So I'm fairly new but I have always shot either aluminum or carbon arrows through my recurve. I'm seeing lots of people that are shooting wood arrows. Do they shoot better, or do people just shoot wood for the enjoyment of shooting wood?

A good wooden arrow will do everything a carbon or aluminum will. It's just a matter of what trips your trigger:)

I can say this. You'll save your money on carbons. Woodies break too easily and are expensive but a blast to shoot

QuoteOriginally posted by Kamm1004:
I can say this. You'll save your money on carbons. Woodies break too easily and are expensive but a blast to shoot

And cedars smell better than carbons when you break them.   :rolleyes:

Try bamboo, you won't be disappointed!

I love shooting the wood arrows I make but for performance there is no comparison between wood and carbon, the carbon wins hands down every time.

A carbon arrow can be straighter than a wood arrow and carbon arrows lend themselves better to high FOC if you want to go that route.
Carbon is tougher than wood and less likely to break on a miss.

But a carbon arrow will never be more than a carbon arrow.
A wood arrow can be art that you will be proud to have in your quiver and eager to show off to other archers. A wood arrow can be beautiful.

Guy

I shoot mostly selfbows now.  I have a variety of different arrows.  I've got carbons, woods, cane laying everywhere.  Most people that shoot selfbow would not consider shooting anything but natural material.  I shoot mostly wood and cane now, but I can tell you that my carbons shoot better out of my selfbows than the other two.  More forgiving on spine and definitely tougher.  That's just one man's opinion, and my own experience.  I will be hunting with cane arrows this year though.  

You really have to experience shooting wood if you haven't yet. Well made wood arrows will fly great and provide a great shooting experience.

No one could explain it better than Guy.!!!

I love to watch the arrow in flight.  Maybe I'm just getting old.  I cant see the carbons fly--to skinny and too fast.  I will stick with wood and aluminum.  I can still see them fly.

YOU  can  get   high  FOC   by shooting  TAPERED  wood shafts .  SO that is a wash !    
 I have shot  numerous carbons    but will stay with wood !
     I DO   keep a set of aluminum arrows for each bow I own .  They are great for shooting in to   frozen excelsior bales in the winter and   are the best if you happen on  a Mckenzie target.  TRY getting woods and carbons out of Mckenzies !! LOL

YOU  can  get   high  FOC   by shooting  TAPERED  wood shafts .  SO that is a wash !    
 I have shot  numerous carbons    but will stay with wood !
     I DO   keep a set of aluminum arrows for each bow I own .  They are great for shooting in to   frozen excelsior bales in the winter and   are the best if you happen on  a Mckenzie target.  TRY getting woods and carbons out of Mckenzies !! LOL

I shoot carbon, aluminum and wood.......there is nothing , I repeat nothing like a wood arrow! There is is just something about them! Plus they are fun to make!

I shot carbons since 2004 and aluminum before that. I decided to switch to wood last winter and I'm having a ball with them. I finally "Got It" with wood and they are more enjoyable to me.

Every bow I will hunt this year has a set of cedars to with it.

I switched from aluminum to wood in August.  Best thing I ever did.

I'm using ash shafts--a lot heavier than my 2016's-- which are tough as nails.  They took a some work to get them straight, but making them is half the fun.

Once I got them tuned to my bow, they fly just as well as the aluminum--just a bit slower.  

I've always enjoyed shooting, but for some reason shooting a wood I made adds a little more to my experience.  

Oh, and $28 a dozen for matched ash shafts (spine and weight) is half the price of the carbon shafts my wife shoots.

I find wood more forgiving and quieter than carbon.  It is less durable, but usually I break nocks, not shafts, so there really isn't much difference in durability in a practical sense.  Wood is also as accurate as you are.  Get what you like and can afford, and get shooting.

Carbons are just all around more durable. They don't bend and they don't need straightening. They will be easier to tune and will last longer than woodies will. If you wanna shoot woodies there's nothing wrong with it but carbons from a durability stand point are the dominant arrow.

Caleb

I think the fragility of wood arrows is greatly overblown, as is the durability of carbons. I think the stongest attribute of carbon is that the straightness never degrades. I shoot aluminum for ease of tuning but I also make cedar arrows spined to the pound. When the are closely matched in spine I find they are as accurate as synthetic shafts.

When out stumping I have broke more carbons than I have woodies......Carbons are straight or broke and that can be a good thing. But I have no problem with the durability of wood shafts.       The important thing is get whatever you shoot well tuned and then go have a good time!