I think I want to shoot aluminum arrows again. Why do u shoot aluminum instead of carbon or wood. If u shoot aluminum tell me why. What kind do u shoot.
I have used them since the mis 70's never had a problem with them.I use 2018's/2016'and 1916's depending on what wgt. I am shooting.I have bows in the 55/50/45 lbs.wgt.Kip
Consistency with every shaft. Now I also shoot wood but aluminum comes off just as quiet and flies flatter at longer distances.
I had my aluminum swagged so I can glue on my broadhead and the few I use for stump shooting, I use inserts and screw in points. Once you find the right shaft for your setup, cut them 1.5" past your actual draw length and you will be fine.
Where Carbon needs a greater FOC and tougher to tune, aluminum, IMO is much easier with less head aches.
I like 2020s, 2018s, 1920s, 1918s, 1820s, 1818s and 1816s. All other aluminums not so much. The 1816s work just right for my wife, the others have the recovery rates that work very nicely with Hill style longbows, plus they have good weight. One can cut these to the minmum length one needs and still get clean arrow flight. I find that wide aluminum shafts are more critical to length than the narrow sizes.
I'm just making the switch back to aluminums. Higher GPI makes it easy to get heavy arrows, and for me they seem easier to tune.
QuoteOriginally posted by Kip:
I have used them since the mis 70's never had a problem with them.I use 2018's/2016'and 1916's depending on what wgt. I am shooting.I have bows in the 55/50/45 lbs.wgt.Kip
What size do u shoot with your 55# bow Kip. I will be shoot 50-54# @28. Trying to get a good idea for a starting point. All the selection charts are saying 2213.
The old (early) Easton charts say 2016 for 50-54# @28 and you could probably use a 2018 also
Aluminums are just easy to tune, and they are priced right. Ya, they bend, but carbons break. I like 1820s and 1916s out of my mid 40# bows for hunting and stump shooting.
I still shoot some aluminums,depending on which bow I'm shooting.I shoot aluminum arrows out of my Hill Half Breed,it has enough physical weight and the spine works great.I have tuned carbons for my Hill but really like the way the aluminums fly.I also shoot a X7 2312 out of an ILF with vanes on an elevated magnetic rest with a plunger.I think aluminum arrow are alittle more spine consistent,weight consistent then carbons unless you are shooting the higher end carbons.I like all the arrows I shoot for different reasons,I still shoot my wood arrows sometimes also.
If your close to Lexington I've got some 2020s you can try.
Thanks but I live in southeastern ky.
I shoot 2018's out of my 55lb. bow and sometimes 2016.29" arrow
2018s with a 175 grain tip for me out of 55# @ 28. I draw just a tad over 29 and cut my arrows to 30 1/8.
D.P.
Aluminum just works great for me so I never needed the carbon hassle. I have over 600 shafts/arrows in 12 different sizes from 1916 to 2440..... I can just pick the right shaft for any bow I may get and fine tune for perfect broadhead flight and be done in less than 30 min........I would go with the 2018s also with your setup.................If you look around aluminum shafts can be found or $40 or less a dozen.........
I shoot aluminum because I really don't want to have carbon fragments in my deer meat if the shaft shatters. I don't mind that they aren't as durable as carbon. In my #45 LB, I shoot 2016's with a 125 gr. head. In my #50 LB, I shoot 2216's with a 150 gr. head.
Buy good ones. The SuperSlams are less prone to bend and breaking than the XX75.
I really like woods but they are harder to find and keep in stock. Unfortunately, woods are harder to remove from targets and not as consistent.
Since 1975 I've shot wood and aluminum. My experience with carbon hasn't been as good as some that shoot carbon.
Aluminum is easy to tune , as already mentioned. I've never experienced aluminums being easy to destroy as some have. Aluminum is the most consistent shaft material on the planet, shaft to shaft.
I've been shooting Aluminums since the 60's and love em.I think I have just about every size they've made.Now shooting 51-54# using 2114,2016's and 2213's.Two of the main reasons besides what everyone else has said.Inserts can be changed easy and stripping to refletch is a breeze ,not so with carbons.I also stuff 1-3" wood doweling behind the inserts for more strengh and added FOC.
