i have been shooting gold tip traditionals arrows and im running low so its time to buy me some new arrows. i was just looking around and i was just wanting some input on what all you guys think of wood arrows. the pro's and con's and also what type of wood is best. also if you recommend a certain brand or anything info what-so-ever. thank you for any input!
Con's - more work to make then up and tuning, Not as tuff as carbons.
Pro's - They are wood, They have a Soul, More pride when they are self made and take game.
I like My Ash shaft from Raptor Archery, Other like different woods from the other Sponsors.
Don't know what part of Kansas you are in. I'D give Mike a call at The Nocking Point. Or go by he is in Winchester,Ks.You won't meet a nicer guy or better custmor service!!
i shoot only wood from my longbows. they work! there is something magical about the smell of poc.
I only shoot wood also, to me it's traditional and I like that.But it's only my opinion. :campfire:
I switched over to woods a while back and love them. i still have carbons. but only use them for stumping if im shooting a target or an animal its wood. something magical about the way they "float" through the air . i use cedar. and i like it. have some spruce too. but i havent been able to tune them. ordered em to stiff. my fault not the arrow. give er a whirl. if u get some correctly tuned woods. prolly wont be looking at carbons anymore. unless like me you use them to stump
i have cedar,bamboo,aluminum,fluted,glass,carbon,
but my favorites are the hex shafts from whispering wind,very forgiving and accurate,check it out!
I shoot primarily wood from my longbows. Ceder from Howard Hill and footed hexshafts from whisperingwind by Bob Burton.
Love wood arrows! Love making them, love shooting them. Love smelling them when they break. Lately I have been shooting cane and bamboo arrows. Love them too. Natures carbon.
I was a complete naysayer when it came to woods. Thought they were stupid and for elitist snobs. lol I've come a long way.
There are no cons for wooden arrows as long as you enjoy making them. I love making them more than I love shooting them. Also, they aren't as hard to keep straight as most would have you believe and they are forgiving when slightly bent.
If you have reservations, order a set from an experienced arrow builder like Rick from www.thefeatheredshaft.com. (http://www.thefeatheredshaft.com.) He loves to talk arrow building.
I'm convinced that the majority of people who can't get them to fly straight do not start out with the right spine to begin with. An experienced professional can help you avoid that mistake.
Also, I was a diehard Heritage 350 carbon shooter because of the durability they provided and I can honestly say that I've had better experiences stumping with a wooden shaft. Carbons are okay stumpers when footed, but tend to split at the ends. Especially on the insert. A solid wood shaft can take one hell of a beating. People really don't give them enough credit.
However...I am shooting a 23/64" diameter arrow with an 80# spine.
If this is your first set of woodies you have to get port orford cedar! The smell is half the fun. When they break you get a little treat! I used to love going into Northwest Archery and the instant smell of cedar in the air... it was magic!
The only thing about wood arrows that bugs me is the tip breaks off a lot when you hit anything hard. My Dad has recently been making some footed arrows and they seem to be about as tough as nails. We haven't broken a tip yet but will occasionally loose a point.
I love wood! I enjoy making them and they tune very easy. Darren
I Also am a Wood Lover!! I have been making My Own Arrows since I went back to Sticks & Strings!! I Love to Make Them, Time Well Spent in My Opinion! I shoot Ramin 5/16 Dowels, yep....the kind you can get at Wally World! Takes some Extra time getting them Straight, but they tend to Stay Straight! Tough as nails, and Fly like Darts!! :archer:
Like I said, The Fun is in Making Them!! A Fine Winter Project, or while ya watch TV!! THE PRICE IS RIGHT!! :goldtooth:
polarbear- i live in very southeastern kansas but i have heard great things about the nocking point. me and dad just need to find time and go over there sometime.
thanks you so much for all of your help guys! it has helped me a lot. the reason i am looking into wood arrows is because me and dad have a few traditionals but my by far favorite is a hickory selfbow with a traditional grip with a leather shelf on the side, anyway im down to three arrows for this bow and we are running into problems finding a carbon arrow that will work for my bow. i still have a few questions though and these probably wont be the last.
what is footing a shaft?
my bow i shoot is rated #45 at 28". do i need to buy shafts rated #40-#45 or #45-#50?
you guys talked about how great it is when you break off a shaft. im in high school still so i dont have the largest supply of money since i have to buy my own gear so i want to avoid breaking shafts to much.
also, as far as tuning, what do you have to do? you all talked about having to straighten them but how do you do this? any help and info about the tuning process would be greatly appreciated.
once again thank you all for all the info you have given so far! it is very appreciated. sorry for the bombing of questions, i like to thouroughly research something before i fully commit to doing it. thank for all the help and keep it coming!
sorry, wont let me delete this post. oops!
Maybe it is just me, but my wood arrows are quite a bit quieter to shoot than carbon and aluminum. It could just be my lack of tuning skills though.
Shot nothing but wood for many years.Second the above post about calling Mike at The Nocking Point
QuoteOriginally posted by Joshua Long:
Maybe it is just me, but my wood arrows are quite a bit quieter to shoot than carbon and aluminum. It could just be my lack of tuning skills though.
