Penetration with wood shafts

Homey88 · May 11, 2015, 07:28:00 AM

Just wondering what the penetration is with wooden shafts as opposed to aluminum or carbon. I'm thinking about using woods with my kodiak Hunter 43@28. Going to use Ace 125 standards. I think my arrows come in at 488 grains.
Thanks in advance

dragonheart · May 11, 2015, 08:27:00 AM

A huge penetration stopper is, if the wood arrow fails behind the point, the shaft breaks. Aluminum is a much more stronger material than wood. Footed wood shafts help strengthen this area. Soft tissue is usually no issues, but hitting bone can cause a break. At your bow weight, you will be using wood shafts that are more difficult to keep straight. Just wondering why the appeal of wood for hunting?

lovethehunt · May 11, 2015, 09:06:00 AM

I started out with wood in 1994 using journeymen 145 and a 52# recurve without many pass through arrows. I had several bury in the opposite shoulders and no problems. I then switched to aluminum and had similar results. I used carbon for three or four years with 275 grains on the front out of a 51# longbow and the arrow never seemed to slow down going through, amazing penetration, even though bone. I'm back to wood for 2 seasons now with my longbow and always get an exit but not always pass through with a 160gr 3 blade. Sharp heads are the key. If I were to hunt anything bigger than whitetail I think I'd use carbon again.

Rock 'N Bow · May 11, 2015, 09:06:00 AM

I've taken 3 animals with the same Surewood shaft. Complete pass through each time. As long as you don't strike bone and are shooting nothing tougher than deer the arrow should be fine.

BAK · May 11, 2015, 09:11:00 AM

Have used all three, plus fiberglass. Have never lost an animal due to shaft breakage. Not saying it couldn't happen, but it hasn't to me in 47 years of hunting.

Jim Wright · May 11, 2015, 10:05:00 AM

You can certainly make a case that you gain a slight difference in penetration with a "skinny carbon" but wood arrows have been killing game much, much (I'll stop with much only twice) longer than aluminum and carbon combined. Concerning large critters, read Dr. Ashby's research on penetration. He thoroughly tested and a great deal of the time used, dare-I-say-it, wood arrows.

Butch Speer · May 11, 2015, 10:15:00 AM

Just wondering, why wooden arrows for a 43lb. bow should be more difficult to keep straight?

dragonheart · May 11, 2015, 10:22:00 AM

dragonheart · May 11, 2015, 10:29:00 AM

From my experience with wood the lighter the spine the more difficult they are to keep straight and are not as strong on impact. I am not arguing the effectiveness of wood arrows. This hunter is shooting 43 pounds at 28". I believe with this setup, he will be much more effective at getting penetration and have way less headaches (keeping straight, consistency, quality of materiel) with a material other than wood at that bow weight.

Homey88 · May 11, 2015, 10:37:00 AM

Hello thanks for the responses. I always wanted to hunt with wood and I'm using my grandfathers kodiak Hunter. I would like to make my own wooden arrows eventually. I bought some three rivers wooden shafts that were stained and crested I fletched them and mounted the points. I believe the spine of the arrows are 55# they seem to fly good out of the bow. All my other bows are 45#. I do have both carbon and aluminum arrows just think it would be awesome to take a deer with a wooden arrow that I created. Please keep the feedback and advice coming, it is greatly appreciated!

Cavscout9753 · May 11, 2015, 10:56:00 AM

You could shoot 20 different shots with arrows of a variety of make and get 20 different results. Wood shafts have been killing animals longer than any other material out there. The argument for shooting wood arrows is the exact same argument for shooting a traditional bow. Just my opinion but its supported by a couple thousand years of proof.

Bjorn · May 11, 2015, 12:35:00 PM

Like some others here my son and I only shoot wood and I have some observations.
If you buy quality wood keeping shafts straight has never been a problem for me regardless of bow weight.
Never had a shaft break in the animal; we have had shafts break outside the animal crashing into trees and the ground.
Carbon and alu can be skinnier than wood and a skinny shaft will penetrate better
In my experience penetration is more about shot placement than anything else including bow weight.

