Trad Gang

S! ALL!

  I don't know how to run a poll but I'm curious how many 'traditionalist' still find wooden arrows a tradition AND/OR WHY?

All wood

IMO anything other than a wood arrow is a faux arrow. I like doing all the "work" in making arrows not just glueing a bunch of stuff together and calling it an arrow.
Jack

Wood arrows make great kindling.

i like wood and carbon for their own reasons respectively, but if I had to choose just one it would be wood.  keeps the mystic side of the whole thing alive for me, plus it seems that carbon and aluminum can feel cold and unnatural at times.  JMO.  Mark

I have used carbon; but making a wood arrow brings greater satisfaction for me. And I can get woodies to fly much better than other materials.

I enjoy  Making  My Own Wood Arrows  :thumbsup:  , but I do have several Aluminum Legacy Arrows around too!  :archer:  
 I Enjoy Shooting them  ALL , but just never was Big on Carbon.  :goldtooth:

I use carbon for the ease.
I carry my gear all over the country. Warm and humid today, hot and dry tomorrow.
I'd love to make/shoot wood but the best compromise is the GT traditionals. Wood look, carbon durability.

I use everything from fiberglass to cane to carbon

Been making my own wood arrows for more than 45 years.  Carbon and aluminum have several advantages, but I just like wood.  Guess I'll stick with it.

All wood here. I figured it out once because I buy my supplies in bulk and dowel my own shafts it costs me 1.25 an arrow for everything including field tip or steel blunt. You couldn't pay me enough to not make and shoot my own arrows.

Carbons for me. I have a few wood arrows but prefer carbons. Straight and true and consistant.

my carbons are heavier than any cedar arrow.

I,ve shot mostly wood and alum, experminting with carbon, but nothing to me is more satisifying than getting a box of elite wood arrows in the mail from Paul Jalon, These arrows got the spirit of archery and you can feel it when you open them, Thanks Paul for your hard work, Ive tried making them and do but frankly I,ll let the masters do ther job.

One could write a book on this issue, but basically people like wood for the same reason they like stickbows, carbon for the same reason they like compounds, and some aren't sure so choose aluminum.

POC-but I did buy 20 Dz. GGII's in various sizes when Easton quit making them. I Haven't shot them yet. I Haven't made an arrow out of them yet either. I got some carbons but they are way too stiff for my bows. Hap

Wood.  I think that aluminum sound like conduit, and graphite is just too hi-tech for me (although you can have my share if you want to use them).  

I do have a dozen 2016 legacy arrows.  Purchased them to try out, but I don't like the sound they make.  They do shoot well, though.  I enjoy building wood arrows also.

RonP

I like wood but shoot carbon. I agree about making a wood arro wand how nice they look, but my carbons take way more abuse and are way cheaper in the long run. Archers of old, even Ishi would of chose carbon, they wanted to shoot the best that was available at the time. The time is now and carbon is just way more consistent than wood. I still make a shoot 3-4 dozen woodies a year though. Shawn

I enjoy making and shooting wooden arrows, but like many others, I prefer the predictability of carbons. I know what spine to buy (without having to buy 30 & then try & match 12) what length to cut them to & what insert/point weight combo I need to make them fly. I can have a perfectly matched dozen carbons made up in a litte over an hour. To do the same in wood would take at least 2-3 days!

For those of you shooting carbons, that's ok.  Just remember to purchase your "carbon credits".  For every dozen carbons you buy, purchase two dozen woodies to offset the damage so you can enjoy your modern convenience guilt free!    :rolleyes:    :D

Carbon shafts are tougher and straighter than wood. We use dacron, fast flight, TS1 and other man made materials on our bows, why is carbon looked upon as not traditional? Makes no sense to me.
I love the smell of the cedar shafts and they are fun to make, but if you want performance, they do not compare to carbon.

I do love wood arrows and they do have a multitude  of noble qualities. However, being superior to carbon arrows is not one of them.  :)

Carbons are as traditional as anything in our bowhunting community. Just loook at the bowss we are shooting. Shawn

"wood arras look great, seem and feel the business....but there is NOTHING worse than going to draw your bow and looking down the shaft.....and finding that the head is pointing 2 meters to the left of the target! "

"wood arrows make good kindling"

2 for the best statements iv read on here in a long time!  
 :biglaugh:    :biglaugh:    :biglaugh:

The misuse of the word traditional, as it applies to archery nowadays, is just plain goofy.

Only Ishi could tell you what he would use, and it has no bearing on what is happening now anyway.   Carbon is just a hollow tube...like aluminum...everything eventually comes from the Earth.

tradtusker...you apparently have not used decent wooden arrows or you would not be so amused by those "inaccurate" statements.   My wooden arrows will center the target everytime at sixty meters if I can hold them steady enough.

