Arrow ?s

[Florida_Native]

So I'm new to. Bow hunting and I see a lt of different arrows for a lot of money. I started with easton 1117s I think. I didn't like the aluminum ones because out of 6 I only have 2 left. They kept bending. Because of this I like carbon better. I found some at walmart for $3 a piece. But why are some so much more expensive and are they worth it? If so why? Are they more accurate or durable?

Thanks!

[Jonathan_S]

Carbon doesn't bend.  It stays straight or it shatters   

Be careful of which spine you are buying.

[Peskadot]

http://bestcompoundbowsource.com/choose-arrows-compound-bow/

[Seahawk12]

I guess people don't want to talk much about arrows.
When I started hunting bow the Easton aluminum arrow was on the cutting edge of technology. I still have a dozen or more Easton Fall Stalker 2117s kicking around. They are still great arrows. If you use them for a while you will tend to bend them less and less. The majority of the arrows I bent while target shooting were due to me pulling them out incorrectly.
My understanding of carbon arrows is probably not very great compared to a lot of the guys around here, but some of the pros to carbon are that there is less wind drift, the shoot flatter, they don't bend (or almost never), smaller diameter shafts which increase penetration (I wrote that with a straight face), and FOC is easier to manipulate with accessories.
The downsides are higher costs, they will shed velocity on longer shots (doesn't matter for typical hunt shot distances), and the danger that a damaged arrow that is shot could shatter and/or explode. I saw some pictures on here a while back that were pretty gruesome.

Here's another site with info on arrows: http://www.huntersfriend.com/carbon_arrows/hunting_arrows_selection_guide_chapter_1.htm

[h20hunter]

This is an easy one. Describe your complete set up, then, just do what RadSav tells you to do.

[Crunchy]

Or give us a budget on a dozen.  You will probably be better off just going to  a proshop so whatever you buy can be cut to length and inserts hlued in. 

[Florida_Native]

Thanks for the info.  The more I shoot the more I like the carbon. I have only broken one and that is because I shot it with another arrow.  The ones I bought are cheap but still pretty accurate. So I,m guessing the on,y thing gained by the more expensive ones is durability. I haven't broken these by hitting rocks or frozen ground like the aluminum. Based on this the only other gain I can think of is possibly that they don't loose speed as much?

At this point I guess I'll stick with the cheap walmart carbons.

I'm a cheapo so don't be surprised if I ask questions like this again

[wog]

This is an easy one. Describe your complete set up, then, just do what RadSav tells you to do.

[lokidog]

Thanks for the info.  The more I shoot the more I like the carbon. I have only broken one and that is because I shot it with another arrow.  The ones I bought are cheap but still pretty accurate. So I,m guessing the on,y thing gained by the more expensive ones is durability. I haven't broken these by hitting rocks or frozen ground like the aluminum. Based on this the only other gain I can think of is possibly that they don't loose speed as much?

At this point I guess I'll stick with the cheap walmart carbons.

I'm a cheapo so don't be surprised if I ask questions like this again

The main thing is that you need to match the spine of your arrow to your draw weight, broadhead weight, and arrow length/weight.  If your spine is too soft for your set-up, the arrow will flex too much and you will lose accuracy.

Radsav is a good source as is ToddID, Todd has some good software to show what arrows will work well with your set up.  You might want to send him a PM.

If the WalMart arrows are working well for you, just keep with them.  Have you tried any paper tuning?

[Florida_Native]

Not sure what you mean by paper tuning.

[lokidog]

www.eastonarchery.com/downloads/tuning-guide

www.fieldandstream.com/.../15-steps-perfect-arrow-flight

You shoot an arrow through a piece of paper at ten feet or so and see how it rips the paper.  It should look like a straight on arrow hole, if it rips up, down, or sideways, the bow is not "tuned" properly.  If it is out of tune, you can still get good target tip arrow groupings, but often your broadheads will impact at a different point.  There are a lot of youtube videos as well.  Do a google search for paper tuning, you could also go to a local archery shop and they will usually have a setup to check your tuning and be able to help you out.

Hope this helps.

[RadSav]

The ones I bought are cheap but still pretty accurate. So I,m guessing the on,y thing gained by the more expensive ones is durability. I haven't broken these by hitting rocks or frozen ground like the aluminum.

At this point I guess I'll stick with the cheap walmart carbons.

I'm a cheapo so don't be surprised if I ask questions like this again

Carbon Arrows are amazing tools.  Aluminum has some benefits as well!  The really neat thing about carbon is it's forgiveness to spline variations and straightness variations.  Aluminum come MUCH straighter, Much more consistent in spline and spine, Much more stable as weight to axis distance is greater and weight consistency is absolutely impossible to match with all carbon.  But try to shoot an aluminum arrow that is as out of whack as your cheap carbons and accuracy is uncontrollable while your cheap carbons end up quite impressive.  It almost defies the laws of physics!!

I do not worry much about guys buying cheap arrows as they learn the fundamentals of shooting.  And as long as you continue to improve there is little reason to change and spend the big dollars on premium arrows.  But once you reach a plateau in your progression it often times is the limitation of your arrow that keeps you from taking accuracy to that next level.  It is then that you will want to step up and investigate what a true premium arrow can give you.  Only then can you fully appreciate the true craftsmanship and technology available in the high end premium arrows of today!

Surprisingly, many of your high end tournament quality arrows are NOT more durable than cheap arrow shafts.  High end fibers while straighter, finer and more uniform are also more pure carbon.  And that mean they are often more brittle.  Take my Carbon Express Maxima shafts.  They are more expensive than the same manufacturers cheaper Pile Driver and Mayhem shafts.  But the Pile Driver and Mayhem will take much more abuse.  They may not have as many shots in them before spine breakdown, but in the field they usually will last longer.  Once you get to that point where you rarely miss...you find durability is much less important than it was when you first learned the craft.

[stuckalot]

Rad, hope significant is spine loss, and over what amount of shots/time? Say an Easton Axis?

[RadSav]

The one difference you will notice, regardless of experience level, is the improvement of a properly fletched and balanced arrow.  That is where a WalMart factory fletched shaft and an equivalent shaft fletched at your local archery shop will show a big difference.  Shaft to Shaft the local Pro-Shop arrow will usually stabilize your broadheads much better than those purchased for a just a few dollars less at Wally World.  Plus you will be supporting your local entrepreneurs at the same time

[RadSav]

Rad, hope significant is spine loss, and over what amount of shots/time? Say an Easton Axis?

The average recreational shooter will probably never get enough shots out of an Axis to see a breakdown in spine.  Most will lose them, break them or move on to a straighter more consistent arrow before spine begins to weaken to a point of changing POI.  While the Axis is one of the worst arrows for straightness, spine consistency and uniformity it is also one of the toughest arrows to break down due to the material and construction.  If you are shooting the Axis I would not worry about that at all!