Helical or straight vanes??
 

I was wondering if someone could tell me the difference between shooting a straight or helical fletched arrow. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each? What is the difference between a right and left helical? And I guess while I am on the subject, what are ya'lls thoughts on feathers vs. vanes?

RE: Helical or straight vanes??
 

I've always liked feathers. Lighter and more forgiving... and they stabilize the arrow better. I've always used a right 5-8 deg offset w/ a straight clamp. Straight fletching was very popular w/ the TM hunter style rests due to fletching contact. But a offset will be more accurate. You want some spin in the arrow. It's pretty hard to get a full helical on a small carbon arrow... and too much helical causes excessive drag.

RE: Helical or straight vanes??
 

It is all a matter of preference. I like to shoot an offset over a helical. The helical does create more drag and also does not allow for proper vein clearance on most rests. As for feathers over plastic you'll have to look at your application. Feathers will generate more speed when first released for the fact that they are lighter but also because the feathers will lay down under the initial release. As the arrow gets down range the feathers will begin to open up and cause greater drag on the arrow and give up energy faster. If you are using them for hunting in dry areas then yes, I myself would use feathers over plastic. I switched back to just plastic because I shoot alot of 3-d and prefer to have greater down range energy so my bow is flatter on the longer shots. I also do alot of high county elk hunting along with late season deer hunts so the plastic is my chice because the weather is usually wet. Feathers do have better steering properties. I guesse that is why birds are not made of plastic. Good luck in your search........

RE: Helical or straight vanes??
 

For fixed blade b/h, you really need offset, or better yet, helical. I flech my own and was using a GKF 3D Rover rest with the prongs, I never had a clearance issue with 4" vanes. It was not as severe as some traditional arrows and feathers I have seen, but it was plenty to spin, and thus stabilize, the arrow with a b/h attached. I used to shoot Muzzy 3 blades, now shoot Magnus Stingers, both heads fly great out of a tuned bow. You will need the spin that helical or offset gives you for good b/h accuracy.

Now for target archery, whole different ballgame. Small straight fletches, even as small as 1.5" and you are good to go. Lighter means faster, which means more forgiveness for yardage misjudgements.

I prefer a little heavier for hunting, and I shoot 3D with the exact same setup as I hunt with. Kind of like off-season, you play how you practice. By the time elk season comes, I am very comfortable with distances and performance of my equipment.

Play around, fletch your own, see what works best for you. That is one of the greatest things about archery, endless tinkering. :D

JMAC

RE: Helical or straight vanes??
 

It is very difficult to put put a helical with a vane. It can be done, but you have to wait for the glue to completely dry before removing it from the jig. I have found it much easier to use offsets with a vane. Now that I am back to shooting feathers exclusively now though, I am only using helical.

RE: Helical or straight vanes??
 

I have never had a problem with my Bitz Dial O Fletch and AAE vanes, using the AAE Fastset gel on carbons. I let them sit about 5 minutes per flech, usually while watching a TV show. The helical from the jig stays pretty well. Like I said, not near what I have seen with 5" feathers and traditional equipment, but seems to be more than enough to spin the arrow.

JMAC

RE: Helical or straight vanes??
 

I prefer a helical whenever possible, espcially when shooting fixed blade heads.

I've not had any problems getting a full helical on carbons, but rest clerance can be an issue. But with a good drop-away I go full blast.

Also, I generally only need to let my vanes (AAE/Duravanes) sit for about 10 seconds before I pull the clamp (using Beyond Bond instant). On vanes like flex-fletch or marco, I use a slower set-time glue and usually let them dry as long as feathers (10-12 minutes per fletch).

RE: Helical or straight vanes??
 

what if u have a whisker buiscuit would go with feathers or vanes and helical or offset

RE: Helical or straight vanes??
 

you may find this discussion interesting.
http://167.206.135.118/cgi-bin/ultim...c&f=2&t=006959
I have tested both left and right helical fletched arrows aginst strait fletched arrows if you want more drag I recomend longer fletching over Helical fletching.