Stickbow Target Archery Forums

Shooting barebow at varying distances, I find that I make aiming adjustments based on where my earlier arrows hit. Skinny arrows may fly flat and far, but they are really hard to see at long distance, even when they have light-colored wraps. So I can't adjust, and on occasion have walked up to a target to find all my arrows in a nice tight group, but high up on the butt, totally off the scoring surface.

So my latest thought is I want a light FAT arrow. Maybe something like a 2012.
I've never shot anything with a wall that thin, though, and don't know if they would LAST all year.

Any recommendations on fat arrows that fly great, indoors and out?

ArcC -n
Bow weight / draw lenght?n
I shoot a lot of bows (no, not at the same time), and so try to keep from experimenting with (and inventorying) too many different arrows.

Excluding old glass sharfts, I use:
1816n 1916n 2016n 2117 (2114's are as thin as I go)n 2219
That carries me from #35 to #100.

If you can't see an 1816, you're probably not going to have better luck with a 20/64" shaft, as the delta is only 1/32".

Viper out.

Viper, good thing you try to keep things under control:')
I have trouble with a McKinney.

1914s are better, but even these, when you get out around 60 yards and it is deep shade, can be tough to seen
The more I think about it, the more I wonder about 2213s.
With a draw length around 29, I probably have a little over 40 lbs on my fingers. I just started shooting modern equipment with those magical plunger buttons that allow you to shoot a range of spines. Not sure how much range that gives me -- but I bet it would cover a 30.5-inch 2213.

ArcCaster

Pressure buttons do not give you as great a flexibility in arrow choice as you imply. If you want to shoot shafts that are too stiff for your set-up and are fixed in bow weight you can achieve a lower dybanmic spine by increasing point weight, using a longer shaft or peerhaps better, use the less well know method of increasing your brace height.

Bill,n
Thanks for all the variables. If I choose carefully, I can make life as a barebow archer easier:')

Trying to watch the arrow has resulted in poor follow through. I have a tendency to move the bow out of the way so I can watch the arrow. Pretty soon my body develops the habit of moving the bow out of the way before the shot is off. I like the idea of binocs to check the arrow if I cannot see it.

I gave up on aluminums for outdoor use. Especially when shooting 3d with my buddies, we attempt some tough shots and miss a few. I was straightening my 2114's after every day in the field. Sportsters break like glass so I am shooting carbon express. The 18/64" diameter is not good for field. The trajectory at 60-80 yards is really bad compared with the 13/64" sportsters. I am thinking of going to Redlines or the new, less expensive Beman Energy. I tried some discards one of my friend's was shooting and it appears that the Redlines are very stiff. They appear to be fairly durable.

Redlines are available in a wide range of spines. I'm sure you can find one to suit your bow.

Yes, redlines have a lot of spine choices, but not choices on arrow length. I am shooting a 43# bow with a draw of just short of 31". Easton has decided that you cannot get a long arrow with a weak spine. The weaker spines have a maximum shaft length of 29".
A 31" 2114 with a 75 grain point bareshafts perfectly with my bow. I tried a 600 redline with a 100 grain point. The shaft was full length, 31", and shot considerably too stiff. I will probably need the 690 with about 100 grains and a full length of 30.5". If I needed an even weaker shaft, they are too short.

Everyone's got their preference, which does seem to change from time to time, and these are mine, FWIW ...

For roving and all-around fun shooting I prefer woodies - POC or chundoo - 5/16" for the light Viper longbow (37#) and 5/16" or 11/32" for the more-than-light longbows: Viper (43#) and 21st Saturn (45#) ... 4" feather fletch (chopped shield) and 70 grain pile points (5/16" shafts) or 125 grain FP's on the bigger shafts. IMO, a good woodie that's got a nice polyU wipe or dip is pretty durable on all but most direct rock hits. And you can't beat the aesthetic value when launched by a nice longbow. POC's smell real nice when they bust, and then you've got some nice aromatics for your clothes draws at home.
At the bales (to 35 yards) I'm shooting either 1816 XX75's (cheap Easton Jazz) or Carbon Tech 196. Standard pile or bullet points (65 to 100 grains) and 4" or 3" feathers on the alums and 3" feathers or mylar vanes for the carbons. If I can contact at least somewhere on the bale, which thankfully I usually do, the Jazz alums will last a goodly while. Yep, the woodies are fine here, too.
At the field course (to 80 yards), it's almost dumb for me to shoot anything but the fastest and most flat shooting arrows - CT196 w/mylars. Though lately I've been shooting those 1816's with some good success (knock on wood-ie

Rob,n
Thanks -- I'll add your perspective to my list of qualities for the perfect arrow:
"must smell great when it breaks"n

re: binoculars -- they are not allowed in my category -- so, unless I shoot with compound archers who are kind enough to tell me where my arrows land, I am limited to what I can see with the naked eye -- which isn't what it used to be:)n
So I wonder about about the 'Hippo' -- made by the same company that makes the Sportsters. Is it just a fat arrow for 3D compounds, or will it fly well at longer distances off a recurve?

I have tried enough different arrows to be convinced that fat arrows, even light, fat arrows do not do well at longer distances. My carbon express arrows are 18/64 and weigh about the same as the sportsters. I don't notice a lot of difference in trajectory under 35 yards. At 40 yards the difference is noticeable. By 60-70 yards the carbon express arrows drop very quickly. A cross wind is also a big problem with the fatter shafts.

I believe that if you look into the air resistance of a flying arrow you will find that it is directly related to shaft diameter, The more the diameter, the more the resistance. I believe that wind drift is a function of "sail area" or the profile area of a shaft. this means that the larger the diameter for a given length, the more shaft area that is exposed to the wind.

Both of these factors played a part in Easton's development of the X-10 arrow shaft.

Bill is right on the money, IMO - for distance, the arrows need to be as skinny as possible with the smallest fletch you can handle ... read that: the smallest diameter carbon shaft (that meets your required stiffness) and mylar vanes. YMMV.