Need tougher arrows

[John McCreary]

Since moving to the western slope of Colorado my stump shooting sessions have been costly. I usually break at least three cedars with each trip. The rocks of the Book Cliff mountains are harder on arrows than the fertile farm ground of Illinois. I tried aluminums but not much better and carbons are pricey. what do you archers of the west use for shafting which holds up?

[DanielB89]

look at some gold tip blems from big jim.  They're around $53/dozen and if you foot them, you wont break them!

[Stickbow]

I have stumped with carbon for years, rocks aside, been fairly cheap when you consider a dozen lasting a few years. Thats out of 60# or a 64# bow with as much as 225 up front.

That said I am kinda getting back into the wood arrows....fir shafts from Surewood that is. The seem to be doing well out of my 56#...haven't broke one yet. Knock on wood.      

[McDave]

Even with carbons, they still break after a while.  I carry two carbons for stump shooting: one with a judo and the other with a plastic blunt.  If I think I might hit something hard, I use the plastic blunt.

[snakebit40]

I think the Carbon Express Heritage arrows are the toughest arrow made. I have shot some really hard stumps with those and they bounce right off, sometimes breaking the nocks. Very few times have I actually broke the arrow. I would still be shooting the Heritage arrows if Gold Tips didn't fly so dang good out of my bow.

[Trond]

Footed GT's is the only arrows I use for stumping. Direct rock-hits just bounce off. Spits out the nock sometimes, but the arrows survive just fine.

[John McCreary]

How are you footing Gold Tips? Are you using aluminum shafts for the footing?

[John McCreary]

How are you footing Gold Tips? Are you using aluminum shafts for the footing?

[ranger 3]

Yelp, foot them with about 1/2 of aluminum shaft, you might have to re tune.

[K.S.TRAPPER]

Always broke POC's stump shooting, and I don't by into that but the smell so good when they break thing.

Aluminum is about the same unless you do a bunch of work to them up front which dosen't look very good.

Carbon is much better but you still have to foot them and I like to shoot wood anyway.

Switched to Dougfir years ago and will never change again, I've bounced arrows off direct hits on rocks out west and back here and can't believe how tuff they are. Never have to straiten them or worry about them can they break? Sure they can but they will surprise you. Money well spent and the only problem is that they last so long my arrow builder isn't getting much work from me.

   

Tracy

[John McCreary]

Any one have any examples of footed carbons? How do you do it?

[old_goat2]

GT Kinetics with an inch or more aluminum footing and quit hitting the rocks helps too! ;-)

[Bud B.]

http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=000098  

Using a small tube cutter, cut some sections of aluminum shaft for the footing; usually an inch. If you have an arrow saw you're even better.

Collar the nock end as well with a 1/4" section.

You'll need to prepare the tube ends with a file or sandpaper. I use a bullet casing reamer from RCBS.


 

[Bud B.]

Oh..glue on with a good super glue or two part epoxy.

[Bud B.]

If you like wood shafts, check out Forrester Shafts

forresterwoodshafts.com

Pricey, but check the videos. Glancing blows have always been the destroyers of my arrows. Dead on (perpendicular hit) shots usually result in a survived shaft.

The footed and collared carbon will eliminate shaft death from glancing shots on all but the most destructive rock.

[Pat B]

I've had good luck with poplar shafts. They are a lot tougher than any other store bought wood arrows I've used and weigh slightly more than POC.

[snag]

You can cut off a couple inches of an aluminum shaft and epoxy it onto the point end, in back of the field pt. of your woodies. This footing will help in adding structural strength. But if you hit a rock or really hard ground all arrows will split, bend, and/or break.

[OregonTom]

I stump in some very rocky areas also.  I think using rubber blunts will give an arrow shaft a better chance surviving a head on with a rock.

[M60gunner]

I foot all my carbons these days. We have rocks everywhere, in the desert, in the forests, everywhere. Miss with a wood arrow and not much chance of it living. They do look cool when they splinter into a bunch of pieces. Their is a thread in how to section on what alum shaft sizes match up with various carbons. I use golf shaft epoxy to glue them on.
If you use them for targets you need to chamfer the rear of foot to make it easier to remove. I use a cheap plumbers chamfering tool I got at Harbor Frieght.

[tecum-tha]

There are two arrows which are nearly indestructible: Ash and Hard Rock Maple
Personally, I prefer the hard rock maple shaft tail tapered. There is another good option:
Use the arrow-fix tool and repair your shafts with short ash/maple/hickory or black locust footings just behind the point. For me, breaking an arrow behind the point is no reason to worry. I hate if I loose an arrow because I can't find it.