What is the correct length for footing a carbon shaft? I use brass inserts. Should I go about as much as the length of the insert or should I go more than or less than the insert length?
2 inches of 2217 has worked great on my 55/75 GT's. More frontal impacts on rocks than I can count and no failures yet. All I do is stump shoot, and shoot every day if that cold white crap is not on the ground. See ya in Kazoo. Tom
I keep mine short enough so the footing doesn't come back onto the shelf at full draw. I'm no expert but it really bugged me when the front of the arrow raised up when the footing came up on the shelf.
Denny
Yes I do spend a little time tapering the back for that, and removal from foam targets.
I just use one inch,you just are trying to keep the front from cracking.And I taper the back end for easier target removal.
I cut mine so they extend about 1/4" past the insert. It seems like it is stronger than ending right at the insert.
Mark.
I don't know if there is a correct length.I started using Gold Tip carbons last Spring and footed every one I have made.I felt it shouldn't ride up on the shelf also,so have been cutting all of them 1".I see people using longer ones so I suspect it probably doesn't hurt if it does come up on the shelf.
I haven't hit any rocks with mine but have shot them a lot and made lots of solid hits on wood and made one dead center hit on a steel post.It was so dead center,it just dropped to the ground in front of the post.
I have yet to break an arrow.My arrows are over 700 grs so they hit hard too.I did have an antelope shear a shaft off.He was hit through the shoulders.I also put a 1/2" footing in front of the nock.
I never did shoot the carbons much without footings so I'm not a good one to make comparisons but I have to believe they help a lot.These are the toughest arrows I have used in over 40 years.
I used fiberglass arrows a lot in the late 60's and early-mid 70's.These were tough shafts but if you made a frontal hit on a tree or rock,it would drive the insert back in and split the end of the shaft.In the early or mid 70's,someone came up with a very small,aluminum collar that wrapped around the end of the shaft and had a lip that wrapped over the rim of the insert and the back of your screw in head,seated on this lip.That little collar transformed those fiberglass arrows making them almost indestructible.
I chuck my footings into a small drill press and use a small mill file to bevel the rear edge more than 45 degrees.Kind of like a lathe.It takes a little time but well worth it.
Thanks for all the info. I was out doing some shooting yesterday. I got some hard hits with not issues so I got a little brave and ended up trashing the front of two shaft. Nice hits, but with a hammer head they don't penetrate much in hard frozen stuff. Anyone know what shaft size best fits the GT trad 5575? I guess I can mic one and look up the ID of the aluminum shafts.
There is no correct length. If you want to keep from adding too much weight to the front then make it short.
However, an external footing is a good way to add frontal weight without having to go behind the insert. The farther the weight is away from the end of the arrow the less the FOC will be.
2216 or 2217.
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=058276