More carbon shaft questions

[ScottH]

While your testing arrow flight and trying to determine what length you need to cut your shafts. One way you can do it before you glue in your inserts is to use a piece of saran wrap. First you need to screw the point into the insert then place the point in a vise. Hold the saran wrap loosely at the end of the shaft, then push the insert into the plastic wrap and on in to the shaft. this will give you a friction fit and still be able to remove the insert easier than with adhesive on the insert. As long as you shoot into bales, bag target or other loose target you shouldn't lose the point and insert when you pull your arrows.

[Yolla Bolly]

Scott has it on the plastic wrap. I cut a strip about the diameter of the insert, a little more than twice it's length, drape it over the insert, and shove the contraption in the shaft against a bench edge. You can pull it with an insert tool or a field tip. I did loose one field tip in a foam target butt, but otherwise no problem.

[njloco]

That's a good idea, I'll have to try it on then next set of arrows.

Thanks for sharing.

[elmbow]

With all this shaft cutting, and point changing to fine tune the arrows, where and when do the weights come into play? first figure the weight of the shaft with nock, then add the weight of feathers and paint, and that leaves you with a base weight, correct? Then if you fiddle around with points or cutting to fine tune flight, once you have that put to bed, then you need to go back and figure total weight and foc balance? but then does that mess with your flight that you had dialed in before adding weights??? Or, do you add weights to the arrow before you start fine tuning flight? does anyone add weight to the back end of the arrow? What percentage of archers use weights inside the tube vs steel point adapters, brass collars, etc?

[Lost Arra]

elm: How heavy of an arrow do you want from the Heritage 250's?

Like I said, I don't tune by cutting shaft length with carbons. I've got some CE Heritage 250 arrows (my usual 29.5" shaft) with a standard aluminum insert, no cap or cresting. Three fletch, 4" high back shield cut feathers. Total arrow weight is 617gr. I don't have any need for weights inside the shaft with my 53-55 bows. (I tried some shaft weights one time in some 150's and when the arrow hit anything solid including a frozen 3D target, it blew the nock out)

[elmbow]

elm: How heavy of an arrow do you want from the Heritage 250's?

Like I said, I don't tune by cutting shaft length with carbons. I've got some CE Heritage 250 arrows (my usual 29.5" shaft) with a standard aluminum insert, no cap or cresting. Three fletch, 4" high back shield cut feathers. Total arrow weight is 617gr. I don't have any need for weights inside the shaft with my 53-55 bows. (I tried some shaft weights one time in some 150's and when the arrow hit anything solid including a frozen 3D target, it blew the nock out)

It sounds like our arrows will be nearly the same weight, so I'm not going to worry about total weight. I figure anything approaching 600 grains is GTG. I'll just have to play it by ear on the fore aft balance.

thanks.

[Kmassaro]

You're making this too hard. The carbon shafts have a fairly wide weight range, and appear to be very forgiving.

[elmbow]

No argument Kmassaro, OTOH, this is all new territory for me, and both my son and I are making the switch from the wood/alum world to carbon, so this is going to cost us several hundreds at the least, and I don't want to half-azz it once I get the materials here, or find out i need to spen another hundred to get it done right.

My conclusion after all of this discovery, is that you are 100% correct, the carbons are going to be easy to build, and will be very forgiving to shoot. My family diagnosed me with the OCD thing years ago. It's a disorder i can live with

[DanAdair]

Elmbow. I too am a traditional bowhunter and will never give up my recurve.

As far as bareshafting carbons, I'll tell you what works for me. Since you went with the CX250's, I'd epoxy one with the factory aluminum insert, and the other with one of the Muzzy 50 grain brassies. Then heatshrink about 23-25 grains tailweight on the back end to simulate fletching (about 4" of the crap) Now if you do like the rest of us trad guys you start long and soft, and trim them until they come in straight. That's the nice thing about an S nock friction fit in the back end. Just cut it off the back end and put the nock back in.

Most trad guys wind up using 175 to 250 grains in the front of an arrow that SHOULD spine close compared to the equivelent in aluminum or wood.

Also, if you're a cheap ass like me, and don't want to spend 16 bucks/dozen on brass inserts, on Gold Tips and CX shafts (or any that use an S nock) .243 bullets can be epoxied behind the factory inserts to add weight.

[Lost Arra]

From Yolla: >>>> I am experimenting with the Arrow Dynamics Traditional Lites for the lighter bow, using heavier brass inserts and the carbon collars to which Scott refers (from 3-Rivers)---I am getting decent flight with them, but I have not stumped or hunted with them yet. The last time I tried to order some more shafts, I was told the company was unable at that time to obtain the needed materials to make more. Kinda have a bad feeling about that one. I am thinking laminated woodies are sounding better and better.<<<

FYI
I just ordered and received more of the Arrow Dynamics Trad Lites. No problems on availability.