Could possibly be they are heavier than your old ones, which will make the whole shot quieter.
Surewood Shafts from Braveheart Archery ,Doug Fur.
"Fur"??? These aren't pelts we're talking about, they're wood......Douglas Fir. :laughing:
Quotemy bow i shoot is rated #45 at 28". do i need to buy shafts rated #40-#45 or #45-#50?
What is your point weight?
Is your shelf a simple notch or is it cut deeper?
What kind of string are you using? (how many strands)
Quote...what is footing a shaft?
Basically, capping an arrow with a harder wood to reinforce it. You can foot carbons with aluminum of a larger diameter. This is fairly popular.
If you taper the arrows correctly you won't break as many tips and that is usually what tends to break. That and nocks. You will lose a tip from time to time but if you continually check them you will be okay. I put a drop of gorilla glue in my target points along with the standard hot melt.
Guy Taylor makes some super arrows. Uses sitka spruce. Look up Greenman arrows on the web.
I love wood shafts , have over 100 that I bought in the 90's and have started using them for my HH Wesley and BW longbows, they are quiet and fun to make. My Hill 56#@28 shoots a 65-70 125gn
head and the Widows need a heavier spine.
Wood seems more quite out of my bow. May just be me but that is my experience. I am very happy with wood and get a lot of compliments on them. My carbons are still nice I just enjoy wood arrows.
QuoteI was a complete naysayer when it came to woods. Thought they were stupid and for elitist snobs. lol I've come a long way.
LOL! I think the same about carbons.
I did try aluminum in around 1980 and went back to wood. That's all I use: Port Orford cedar. I tried ramin back a few years when cedar was scarce and did not care for the heaviness. They snapped at the tip as or more often than a cedar would. At my draw length I still get 540 to 580 grains of arrow weight depending on 11/32" or 23/64" and with a 125 gr head. Plenty for deer.
I break plenty on rocks and stumps - but I enjoy making them and I'm not afraid to take shots where I might hit rocks and stumps. :biglaugh:
How much does it cost to go out and blow 50 centerfire pistol shots? Replacing maybe two arrows in a few hours of bunny hunting or stump shooting is still a bunch cheaper!
Definatly another reccomendation for Mike at The Nocking Point. Great guy and place.
I like Sitka Spruce and POC both. I personally find wood to be much easier to tune than carbon. You can change points without having to match all the components such as inserts and whatnot. When you get close, just start trimming the shaft a little bit at a time untill you got em flying well. Wood is, in my opinion, but less OVERALL hassle than carbon, because you don't have to have as much stuff to work on them. Add to that the asthetic value, and wood wins hands down. I too have some Gold Tips left that I am going to keep shooting till they are chewed up, but only from one of my bows. After that, I'm even gonna use wood in that recurve. All my selfbows already get wood. It's really a fun - and plenty functional - material.
thanks for all the info guys! i'll get my specs posted sometime soon hopefully. what do you guys think about wood arrow from 3 rivers? my question is how hard tuning is. ive heard that its hard to find a dozen shafts that weight realatively about the same and be able to tune them right. thanks for all the help and keep the info coming!
I would also recommend The Nocking Point. I just ordered a good amount of stuff from Mike, and was completely satisfied with both the service, and his prices are really fair.
Ralphie
QuoteOriginally posted by bulldog42:
my question is how hard tuning is. ive heard that its hard to find a dozen shafts that weight realatively about the same and be able to tune them right. thanks for all the help and keep the info coming!
Yes, weight does fluctuate. Most custom arrow makers are going to match your arrows as closely as possible.
Ripforce and I handle the weight fluctuation by batching our shafts. In fact, I'm buying a grain scale this weekend to do just that. Weigh them and put them in similar piles. Shoot one pile at a time rather than mix them in your quiver.
We use the heavier arrows for hunting.
Wood shafts can vary quite a bit in weight, that is one reason matched shafts cost more. I match shafts to within 10 grains or less per doz. Spine is more important than weight tho, IMO. Even at 20 yards, it is hard to tell the difference in 50 grains, but if you are off in spine it will likely show.
Fir varies the most in weight; 150 grain spread in a hundred shafts of a given spine is common. I can go thru a hundred fir shafts and only get 2 or 3 doz that will match within 10 gr. At the same time tho, it allows us to choose from heavy or lighter shafts. POC varies less, about 100 gr and Sitka Spruce only 50gr or less.
Fir has been my personal favorite for many years and IMO is the best shooting of the arrow woods.
I shoot wood arrows with my longbow and sometimes my recurve.I have been shooting Sitka spruce and find them to be great.
At the Coon rapids shoot a group of three were ahead of us. Two were shooting carbon, one wood. on one target two of them skipped off a branch, one split carbon and one shattered wood. While they were looking for the carbon that ended up being damaged they were walking around sniffing the pieces of cedar they picked up. Two targets later the the carbon shooter was still sniffing the broken cedar. Cedar and longbows will always be the spirit of traditional archery.
I shoot the Surewood Shafts from Braveheart Archery, once I made the switch....... I never looked back!
I'm a fan of the tapered Ash shaft from Raptor Archery
Bamboo all the way,once you try them you will forget about other stuff.