I recently purchased some weight tubes from three rivers archery in order to try and weigh down my arrow setup some more. I shoot a Beman ICS 400 full length with a 100 grain brass insert and a 125 grain point fletched with three 5 inch feathers. I can get a pretty good tare (slightly weak) through paper with this arrow setup out of my Martin Hatfield at 60#.
I purchased the weight tubes @ 8 gpi and installed them as shown on the three rivers website. I heard that adding the weight tubes will weaken an arrow shaft. Upon paper tuning the new arrow setup i am getting a high (~3") and slightly weak (~1") tare. I cant move my nocking point down much at all, im pretty close to even as it is.
I plan on trying a lighter point without the brass insert and maybe a 340 spine ICS. Im sure I will have to trim the shaft down a little no matter which one I go with.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. :knothead:
Thanks,
Aaron
I added weight tubes to my 1916's, and found they made them a tad stiff, that's using the 3 gpi. With you using the higher weight tubes I would think they would be stiff.
I also found that the weight tubes "weakened" the dynamic spine in the Carbon Express shafts I was then shooting. They also bounced back and forth enough to pop the nocks out when I shot a stump.
I know that you can get a false high tare produced by fletching contact against the shelf. I did check the arrow by shooting multiple shots and then I tried my original arrow w/o the tubes with the same 'good' results, so i dont think it was my release causing the high left tare.
I have heard both results from different people. I will try both weakening and stiffening the arrow with different point weights and trimming the shaft. I'll play with the nocking point too I suppose. :help:
What is your draw length?
An honest 28" sir
I shoot a velcro rest and sideplate with a small peice of hard plastic under my shelf to slightly elevate my rest.
(http://i.imgur.com/M8jiFoB.jpg?1)
I would personally recommend that a shorter shaft and heavier point be ahead of weight tubes to up a carbon in weight. I find excessively long carbon shaft to be odd to tune with heavy points.
First though you have to get in the ball park on arrow tune. You may be getting a nice tare in paper right now with your original set-up, but I think it is a false tune. Not sure on your shooting distance and a lot of other things, but a full length 400 with 225 on the front in a bow that is 60@28 sounds way weak to me. Could be the weight tube is changing stuff just enough to show a problem with your original set-up.
I am tuning the arrows around three yards. The original arrow showed slighly weak and could stand to be trimmed a little, but not much. I have shot this arrow outside with good light to inspect an funky movement on the back end of the arrow and it appears to be flying quite well. I will also be trying to tune using bare shafts vs. fletch shafts as another method. I really liked the weight tubes because they seriously up the arrow weight, but if I cant make them work then so be it.
Try your original arrow at 6'in paper. How does it fly bare shaft out about 20 yd or so?
I will have to get back to you on those ones. I plan on doing some shooting outside tomorrow with the bare shafts. I can check the shafts at six feet tonight. Thanks for all the insight.
Aaron,
I have helped more than a few friends solve tuning issues by taking OUT weight tubes. They do some funky things to an arrow IMO. Had much better results with a heavier head and stiffer arrow.
I trimmed a half inch off the ICS 400s I have been shooting and left the 225 grains up front. I shot through paper at 6 feet and..... top two holes
(http://i.imgur.com/oCxa2wR.jpg?1)
I will shoot them outside and see how they fly at distance. I still want to try the weight tubes in a stiffer shaft and see what happens but for right now im happy with these arrows.