Don't ask me why I'm proposing this question. Guess I'm just feeling a little...philosophical..
I want to know; what's your favorite arrow. Now, I know that this site probably has enough "most durable", "most economic", "easiest to tune", and so on threads to provide the ever-inquiring mind with a wealth of information. I just wanna know what your favorite is. What arrow has given you the most joy? Has been carried along with you through targets, 3d's, stump shoots, and countless hunts? Everyone has a special set of arrows that carry plenty of fond memories with them. What's yours? I'm sure theres plenty of good tales out there...
Chris, I like philosophical...I'll play.
As much as it will pain George Stout to read this, my favorite arrow is a carbon: the sadly discontinued Beman MFX Max-4 in 340 spine, specifically this shaft, not others "like" it. Ridiculously tough, heavy (11.2 gr/in), looks good (yes, I like the looks of camo), thin (great penetration). Many good memories made with this arrow in my quiver. I've only got 3 doz shafts left and will be dragged kicking and screaming to whatever I find as it's poor replacement.
My second choice bears mentioning because prior to the Beman it was my favorite: the (again) discontinued Carbon Express Terminator Hunter in 55/70 spine. Ridiculously tough, heavy (12 gr/in), looks good. Notice a pattern? Lots of good memories with this one too. Got a dozen or so of these with arrows made up that I take now and then.
Wish I could wax nostalgic over cedar as I love their smell...but normally I smelled that smell a lot, because they broke all the time. Nothing but bad memories there.
ive been primarily a longbow shooter for many yrs , particularly self bows so ive been shooting nothing but cedars.just recently ive been shooting a bear recurve,i ran out of cedars so batman introduced me to some carbons. i was impressed with them. i just went back to shooting a selfbow again.batman let me try some arrows he made from douglas fir, wow i like these. they hit like hammers. they really impact the target hard. i cant wait till this fall ,when hunting season kicks in again. im also learning how to make my own arrows now, out of douglas fir. i wish i had interest in making my own yrs ago
My favourites are the Carbon Express Heritage 350s, with 100 grain brass insert and 200 grain broadheads, for a total weight of 704 grains, that I shot out of my BW PLX; and the Douglas fir arrows, 105# in spine, wearing 160 grain STOS broadheads, for a total weight of 775 grains, that Joe Lorenzen made to go out of my Silvertip.
It's not that these are the best arrows for every bow set-up, it's just that I have had some great adventures with them and made some memories. As Bowspirit alluded to, it is more of a sentimental thing.
some fool gave me some AWESOME four fletched carbons that i fell in love with. carry them all the time!
My favorites are Tapered Cedars made by Paul Jalon. I have a few dozen of these arrows in spine weights to match my different bows. These arrows are always with me in the woods when I am hunting. I love the looks of wood arrows and there is just something about how they fly that I love.
tapered cedars shoot best out of my bows
One laying on the forest floor covered in blood.
My all time favorite is not available any more.The Cabelas SSTs were the best hunting arrows I have ever run across for stickbows.
Thru most of my archery career, starting with the compound and even during my transition to traditional archery 15 years ago, I've shot more Easton 2117's than anything else. I still shoot them in one of my bows but I'm slowly phasing them out in favor of carbon.
I shoot cedars,, love them,, tried many others, but cedars just feel and fly great coming out of my longbow,,,,,,,,
glen
Aluminum arrows for me. Since Easton did away with my favorite 2115 size in hard anodized Super Slam camo, I've been forced to settle for Easton Camo Hunters in 2114 and 2018 sizes.
I was going thru a box of old arrows and found some barrel taperd ramin shafts. Flecht them up they were shooting like guided missles I could not miss. It was amazing. Now I have to remember where I got them.
ASH or Birch shafts...Yes, they are woodies
I'm partial to the Arrow Dynamics Trad Lites, because I can shoot them through a wide variety of recurves and longbows from 45# to 65#, with a wide range of front-end weights from 225gr to 300gr. I like carbon for the consistency; I know that a dozen AD shafts are going to weigh and spine the same. The same cannot be said of wood shafts...
That being said, I cannot bring myself to shoot anything other than wood shafts through all-wood bows....just seems "right"....
The Beman MFX 400's have been a great shaft for me. I weight them with a 100 grain brass insert and 200 grain point. Couldn't be happier with how they've performed for me.
I shoot wood arrows again , I have buckets of alum. and carbons still in boxes, but Im going back to wood , probaly for good. Mark ...I love a nice crown and crested arrow. Its The Real Thing! :) Marco#78....the history ,the sounds and the smells of leather, cedars, colors in the wood,its what I like about traditional Bowhunting. ya ever just watch the flight of a arrow... :)
I've been shooting port orford cedars of my own making, sometimes tapered, sometimes footed, for nearly 50 years out of my longbows and sometimes recurves. Killed a lot of critters with them. They do everything I ask of them. Probably won't change.
I have two big nails over my work bench where I keep my favorite arrows. Most are bent or broken. Most have dried blood, hair and a few only mud. I take a paint pen and record the demise of each. My favorite one says "Pickwick 11/25/97 10pt". That small stack of "old arrows" definately are my favorite. I still walk by that tree at Pickwick where my stand once hung and the deed was done. There is a bird feeder hanging from it now and I just wave at the people sitting on the deck sipping tea under the shade it provides. That, I think, was my favorite tree.
Easton Axis.........
POC only!
Tapered wood, whether it be POC, ash, etc.
