I have been shooting 5" parabolic feathers for awhile now and it is time to restock. I noticed that 4 inch fletching is a heck of a lot cheaper. How do I know if I really need that extra inch?
Bear Heart, depends on how well tuned your bow is. I shoot nothing but 4" feathers out of my 47# longbow and they fly great. They work fine with the 2 blade eclipse, and W/W broadheads. I don't know about a larger broadhead though.
How much FOC are you shooting? The more FOC, the less fletching you need for the same stability. The only way to really know is try it. I'd say most everyone could shoot 4" with no problem....O.L.
I chop my own or burn them from full length. My archery budjet is small now so I shoot 4 inch 3 fletch on my carbon arrows but use the 5 inch 3 fletch on my wood arrows.
Like Pitbull said if your tuned good with a decent release smaller fletch is fine.
Ron
My regular setup is 2020 cut at 30" with 145 up front.
For my Hill I have a 1916 cut at 29" with 125 up front.
Definitely go to 4 inch...I picked up 4-5 fps chronoed by changing from 5 inch. I shoot 145 gr. up front 2020's 2-fletched only now...faster ,quieter, cheaper, less shelf contact, slimmer fit in quiver...just make sure you fine tune to your bow. I like to paper tune first, then adjust in real flight to target. Keep flinging! Tony!
I shoot 4" shield cut with w/woodsmans, montec 125's or snuffers. I just bought a chopper, you can get 2 4" cuts out of 1 full length feather.
Benjy
I've been shooting 4 inch the last couple of years. Works fine for me. A tad faster and a little less drop at longer ranges.
4" shield cuts for me... I've shot 5", too, and don't notice any difference (for me) between the two.
I believe feather size and shape has a lot of history. the conventional wisdom of the early US would have me believe that they preferred a 5" fletch to stabilize a broadhead quickly from a longbow or early recurve. That was also based on wood arrows, generally 11/32" and spined accordingly to the charts of the day.
I still follow this rule when I make my cedar arrows. I also prefer the shield fletch because of the historic and asthetic value.
Now that more modern shafting is available, and feather shapes have changed - the old rules are not the same.
In a bow with a deep center cut shelf and a very stiff but thin modern arrow, one is not as worried about arrow recovery due to flex around the handle and the appropriate spine.
You can get away with a much smaller fletch and the shapes now (e.g. parabolic and bannana - which I think are ugly) are very quiet. The broadheads seem to be more high tech and a often smaller and lighter now too.
The wild thing I have noticed - the training wheels shooters and their super carbons and ultralight heads have now gone to the Razer style fletch - it is a ssharped edged piece of plastic somewhat like a shield that is only 2 1/2" long!
short slugger did i get it right, you said 2 fletch? which should work i guess.
nanners are beuuuutifull
Just as interesting a question to me would be placement of feathers on the shaft in relation to the distance from the nock. How many of you have played around with that, moving the fletching farther away from the nock? Notice any difference there?
I'm trying 4 3" paroblics now. Seems to work real well.
Well, since there doesn't seem to be much objection to the 4 inchers I added them to my order. In my favorite fletching colors of two flo pink and one chartreuse. Saved quit a bit on those two bags of 50 if they work otherwise I will just use them to fletch my wife's arrows.
4"ers are cheaper 'cause you can get TWO from one feather. I shoot 4-4" feathers on 75% of my arrows. The other arrows are either 5" or 5 1/2".I like alot of feathers on my hunting arrows with broadheads on the serious end. 4-4"= 16"s of feather, 3-5" =15"s, and 3 -5 1/2" =16 1/2"s of feather.
For some reason, don't really remember why,I tried 4" this year after 20yrs of 5-5 1/2".....
Even with my big Snuffers, they fly fine....but they are very well tuned....
I like getting 2 out of a full length feather....
If your spine is correct and your bow tuned, you can get along with even 3" feathers. I've used 4" on many. I rather like the bigger feathers though for hunting as I can see them better in the woods. My arrows fly great with 4" though and I use parabolic. It's more a personal issue than functional.
I use 2" shield cut rayzr's and they are a lot quieter than anything else I've used.
jrchambers....yes....2-fletched. I have even lowered the profile on the 4" shield on some arrows. I have not chronoed yet, but I expect them to be faster and quieter.