Fletching jigs and accuracy and feathers

Grey Taylor · March 24, 2011, 12:33:00 AM

Alright, me hearties... a question to ponder...
Actually, two questions.

I was speaking with an archer at an event recently and he had a couple observations that set me back on my heels a little.

First, he said he saw his new arrows drifting to the right on the 60yd target. He said that of course, this is caused by the right wing feathers used on the arrows. If they'd been left wing they would be drifting left.

Huh? Never heard that one before :confused:

Second, I mentioned that his arrows had been fletched on a table of twelve jigs. He was a little put out by this and advised me to start using just one jig for the entire set of arrows. Because, of course, each jig is going to be slightly different and that will change the impact point of the arrows from one another.
I agree that each jig will be slightly different no matter how hard I try to have them all set the same. But I can't see this making any difference for a traditional archer using a basic recurve or longbow. A top flight Olympic archer with state-of-the-art gear... ok. But not the average archer, even if he is fairly good.
You guys who sell arrows, how many jigs do you use for an order of a dozen?

What say you, O gurus of all things archery?

Guy

Possum Head · March 24, 2011, 05:57:00 AM

Seems everyone's a scientist today!Trad archery's not to get too technical or it might lose it's appeal.Get out there and shoot what flies purdy off your shelf and learn when to recieve and disreguard advice from others.As for me I like either left or right but like to see just a nock as it travels.Have fun!

Green · March 24, 2011, 06:16:00 AM

pffft.....

Rob DiStefano · March 24, 2011, 06:27:00 AM

QuoteOriginally posted by Grey Taylor:
Alright, me hearties... a question to ponder...
Actually, two questions.

I was speaking with an archer at an event recently and he had a couple observations that set me back on my heels a little.

First, he said he saw his new arrows drifting to the right on the 60yd target. He said that of course, this is caused by the right wing feathers used on the arrows. If they'd been left wing they would be drifting left.

Huh? Never heard that one before :confused:

HAH! what nonsense! immediately disgregard anything else spewing from this "archer".

Second, I mentioned that his arrows had been fletched on a table of twelve jigs. He was a little put out by this and advised me to start using just one jig for the entire set of arrows. Because, of course, each jig is going to be slightly different and that will change the impact point of the arrows from one another.
I agree that each jig will be slightly different no matter how hard I try to have them all set the same. But I can't see this making any difference for a traditional archer using a basic recurve or longbow. A top flight Olympic archer with state-of-the-art gear... ok. But not the average archer, even if he is fairly good.
You guys who sell arrows, how many jigs do you use for an order of a dozen?

What say you, O gurus of all things archery?

stay far away from this self-proclaimed "archery guru", he know not of what he speaks.

Guy

cyred4d · March 24, 2011, 06:46:00 AM

Sounds like nonsense to me.

ti-guy · March 24, 2011, 07:04:00 AM

OMG!

Javi · March 24, 2011, 07:06:00 AM

My spider radar is telling me to avoid this thread, but I can't help myself... :D

If the fletching is reasonably aligned then it shouldn't hurt the traditional archer using feathers, put a rest and vanes into the deal and you may have a little upset if the jigs aren't aligned well for that shaft with a helical..
I was playing around this past weekend setting a Bitz up for some 5" shield cut on Axis shafts and changed the dials between each fletch so that the helical was different on each feather, by the third shaft I had it really close to what I wanted and finished the fourth shaft which looked great with the base laying flat and wrapping nicely around the shaft... I only had a couple of feathers left and decided to go ahead and leave the early attempts on the shafts until I got more. Sunday morning I went out to shoot and grabbed those shafts, number 3 and 4 went dead center and a bare shaft followed right along, but shafts 1 and 2 will not group... after a couple of repeat shots to check if it was me or the shafts I stripped the fletching and shot them again... bang I now had 3 bare shafts grouped with 2 fletched shafts.. As a note: all 5 shafts were within .003 in spine and spline aligned with the stiff side for finger paradox.
So while I don't believe that using a wheel to fletch a dozen shafts will cause a problem for the average shooter be they traditional or compound it does make a difference if the fletching isn't aligned correctly on the shafts... at least in this instance it did.. Oh yeah... these shafts are slightly stiff so they were not clearing the shelf as well as they will when I finish playing with them so that probably contributed to the upset as well..

