I and shooting a Matthews Switchback XT. My father in law passed away and it was handed down to me. I took it to the bow shop and had it set up for me and I am thrilled with it. I have used it all season and I am very pleased with it. It is set to 70 pounds and my draw is about 29 inches. Arrows.....I bought a 6 pack of cheap carbon Easton's and they are ok. I also received all my father in laws old stuff. I really like the Carbon Express arrows. He had some older aluminum arrows and I hate them. Lost two of my better arrows in bucks, one is gone, another is snapped in half. Braodheads....a had a bunch of cheap team realtree broadheads (hated them), also have some NIP Spitfires and some are great, others are bad. I would love to upgrade the arrows and broadheads. I bowhunt from Oct-Jan in Central, IL, so I go hunt from warm to super cold. I hunt from a climber mostly, but do have a few hang-ons. I mainly hunt in deeper woods, but also hunt a few tree lines and field edges. What type of arrow should I go for and what broadheads to match them up with? I usually shoot 100 grain heads.
was looking at the Cabelas and Scheels brand arrows....thoughts? Also....do you cut your own or used them at a set length? If so what length? 29 inch draw for me?
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Hunt...SBC;+LNcat103986180;cat104192280;cat103856580 or http://www.scheelssports.com/webapp...logId=10101&productId=138533&categoryId=70175 or am I being way to cheap? Again? I know a cheap broadhead has cost me one nice buck this year!
Start with a shaft and move on from there. Make sure you get the correct spine, then try a couple different style vanes. Blazers are very popular,( but there are Fusions, feathers, duravane etc) but there are a bunch of different styles out there. Try them out if your pro shop will help you . As far as broadheads, first zero in on mechanical or fixed blade. Again this is a personal preference. Lots of stuff for you to be working on, not least of which is tuning your bow. You have many, MANY days of fun ahead of you. Good Luck!
ok, what shafts would you or anyone else recommend? What is the the correct spine? So...is buying pre-made arrows with vanes on them a bad idea? I have both fixed and mechanical...not sure what I like best...what do others think?
In my 30 years of hunting and 22 years of serious bowhunting... I personally have not found a better set up than what I am using this year. Easten Full Metal Jacket Shafts/blazer veins, tipped with 125 grain Shuttle T lock Broadheads. The combo of my Destroyer 350 and this arrow set up has been devistating on the 4 dead critters thus far, 2 Bull Elk, Black bear and a Whitetail buck... I have 2 of the 4 arrows back in my quiver ready for use again! They are on the pricier side ...but you usually get what you pay for. I am big fan of carbon/aluminum composited arrow shafts, very reslient and super straight.. The Shuttle T lock heads fly amazing and flat out are built for big hvy critters. Dan Evans whom designed them is one of the worlds top archery elk hunters. On whitetails they are wicked.
I shoot a 70 lb 30" draw and use carbon express predator II shafts custom made at huntersfriend.com. 29.5" with 4" offset duravanes. Love these shafts and get plenty of punch at around 9 grains per inch. A dozen of these haven't cost me more than $80 if I remember right. I typically stick to fixed broadheads as there is ZERO chance for failure. I have used both G5 Montec CS's and NAP thunderheads. Both have performed well and dropped my deer within 50 yards. Any broadhead will do the job as long as you put it where it needs to go. Montecs were $40 for 3 and thunderheads were $40 for 6. The place to start is finding the correct spine for your draw weight and length then go from there. I am kinda new to arrows so just ask and you will be blessed with a wealth of knowledge from others on here.
If you would like I can post a link to their arrow sizing guide and you can decide the variables and build from there.
Here is a link to that spine chart I mentioned: http://www.huntersfriend.com/carbon_arrows/hunting_arrows_spine_chart_by_deflection.htm Here is a link to a simulator for arrow building (gives finished weight and FOC): http://www.huntersfriend.com/carbon_arrows/hunting_arrows_selection_guide_chapter_4.htm#simulator And if you want to read up on the ins and outs of arrows here is a link for that as well (don't mean to insult your intelligence but some of it is pretty basic): http://www.huntersfriend.com/carbon_arrows/hunting_arrows_selection_guide_chapter_1.htm
Thanks so much for all the help. Last night I headed into the Springfield Scheels Store and saw tons. Wow....been in there 20 times....but none since bow season started. Arrows....saw everything from Scheels Outfitters carbon arrows that were 340's and ready to go...just add a broadhead and go for $29.99 for 6. I also saw a sleave of 6 shafts for $149? Broadheads, well that took me 30 minutes just to look throught them....I do like the Schuttle T-Locks. I also took some time to look through the pile of arrows I do have....and I have some good ones. Then throught the broadheads. Seems I have a bunch of NAP Spitfires, in two different styles and in about 5 different conditions from great to unuseable.
OK, the chart said I should be a 5; or Use arrows with actual spine deflection of: .330-370" now what?
I use Carbon Express Maxima Blue Streak 250s with Thunderhead Broadheads with Blazer vanes. KILLER SET UP!
the .330-.370 means that you want an arrow with a spine deflection between those 2 values. If you go to the site of whatever kind of arrow you want to buy and look up the spine deflection just make sure it is somewhere in that range. From there you can choose the type of fletching you want (blazers, duravanes, feathers). Each one is described HERE. This should help you figure out exactly what you want to put on the back. I use the duravanes with an offest because I have a drop away style rest and i like the idea of the arrow spinning like a bullet. Not exactly sure if it actually helps or not but its just a mental crutch. From there its on to the choice of broadhead and on this site i have noticed its about as much of a personal opinion as the company of bow you tend to like. Find a design you like and give it a shot. Like previously mention I shoot fixed. One minor disadvantage to them is you have to fine tune your bow as a lot of fixed blades don't fly exactly like field points. Mechanicals are easier to tune your setup with and most shoot like field tips. Both will get the job done with a well placed arrow.
Thanks...honeslty....I have just been using the arrows that were in the case with the bow when I got it from the father-in-law. I have some nice spitfire mechanicals I will used for now. But I am liking the Shuttle T-Locks broadheads. We will see how Saturday's sunrise goes? Thanks again to all who have been helping and teaching me!
I cant believe no one has mentioned the new Deep 6 broadhead and arrow system that is coming out in January. It was developed in conjunction by Easton and NAP. the shafts are to be called the "injection." there will be an all carbon and an A/C/ composite offering. NAP has redesigned the spitfire maxx, blood runner 2 blade, and thunderhead to be used with the shafts. Penetration is supposed to be ridiculous due to the fact that the shafts are 33% thinner in diameter than the Easton Axxis, but retain the same grains per inch weight ratings. There's a pretty good Petersen's bowhunting podcast from last month called "arrow evolution" that gives a lot more information and some field testing results. Hope this helps.