I shoot wood and aluminum. I gave 2020s a try after getting several wood arrows broke at a 3d shoot. Been using them ever since.i like the weight and ease of tuning and also using glue on broadhead adapters. They shoot really well out of my 63# longbow and weigh in at 640gr with a 160gr head
I have been thinking about changing to aluminum from the GTs I shoot now. All the charts I see don't have as much weight up front as I would like to. I shoot full length GT 55/75's w/a 250 gr head and a 50 gr brass insert out of my Bushbow. Which aluminum shaft would be a good start. I could lose the 50gr brass insert but I love the 250 gr VPA BH's. Thank You.
Im currently a footed carbon shooter and have indeed looked at shooting an aluminum shaft but honestly I am hesitant because the last batch I shot after each shot, the arrow bent. :help:
Should mention I shoot 2117's out of all my bows ranging in weight 52/55/58# at 27". I cut my shafts 28.5", and with a 125 gr 2 blade Zwickey, total arrow weight is 535 grains. They fly straight and hit hard. 2016's should work out of your bow along with 2117.
I should have stated my bow is #55 @ 32"
Aluminum arrow shooter here too.
I'm shooting a 30" XX75 2016 @ 50lb with one of my recurves.
Nothing wrong with wood or carbon arrows but I never had a reason to switch in the past 33 years.
Who knows...maybe next year. LOL!
:archer2:
I don't know what to buy seems that 2016 is the most common.
Here is the link to Stu Miller's dynamic spine calculator. This will really help you select the correct shaft for your bow.
http://www.heilakka.com/stumiller/
Out of my Four bows:
64" Two Tracks Longwalker 53# @ 29" 2117's cut at 30.5" and 145 grain BH.
66" Dwyer original longbow 50# @ 29" 2018's cut 30.5" and 145 BH
60" Bear super kodiak 55# @ 29" 2117's cut at 30.5" and 145 BH
52" Bear Kodiak Magnum (1962) 51# @ 29" 2117 cut 30.5" and 145 BH.
After much trial and error this is what works for me. I draw 29" and I shoot split with a bearpaw glove. Bare shaft's fly great and have fletched them with 3 and 4 fletch. These all come in between 525-550 grains.
-Mark
I shoot aluminums because I'm CHEAP. I still have a couple that are 40+ years old (I got them when I got my bow). They're easy to straighten if you bend them and easy to refurbish (strip, re-dip, crest and fletch) when they begin to look ratty. I generally rebuild mine after about two years. No worries about lifting wood or carbon fibers when stripping off the old fletch. Not to mention the things mentioned above like consistency, weight, durability, and no carbon in the meat or my arm. I just like them!
QuoteOriginally posted by Dave Worden:
I shoot aluminums because I'm CHEAP. I still have a couple that are 40+ years old (I got them when I got my bow). They're easy to straighten if you bend them and easy to refurbish (strip, re-dip, crest and fletch) when they begin to look ratty. I generally rebuild mine after about two years. No worries about lifting wood or carbon fibers when stripping off the old fletch. Not to mention the things mentioned above like consistency, weight, durability, and no carbon in the meat or my arm. I just like them!
your thoughts mirror mine exactly.
Went back to aluminums recently myself. Just seem to get better broadhead flight.
not trying to hi jack a thread but what do the numbers in aluminum arrows mean? is one dealing with shaft diameter vs thickness or am i wayy off on this? i considering switching to aluminums due to the ease of availability/price and i ran the numbers through a shaft calculator and came up 2117 and was just wondering what that means and if it is a fairly durable arrow (im a little rough with my equipment and like my equipment to be multipurpose ie hunting small/large game, birds, stumping, etc with out changing gear other than heads) any help would be much appreciated :D
I've shot aluminums forever. Tried carbons, shot wood for awhile, always came back to aluminum. I shoot 2018's. 125 gr. heads and 5" feathers.
I shoot aluminum because they don't make carbons with a heavy enough spine weight . And I find it hard to get woods that are spinned 110# .
What Aluminum numbers mean:
2016
Outside Diameter is 20/64 of an inch or 0.3125"
Wall thickness is 16/100 of an inch or 0.016"
So, inside diameter, ID = OD-2x(wall thickness) or ID = 0.3125"-(0.016")-(0.016")= 0.2805"
Larger OD = stiffer, all other things being equal
Thicker wall = heavier shaft and somewhat stiffer, too.
They just kinda look trad too...