Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Terry Green on November 04, 2022, 03:43:24 PM
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Now that we have the broadhead and bow threads running....
Tell us your choice for Survival Shafting......
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If I can fill my bow quiver I would pick 3-rivers Traditional Only carbon -- they are very tough and they shoot straight. I use some other carbons that I like as well, but if I had to limit myself to only one brand I would pick the 3RTO.
If I had to have just one arrow in my quiver that had to last through a lot of kills, maybe I would select a bow-fishing shaft. They are incredibly sturdy.
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By the way, these are very interesting threads, Terry. Makes a guy think.
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Not available anymore but I've been using them for years and made sure I had enough in all sizes to not run out.
Carbon Express Heritage
They are tough as hell, and I have torn up very few over the years.
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I'll go with a hickory arrow. I'll loose it before it breaks. Jawge
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What Jawge said but with self nocks
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Beman Centershot 340.
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WOOD... If I run out, I can always make more. :thumbsup:
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Easton Axis
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If I have access to nothing…hickory…hands down.
If I can have nocks, inserts, etc. then it’s carbon express heritage.
I still got a pile of the Cx HE 250s….but got to switch to something else eventually.
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Easton Axis Full Metal Jacket.
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Like Joe said, if I can fill my back quiver, Surewood Shafts Doug Firs, 60-65# spine. If only one shaft I'm going with a 500 spine Gold Tip with an aluminum footing. I really like his thoughts on a bow fishing arrow for durability.
Jason
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If starting the survival trek with no arrows, I"d look at what was available. I once made shafts from a variety of materials, including blackberry briar, wild rose, and dog fennel. The dog fennel requires a lot of drying, but makes a decent survival shaft. I tested it by shooting a 20 target 3-d round, and a month later shot a raccoon that I thought might be rabid. It's not carbon, or hickory, but in a survival situation, they may not be available
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Any port in a storm….but given an option or choice?
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Hmmm... In survival mode, it would probably have to be wood based on availability. Hickory or river cane would be high on my list. Since we are limited to only one, I would go for cane.
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Hickory, I shot one into 50 gal. steel drum, I still shoot it.
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My all time favorite is sourwood shoot shafts. Heavy, full length taper and virtually unbreakable. My second choice is hill cane which grows along the creek that runs through our property here in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. It makes an excellent arrow shaft with it's full length taper, it is heavy and very durable.
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My all time favorite is sourwood shoot shafts. Heavy, full length taper and virtually unbreakable. My second choice is hill cane which grows along the creek that runs through our property here in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. It makes an excellent arrow shaft with it's full length taper, it is heavy and very durable.
Sourwood, as in Oxydendrum arboreum? I will have to check that out and maybe get a couple specimens. I wonder how it will accept coppicing. I coppice Osier Dogwood for basketry and arrow making. I should try some sourwood.
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Yes, that sourwood. I find my best shoots along road cuts that are bush hogged every few years. When collecting any shoots for shafting be sure it is second year growth. When these shoots grow the first year they reach their ultimate height and have leaves growing along the shoot. The second year small branches grow where the leaf scars are from last year. After the growing season is the best time to harvest them. I assume they can be coppiced but I also walk our woods looking for shoots at the top or along the trunk of small trees. This is common for sourwood. These shoots can be from 6" long to 6' long with the ones around 36" being about perfect. My finished shafts are 30" long with a 5/16" nock end(I use self nocks only) and a 3/8" point end. Sometimes I have to use a thumb plane to reduce them. You can also remove the bark as soon as you harvest them with very little checking if any unlike most other shoots I've harvested.
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Sorry for the confusion, this question is for what shaft would you want to have in survival, not what you make in the woods. :campfire:
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These are the shafts I use all the time. I don't buy shafts anymore, I make them all from hardwood shoots and cane. If you are in a survival situation neither carbon or aluminum grow on trees. :dunno:
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Sorry Pat, I get what you are saying, we would ALL have to make arrows if we ran out. The question didn't pertain to that you didn't buy any arrows any more, or what grows in the woods, its what shaft material you would start with/like to have with you that you would consider to be the best choice for survival.
Hope that clarifies it further. :campfire:
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Carbon Express Heritage
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Wood arrows.
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Wood 'n' Wensels.
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Well, I'll go with a 1916 Aluminum legacy. Works good out of all my bows.
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Interesting! As long as I’ve viewed Trad Gang Carbon Express have been called a tough shaft. Are there any other CE arras close to as tough as the Heritage?
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Hickory
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I guess for survival i think aluminums because i can use them for other things like roasting meat, maybe blow small darts maybe to hunt beetles or other small protein snacks, im sure you can do some of that bushwhacking stuff too..... i think aluminums are more versatile in a survival situation than carbons.