Smart-alec remarks don't make you look smart, they make other people wonder why you bother responding.  

I have used all three arrows, and   When push comes to shove, and I want reliability and confidence, I con't mind packing my P.O. cedars at all.  They will do what they were intended to do, in an outstanding manner.   All three arrow shafts can be made into great arrows; it's the arrowsmith that creates the final outcome.  

On a final note, Howard Hill could shoot over 400 on a field round with his longbow and cedar arrows.  There are few here who could approach that with recurves and carbon or aluminum arrows.
It's not the arrow material folks.  Never will be.

Carbon Credits...'Twas a joke....You know...Al Gore?....Peace Prize?  Ahhh....never mind!  

George agreed, but I could take you to the Muzzy shoot and you could bring a dozen wood arrows and me a dozen carbons and I very much doubt you woul dget thru the two days of shooting. I can assure you I would. I have seen guys break over two dozen arrows in a day at this shoot and aluminum, well they hold up even worse. I just like the durabilty of the carbons, I have woodies that shoot as well and that do in fact look better but just cannot take the abuse like a carbon. Shawn

I shoot wood. If I could get carbon arrows to fly as well, I'd probably shoot them. I've tried them, but cedars shoot better for me. Aluminums fly fine, but they bend and dent and are noisy.

As far as carbon being tougher, I'm not so sure about that. I have broken just about as many carbons as wood, even though I shoot a lot more wood. If you Robin Hood a carbon, it is done. I have been able to save some woodies that I did that to. I have been using the same cedar arrow for stump shooting/shooting at squirrels, etc. for over six months. It is scarred up and ugly from hitting rocks, limbs, stumps and so forth, but still functional. When it wears out, I'll make another one for about $3. When I break a carbon arrow, it costs about $6-12 to replace it. If I lose a wooden arrow, it still costs about $3 to replace (maybe $3.50). If I lose a carbon arrow it is $8-15 to replace.

I make my own arrows. I don't need much for fancy equipment to make woodies. No $250 saw, a hand saw will do. A taper tool is under $30.

The bottom line is, even if the carbons are tougher, I can make lots of cedar arrows for what carbons cost. My arrows fly better (for me). My arrows smell like cedar. Carbons smell like...nothing much I guess.

I don't really care about traditional vs non-traditional. My bows are relatively modern. I just don't want to spend the money it would take to find a carbon arrow that would fly like a cedar when I can make cedar arrows that fly like cedar.

If they work for you, shoot 'em.

Woodies are absolutely gorgeous and have a certain mystique about them and will certainly do the job intended. However i am with Shawn on this one. Carbon is just the best right now.I believe Ishi and any other indian or person who is hunting to sustain there life would use the most advanced methods possible and would care less if there meal was killed in a traditional fashion. I mean really, arent we talking about people who would drive herds of animals of cliffs to eat because they had to? I wouldnt be surprised to see many of them shooting a Mattews. And theres nothing wrong with that.

Max,

I agree with you and Shawn. Subsistance hunters would use whatever worked best. I shoot traditional equipment for the joy of it rather than for food. I think that is the case with most of us.

My wood arrows are fun to make, they fly well for me and weigh 10-11 grains per pound from my bows, so they do the job on game. I don't see a need to change at this point.

George you are correct, but i saw those statements in good humour and not as disperpectfull to anyone, i meant no disrespect by my post sorry if it was taken that way.

it was meant as a bit of humour, which is important in everything i think.

i shoot wood, allu and carbon arrows just the same  :wavey:

Coupe
Absolutely correct. Whatever works best and kills efficiently is great. Traditional is a personal choice. I have recently switched because it is the most enjoyment i have ever had with archery equippt. I am hoping in time it will make me a better hunter. I now have a 18- 20 yard window. With my Hoyt i had a 56 yard window. (one shot double lung buck) It is also wonderful to get excited "just seeing" does and "smaller bucks" again. Traditional has made hunting enjoyable again because all deer are once again Trophies.

Tusker,
If it makes you feel any better i am not offended. I thought it was rather funny also. Laughter makes people feel better. Some need to try it more often.

Guys it is nice we all can agrre and see the humor and we understand that it is about what works best for us as individuals not what works for someone else. I can make crbons fly for anyone, it just takes some point weight experimentation and being close on spine to start. Shawn

Shawn
By the way i dont think i thanked you for your arrow advice. Thanks for your time and knowledge. Would love to make the bunny hunt if i can. Chuck.

The problem can be with our exuberance for the shafts that we think are "best."  Fact is, what's best for one is not best for the other, so sometimes humor is taken in a negative way.  

