My brother "loaned" me an old XI Ultra Magnum that a friend of his gave him at the end of bow season. I had it restrung, 31" draw amd 65# pull, and set it up with a whisker bisquit, peep, and a new 4-pin front site. I have been shooting 340 Easton Excel ST carbon arrows with 100 gr field points. Here are some NOOB questions that I would like to offer up: What causes nicks in the fletching? How many times can I shoot these arrows before they are no good? What "hunting" head flies nearest like a field point? With a 31" draw, it is necessary to have the arrow length trimmed down? Yesterday I was practicing on my doubled hay bales with a cardboard target pinned to the front. I started out well hitting the center of the 4" circles from 10, 15, 20, and 25 yrds. Then the bottom fell out. I aim at the bottom circle and the arrow would hit 6" hi in the center of the top circle. I checked my front site to make sure it hadn't moved on me and it was tight. I am thinking it was either fatigue or the fletching on my arrows were carrying it up. What do you guys think? Be gentle...I am a 35 yr old kid again having rediscovered archery.
Nicks in the fletching can be caused by other arrows hitting the fletching when shooting tight groups. How many times? There is no specific number. It is mostly determined by arrow quality. All BH's can impact with field points from a correctly tuned setup. Arrow length should not be determined by draw length. A correctly built arrow can be as short or long as you want it to be, within reason. Of course you don't want one so short that it is dangerous. I prefer them to be "longish" myself. Your rest could have moved to cause that drastic change in impact. That is what I usually check first if that type of change happens.
Check you anchor point, once you get tired the first thing that changes is your anchor! When that happens to me, I set my bow down and try again tomorrow!
What causes nicks in the fletching? It could be from arrows hitting each other in the target, or it could be from them passing through your rest. How many times can I shoot these arrows before they are no good? There is do definite answer. Arrows can last a long time, but you should inspect them regularly to make sure they are still safe to shoot. Ex: check for cracks on each end, in the nock, etc. What "hunting" head flies nearest like a field point? Like Bruce said, almost all broadheads CAN fly like field points from a well tuned bow. Some people have better luck with certain brands. I would suggest just getting a few different kinds and trying them out. You will probably find one that you prefer one over the others. With a 31" draw, it is necessary to have the arrow length trimmed down? Draw length doesn't determine arrow length. They can be trimmed to your liking, as long as they are safe. When I have my bow at full draw, my arrows extend about 1" past the edge of my rest. That is just my preference. Yesterday I was practicing on my doubled hay bales with a cardboard target pinned to the front. I started out well hitting the center of the 4" circles from 10, 15, 20, and 25 yrds. Then the bottom fell out. I aim at the bottom circle and the arrow would hit 6" hi in the center of the top circle. I checked my front site to make sure it hadn't moved on me and it was tight. I am thinking it was either fatigue or the fletching on my arrows were carrying it up. What do you guys think? My guess would be fatigue as well, especially since you just started shooting. I would shoot again tomorrow and the next day. If things are still off, then I would look for a problem. My guess is, you'll be shooting just fine when you pick it back up next time.
OKBowhunter, When I pull back to full draw, the arrow stick out about 3" to 4" past the rest. Will that affect anything?
It will affect certain things, but not necessarily in a bad way. Most people do cut their arrows to cut down on weight and possiblly gain a little speed. It will work either way, just depends on what you want.
For now I am more concerned with putting the arrow's head in the kill zone more than anything. If I want more speed, I'll think I'll upgrade to a newer bow that shoots well over 300FPS. Speaking of...what are everyone's thought on this subject? There are a lot of PSE, Mathews, and Hoyt deelers in my area. My only issue is $$$$. Are the new Bear products made cheaply to match their comparitive prices?