Im kinda joking too 😳
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Wood, I'd probably go with tapered and footed Hickory. If I was counting on one arrow, I'm with Joe and a fiberglas fishing arrow.
:campfire: :coffee: :archer2: :campfire:
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Fiberglass fishing arrow
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That’s a tough one…. For survival of the shafts themselves I would go with high quality bamboo, or solid fiberglass fishing arrows. You could use either one for fishing arrows for your own survival.
For good quality hunting shafts that have the best survival rate, I would choose a carbon shaft and use an aluminum footing. Kirk
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For a survival shaft ,it would be hickory soaked in coal oil for a month like the mountain men did with there ramrods, I’ve done this many times ,they are basically indestructible.
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A Sweetland Forgewood shaft from days gone by.
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Though my wood shaft knowledge is lacking compared to many here , what Steve Clandinin says makes a lot of sense with the Hickory shafts . Hickery is TOUGH as is, and in these parts AVAILIABLE which is crucial in a survival situation on a long term (indefinite) situation .
Lots of arrow options in these parts..River Cane -dogwood-hickory -maple-even Osage could be another , though getting enough for straight sharts could be testing to say the least...
For a survival Bow wood ...in these parts...Osage-Hickory again shine if I can't take my Montana Longbow ...Fun thread ;^)
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Douglas Fir - SureWood Shafts made in Oregon. :)
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I've shot wood for 60 years, but if I had to pick one material for survival, it would be carbon. Just tougher, more durable than wood. But if I did have to use "wood", it would be hickory or bamboo.
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i agree, ive used wood shafts for years, but if i could only choose one in a survival situation it would be carbon
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For me it would be a heavy spined Douglas fir shaft. I've broken many cedar shafts but doug fir has yet to let me down.
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#1 Arrow Dynamics Hammerheads. Tuffest arrow I've ever experienced that compared to compressed maple, but they don't ever need straightening. The double wrapped, radial wrapped front end is the key.
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Laminated maple Tuffwood shafts from Dink's Feather Shop here in WV. Those things are heavy and tough as nails.
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As much as I like wood, I would probably go with an Easton Axis shaft.
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Footed Surewood Shaft
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Tapered Red Balau or Carbon Express Heritage 350's.
:campfire: :coffee: :archer2: :campfire:
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I am with Terry AD Hummerhead!
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I.d go with what I currently shoot which is Goldtip carbons. They fly straight and tough.
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Well I'll still got some Heritage Express arrows that are still in the box. So well make sure we use all of them up along with all the Gold Trip Traditionals, assorted wood arrows that I sill use occasionally and the mismatched assortments of blunt, steel target, and indoor league night arrows that get shot at....
Use up what I got, see how long they last......
Work on local wood alternatives for the future...
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It can't bend, so aluminum is out. You'd want the toughest arrow possible, so I'd lean into carbons. High visibility would be important so as not to lose them. I'd go with an easton 6.5 in white, with a footerreflective wrap, and an illuminated nock.
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Easton-Bear Metrics .308 - .320 made exclusively for Bear Archery. They were anodized and considerably stronger than XX75 shafts and like the X7 shafts they might break before they would bend. The shafts didn't fracture or split like carbon. Fred Bear used them for years.
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Most definitely my Dark Timber carbon shafts.. they are as true and durable of an arrow as I have ever shot!
BigJim
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For survival, 100% without a doubt CARBON.
So, Easton Carbon Legacy I suppose. When I shoot carbon that’s what I shoot.
Tubular carbon might come in handy for a lot more than an arrow in a survival situation.
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Only one shaft, fiberglass shaft tuned to my bow. Will last longer than anything else, penetrate and give me the solid platform for bowfishing which would be my most likely easily obtained food source.
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Rivercane for my survival shafts, they are like natural carbon!
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Nice arrows.
:campfire: :coffee: :archer2: :campfire:
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Easton 2117 camo shaft with swaged nock. Make into a take-down version with take-down inserts, like in the Rambo movie.
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Add me to the hickory camp with a couple tweaks. I have bounced a hickory arrow repetitively off a steel rifle target to see how many shots it took to break. About 12 shots to knock the tip off and 6 more to make the tapered tip to mushroom out and finally crack. The tweaks I would do though: Full length taper the shaft to remove hind arrow weight so there is less mass at the back of the arrow to keep pushing forward and potentially break the shift on sudden stops along with removing some of that heavy shaft flop. then blood groove and temper the shaft. This will help keep the shaft straight over time so it won’t need as many trips over the fire to straighten it back out. With selfnocks and some hide glue/sinew from the first kill, you can repair little cracks or splits that may happen over time. It can be like an old beater truck, patched up and looks like hell but just keeps working.
Kyle
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For the money, a few dozen 5&600 spine GT Warriors. Money no issue, Big Jim’s 5&600 spine Dark Timbers.