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Q:
What exactly do you look for in an arrow for traditional archery? I have a re-curve 45-50 lb draw and I need to know the absolute best arrow for me, hunting whitetail. Im hoping for a shot at about 10 yards at the most. Thanks for any help.
Question by ImColty. Uploaded on December 01, 2012
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Answers (7)
Colty, there is no simple explanation to your question. Just too many variables affecting arrow flight. The charts published for this are only a suggestion and only sometimes correct. I suggest purchasing a test kit. You can buy one arrow of each size, cut to your length, to test with your bow. 3riversarchery has kits available for most arrow brands.
Once you get your kit, we can talk about paper tuning.
I understand but I just dont have the money to do all that
If the rest on your bow is pretty close to centerline of your bow and string you can get away with shooting a pretty stiff carbon arrow with good results. Cabelas sells a twelve pack of feather fletched arrows for about 85 bucks. I leave them full length for added arrow weight and i also have a very long draw length. That's a good place to start. They should work for you with practice and last a long time. Arrows are expensive no matter what route you go, but the drawback is you won't know what shoots best through your outfit til you try a few different arrows. The bright side is that with whatever arrow you start with and enough practice you can still hit what you're looking at. Good luck and happy hunting!
When I was young, I shot a lot of rabbits with a 48# Ben Pearson fiberglass recurve using nothing but cheep cedar arrows bought from a local Western Auto Store. Back then you could hunt through and pick cedar arrows out of a large display container at local stores like Sears, Western Auto, and Otasco. You had to pick straight ones and watch for flaws in the painted wood grain. They shot well with the recurve but when I got my first Bear Whitetail Compound Bow back in the late sixties, the cedar arrows would explode in it. I now make wood arrows from birch dowels which are a little heavier than the cedar but still work well with my old vintage wooden 60# Wing recurve for target practice. I shoot the Wing for bow fishing also but use the solid fiberglass arrows which are required by Alabama state law when bowfishing. I store my wooden arrows hanging in a closet by using short pieces of hollow 1/4 inch propolene rope. The rope works like chinese handcuffs or rather chinese finger traps by pushing one end of the rope piece over the noch and a wire hook in the other end of the piece of rope. Then a bolt with about one ounce of weight is hung on the opposite end of the arrow using the same rope trick. Hanging the arrows in this fashion with the fletching up and the heavy weight down in a dry closet keeps them from warping. Just never try to shoot them in any kind of compound bow.
PS, The last wooden birch arrows I built cost me about $1.35 each counting the field tips, plastic nochs, fletching, and glue.
Colty. The biggest mistake a bowhunter can make is hunting with a bow which is not properly tuned. Take your bow to the local pro shop. They may have arrows you can shoot to test spine.
Colty, becareful if you leave the arrows full length (rickyno5 suggestion). This affects the arrows (in effect changes the spline of the arrow). Depending on the hunting tip weight, the arrow is again affected (i.e 100 grain versus 125 grain or more). If you have the set up, remove the fletch from an arrow and shoot thru paper to see how the arrow flies through it. Shoot about 10 feet from the paper and very close to the target. a clean hole is the primary goal. the arrow will most likely be a combination of tearing up/down and right/left. Adjust by twisting the string (tighter or looser; don't unravel the string!) or moving the knock point (up/down). I believe Fred Asbell reviews tuning in one of his books. Once you have a round hole, record the brace height and nock point as the string will stretch.
i shoot home made wood arrows made from dowels i learnd from dave canbary on you tube with sheet medal broad heads and i hunt deer very cheap and not expinsive jost go on youtube and look up commen mane arrow and commen man broad head
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If the rest on your bow is pretty close to centerline of your bow and string you can get away with shooting a pretty stiff carbon arrow with good results. Cabelas sells a twelve pack of feather fletched arrows for about 85 bucks. I leave them full length for added arrow weight and i also have a very long draw length. That's a good place to start. They should work for you with practice and last a long time. Arrows are expensive no matter what route you go, but the drawback is you won't know what shoots best through your outfit til you try a few different arrows. The bright side is that with whatever arrow you start with and enough practice you can still hit what you're looking at. Good luck and happy hunting!
When I was young, I shot a lot of rabbits with a 48# Ben Pearson fiberglass recurve using nothing but cheep cedar arrows bought from a local Western Auto Store. Back then you could hunt through and pick cedar arrows out of a large display container at local stores like Sears, Western Auto, and Otasco. You had to pick straight ones and watch for flaws in the painted wood grain. They shot well with the recurve but when I got my first Bear Whitetail Compound Bow back in the late sixties, the cedar arrows would explode in it. I now make wood arrows from birch dowels which are a little heavier than the cedar but still work well with my old vintage wooden 60# Wing recurve for target practice. I shoot the Wing for bow fishing also but use the solid fiberglass arrows which are required by Alabama state law when bowfishing. I store my wooden arrows hanging in a closet by using short pieces of hollow 1/4 inch propolene rope. The rope works like chinese handcuffs or rather chinese finger traps by pushing one end of the rope piece over the noch and a wire hook in the other end of the piece of rope. Then a bolt with about one ounce of weight is hung on the opposite end of the arrow using the same rope trick. Hanging the arrows in this fashion with the fletching up and the heavy weight down in a dry closet keeps them from warping. Just never try to shoot them in any kind of compound bow.
PS, The last wooden birch arrows I built cost me about $1.35 each counting the field tips, plastic nochs, fletching, and glue.
Colty. The biggest mistake a bowhunter can make is hunting with a bow which is not properly tuned. Take your bow to the local pro shop. They may have arrows you can shoot to test spine.
i shoot home made wood arrows made from dowels i learnd from dave canbary on you tube with sheet medal broad heads and i hunt deer very cheap and not expinsive jost go on youtube and look up commen mane arrow and commen man broad head
Colty, there is no simple explanation to your question. Just too many variables affecting arrow flight. The charts published for this are only a suggestion and only sometimes correct. I suggest purchasing a test kit. You can buy one arrow of each size, cut to your length, to test with your bow. 3riversarchery has kits available for most arrow brands.
Once you get your kit, we can talk about paper tuning.
I understand but I just dont have the money to do all that
Colty, becareful if you leave the arrows full length (rickyno5 suggestion). This affects the arrows (in effect changes the spline of the arrow). Depending on the hunting tip weight, the arrow is again affected (i.e 100 grain versus 125 grain or more). If you have the set up, remove the fletch from an arrow and shoot thru paper to see how the arrow flies through it. Shoot about 10 feet from the paper and very close to the target. a clean hole is the primary goal. the arrow will most likely be a combination of tearing up/down and right/left. Adjust by twisting the string (tighter or looser; don't unravel the string!) or moving the knock point (up/down). I believe Fred Asbell reviews tuning in one of his books. Once you have a round hole, record the brace height and nock point as the string will stretch.
Post an Answer