Rob DiStefano · March 24, 2011, 07:16:00 AM

it would take a major serious misalignment of fletch offset or helical mismatch to make any kinda difference at trad hunting distances. who hasn't roved with arrows that were missing pieces of fletch and still had consistent accuracy? i call bogus on all this mis-match stuff for trad hunting archers.

"clearance" is an entirely different matter that needs to be addressed and worked on with each arrow, bow and archer, but mostly none of this is gonna deeply affect a trad bowhunter looking to make kills at 20 yards, +/- 5 yards or so.

"target" CAN be a whole different story with regards to fletch type and placement. i shot "serious" competitive archery for decades and when yer flying shafts out to 90 meters you'd best have those missiles well built, aligned, weighed and balanced - and yer shooting head screwed on real tight. but we're not target archers, right? :D

lpcjon2 · March 24, 2011, 07:17:00 AM

If it isn't happening to you then don't sweat the small stuff!
Let those who believe in what they feel is the truth to them, believe in the things that make them feel important to themselves regardless if it has truth.JMHO
I never had such experience with that kind of flight issue.

Javi · March 24, 2011, 07:21:00 AM

QuoteOriginally posted by Rob DiStefano:
but we're not target archers, right? :D

Now Rob, once a traget archer, always a target archer....

Besides... I believe that once you begin the draw, the hunting stops and you are shooting a target..

Rob DiStefano · March 24, 2011, 07:41:00 AM

QuoteOriginally posted by Javi:

QuoteOriginally posted by Rob DiStefano:
but we're not target archers, right? :D
Now Rob, once a traget archer, always a target archer....

Besides... I believe that once you begin the draw, the hunting stops and you are shooting a target.. [/b]

semantics, semantics, semantics .... :D

Night Wing · March 24, 2011, 08:40:00 AM

I'm right handed and fletch my arrows with a 6 arrow Jo-Jan MultiFletcher. If one of my arrows accidentally shoots to the left, it's because I did a "short draw snap shot" and didn't come to full draw.

snag · March 24, 2011, 09:04:00 AM

Guess we all better fletch straight, no Right or Left!

Don Stokes · March 24, 2011, 09:17:00 AM

Rob is absolutely right. Complete BS, Grey. Now, if you fletch RW feathers with a LW jig...

Gary Logsdon · March 24, 2011, 09:30:00 AM

EVEN IF this were true, I'm not a consistant enough "machine" to shoot the difference. Practice well, stalk close, pick a spot, and let-r-rip!!!

Stumpkiller · March 24, 2011, 09:58:00 AM

I believe he's probably correct. The right-wing will crawl towards the right because the air is less dense above the arrow than below and that fletch has better purchase in the air. Just as you get prop walk on a boat. But water is much denser than air. So, if you figure the difference in air density over the height of two inches and the corresponding drift that works out to . . . 0.0000001756" over 20 yards. So compensate that much and you'll be fine.

He's probably right in theory, but the effect of air currents, release, nock squareness, arrow grain variances, weight differences, your own pulse, etc. will be much greater.

As for 12 different jigs? Probably again true in theory but not noticable in practice.

So, if he reuses one arrow and fires it repeatedly at a target does it always go in the same hole?

Running Buck · March 24, 2011, 10:00:00 AM

Why is it always the arrow thats the problem and not the Indian?

Bjorn · March 24, 2011, 10:00:00 AM

Good one Stokes! LOL

March 24, 2011, 10:03:00 AM

Sheesh--It's not that complicated......

Spectre · March 24, 2011, 10:04:00 AM

QuoteOriginally posted by Gary Logsdon:
EVEN IF this were true, I'm not a consistant enough "machine" to shoot the difference. Practice well, stalk close, pick a spot, and let-r-rip!!!

Werd. Looks to me as if this "expert" was simply supplying you with a "Humble Brag" about how damn good he is.