Trad Gang

Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: el greco on January 24, 2013, 08:43:00 PM

Title: My greatest discovery.Read if you shoot woodies
Post by: el greco on January 24, 2013, 08:43:00 PM
Longer shafts will shoot better.Period.I draw 27" an I used to cut my arrows 29".I was an ok shooter.A couple of days before I decided to stain and fletch a bunch of 65-70 spinned ash arrows that I had and I decided to leave them uncut at 32".OH my my..They shoot perfect out of my 70# recurve ,my 65# recurve,heck even my 55 pound hybrid longbow.For the record I have only made 4 arrows out of the dozen in which two have 125 grain field tip and two 125 grain 2 blade.I shoot my 3d deer and pig right above the shoulder at 20 yards almost every time.It is crazy..Try longer shafts and you will be a believer too.And one more thing.Don't be spine crazy..
Title: Re: My greatest discovery.Read if you shoot woodies
Post by: Brently on January 24, 2013, 09:31:00 PM
I hear ya,  I shoot longer shafts and they all seem to shoot pretty good no matter the spine or bow weight. I use alot of 65-70lb shafts and use them in bows from 45#-60#.  I also draw 27".
Title: Re: My greatest discovery.Read if you shoot woodies
Post by: pruiter on January 24, 2013, 09:47:00 PM
very interesting, maybe you where over spined before, need to try this
Title: Re: My greatest discovery.Read if you shoot woodies
Post by: Stumpkiller on January 24, 2013, 09:57:00 PM
do the same thing . . . but I draw just under 30" so with tapers I have about 3/4" ahead of the riser for gloved finger clearance.  ;-)
Title: Re: My greatest discovery.Read if you shoot woodies
Post by: Mike Vines on January 24, 2013, 10:53:00 PM
I draw 28", and leave all my arrows at 32".  I use 1 arrow setup (60-65#) for 3 different bows.  I don't understand it, but sometimes it just ain't worth figuring out.  Just go with it.
Title: Re: My greatest discovery.Read if you shoot woodies
Post by: medic77 on January 24, 2013, 11:13:00 PM
Same here and they fly amazing
Title: Re: My greatest discovery.Read if you shoot woodies
Post by: Pat B on January 24, 2013, 11:15:00 PM
I draw 26" and cut my arrows to 30". Have done it for years. If you are calculating spine you have to subtract 5# per inch over 28" to get an effective spine weight.
Title: Re: My greatest discovery.Read if you shoot woodies
Post by: beaver#1 on January 25, 2013, 12:11:00 AM
I always shoot full length.  On any type if shaft. Im glad to know someone else that does this
Title: Re: My greatest discovery.Read if you shoot woodies
Post by: Guru on January 25, 2013, 06:53:00 AM
QuoteOriginally posted by el greco:
Longer shafts will shoot better.Period.
"Period"??  com'on

I believe the only thing you discovered is that you were shooting over spined arrows. Which is a very common thing among trad archers

A long shaft that is not tuned well with your set-up will not shoot as well as a shorter arrow that is....tuning is tuning....
Title: Re: My greatest discovery.Read if you shoot woodies
Post by: Goshawkin on January 25, 2013, 07:53:00 AM
QuoteOriginally posted by Guru:
 
QuoteOriginally posted by el greco:
Longer shafts will shoot better.Period.
"Period"??  com'on

I believe the only thing you discovered is that you were shooting over spined arrows. Which is a very common thing among trad archers

A long shaft that is not tuned well with your set-up will not shoot as well as a shorter arrow that is....tuning is tuning.... [/b]
X2
I draw a hair over 26" and my arrows are 27" bop.I paper tune or bare shaft to figure out the spine and they fly like darts. I'm sure I could get longer arrows to fly great as well.Would be a way to add more weight too,but I've shot 27" arrows for 25 years now and I think the longer arrows would really mess up my sight picture.If you're shooting better with them,they're the ones to use!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: My greatest discovery.Read if you shoot woodies
Post by: Danny Rowan on January 25, 2013, 10:25:00 AM
I find that very strange. If those arrows are spined 65/70 and you leave them 32" long your actual spine is 45/50 with a 125 gr head. For a 70# and 65# bow you should be way under spined. Arrows are spined on a 28" center therefore leaving them long would weaken the spine.
Title: Re: My greatest discovery.Read if you shoot woodies
Post by: ddauler on January 25, 2013, 10:55:00 AM
I agree that long arrow shoot better for most because almost all traditional archers use arrows that are overspined. A lot of this comes from bare shafting with clean release shooting the bow vertical etc then when shooting normal with a deep hook and canted bow and a lil short drawing the arrows are to stiff for normal use. Bare shaft but leave em a lil weak works for me.
Title: Re: My greatest discovery.Read if you shoot woodies
Post by: joe ashton on January 25, 2013, 10:57:00 AM
I think you stumbled a more appropriately spined arrow for your bows.  Good for you.  Now go out and shoot.....
Title: Re: My greatest discovery.Read if you shoot woodies
Post by: Orion on January 25, 2013, 11:01:00 AM
Agreed.  I tend to agree with Guru, but Danny makes a good point.  Regardless, you found an arrow that apparently shoots well out of your bow.  Length really has little to do with, or put another way, you found a spurious correlation.     :)
Title: Re: My greatest discovery.Read if you shoot woodies
Post by: Goshawkin on January 25, 2013, 12:06:00 PM
QuoteOriginally posted by ddauler:
shooting the bow vertical etc then when shooting normal w
Exactly why I tune while shooting the way I shoot,with the bow canted. I just adjust the left/right ,up/down results to that angle.Makes no sense to me to tune the bow while shooting it differently than how I'm going to shoot it when I'm done. If I hold the bow vertical there is no way around changing my form some to keep my eye over the arrow.
Title: Re: My greatest discovery.Read if you shoot woodies
Post by: limbshaker on January 25, 2013, 12:15:00 PM
Ever seen those Amazon tribes on TV shooting bows? They draw to the front of their face and their arrows always seem to be like 4 foot long. Must be somethin to it, as I'm sure none of them own a spine tester.    :D
Title: Re: My greatest discovery.Read if you shoot woodies
Post by: ddauler on January 25, 2013, 01:01:00 PM
Actually I think it's the same effect as EFOC. I have made a lot of cane arrows and put fairly long forshaft on them with the same result. I also know when my son was young he could shoot my 60-65 woodies out of a 25 lb bow with a foot of shaft hanging out and they shot perfect.
Title: Re: My greatest discovery.Read if you shoot woodies
Post by: Nate Steen . on January 25, 2013, 01:14:00 PM
Alot of guys short draw when actual shooting at something...but not when tuning/testing....therefore leaving shafts weak by leaving them long works for guys shooting less actual poundage than they think.