No problem Tusker...we all are pretty goofy at times...me as much or more than others.

Shawn....We will shoot together sometime...I would like that.  I will bring the cedars though, so you might want to pack some extra carbons if I run out 8^).

Ishi and any other hunting to sustain life wouldn't use a bow at all...they'd use a gun.  History's already answered that.  There's a difference between sustaining life and enjoying it recreationally.

One thing to keep in mind though...Carbons are purchased by crossbow and compound users too.  Wood is not. We have to keep on supporting those providing Traditional Archery goods or we'll lose them.  Where have all the Forgewoods gone?

At the least, always buy your carbons and alums from Traditional Archery dealers.

'Course that's just my opinion, and I did use the word "traditional" which means I offended someone.  I apologize!  I did not mean to imply you are not traditional (oops there it is again) if you buy your carbons from Wal-Mart.

(To be clear...That last paragraph was a joke.)  :D

I shoot whatever works best from each bow. The only thing that matters tome with arrows is that the deliver the point where it belongs.

I'd put my doug fir arrows durability wise up against anyone's carbons that has ever gone stump shooting with me. This is also why I don't shoot cedar shafts(they snap too easily for me). I have taken several guys along with me stump shooting in the old growth around here with all the giant mossy rocks mixed in and they come out down a few arrows as well as do I but I am out $1.25 an arrow(less if I can find the tip) and they are out at least 6 or 7 bucks an arrow with their carbon shafts.

Carbons are fine for those who use them but I will stick with wood and yes, mine are straight, even my bamboo ones are straight. I heat straighten if need be. It could also be that I'm single and I make my arrows in my bathroom so I don't mind the day or two it takes me to go from 3/8" squares to a dozen new arrows.

I can break most wood arrows by looking at them crosseyed.  No question in my mind.  I used to make six to eight dozen woodies a year.  Still working on my first dozen carbons after 11 months.

Does this mean wood doesn't work?  Absolutely not.  There are a whole lot better archers than I that can prove that they do work.

I just use what works best for me, which for the past several years has been carbon. If and when someone comes up with a 33"+ wood shaft that spines over 80# and weighs 320 grains (so I can have a finished arrow around 500 grains), I may give them a try.

Wow, that is quite a combination Jason! What bow/arrow broadhead combo are you shooting now? Do they make carbon shafts @ 33"+?

That weight/spine would be easy to do with wood, but you'd probably have to special order the shafts to get that length. My finished cedar arrows are 29" BOP and weigh right at 500 grains with 125 WW broadheads. Once in a while one will be heavier, but rarely are they lighter than 490 grains. If you could get cedar at your length, your finished arrows would probably be around 530-550 gr. with a 125 grain BH.

You must have long arms!   :D

The most beatufiful arrows in the world are not carbon or aluminum.

That being said, I have several carbon arrows that have taken more than two deer each, and are in my quiver waiting to slice more air.

I like wood arrows the best, but I know in the long run, carbon arrows give me the best mileage.
There is never enough time or money, and I MUST make the best use of both.

Ishi never had a mortgage.

30coupe,

Trying to shoot wood arrows with a 32" draw length is a real pain. The biggest problem is that after you taper for the nock and point, you end up 31" BOP, which isn't worth a hoot when you need 32". With carbons -- even 32" shafts -- after sliding a uni nock in one end and a broadhead adapter in the other, I end up with about 32 1/4" BOP.

Jason,
   My brother has the same problem as you it is why I started doweling my own or having a friend dowel them for me so I could make arrows that fit my brother. He draws right between 32" and 33" so does my Dad. If you have a really long draw length I can totally see using carbons if you don't dowel your own. Drawing a broadhead back into your finger is no fun.

#1)POC shafts weighing in at 390 grains and 160's up front
#2) 2016's w/ 125 grains in front
#3) Terminator 45/60's with 160's in front

I always say that I love the smell of a broken cedar though!!!!! Quiet, forgiving, time tested

Jason,

I think your best option for would be footed shafts. You could add the lenght you need and have a tough arrow. It would add cost though, but you could get arrows that actually fit your draw that way. It sounds like even the carbons are pretty short for you. Footed woodies would get that broadhead away from your fingers.

I shoot carbons for their durability- 31 1/2" footed Axis 340's w/125 up front....but I'd love to find some laminated birch/fir,  bloodwood or walnut footed arrows spined at 80+, anyone know where I can find shafts such as these? I have some very special purpleheart footed cedar arrows that  cannot be replaced, so I shoot them very rarely, and very carefully.. I want some shooters..., also anyone familiar with Loss Creek arrows??.........Steve