Flying Dogg · May 11, 2015, 12:43:00 PM

I agree with Dragonheart. I really like wood arrows and have shot quite a few deer with them. When I dropped my bow weight to below 50# I began having very few complete penetrations on deer. I switched to carbons and my arrows drive through the animals. I believe as Dragonheart has mentioned it is mainly due to the shafts recovering from paradox quicker and a stronger shaft upon impact.

monterey · May 11, 2015, 01:46:00 PM

I shot some POC shafts with 190 points on them into brick. I used an unmentionable bow with wheels to get max velocity. Shafts were 23/64 spined at 70#.

The one shaft that broke was one that was fish tailing on impact. The others survived (2). After that I stopped worrying about shafts breaking on game.

It is harder to maintain high FOC with wood and I know we don't all agree on this, but I think adhering as closely as possible to Ashby principles improves penetration.

trubltrubl · May 11, 2015, 02:22:00 PM

I have hunted with wood and carbon. Although I have hunted longer with wood arrows...I see my carbon arrows out penetrate wood by a noticeable margin.
Because carbon does not flex as much on impact , you loose less energy in the "Tail wag " of the arrow as it penetrates.
have taken moose with both carbon and wood..Wood has worked for centuries. If penetration is the most important factor for you, use carbon. If you want more tradition use wood...JMHO I hunt with arrows that weigh approx 600 to 650 grains...If my set up is lower # I only go as low as 575 grains..

SELFBOW19953 · May 11, 2015, 02:27:00 PM

For heavier wood arrows use laminated maple, 5/16" ramin, or get shafts from Forrester Wood Shafts.

May 11, 2015, 02:47:00 PM

I hear about this straightness problem all the time with wood arrows, the only time that I got some snaky shafts was when I bought a bunch off of 'Ecrap', they looked like an arrow makers reject pile, I call them 'shoot aways' after they are straightened. I have never once had any penetration issues with wood with my family and friends. I have lost count of how many deer that I have helped drag out that were shot with bows 45 or less, wood arrows and two blade Bear and Zwicky heads. I like Wapiti cedars and Surewood Doug firs, Wapiti makes doug firs as well. If you want to make those guys hate you, be sure to ask for the straight ones when you order. I have gotten two shafts that would not straighten and stay straight from Wapiti or its predecessor Rogue River, that is two out of about 1000 shafts, maybe more. It is rare that they need much serious straightening, but I check them anyway. I have seen cases with cheap mill run light kids weight cedars that had snaky problems, but not at the 40 pound plus spines with higher grade and hand selected shafts.

trubltrubl · May 11, 2015, 02:47:00 PM

Here is a young bull I shot with a carbon arrow..if you look at the hip you will see a small spot . This is where the arrow came out of the bull. He was quartering to me and although it is not a shot I take most of the time I was 17 yards and could see a crease in behind the shoulder and took the shot. The arrow went through 4 feet of moose. The bow was a heavier bow at 63# . The arrow was a carbon express HERITAGE weighing 650 grains...when I found the moose the fletch was still under the skin and hip but the majority of the length of the arrow was sticking out like an antenna....I was amazed at the penetration..

halfseminole · May 11, 2015, 02:57:00 PM

I have to agree with Forrester. I've got possibly the heaviest shafts he ever made, and they're incredible. Straight as a laser, perfect tapers and in leopardwood of all things.

May 11, 2015, 03:30:00 PM

Those Forrester shafts are tempting. While I do not doubt the effectiveness of high foc with carbons, my tapered carbons have gotten complete pass throughs with every hit, in the past couple of years I have found three dead deer with shredded carbons sticking out of them. All of these were mechanical heads. Another case a fellow shot a deer with a muzzleloader and found shredded carbon spikes inside the muscle tissue of a deer. He is keeping his fingers crossed that he does have a piece of it moving through him. I will no longer allow anyone to use carbon arrows on my land.