Tried a carbon arrow for the first time...

ButchA · 10-23-2003, 07:23 AM

Hey there. I' ve heard there are hundreds of topics regarding carbon arrows and aluminum arrows and the differences.

....Well, to begin, here' s my gear:

Bow: old " Ebay special" PSE Edge 1000 dual cam, lefty bow, 65#, 30" draw.
Rest: TM Hunter lefty version
Sights: Tru-Glo 3 pin sights (flipped/reversed for lefty).
Peep: common donut style peep
Release: basic 3 finger " crackshot" roller-bearing release
Arrows: Easton XX75 #2315 arrows 31" length w/ 125gr field tips
Broadheads: 125gr Thunderheads

I' ve only been shooting a bow for 2 years. I have a simple, common setup. Heck anyone could get my stuff at like Wal-Mart or somewhere,.

Anyway, long story short.... Yesterday I got a wild hair and decided to buy a single 31" carbon arrow, made by Wolverine (Hey what do I know? It was only like $3.00 bucks or something at Wal-Mart! [&:] ). Now as you can see my old PSE Edge 1000 bow has never even seen a carbon arrow before. It was setup by the bow shop to shoot #2315 aluminum arrows with 125gr tips. I wanted to try a carbon arrow to see what it would do....

I have one of those big field tip practice bags (5 bullseyes that resemble a " 5" on a pair of dice). I always do this " game" of calling a shot and placing the #2315 arrows into the bullseye of whichever one I call (top left, bottom right, center, top right, etc....). It' s a neat practice ritual that I do. I start at 20 yards, then move back to 30 yards, then move into 25 yards, and repeat. Hey, it' s fun and it helps me shoot better...

Anyway, while I was doing this and having fun shooting bullseyes, I grabbed the carbon arrow, and even though I didn' t have a carbon arrow field tip, I just screwed in the 125gr field tip from one of my #2315' s. I aimed at the center bullseye from 20 yards away. Guess what.... Instead of slamming directly into the center of the bullseye, it shot about 3" low. I sat there thinking, " What?!?" , then retrieved the carbon arrow, and repeated the shot on the top right bullseye. Again, it shot about 3" low.

.....Interesting test of a carbon arrow for the first time. What should I do differently? Try a 100gr field tip meant for carbon arrows? Then again, like I said, the carbon arrow was a " Wal-Mart special" that was only like $3.00 bucks or something, so it' s no big deal.

Thanks for the suggestions. My setup with #2315 XX75' s and that little " crackshot" release is great. I like the setup and am comfortable with it. I just want to see what all the hubbub is about with carbon arrows.

Butch

Howler · 10-23-2003, 07:34 AM

I' ll throw out a guess, the carbon arrow probably doesn' t have the correct spline for your set-up. Plus, was it a different length that your aluminums? It probably also sat lower in your TM rest also. Probably a few other factors involved that I forgot, but your results don' t surprise me.

Arthur P · 10-23-2003, 08:27 AM

I' d be more likely to agree with Howler' s second guess. The smaller diameter arrow is sitting lower on the rest, not square to the string, and that' s why it shot low.

I don' t know about that particular arrow, but you do need to be aware that not all carbon arrows are all-carbon. Some are carbon composites, like the old Graphlex arrows. Mostly fiberglass and just a little carbon fiber. Not that that' s a ' bad' thing, by any stretch. The composite arrows are heavier than carbons. The ones I' ve got weight almost exactly as much as my 2315' s. But they shoot a heckuvalot better than any all-carbon arrow I' ve tried.

tpbhunter · 10-23-2003, 08:49 AM

Well I had that same problem when I first started bow hunting. I used aluminum for a while until I got tired of having to buy new arrows everytime I shot a deer. A few years ago I switched to carbons and since then have used everything from Gold Tip to Bemans. There is a significant difference in aluminum and carbon arrows. Not only are carbons lighter than aluminum and fly much faster they require you to just about resight your bow. I have found that carbons are a better arrow (personal opinion of course) because they are faster and more durable than aluminums. Really, it doesnt matter what arrow you shoot, which bow you use, the type of rest, etc. if you are not comfortable with the bow, you will not shoot well. If you have developed a comfort with your bow and feel like it will do the job, don' t switch. The more simple the setup the better. As for the arrows, like I said they are a faster and more durable arrow in most cases and they are really developed to be so. The field tip weight may have played a role but it is likely that you were just not used to shooting carbons and neither was the bow. Some bows are more acceptant of carbon arrows than others are.

ButchA · 10-23-2003, 08:50 AM

Thanks guys....

That' s gotta be it. The TM Hunter rest' s " prongs" and alignment factor were already set by the bow shop for #2315' s. I' ll have to look at that Wal-Mart cheap carbon arrow when I get home. I think it is just a tad smaller in diameter than the #2315' s so you both are right. It is sitting lower in the TM Hunter rest. I' ll just slap my forehead and go, " DUH!" okay?

Arthur P, What is the make/model of arrows do you shoot that are similar to the #2315? What I have now is functional and I am confident with it. Granted, my stuff probably dates back to 1996 (I think that' s when the PSE Edge series were made), but I like it and can stick bullseyes at 30 yards with it.

Thanks again.

Butch

Arthur P · 10-23-2003, 09:33 AM

Butch, JeffB sent me some Carbon Express Terminator Selects, 4 Hunters and 1 standard, so I could give ' em a workout. And, brother, have I been putting them through it over the past month. I' ve bounced the things off trees, shot through bag targets, through brush, bamboo and weeds. Just about every kind of abuse I can think of to put them through, I' ve done it. Except for blasting them into steel plate.

My feathers are getting kinda ratty, but they' ll still shoot broadheads as well as my 2315' s will.

The Hunters have a camo coating that adds a little over 1 grain per inch, and they are very close to weighing exactly the same as a 2315.

If they have a drawback, it' s that the arrow makes a whistling sound as the arrow is drawn on the rest. Jeff tells me the new models have a different finish on them that solved that problem though.

Bear in mind that these are the Selects, not the plain jane Terminators.

ButchA · 10-23-2003, 09:48 AM

Wow.... Carbon Express Terminators? They sound like an indestructible arrow!

In my set, I have one almost trashed #2315 where I' ve crazy-glued part of the fletchings back on a few times. I use it if I don' t care about the exact bullseye shot placement, and only use it for experimentation out to 35-40 yards (where I don' t care if I hit the ground with it).

I' ll do some research on carbon arrows vs aluminum arrows. Thanks again!

Butch

Rangeball · 10-23-2003, 10:37 AM

Jeff, if you want to see how the CE Terminator Hunters fly, visit Walmart again. Ours here sells them, although they are NOT the select version Art is talking about. However, they should give you an idea how they might perform out of your bow, for only the cost of 1 arrow.

Krotalus · 10-23-2003, 11:27 AM

I bought the CE terminators from Wal-Mart too, they are over a dollar cheaper than Cabela' s per arrow.

Rangeball, Arthur or anyone else, do you guys know if the Cabela' s Outfitter Series arrows with the Buff Tuff finish are actually CE Terminator Hunters with a Cabelas label on them? They seem very similar.

JeffB · 10-23-2003, 06:27 PM

Quote:

ORIGINAL: Arthur P :If they have a drawback, it' s that the arrow makes a whistling sound as the arrow is drawn on the rest. Jeff tells me the new models have a different finish on them that solved that problem though.

Yeppers..still not the quietest shaft across a rest but a huge improvement for the new shafts (And the new camo looks much nicer, if such things are important to the prospective buyer)

And yes, those Cabelas camo arrows are one and the same this year.