what are the pro's and con's of different types of fletching designs? sheild,pope&young,etc. Is one better than others? Or does it come down to personal choice? As far as hunting goes are some quieter than others? :coffee:
They say that Parabolic cuts are the quietest, but I mostly shoot high cut shields on the arrows I build because I like the look of them. I also like bananna cut feathers too. This is all my opinion of what I like.
IMO doesnt matter...
i use to shoot 3x4" parabolics then 3x5 1/2" bannas and 4x5 1/2" shields then 4x4" shields now I only shoot 4x3" shields.
the difference between em all...just the length.
none were louder or quieter then the other. some people say some fletchings are noisier then others but i think its the bow/arrows/shooter combo that does that not the feather.
as long as the arrows are fletched properly and the fletching are consistant i dont think there is much variation so shoot what tickles your pickle.
also performance wise...the more feather you have on there the slower that arrow will be.
ive also noticed with high FOC jobbers alot less fletching is required and they are very tolerant.
IMO - Personal choice.
I like 4 fletch 3.75" which equals out to the same 15" total lenght of 3 - 5" fletch, but it gives a lower profile so a bit less drag.
He only real advantage is the fact that the arrow nocks correctly any way you put it on.
Now, some guys shooting woodies prefer high natural turkey feathers that "SWOOSH" when shot.
As far as shield, parabolic, bannana, or other cuts, I don't think it makes a big difference. The whole idea of having feathers on the end of the shaft is to slow down the rear end so they will fly true. As long as you have enough fletching to do this, you should be good. Any more, you are slowing the shaft more than you need to.
Another issue is straight fletch, spiral fletch, or helical fletch. The less angle you have on an fletch, the faster it will fly. The more angle, or helix, on the arrow, the more it will spin, making it a tad slower, but more accurate. Kinda like rifling on a bullet. Some broadheads, when used with straight fletch can cause an arrow to drift or plane, making the arrow porpose up and down. A spinning shaft will not do this.
Purely personal choice.
Just my thoughts.
I like 4 X 5.5" @ 90 degrees. Shield cuts. They start out as High Backs but I burn 'em down a little so they are long, lean, shield cut, broadhead steering machines. I mount them helical too so the arrow spins. A spinning projectile flies truer than one which does not spin.
This thread reminds of the time I ask Fred Bear about his fletching style. "That's a shield fletch isn't it?" Holding one of his arrows Fred chuckled and look up with those mischievous arctic blue eyes of his and said "I don't know what you call-em, I just know that I LIKE THEM!" This photo was taken just before he made that remark.
(http://logsdonstudios.com/lastphoto.jpg)
I love to burn a shield shape on my arrows. I make em 5 1/2" long and 3/4" high. I found out early on, that to stay quiet, the shield profile must taper up without flattening until it gets to the back end of the feather where it should smoothly scallop down. Round off the corner as it scallops. Dont make it pointy. If the profile flattens out or gets taller than at the end of the feather, it will shriek and howl. I also found out that poorly done splicing will make noise as well. My terminology and spelling may lead you to believe that I don't know beans........But this is true for me.
Thanks for the info.I just made an order for some laminated birch arrows fletched with pope and young. All of my other arrows have been with shield cuts.I got them with p&y because I like the look.
again thanks for the replys..