A short arrow is inherently easier to tune because there is less shaft to flex coming out of paradox
Title: Re: My greatest discovery.Read if you shoot woodies
Post by: LookMomNoSights on January 25, 2013, 02:08:00 PM
What Guru said........
Title: Re: My greatest discovery.Read if you shoot woodies
Post by: el greco on January 25, 2013, 07:45:00 PM
I also think I was overspinned.I draw 27 so right there my 65 and 70 pounds bow become 62 and 67 pounds.Then sometimes the release and other factors affect the poundage which calls for lower spinned arrows.Anyway,thank you everybody for your opinions,what matters is I have found my perfect set up.
Title: Re: My greatest discovery.Read if you shoot woodies
Post by: KSdan on January 25, 2013, 07:57:00 PM
I would not call it perfect.  Works- yes, but not the correct way to fix it.  I suppose a guy could add 1000gr. to the front of his arrow, or even learn to shoot drawing the bow to his ear- those remedies would all make it work "perfect"- but they are not the best answer.  You have just set yourself up with new difficulties.  

Get some different arrows with weaker spine, an inch or so over your draw and you would have a FAR  better hunting arrow.
Title: Re: My greatest discovery.Read if you shoot woodies
Post by: BRIARS on January 25, 2013, 08:26:00 PM
I agree that the arrows are probably spined closer to optimum.

I do not agree that a shorter arrow that is also spined correctly is better.

It may have a flatter trajectory, but the longer arrow will have more mass. We all know that is debatable from know on.
Title: Re: My greatest discovery.Read if you shoot woodies
Post by: el greco on January 25, 2013, 08:30:00 PM
To KSdan:I have many more arrows other than those 32" ash shafts.From Easton full metal 340 and 400,to fir arrows,cedar,..,in all sorts of spines.What they all have in common they are cut between 28.5 " and 29.5".And as I said I am not a half bad shooter with those,up to 20 yards.I will continue this experiment with full lenghth wood shafts with other spines and field points(once I have the money to buy some raw shafts and feathers) and keep you posted.
Title: Re: My greatest discovery.Read if you shoot woodies
Post by: KSdan on January 25, 2013, 09:00:00 PM
Sure.  Its your set-up.  Sounds like you have many options.

Its not the length of the arrow that has helped you though- it is the fact that you weakened the spine. Besides adding a variable you can not adjust- both overall wt. and FOC are affected- and not necessarily for the positive.  Further- you will find that longer woodies do have some limitations; the spine weakens quicker after shooting them a while, the "window" needed through the brush is taller than with a shorter arrow (You will find your nock end hitting the "ceiling"), wind will affect the longer shaft more, and 4-6" of extra arrow means that much more vibration and maneuvering.  

Hey- its your set-up.  Good shooting and hunting.

Dan
Title: Re: My greatest discovery.Read if you shoot woodies
Post by: canopyboy on January 25, 2013, 09:29:00 PM
Just read an article in the latest traditional bowhunter mag that talks about the author's belief that longer shafts are more forgiving. This morning in fact.  If you haven't already, check it out.
Title: Re: My greatest discovery.Read if you shoot woodies
Post by: Mike Mecredy on January 26, 2013, 12:20:00 PM
Longer shafts also get to the deer faster than shorter ones, giving the deer 2" less time to react.
Title: Re: My greatest discovery.Read if you shoot woodies
Post by: jackdaw on January 26, 2013, 12:33:00 PM
Ditto with Guru.....paper tune em' for length or bareshaft em....they'll tell u when you are ther...but glad it worked for you...
Title: Re: My greatest discovery.Read if you shoot woodies
Post by: kenn1320 on January 26, 2013, 12:59:00 PM
I shot short arrows with an overdraw when I shot compound. Those short arrows can easily change direction, or go off course. I think the craziest thing I noticed was shooting a deer quartering away at 15yds and hitting him in the bottom of the spine, dropping him right there. Somehow that short arrow entered right, but the tail end went down and the point went up and into the spine. I also wasnt as accurate at long distances with those short arrows. Now that I shoot trad, I leave all my shafts full length and tune by point weight. I draw 29.75", so Im not typically giving up much. Also it sure gets old seeing arrows on the classifieds that are cut to 26" or something short like that. Plus if you snap off a point, that arrow can be retapered and still clear your hand.