I'm new to Tradgang - hope I've chosen the right forum for my questions. If not, someone please steer me in the right direction.
I've noticed that a light breeze affects the flight of my extreme FOC arrows much more than my normal FOC arrows. Is this normal? Is there any way to fix the problem?
If not, since Dr. Ashbey rated perfect arrow flight higher than extreme FOC for penetration, shouldn't I go with lower FOC for my hunting arrows since wind conditions afield vary?
I have not seen this problem myself. Most people can get away with much smaller feathers with EFOC. Normally your feathers are what gets caught by the wind.
What I've experienced is that the wind will kick around the end of the arrow more on an extreme FOC shaft but it will impact closer to it's initial heading than an arrow with lower FOC. The lower FOC arrow flight won't be as visibly affected by the wind but will impact further away from it's intial heading.
For example (I made up numbers as an example, not real world data):
Wind 20 mph left to right, shooting at a 20 yard target.
25% FOC arrow impacts 1.5" right of the spot it would have hit with no wind. The arrow's end kicked in the wind then settled in with a small angle of the tail to the right before hitting the target.
12% FOC arrow impact 4" right of the spot it would have hit with no wind. The arrow doesn't kick in the wind but the tail is angled to the right before hitting the target.
i've always found that high foc makes the arrow track better. overall heavier and faster arrows are less prone to cross winds.
maybe it's yer feathers. i use a 105x75 4-fletch, 4" lo profile banana shape, 7/16" at the high point. same overall surface area as a typical 5" 3-fletch.
rob, where are you buying 4" bananas?
OWHF,
Rob will chime in but here is what I did to make mine.
(http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u329/rayginID/ModifiedBananaChopperedited.jpg)
Regular Little Chopper Banana 5 1/2"; I made a new fence (black part) from aluminum to reduce the width and height of the chop. I slotted the fence for adjustments in the event I want other sizes. Mine come in at just under 1/2" tall.
Ray
QuoteOriginally posted by Rob DiStefano:
QuoteOriginally posted by onewhohasfun:
[qb] rob, where are you buying 4" bananas? [/b]
exactly what ray_g did - use the high profile li'l chopper with a new fence.
i also have a vario lo pro banana chopper - it's so smooth! - but truthfully, the modded hi pro li'l chopper works perfectly and you'll save at least $50-$60.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/rfdee/archery/Dsc01482.jpg)
Gents,
Thanks for your input. I've been shooting 5" parabolic feathers straight out of the package. Sounds like I need to get a chopper and experiment with different profiles.
Jason J. - I hadn't thought about my lighter arrows drifting farther off the mark in windy conditions. What you said makes good sense, and it's probably exactly what's happening to me.