So I'm sorting through my assorted shaft supply which, for the most part, are organized in neat dozens based on spine, diameter and type of wood.
In a couple bundles there are some,to me,wide weight differences in the individual shafts,so I must ask...
What an is acceptable weight variance to you ? :confused:
Plus or minus 10, or 20 grains total, is a common standard. I always try to match for a 10 grain spread. In reality, at normal stick bow hunting ranges of less than 20 yards, 50 grains is hard to see unless you are a very consistent shooter.
Some woods, Sitka Spruce in particular, don't vary much within a given spine range; maybe 50 grains total. POC will vary 100 grains or so and Douglas Fir can vary over 150 grains. DF is still my favorite arrow wood, it just takes more shafts to match up a close dozen.
I checked out my most recent dozen of DF Surewoods, they are very close. The two that were the stiffest were also the heaviest. I spun them with some sandpaper and a buffer and took both the spine and weight down to match the others. Where I run into trouble is when I have been getting cedars on the very heavy end of the range for years and then get a dozen on the very lightest end of the range. Those are either going to be net length pheasant arrows with extra heavy blunts or they end up being someone else's free hunting arrows.
I agree with Rick, though I still prefer cedar. I match my own hunting arrows to within 5 grains. I use the shafts I can't match ( too heavy or light) for small game, and those often vary by 50 grains or more. Inside of 20 yards, it makes little difference.
Thanks for the input guys. :thumbsup: