I have a 32" draw length and have trouble finding wood arrows long enough I have a set of 4 footed poc that are long enough and that I love but I don't want to have to by footed shafts all the time and don't have the time or equiptment to foot my own shafts. A few years ago I found a set of purple heart shafts that were long enough but they were hard to work with and straighten and they finished out at 1025 grains they did fly well and I did kill a few deer with them but I didn't like how hard they were to work or how heavy they were. Because of my trouble finding wood shafts I shoot carbons most of the time but lately I've had the itch to make some more wood arrows and I have a few ideas that I wanted to run by you guys to see what you thought or if anyone had tried them before.
1.) reparrow footings to add length
they look easy to add to shafts and would be cheaper than buying footed shafts.
2.) aluminum footing with aluminum arrow screw in adapter.
Butting the insert in the aluminum footing against the uncut wood shaft should give me about a 33" finished shaft. I know that I will draw the arrow past the lip created by the aluminum footing but I do that with my aluminum footed carbons with no ill effects.
Your thoughs and experiences would be appreciated.
Thank you,
JT
Man this is a tough one.I have a "Shaftshooter"(router motor style shaft maker"That allows me to make my own shafts at whatever length I want.It would be a good option for yourself.The problem is,you have to have really good wood to start with to make good shafts.
My advice would be to get intouch with Steve at Surewood shafts.He would be a great resource for you in getting really good shafts that are long,straight,and tough.Also,I have a 6" and an 8" chunk of 2512 aluminum arrow shaft left over that fits over 23/64ths wood shafts that can be used for footing over woods that you can have for your experimentation.If you need them just give a shout and Ill mail them to you.
Reparrows will work fine. They're strong and fast to install. Transition to the shaft is almost seamless. Don't look half bad either.
2nd the reparrows-been using them for years.
Call Roxane at Hildebrand. I've seen the occasional extra long shafts come out from them on special order.
Guy
The disadvantage with wood is getting the right spine. Even with a footed tapered Douglas Fir, Spruce or Larch, you might need to add 20-25 lbs in spine just for the extra four inches in length. Add 5 lbs/inch x 4 = 20 lbs. Then +5 lbs if your using fast flight, +5 lbs for a fast Hybrid, or recurve, and +5 lbs for every 25 grains added to the tip above the standard 125 grain. The footed shaft may be the best option in wood, but discuss your need with one of the sponsors, there are several that sell footed shafts by the doz. Good luck.
http://www.raptorarchery.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=146_138&products_id=708
I also have a long draw. I need 33" so broad heads don't hit. I use Reparrows and love them!
I'm a fan of oulay bamboo's Tonkin shafts - they come in 33" lengths & the 50 I had shipped out ranged from 24-28g total weight - got em off fleabay - M
I'll third (or fourth, I've lost count)the reparrows. I think you'll find that they are just what you're looking for.
thanks for the input I think I'll give the reparrows a try I let you know how they turn out.