2-3 years ago I bought some custom POC's from a fellow TG'er (or maybe LW'er?). I filled my bowrack and won't shoot them because they are too nice. LSS, I later discovered he'd included much more with nocks, bare shafts, and feathers from which I started making my own. I hope he recognizes who he is from this description as I never thanked him. These arrows taught me to help others whenever possible. Favorite hunting arrows are the ones I made from these POC shafts & feathers he sent.
radial x weaves 200 with some yellow zebra wraps and four fletch gets it done in the woods and at the tournaments
I have one arrow I carry in my quiver, but never shoot.
Eighteen years ago my bride of three years spent several months questioning me at odd tiems about arrows. I thought "Cool! She is getting interested in archery!". Nope. She was talking to a custom arrow builder about a dozen special shafts for my christmas present that year. Come christmas morning there were a dozen ramin shafts cap-stained and barred-fletched under the tree and a foolish look on my face.
I managed to lose them over the years, but I've stubbornly held on to the twelfth arrow. It goes to 3D shoots with me and rides in my hunting quiver. It's too short to shoot anymore, having been broked and trimmed back several times. That's OK, though. It's not along to be shot...
Gold Tips, they have a great finish that allows me to scrape feather off of and once tuned they've penetrated great through all the deer I've shot with them.
Laminated birch in 5/16" diameter are a close second.
I have shot wood arrows of all kinds and am partial to Douglas Fir. It is strong, has nice looking grain, straight, has ample heft, and it makes a beautiful arrow.
Jack
I've made arrows out of everything but carbons.They had just came inti the picture when I started with recurves 26,27 years ago.I shot alumum for 2 years.I shot wood ever sence.Anyway sence I shoot alot of arrows away.Can't become good at game and distances if you don't shoot at it.I always end up shooting straight ceders.I like hichory or ash for stump shooting but I end up shooting alot of ceder here also.Witch also is exstreamly good and hard also.You just seam to shoot them forever.
Too many to name one, but they're all wood. I have a bin full, and when I go through it each arrow brings its own story to mind. Odds and ends from past dozens, odds and ends of memories.
For years I shot Barrel Tapered Ash from Silent Pond Shafts....until he went under 2 yrs ago. Luckily, I still have over a dozen still left.
Now...my choice is swagged aluminum in 2117. Legacys and Dougherty Naturals. I haven't switched over to Carbon yet...quite a few aluminum to go through first.
the bloody one buried into the ground
2016 legacy trads man those things shoot real awesome from my wolf spirit a bow a freind made me. plus i will shoot axis 500 as well all with 125 grn heads
Back in '94 I made up 2 dz arrows from some Kerry Gesink compressed ramin 11/32 shafts. They have shot great from many bows and have taken several deer and a couple of caribou for me and have been around an unknown number of 3-D courses and practice sessions. I still have a couple left and will continue to carry them in my quiver. I'll cry when the last one is gone.
Gotta go with JC. I'm pretty fond of those max 4 MFX shafts. Also sad now too cause I didn't know they were discontinued. I shoot the axis too, but prefer the bemans.
Though it's a tie between those, and the CX heritage shafts. Heavy and stinkin' tough!!
I love the cedars, but I miss the ole Autumn Orange
I like my Easton FMJ's they seem so far to be indestructible.
My latest bloody one!
I've always been a fan of Tapered POC, but next Monday I'll hit the turkey woods with these Microflite 7s
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/DUCK_TRAP/Microflite7002.jpg)p
Trap
I have shot cedar for years but I am considering Legacy aluminum 2216 just to be sure all my arrows are the same. :)
i like southmdshooter's answer :thumbsup:
See, all these responses...they're why I posted this. I think, all to often, we get caught up in "the majority" way of thinking. You know; cedars are too frail, hardwoods are never straight, aluminums bend, carbons are too finicky. But just look at these last few pages. Softwoods, hardwoods, aluminums, carbons, and even fiberglass...they all do every job asked of them for each person. Everyone has that perfect arrow, and it's never the same from person to person...
Like I said, guess I'm just feeling philosophical. Would love to hear from more folks, by the way. Loving these stories and memories...
I have some Easton "Autumn Orange" XX75's that belonged to my dear friend and neighbor Lou Wendover,who "made the journey" several years ago. Joe Skipp crown dipped,crested,and refletched them for me,and they are strictly my hunting arrows. They are "Big Medicine"!!!!!
For everything else, "Wood is GOOD" :archer:
I've built arrows from wood, carbon and aluminum.The guys new to archery or converts from wheels to trad will probably not understand this one,but I'm a die hard beer can shooter.I think they give a good balance between everything-wood's weight and carbon's resilience,and good in between "workability".
I wish someone would bring back the fiberglass arrow.The weight of aluminum and the durability of carbons.Perhaphs to go out on a limb and say the perfect trad arrow.Those would be my FAVORITE arrow for sure.
I wish I still had just one from dad's old set that I started shooting with to carry in my quiver.Always good to pack extra mojo.... :cool: :archer:
The absolute best arrow flight and best looking arrows I have ever had was some footed, breast tapered Hexpine shafts I got from Bob Burton I made up for my trip to Africa. 720 grains of beautiful death going through critters like a lazer! Still have some left. Otherwise it is Maple/Yellow Birch/Hickory shafts. Joseph
My old beater GT3555 four Fletch, they have been footed, re footed reflected lost and found. they are like the energizer bunny they keep going and going and going......... I take them for granted but I will dread the day they are gone, when the shots get tough at the 3d range or at stumps I just pull one of these old girls out, I think it's the fact that I don't give a ---- about them and I'm not afraid to loose one so my mind is clear and they find the target all by them selves.
When Lynyrd Skynyrd sang, "Ooooh that smell. Can't you smell that smell?", legend has it they were thinking about Port Orford Cedar.
I'll go with that.
Bill
Gold tip 55=75 dipped in yellow with 4 4"feathers,50gr brass insert and either mag 125 4blade or woodsmen.
Joe