Has anyone gone back to shooting aluminum after shooting carbon? I have always shot carbon out of my recurves and want to try some aluminum but don.t know were to start at. Bob Lee 54" 46@28 I'm pulling about 45# at my draw would have around 145 gr broadhead or points I'm drawing a tad under 28" I'm kind of sick of messing with carbon and wood can be a pain but I like the idea of a little more traditional shaft and the aluminum will fit that bill.
I'm not sure what to recommend as far as a size for you. I'd guess though that for a starting place 2117 would work, that seems to be a good "all around" shaft size.
I went back myself. Started with wood, went to alluminum, switched to carbon, back to alluminum and now I have 12 unfinished cedar shafts in my stash. I still shoot alluminums right now though. I like that all I need is a small pipe cutter to cut them down, a heat source and some hot melt glue and you're making arrows. I don't like the idea of wearing a dust mask and a high speed saw to make my arrows. I suppose I could pay someone to cut them for me but I like crafting my own.
Alluminums seem to fairly available right now for little cost. It seems as though many are switching or have switched to carbon. One of the biggist drawbacks is if you miss and don't abviously bend/break the arrow. I know with carbons if it's broke, there's no question about it.
Good luck in your quest.
-Jeremy :coffee:
I have been running 2114 and 1916 out of a similar bow set up with 125-145 FP, 30 1/2 shaft length BOP. Heavy arrow that hit hard and fly true. good luck
2016s should work also.
1916 or 2016 should tune for you Jim.
I was thinking a 2016, too. 1916 might do well, too. I shoot 2018's but have a little heavier bow.
With 145 up front I think 2016
will work.
Never really left aluminums, I'll stick with what works best for me. Aluminums work.
Yes, 2016's will work out of that set-up.
Depends on which bow I'm shooting.I prefer aluminum over carbon on my Hill.
I am having good results from a similar bow with 1916s with 175 out front. My draw length is in the same range as yours.
That Jim Brackenbury Drifter that I bought prefers my old 2117's.
I usually shoot wooden arrows tho, never shot carbons...
Try some 1916s. I use them all the time.
The 2016's will have to be cut to slightly longer than 29" bop to tune really nicely. The 1916's will be a little weak at 29" bop. Either will work. It just will depend on the length you cut them to.
2016 = 59.3# spine weight
1916 = 50.6# spine weight
I was also thinking 1916 or 2016,depending on how much point weight and overall weight you want to end up with.2016's would probably end up 11 gpp or so.
Some of us never left aluminums; just added carbons. I like carbons in that they recover very quickly so I can shoot a slightly weak shaft and it corrects itself. Aluminums, on the other hand, are available in so many different spines I can match one EXACTLY to a bow.
I agree with the 1916/2016 choices for the point weights you want to shoot. They fly great from my 44 - 47# bows with the point weight adjusted to fit the particular bow.
My draw is about the same as yours and when shooting my recurves around that weight I liked 1916s with 125gr points or 2016s with 145pts.I took three casual archers(my daughters and ones boyfriend) to the Batavia 3d shoot Sunday and had all three using my old aluminums.It was a good reminder for me as to why I switched to carbons.Broke,bent arrows were the rule of the day.Aluminums just don't compare to carbons for durability.Why are you going back ?
If ya leave 2016 28.5"s and 145 grain point, it should be good, but why go back, carbons last longer are quieter as well! As far as aluminum being more traditional if carbon was around 50-60 years ago a lot of guys would of shot it then!
I have about a dozen nice old 2317 Grand Slams that I have had for about 20 years...at one time I never would have believed that I would be able to shoot a heavy enough draw weight to tune with those arrows...not quite there yet, although not too far off with my 63 pounds to me Howatt Hunter...I am about to try a substantial increase in draw weight (which I will work at diligently) and I am pretty sure I can get those arrows shooting well...nothing like 725 to 750 grains of arrow to get some serious penetration on moose or elk
2016 or a 1916 should work fine
Definitely a 2016.
