I haven't shot wood arrows for years but I am thinking of going back to them. Is cedar still a good choice? I am looking for a tapered shaft around 500 grains total with 125 up front. 29.5" shaft. I would like to try a few to get the right spine and then order a dozen from a sponsor.
Douglas Fir is the new Cedar. You can check with Fletcher( the feathered shaft) he is a sponsor and a great guy.
Surewoods, Braveheart has them
Arent they really heavy?
Yep, Braveheart has the test kits, check this out!
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=112571
But, they are heavier than cedar, these weighed in about 600 gr with 125 point..
Jason for a shaft that light with nocks, feathers, finishes and a 125 gn point you need a light shaft-375 gns before you cut and taper. Spruce is as light as it gets.
As lpcjon says Fir is the new Cedar no question; and it will weigh 100+ gns more than your target.
There is a handy weight/spine chart on Surewood Shafts website for their douglas fir. I believe sitka spruce may be a little lighter than doug fir in most cases, so that may be worth a look as well. As far as consistent and straight and easy to work with, Surewoods are hard to beat, and would be even more awesome if they were tapered. I saw that The Feathered Shaft offers them tapered, so I know where my next dozen are coming from unless I go back to ash :saywhat: . Have fun with it, I just switched to wood and shoot it exclusively now. :thumbsup:
Hildebrand will get you the weight you want also, Sitka spruce is just as good as Fir, just not as heavy.
Eric
Jason,
I recently read a good review on the cedar shafts three rivers sells.
QuoteOriginally posted by WESTBROOK:
Hildebrand will get you the weight you want also, Sitka spruce is just as good as Fir, just not as heavy.
Eric
X2
Jason, check with snag on this site. He make a sweet arrow and sell the surewood shaft tapered. You can get them custom or just the plain shaft and do it your self. He is great to deal with and will shoot you in the right direction.
Jeff
Snag is the MAN! A better man to deal with is not available! This gentleman will answer your questions to the best of his ability... I trust him without doubt. Your results will repeat mine. Give Snag a call!
For me cedar is hard to beat,their not as heavy as fir, but I think they respond better out of the bow. You can adjust weight and f.o.c. by increasing tip weight.Use just enough fletch to stabalize your arrow.Increased tip weight may call for a heavier spine arrow than you would normally use.
I dont shoot much 3D anymore, I may just go with the Surewoods, from what I have been reading about them they appear to be quite the shaft!
I dont shoot past 25yds when hunting so the extra weight really shouldnt be an issue.
Thanks for the info everyone.
Doug fir is a good arrow woods, and Surewood makes excellent shafts. As folks have already noted, it's generally heavier than cedar, but it varies within a spine range, so if you request the lightest you can get at the spine you want, they'll be pretty close to medium or heavy cedars at the same spine.
I wouldn't write off cedar just yet, though. It's still my favorite wood arrow. Good quality cedar is harder to come by, but there's still some good stuff around. Good luck.
I just finished making my first batch of tapered Douglas Fir arrows. They are outstanding! They came in straight and the grain runs from one end to the other end of the arrow. I did not find them heavier than POC in fact my finished arrow weighs the same as my tapered POC's.
I highly recommend the Surewood's. They carry a little more weight than poc and give a resounding thump in my 3d deer. I am one of the many that have been Snagged! David is a great guy to deal with. As a matter of a fact I am about to order a couple dozen more from him soon.
oops double post
Jason, POC's are good , Tapered Sitka Spruce is better but as far as I'm concerned Dougie Fir is my favorite. Just My 2 Cents!.
I have used cedar and spruce, both good. Fir shafts from Sure Wood is the best I've used. Nice wt to them and come very straight.
You just don't realize how bad most cedar is these days until you get your first dozen Surewood firs ! After wrestling with so called, "Premium", cedars trying to keep them straight I was amazed at my first Surewood firs. No turning back for me. The only cedars I would buy would be some very, very old stock Acmes or some I could lay hands and eyes on at a trade blanket or show. Runoffs in the grain is horrid these days. JMHO
3 rivers pre finished shafts for 42 bucks are a pretty good deal.
I have been researching tapered cedars and two names keep coming up, Twig archery and Wapiti archery( formerly Rouge river). I have yet to pull the trigger on some, so I can't offer any personal experience.
I have some Rouge River shafts I bought a few years and put up. I just got a Bear TD and these shafts work perfect from it. I don't know how Wapiti is now but the RRs were good shafts.
Not sure of your bow weight, Jason, but I shoot in the 50 pound range and always shoot wood/&/or grass. My arrows finish out at 500 - 550 grains and mainly encompass three materials, cedar tapered( 3R ), Sitka Spruce tapered(Hildebrand) and matched tempered bamboo (3R, or wherever I can get it). Although all shoot the same from my longbows, I'm really starting to favour bamboo for the thin shafts and complete natural taper.
There is a guy at the range that I shoot at a couple times a week that has some Sitka Spruce footed with hickory. He let me shoot some of them in 55#-60# out of my Martin Savannah 45# @ 28 (I draw 29") and my groups went from pie plate to tea cup at 20yds switching to those from my carbons. I would have bought them on the spot if he would have offered. I am pretty sure he got them from "Brandywine". I asked him about having to straighten them and he said that he has not touched them after shooting a couple of hundred times a few times a week for a few months. I will be ordering some soon.....
QuoteOriginally posted by Cookus:
Snag is the MAN! A better man to deal with is not available! This gentleman will answer your questions to the best of his ability... I trust him without doubt. Your results will repeat mine. Give Snag a call!
Where do I find this Snag fellow?
Snag is a sponsor here Wilderness Arrows.
Here I is.... :wavey:
I am going to have to cheak out some your stuff snag...starting back up a shop after being away 11 years.
David (Snag) is a great guy. You won't go wrong talking to / dealing with him!
I've got some test arrows from him and will be ordering a couple dozen as soon as I make up my mind.
QuoteOriginally posted by snag:
Here I is.... :wavey:
Thanks, I had looked at your site when Terry announced you as a sponsor but I did not know the "snag" connection.Looks really good.
I am considering going back to wood after a long affair with carbons.
I will probably still shoot carbon for our mean 3D courses but I want to hunt with wood.
I need shafts of fir, not arrows. Who has them?
i have a dozen poc shafts i shoot from a 50# bow they were spined every 5pds so i took advise and ordered the 55 /60 shafts. mine are 30 in from inside the nock to tip of point with 125 up front they fly good. i love shooting the woodys
I haven't purchased any cedar since I started getting Surewood Shafts in Douglas fir, and Snag makes the best wood arrows I have ever seen, period.
RonP