How much variance would you say is acceptable with carbon arrows?
how excited do you get when you draw? haha i like to give myself an inch inch just to make sure. PLUS it gives me an extra 10 grains.
What I mean is one arrow to another.
Depends on their purpose. With hunting arrows, I make sure that the tune is as good as can be, and will shoot a practice broadhead off each arrow to ensure that they are all reliable, fly perfect and to where I'm looking. In my experience, about an 1/8" + or - will usually be fine. For practice, stumping, or small game, 3/4"-1" is often acceptable, depending on overall tune. If you are on the edges of the exact perfect tune, you probly won't get away with that much variance. But if your hunting set up is perfect, it gives you a little more leeway. A little stiff, or a little weak, will make little difference. However, hunting arrows must be perfect, the rest just need to fly reasonably well to what you're aiming at. Of course, the more consistent your arrows, the more consistent your shooting will be.
In speaking with gents who built competition arrows for trad and wheelie shooters, I learned that many (Most) arrow makers have variances in a given dozen for weight, spine and straightness.
These folks checked all 3 of every dozen the got, culled and grouped and built their own dozens who were consistently the same.
What that meant to me was I now tune EACH arrow...not tune one, then cut the rest the same.
In doing the tuning, of some not-to-be named shafting, I had 9 that came out the same in the end...I had one that was 1/16" longer, one 1/8" longer and one that was a whole 1/4" longer to get t hem to all fly the same...
And for the naysayers, they were all #rd and I kept a list of each one that was a "flyer" and then shot those over and over and over...only finally cutting ones which were consistently "off".
Lots of work, but gave me a very consistently flying group of arrows!
Oh, and no, I don't have a spine tester nor a straightness tester...
I argued for years that carbons are all the same...NOT! Live and learn!
Very interesting DOC. Another variable that I had not even considered. Although, I do shoot each arrow with a broad-head on it, more because of possible alignment issues.
BTW, all those cuts were made from the rear by removing the nock. Once I decide what point and insert weight I want, cutting from the rear eliminates all that insert removal stuff.
Might be easier to buy a spine tester and a spinner, but I got nuff drivel as it is to fool with...
Came from a chap who had to build good arrows for the competitive folks, or go hungry...so I trusted and learned.