Hey Stone Knife...yeah, I gotta confess...I've gone back to aluminum also! :rolleyes: I still shoot and hunt with wood (for now) but for 3D shoots I like aluminum. Its easy to work with,(you can cut them to length with a tube cutter, if you need to refletch them you can scrape the old feathers and glue off with a pocket knife, etc) the weight is just right and you can get 1916 and 2016 shafts at just about the same cost as good wood shafts and cheaper than GoldTip blems from Big Jim. Back when I was coming up in archery (in the 70's), that's about all we had! It did a good job back then and it will do a good job now. Enjoy 'em!
After you bend a few aluminums you'll want to go back to the much more durable carbons, just so much less to deal with once you get the carbon to meet your needs. I shot aluminum for years and still do from time to time but I would never "go back" to aluminum. For your set up I would go with 2016's ..... good luck !
2016 should fill the bill, Although not as tough I like Alum. arrows. I have some that I have shot for 20 years!
I agree with the 2016(s) - 1916 are too weak for that length and point weight IMHO/experience....
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Glenn
Nope, once I went to carbons, I really like the way they work and fly for me. Once in a while I like to shoot woodies but, carbons mostly. ;)
Agree with Elken, carbons for the type of shooting I do last at least 6 to 7 times longer than aluminum. Way cheaper in the long run. Looks like the consensus is the 2016. Shawn
Yep I have some 1916's and they are weak. I'm going to do a trade just to check out some 2016's But I'm not tossing out my carbons just yet :bigsmyl:
I SHOOT 2216 AND I LOVE THEM VERY CONSISTANT EASY TO STREIGHTEN IF I BEND THEM ONLY IF I MISSTHEY DONT BEND TO EASY BUT IT HAPPENS SAME AS WOODIES I LOVE WOODIES BEST FOR LOOKS AND NESTALGA
Hell! I never came back cuz i never left! LOL. :biglaugh:
I have never had trouble bending aluminum. They are hard to beat all around in my opinion, although I do shoot a lot of wood too.
Go buy some 1916 or 2016 Easton Blues or Jazz for $30/doz shafts and never look back. You can buy 2-3 dozen at that price compared to most carbon per dozen, maybe more.
I like carbons because I always carry a judo and like to stump shoot. I like the weight and price just can't keep aluminums straight.
Brazos, even at 30 dollars a dozen, carbons can be had for around $50 a dozen and will last 10 times as long. How are they cheaper. I actually have shot aluminums recently from an ILF target set-up at blue and whites. That is the only way they are practical for me. Shawn
I guess I hear you Shawn but I never seem to bend/ ruin aluminums. I shoot all the time and it has not been a problem. Even at $50/doz I could nearly buy 2 doz aluminum. 2 dozen aluminums would last me for years.
i switched just i think for this year dont have the time to mess with my favorite wood i shoot 1916 and 2016 both work with the right point up front just ordered some 2020 hope i can get enough up front to make them work there tuff.i shoot 48# at 28 out of a predator around 200 up front
Matt
I switched to aluminum several years ago after receiving yet another dozen cedars that were stuck together with sap. After nearly 20 years of shooting wood I didn't know where to start. I followed the Easton chart, picked 1916 for my 45-47# bows and have enjoyed perfect flight ever since. I didn't know I could shoot so good! :)
I use Legacys for hunting, Blues for everything else. Getting aluminums to fly well is such a simple thing. Follow the chart and you will not go wrong.
I know it is not always the case but most of what I hear about carbon is a lot of tinkering and frustration trying to get them flying right at hunting weight. I left the tinkering behind in '87 when I retired my compound.
As for alum being sensitive to abuse, I agree somewhat. I just don't do anything stupid like purposely shooting hard stumps, my oak dowel stumpers are made for that. Since I'm shooting so much better it is a rare occasion where I miss a target and destroy an arrow. Just shoot with a little sense and a dozen aluminums will last for years.
I shoot aluminums and for me, there is virtually no downside. They sure do bend if you hit the wrong thing, but the answer is to make sure you DON'T hit the wrong thing! I have ruined a lot more shafts by shooting them with other arrows, than I have by bending them.
I currently have about 15 dozen shafts of 3-4 different sizes, all of which I have bought (unused) pretty inexpensively at garage sales, clearance sales, and online. I fletch all my own arrows, and find them very easy to work with. My completed arrows - not including points - cost around $3-$4 on average. I shoot a lot, but I haven't bent many shafts in the past 3-4 years... probably fewer than a dozen. But then again...
