Aluminum Arrows

[Deleted]

While I'm not into trad shooting (I do have a bow, but no time or interest it seems)..... I hate aluminum arrows.O.K. Maybe hate is a bit strong.They still make those?
I don't like them for a couple reasons, #1 being they bend way too easily.I really don't like that.Carbon is either straight or it's broken.Somehow I dig that.No,I don't buy into that you can straighten them either.
When I was in seventh grade a friend of mine shot a 'Straigtened' shaft out of his 45 pound compound, upon release the arrow promptly snapped lodging a 12 inch piece into his wrist.Many screams and lots of stitches later he was mostly allright but..ouch!
I actually do flex my carbons every time just because of this, to date they are either in two pieces or they are good.
#2 Alum are too fat for my taste, could be just me but smaller penetrates better IMO.
#3 When we get to actually hunting, it's is my opinion that cost be damned, I want a straight,small diameter arrow,every time(carbon)Now some guys shoot alot more critters in a year than I do, however I've only broken two carbon arrows on animals through the years, a small price to pay for the added performance I gain over aluminum IMO.The critters are worth it,as in better shot placement due to flatter trajectory and better penetration, again IMO.
YMMV,
Ster

[BT]

All good points Wapiti. I actually have straightened many aluminum's over the years and never had an incident of breakage but then again, I guess I know what to look for. Some just shouldn't be straightened.
As bow weight increases, at some point you do need to increase the diameter of the shaft but I have not had to exceed 20 yet, so it's not a real big issue to me. I am a fan of small diameter shafts too and would much rather shoot those but the real small diameter that I like are something like $150. a dozen. Too rich for my blood unless I need it for some crazy big game animal.

For me, aluminum is cheaper and that's why I use it with my trad bows. A little care and attention is all that is required IMO. With that said... I have been back and forth for years and will probably be back to carbons soon enough

[Konrad]

I started with cedar shafts (yes, we had electricity then), went to alloy shafts, then to carbon composites and have returned to alloy shafts. I shoot Easton exclusively for a number of reasons:

1. There is no spline to deal with (the material overlap that produces a stiff side of the shaft).
2. Because there is no spline, the wall concentricity is virtually perfect. This trait produces VERY consistent results from shaft to shaft and batch to batch with a shaft much more easily tuned at the outset. One often hears about “forgiveness” of various bows but I believe foregivness begins with the arrow. I have always questioned why someone would spend top dollar for arrows that had to be specifically positioned to produce the best groups. It has always seemed to me that was more akin to doing a work-around rather than starting at a known good beginning. Wall consistency also directly affects how easily and/or quickly a shaft can be rotationally balanced. The faster balance is achieved the more energy is transferred to the propulsion of the arrow and the higher the likelihood of consistent groups.
3. Easton’s Uni-bushing and Super Uni-bushings provide critical nock end shaft protection from impact. Unless it is a “perfect” hit dead center, the incoming arrow will be deflected to one side. Yes, you will have to change the nock and/or the bushing but that is much cheaper than tossing the shaft.
4. I prefer a heavier weight arrow for all applications. You will note that in the beginning of the carbon shaft craze, all of the hoopla was about light and fast. Now the trend is toward heavier and heavier carbon shafts. Why do all the top archers use heavy for diameter shafts then? I’ll tell you why, better wind bucking and more retained energy at range.
5. The cost of alloy shafts is very competitive when compared with any carbon composite shaft of equal dimensional specs (i.e. straightness)

If you are contemplating aluminum alloy shafting, do not choose the lightest available shaft because they all have relatively thin, fragile wall sections. I have found the primary cause of arrow damage is from other arrows creasing the shaft walls. A fractured wall can and will produce “exploding arrows” just like fractured carbon shafts. It is easy to find fractures in both shaft materials by running a gloved hand or towel over the entire shaft after removing it from the target. If a shaft has a fracture, it will snag on the glove or feel rough when slid between the fingers. DO NOT USE SUSPECT SHAFTS!

I often see commentary regarding concerns about the alloy shaft’s propensity for “bending”. The only time I have ever bent a shaft was by grazing a tree, rock or bouncing one off of the ground at an oblique angle. I have managed to shoot some rocks and cinder blocks straight on and only have the tip damaged whereas experience has shown that shooting a carbon arrow under the same conditions produce a splintered shaft with the insert driven into the arrow.
The other Old Wives Tale I see is “A carbon arrow is either straight or broken.”
Don’t you believe it!
I found out about carbon composite fracturing the hard way when I investigated arrows I was shooting under a magnifying lens after feeling the snagging mentioned earlier.

Whatever route you choose, do not go for the lightest arrow possible. The bow makes more noise and it vibrates more. All of that energy transferred to the riser, limbs, cables and pulleys instead of being absorbed by the arrow can and usually does stress components rapidly…not to mention your hand and wrist. Make sure to get correctly spined shafts for your draw weight, cam configuration, release type, point weight and shaft length at the outset. Spine refers to the shaft’s resistance to bending or flexing under load and should not to be confused with splined as referenced earlier. Your archery professional can help with this or there is a chart on-line and in the back of the Easton catalog to properly select the spine for your shafts.

I shoot a 29.25 inch, XX-78 Easton Super Slam, X-7 Eclipse or XX-75 Platinum Plus (now discontinued size), 2413 shaft with a 100 grain point, RPS insert, and Easton Super nock with three, 2 inch Blazer vanes that has a completed arrow weight of 495 grains. I also use the G-5 arrow squaring device before assembly.

They may not be as flat shooting at 50 yards but when they get there, they hit hard.
I needed a range finder anyway.

Remember to have fun and be safe.
K

[BT]

An excellent post Konrad!. I agree with you on the aluminum construction being superior and have felt this way since forever with few exceptions being made for a very few carbon content shafts. I am not a follower of the heavy shaft crowd when speaking to modern bows but then again I am a close distance shooter and not a western bowhunter where heavier arrows do play a big role in successful penetration at ranges at/or exceeding 50 yards.

I prefer the heavier aluminum shafts for traditional bows and have gotten away from the lighter walled shafts, choosing to use shafts that have a 16 or greater wall thickness for the reasons you mentioned. The travel of the limbs on the traditional bow translate much more energy to these shafts than do my modern bows and I need that energy with my shorter drawn length.

Just a real good read Konrad... Thank you for that post.

[vixenmaster]

I shoot a crossbow & i do use alum.s but not all the time. I use 2114 with brass front insert & have FOC out the wazooo. 2216 is also a size i use & i either add a BH of 100gr or more or i slug it with 5/16" steel round stock glued in behind an alum. front insert