" taper from 11/32 to 5/16 at both ends.  When I do my part they fly like darts, but if there is any variation in my release they wobble quite a bit.  They're hitting where I want, they just look ugly doing it.  I usually shoot parallel shafted Douglas Fir arrows and don't notice this much variation in flight with them.  The Spruce arrows are about 125-150gr lighter than my Fir arrows. Do you think the arrows sensitivity to release is due to the barreled shaft, the lighter arrow or something else altogether?

[AkDan]

doubt its due to the barrel.

It could be due to you torqueing...or the fact they are lighter overall weight.   Arrow weight in comparison (one arrow compared to the next) of similar materials, will affect dynamic spine accordingly.  like switching to ash from cedar.   A lighter over all arrow is going to act weaker than the heavier arrow due to the amount of energy it takes to move the heavier shaft.   I have heard of guys needing to go to a heavier spined shaft going to a heavier hardwood from POC, but the theory behind it doesn't add up.   Neither has my experiences anyways.   But I've always been somewhere between backwards and chasing my tail so YMMV!

The main issue is spine.  For me barrels seem to recover faster than single tapers or parallels.  

Obviously the better your form is the wider your range of useable spines will potentially be! This doenst hold true with all set ups but it does with many!  

The odd part about what you're seeing is the increased FOC you should have gotten from the lighter spruce in theory should have flown better all else being equal.  again obviously that's assuming spine is on with the parallels to begin with!

Lastly being they came from a different source (assuming) have you checked the spine on them?  What's the tolerances!   They can and do vary greatly amongst retailers.   Its unfortunate but if you want to shoot wood I highly recommend buying/building a spine tester to double check and fine tune your set up!

[Jon Kaw]

I did check the spine and they were all within the range they were listed at.  They were advertised as hand spined and I believe they were as the shafts were all within 3#'s of each other.

The shafts I got were weaker spined than my Fir shafts because I wanted to decrease point weight, so the FOC isn't increased with the lighter arrows.

 In the end I'm probably torqueing as you suggested.  My accuracy increased quite a bit as soon as I started shooting the spruce arrows, I'll just continue(for the rest of my life)to work on consistent form so they'll fly purdy all the time.

Thanks for your response.
Jon

[Orion]

You were right to go with a weaker spine for two reasons.  First, the shafts are 150 grains lighter so they will act dynamically stiffer.  Second, the barreling will cause them to straighten more quickly.  That being said, you still might have missed the best spine match for your bow.  Maybe went too weak or not enough.  

Also, most barrel tapers aren't tapered the same on each end.  That is, a 11/32 shaft might be tapered to 5/16 or less on the nock end, but usually something larger than that on the point end.

The lighter front end of the shaft combined with the lighter point might have upset the FOC too much, i.e., the arrow might be too light on the front.  Try increasing point weight a little and see what happens. Good luck.

[bowheadhunter]

My question on shooting form and release I used shoot a 3 layer tab for good release can this same smooth release be had with a good shooting Glove if yes what brand shooting glove is most using here,I want some wood arrows soon,

[AkDan]

Jon,

To me anyways, I'd question the adjustments you made by going lighter spined with a lighter tip.     Obviously good form is something everyone should strive for, but I bet your a spine or point weight is off.   Some bows are picky, others you can get away with a wider range, is what it is.   Really from fur to spruce you're not going to change your FOC much without doing some serious spine changes either up or down.   It would depend on how much you wanted to lighten the point weight obviously.  

A simple test is to find some points heavier and lighter and run them, see how they fly.  That will quickly tell you if they are too stiff or too weak without doing anything drastic.

a word of caution on spine testers, they are not always calibrated equally.   Though you may be on with yours you might be 3lbs off the makers numbers.  I had this issue with a well known POC maker before they retired.   Once I knew it I could adjust accordingly, but that ment testing my own shafts.   Check your calibration against aluminums deflection (done on a wood arrow spine tester).  You can find charts on line for this purpose.  


Orion,

I've had this discussion with a wood shaft maker years ago now a few different times.   Initially I assumed the same thing, but after some testing, it confirmed what he was saying I needed to go up on the lighter arrows held true at least in my case.   Mind you this was out of a recurve that was very tolerant of spine selection and I haven't bothered to retest that theory since.   He is now moved on to other things and the way things are going I'm not far behind him.

[Paul/KS]

You bringing them to the Games next weekend Jon?
I'll be shooting on Sunday.    

[Jon Kaw]

Yeah Paul, I'm shooting on Saturday but may come to spectate on Sunday.  
If I do I'll bring'em for you to see.

[Paul/KS]

Sounds good Jon. See ya Sunday.