1. I shoot a foam target, with a relatively soft backdrop, or
2. I stump shoot at clumps of grass, dirt, or muddy banks -- never wood or stumps unless they are severely rotted, or
3. I shoot at tennis balls or milk jugs or an old soccer ball in my backyard.
3-D shoots are where I bend the most shafts, because I can't control what is behind the target, in case of a miss.
I never drank the carbon kool-aid either.........2014 x7s are about perfect for your setup..............
I started shooting carbons when I got in to trad in 2006.
I shot aluminum for many years prior with wheels.
Last year I bought 6 Easton 2018 Legacies....they just don't get shot much. Carbon, to me, is the easiest to work with and, easily, the most durable.
I just bought some 2016's off the classifieds, I'm stoked just to try some.
Sent you a PM......... :wavey:
I never left aluminums. I suggest 2016 w/145gr or 1916 w/125gr. My preference would be 2016 w/145gr giving a heavier overall arrow. Your setup is probably too light to go to the 2018 without putting a lot of weight up front (some like the extra weight up front)
I love aluminum. Consistant, straight and they fly where you look. I recently made up some Superceeders and working on a doz Surewoods right now. Something about working with good wood shafts brought me back.
I use my 2117's on all my travelling hunts and for whitetails here, shoot them from my Longbow. My Ad Trad lites are collecting dust. Aluminum and wood for me.
I'm a wood lover, but If I shoot anything else, it will be aluminum. I just can't get used to the small dim. of carbon. I like alum. for it's straightness and consistency. Just don't like the noise factor in a hunting situation. They would be better (noise wise} filled with a light weight foam!!! Maybe I'll try that!
At around 28-28 1/2" 1916's will work great. 2016's will work but they're a tad stiff n would have to be a bit longer. I cut my arrows to length then tune my bows instead of tuning arrows so I'd use the weaker shaft since that would make the bow more tunable.
I never left aluminum for my recurves but shoot Sitka spruce outa my longbow. From a longbow wood just seems right, lol.
For some of my heavier 70# plus bows I have to use aluminum to get the spine I need. I'm not crazy about the sound it makes. When I can get them I've use Surewoods in a higher spine. Aluminum is a good shaft. I won't use carbon.
I went back to aluminum after a few years of wood and carbon. They are easier to tune and build on short notice
Obviously not many that had posted have ever been to the Muzzy shoot!! I have seen guys go thru 2 dozen arrows in a weekend and some go thru a dozen a day. Wood holds up better at these types of shoots. Try squeezing an arrow thru a 6" hole from 20 yards with a solid downed tree and a rock ledge that give you that 6" hole and if you do get it thru and miss the foam block you either hit rock or a 4x4 that the target is sitting on, aluminums just do not last when you shoot them into stuff like that. Believe guys are not doing this intentionally, it is part of the shoot. To each his own but no denying carbons are stronger and when footed hold up way better and last way longer than aluminums. I will stick with my carbons and woodies. Shawn
I also shot The Muzzy Shoot with 2016's... Busted and bent a lot... But I Don't Care! :p I Just Dig 2016's...
Anyway, footed carbon is good for stumping and shoots like Muzzy... When it comes to deer hunting, I like woodies! Go figure... :archer2: ...
Oh Yea... I Like Redheads Too...... :D
for my Brackenbury Drifter I use 2117 xx75 orange shafts.
everything else, I use carbon. Currently use Carbon Express Heritage in 250 and 350 size.
I feel carbon is a one way street.
With my 32" draw and heavier weight I shoot 2219's. They don't bend very easily and if they do I have an arrow straightener for aluminum.
I've tried carbons, but with all this weight forward stuff, and shooting arrows 2" longer than you need ( I already shoot 30.5") sticking with my 2018's was just easier. My average shot at game is 15 to 20 yrds. Just not a big deal.
Started with aluminum Easton Legacy's in 2006 with my first self bow. Been shooting them since then. Easy the build, repair, and tune to my bows. Currently shooting Legacy's with my custom longbows. Couldn't be happier.
I like legacy with the swag nock tip. Very seldom bust anything but the nock when I practice. Ruined a few carbons hitting the nock....so when I practice with carbons its one shot at a time....
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glenn
I have switched to XX78 from carbons. I love the weight of aluminum and the many sizes to choose from when tuning.