i had a few questions that i don't know where to get the answers for other than here .

1. what is the benifit of having 4 fletchings on an arrow rather than 3 and should it be 4 inch feather or would 5 be ok also.

2. is there any noticeable benifit for feather shape like a parabolic compared to a banana or the shield cut .

reason i'm asking is i am fairly new to the trad world and am having a ball so far i built my own bow last winter and have been shooting it 3-4 times a week when  i get a chance .i know my consintration needs to improve as sometimes im dead on and other time 2 ft off .
since this was my first bow i kinda got it a litle heavy right at 87 pounds so i only get to shoot a couple arrows before i can tell it in my back and shoulders .so i am planning on making another thiswinter and trying to get the draw weight down around 50 or 55 lbs . i think it wuld help a pile .
well sorry for rambling on but would apprec. any help on these if i could .

thanks again ,
Scott

lol, Yeah, unless your superman. 87 pounds is a bit heavy to start off with.
As far as 4 fletch or 3 fletch. The only real benefit is that you don't have to worry about how you are nocking the arrow. Your getting one more inch of feather to stabilize the arrow with 4 fletch( assuming 4-4" and 3-5")
I've shot both and they group the same for me.
Different shapes? About the same as far as arrow flight is concerned. More personal preference than anything I think.

If I was in your shoes, I'd buy or build a new bow with a LOT less draw weight and start working on the basics.Arrow tuning and form. Then go from there. You will get the hang of it.Just takes patience and dedication
Good luck!

In my experience 4 fletch offers more stability. The shape of the feather is'nt noticable for me although I suspect shapes with more surface area are better. I have never noticed a difference shooting cock feather in or out so I don't think it matters how you knock your arrows whether 3 or 4 fletch.

Same stability from 3 5.5 inch shields as I get from 4 - 5 inch shields.....but I like the no look nocking I get from four fletch.

Scott you will get many ideas on this subject after a life of building and shooting here are my thoughts. The goal of the feathers is to stabilize the arrows flight. They do this by causing arrow rotation or spin. Think in terms of feather surface area. The more surface the more spin, along with this are increased noise and drag that slows the arrow, T
thus the flu flu. So feather size, shape, and number is about balance and experience. For my self I use helical 3 fletch trueflight maxifletch style fletching for most applications...And yes i think you are a bit overbowed.

In my experience, a well tuned shaft will shoot just fine regardless of the feather configuration you choose. When a big broadhead is up front and your nerves come into play, the extra feather can really help.

For summer 3D I shoot lighter tips (and longer shafts)with 4" parabolic fletches. However, when the weather cools off, I have 240 gr up front and three 5" nanners on the rear. I tried 4X4 for a while and they shot fine...just seemed to make a bit more noise and could not tell any difference on target.

Wow, 87 lb? You are much of a man! I bet you will have a lot more fun (and eat fewer advil later) once you drop about 30lb!

Scott,
Congratulations on jumping into traditional with such a commmittment. I can't even imagine making my own bow. In 1974 I was shooting a 51# recurve (about 46 pounds at my draw length). Today, I am still shooting 51-52 pound recurves. A bow just 3-4 pounds heavier messes with my form. I shoot 3, 4" feathers on my arrows. It wouldn't bother me to shoot 4, 4" feathers. I don't like or need 3, 5-5.5" feathers on my well-tuned but short (27.5" overall) arrows.  Folks above have identified the advantage of 4 feathers quite well.

I like 4-fletch and use it pretty much all the time now. Several reasons:

Most of the time I can get two good 4" feathers out of one full-length feather (cut with a Lil Chopper, 4" shield cut).

I like the no-look nocking ability.

The 4" feather gives me more clearance on low-brace height longbows.

You get about an extra inch of feather surface compared to 3 5" feathers.

They shoot great for me!

JMO, Ken

Strictly 4 fletch here

4 fletch for the reasons stated above.

I've noticed the shield cuts are louder in flight than parabolics, if that makes any difference to you.

The least amount of featherage needed to stabilize a given set up is what I always "shot" for.


Most years I fletch up one arrow with vanes. This is in case I'm caught out in the rain and need to make a good shot.  The speed and silence of vanes is impressive after shooting feathers.

I've been shooting 3 fletch since I picked up a bow in 1951. About 4 years ago a friend of mine made some arrows with four 5" fletching. He told me he thought that it stabilized his arrow quicker. I tried it and felt the same afterwads. I made a  couple for my wife and she just loved it...so, I now fletch all my arrows with four four inch feathers with a modified shield that I burn on my Young burner.

I find no difference between 3 and 4 other than taking a little longer to put an arrow together. If you tune your bow you can shoot 3 2" feathers. As far as no look nocking try shooting a three fletch nocked both ways and see if you can see a difference. A lot of people get better flight with cock feather in.

I think 4 fletch looks cooler but really can't tell much difference in shooting 20 and under.  I shoot both 3 and 4 fletch.

thanks everyone for the advice and the ideas to try .
guess it was my fault that the bow was 87 lbs being that i didn't buy the 6 dollor book and taper the epay or the bamboo oops!
but we all learn from our mistakes but it's still awful nice to shoot something i made wityh my own hands  and heck everyone says it looks nice .
but hey it only takes one just one well placed shot and i do good for the first 5 then it drops off little at a time .
i'm a pretty big fella 6'3" 290 lbs but even i kn ow it's alot of weight .
so bare with me untill the snow flies and i get to build another this time with less draw weight lol....
thanks alot,
Scott