I've chased hogs around in the rain and had my fletch lay down from being dragged through wet leaves, brush, etc.. I'd tap the arrow against my hand to shake off excess water, nock the arrow up and shoot and they still fly like darts. I totally understand where you're coming from, tho' I've never had flight problems even while they're flattened. (but I actually have brought arrows to the range that are missing so much feather that they might as well be bare shaft, those arrows make a lot of noise but still fly true) It may be that my arrows are so heavy and slow that it would take a lot to to get them to be even remotely squirrelly. I just hear that 'you can't shoot feathers in the rain' so much that I have to say something. :D You can. But I won't hold it against you if you choose not to. (besides, feathers are already too expensive... can't have everyone shooting them.... lol)
Well, when you shoot the wet arrow do you think the water just stays in the fletch or comes out due to going from 0 to 250fps in about 1 second? I don't know what feathers you use but mine don't absorb water and they shed it when shot.
Yes I have. I use feathers with Magnus bullheads for turkey hunting. In fact I just made a set last night. I learned real fast not to get them wet. So stick a Magnus on the end of your shaft and let some fly with wet feathers and you will see just what I am talking about as the oversized head will exaggerate the effects of the wet feathers.
If I don't have any effects of wet feathers, what is there to exaggerate? I shot a muzzy phantom on a bareshaft at 20 yards and it hit with my FP's. Wouldn't that qualify as "feathers laying down"?
christine, yes your shooting heavier arrows. mine only in the 365 range. i also did not say that you couldn't shoot feathers in the rain, only said i prefered blazers in rainy conditions. and yes bruce i HAVE shot wet feathers before and yes the feathers do lay down wheh shot through a target however through a target its a heck of a lot easier to just ruffle them back in shape than it is when their wet and laying down
exactly right on the, not so good blood trail bruce. and i absolutely HATE hunting in the rain, but have seen some good bucks start moving right after it quits so guess its worth the wait maybe. also last 6 deer have went down within sight of stand, luckily, so will take the chance instead of sitting at home. lol, look how far we've come off of original thread. i'm done.. to original poster, think you'll be happy with either 2" or 4" vanes
I will approach this a little different. The ultimate goal is to control the number of variables. Regardless if those are equipment, form, or environmental related. Obviously one can't control everything. But one can attempt to limit those variables that lead to those inconsistencies as a lot of little inconsistencies can make a big difference. This is applicable to archery, sling shots, rifles, crossbows, skipping rocks and a million other examples in life. In this instance, eliminating as many variables as one can leads to being more consistent which equates to better accuracy. That’s why I take the extra effort to ensure my feathers are dry when I shoot them. I practice with them dry... Why wouldn't I want them the same at that critical moment? We both have commented that arrows fly well without vanes. So why do we use them? To help correct those same variables mentioned above, right? Why would I want the one thing that helps me correct those variables have its own set of inconsistencies? Seems logical to me. At the same time if its working for you, keeping doing it! What I am doing is working for me so I'll keep doing it as well! See... It's ok to not agree on everything. I promise it is!
Everyone should attempt to keep them dry, we agree there. But the blanket statement that wet feathers don't perform well is not something we will agree on. But that statement changed from "wet feathers don't perform well" to "wet feathers don't perform well after a few shots" to " wet feathers don't perform well with oversized BH's". Kind of hard to agree when the finish line keeps moving :D. If a person didn't know anything about using feathers, and many don't, then they might see the blanket statement "wet feathers don't perform well" and think it is true just like they might see or hear "some people tell me the 2 inch are no.good for fixed blade broadheads" and then get confused about what might be good for their setup.
my post was" i love feathers but use the blazers in rainy weather" don't consider that a blanket statement, every one of my posts have something in them about shooting the same arrow over and over as compared to one shot(hunting conditions). bruce you and i will never agree on this item about feathers as we evidently have different experiences with them under certain conditions. however maybe we can agree to the original post that 2" or 4" VANES would work well either way
While im usually on board with you in just about all your posts I have to disagree on this one. I dont know what 4 inch vanes your comparing to the blazers but the ones I have have at least 1 1/2 times the surface area of the blazers. The slightly higher profile is not enough to make up for the length. Tuned or not 4 inch vanes stabilize an arrow better than 2 inch.
Your picture made me go down and look at my blazers next to the duravanes and, sure enough, the proof is in the picture. I have been thinking they have the same, or even almost the same, surface area but that definitely isn't the case. Another thing the picture shows me is that the blazer is not all that much taller than the duravane. I have been using feathers for years but I need to fool with these vanes more often just to keep myself correct in what I think. Thanks for getting me straight here.
No problem Bruce. I contantly tweak my thoughts on what works best and really try to keep an open mind. Last night I made up some arrows with some blazers, fusions and 4inch vanes to start my testing process all over again. I really want to like the blazers, they just look cool.
That sounds dumb. Look at what all of the TV guys are shooting with Muzzy's and other fixed blades. I've been shooting G5 Montec's for three seasons now and even shot them at targets out to 50 yards WITH 2" vanes. The 2" vanes have a hugh over all advantage over the drifty 4". Have you ever seen what 4-inchers look like after awhile going through a Whisker Biscuit? NOTE: I'm not putting YOU down for your question. But I would argue with anyone on that 2's are not good shooting fixed blades.
Hey guys I am not a bow hunter and in fact I am currently buying my first bow ever at 49 years old(Mission Switch). What I'd like to know is there truly a difference between the 4 inch and the 2 inch barring branches, wetness, obstacles and so forth?
Weight, steering, noise. There is a balance front to back where a certain amount of weight needs to be front of center...more vane (or nock weight, like from lighted nocks) or weight up front (in/out serts, point weight) alter that balance...FOC debate starts here... More surface area does create drag, but also helps with flight stability, so long as there is enough FOC weight. More surface and drag can lead to more noise. Btw - 2 and 4 inch vanes/fletch are not the only choices...there are many different configs.
Also this is a thread from 2012 so please don't expect any of the other members to speak up as many are no longer on here. Along with which vane you decide on, please consider vane placement. In some cases the vane will need to bed moved towards and or away from nock to adjust for flight issues.
