Feathers on carbon arrows

[Nencop]

I have been playing around with different fletchings, I have been trying everything that I can get my hands on. The "Quickspins" and plain old feathers seem to be working the best all around. I noticed though that you almost never see actual feathers on carbon arrows, does anyone know if there is a reason for this and am I setting myself up for failure by using feathers on carbons? It seems like this site has got some very intelligent archers and I figured if I could get an answer it would be from here.
Jim Mathes

[stilllearning]

A buddy of mine tried some carbons that the owner had them fletched with feathers and they flew very well. When the fletches got a little messed up he would steam them and bring them right back. He never shot them through a whisker biscuit so I don't know how they would react threw one of those rests.
He shot those for some time and never had a problem other than the rock he hit but that had nothing to do with fletches.

[stilllearning]

Oh and as far as this site............... Best site on the net for an archer........ Trad or Modern I would have to say.

[michihunter]

I think the reason you don't see feathers on carbons as much as aluminums is due to the fact that feathers seem to be associated more with Traditional type archery where a heavier arrow is preferred. But there is no reason feathers can't be used with carbons. In fact, our illustrious leader (Bowtech) is one that will promote that setup every time.

[SPIKER]

Nencop, are you using the 3", or 4" Quickspins? Do find that they are carrying Broadheads as well as your FPs?

Have you tried the Blazers as well? Right now I am doing the same thing..trying every fletch out there..so far nothing has carried a BH as well as 5" full helical Duravanes (but try shooting them with a 6" brace.. ), and next has been the Blazers. I've been trying the 3" Quickspins and don't see that they carry the BHs better than the Blazers. If anything, I get more flyers with them.

Feathers are next on my list as well as the 3" Duravanes..keep up the experimenting, it's a lot of fun as far as I'm concerned.

[Nencop]

I am using the 3" quickspins and I have found that they actually fly better with the BH than the FP, not a clue why. I am using Muzzy 125 grain three blades. The feathers in a right helical have given me the best resulst by far, they are flying substantially faster and straighter than the quickspins or the 4" Duravanes. Alot of that could just be that they are what my bow and setup likes. I havn't tried the blazers yet, are they worth a try? I am amazed at the feathers performance. I have an archery antelope tag that starts 7-27-07, I'll see how they do in real world conditions.

[SPIKER]

I'm still trying to find a better performer than the Blazer, other than the 5" Duravanes. Why, because the 5" vanes don't suit my brace, and they are heavy, I do a lot of long range shooting, and the drop past 40 is very noticable.

The Blazers have a VERY high profile, and you might find that you are getting some contact issues with your riser, or cable. If not, they are hard to beat.

What size feathers are you using?

[elk4me]

I am gona try out hte Gatway 2" Rayzr feather once Royden gets them in the shop on my hunting bow this yr. I am gona try these since my rest is very close to the inside shelf and I dont want any fletch problems later after flight tunning with Bh's. I will let you guys know how they do.



Gateway 2" Rayzr Feathers Right Wing
Item Number: ARB2GTR5
Price: $11.95 Keystone Country Store


The Gateway 2" Rayzr feathers feature whisper quiet technology that is cut from a specific location within the full feather and the shape is double checked by hand to ensure each feather conforms to stringent shape requirements. The 2" Rayzr has a 1/2" profile height and weighs 1.7 grains per each feather.

[snoodslapper]

I only use feathers nowadays and I only shoot carbons. If fact, I just set up my longbow today with Carbon Express Heritage arrows (carbon of course) with 5 inch shield cut feathers. They come in at about 600 grains and fly just great. I use Super Carbon Supremes with my wheel bow with 4 inch parabolics at about 415 grains or so, and a drop away - they fly great too.

I just can't find anything that works as well as feathers; for me at least. I've used Blazers, and they worked very well, but they are just too unforgiving for my taste if they touch a twig or a leaf.

Actually, believe it or not, Blazers are only about 1 millimeter higher than a typical 4 or 5 inch feather, and actually about a millimeter and a half lower in profile than a typical 5 and a half inch feather. So to me, the real issue with clearance is that the Blazer is very stiff and won't fold down like a feather when it hits something. Their stiffness and texturing are what give them Blazers ability for control. One thing most Blazer/Vane shooters like over feathers is their ability to perform while wet when compared to feathers, but there are ways around that which I am willing to take in order to keep shooting feathers for their attributes.

As far as shooting through a WB with feathers, you bet it will work. However, you will be wearing out the feathers faster than a drop away or prong rest. How much faster, I don't really know, but it just stands to reason.

Jim, if there is one thing I've learned the hard way about archery, it's that I find I get a lot more enjoyment out of doing it the way I want and to try/do the things I want to, instead of going along with the pack or worrying about what "they" (whoever "they" is) say is the normal or the "correct" way to do it. As long as it is safe, I say give it a whirl and have a good time!! Then you come back on here and tell us what you've found that works and then the rest of us try it or tweek it so that maybe it works better for us! Keep trying all those different combos is what I say.

My trads on the left, and modern on the right. I even tried feather fletching tape (yes, tape) with the trads this time and found that I really like it. It worked great:

[SPIKER]

Snood, what size are the feathers on the right, and are they full helical?