Fletching

[CrazyArrow]

Right helical, Left helical, Straight, Feathers, and Vanes. I have heard a left helical will loosen broadheads and field points. What is best? I am not a speed freak. I do like Feathers. Why don't any of the pro shops around me have a jig for a right helical? Everyone I have talked to says that they only use a Left Helical. What should I do? Should I change my preference?

[JoshKeller]

Buy your own jig (even the best jigs are less expensive than the cheapest dozen of carbon arrows), and experiment with which configuration you like best. You can get the clamps usually for aorund $10 or so. I personally prefer vanes, due to the cost, and they are waterproof right from the package.

[Bigpapascout]

evidently you have a lot of traditonbal archers running pro shops in your area.
right handed recurve shooters use Left wing feathers because they will spin away from the bow shelf lefyt shooters use Right wing for the same reason.
If you are shooting a compound whichever hand you use to shoot I recomend using Right wing feathers and a fallaway rest .

[Orions_Bow]

I use right no matter what, even with traditional bows the direction isn't important. What is important is that they are all the same! guys used to sya put left on tradtional to help the arrow get away form the bow shelf. Watch slow motion movies of a traditinal bow shooting helical, you will see the arrows can not generate enough rotation to stabilize the arrow let alone pull it away form the riser in that short distance! Helical stabilizes the arrow by roating it like a football or baseball when it spins. Helical fletch will not cause the arrow go of course from a straight line so the theory of "pulling the arrow away form the bow" is invalid. If it did you would see compound shooters with their sight pins going further & further in one direction as the range inscrease & this does not happen.

I use right because I have right hand clamps. If you shoot feathers just make sure you use the right feathers (left or right wing) for your clamp. Like I said pick one or the other & always keep them the same.

[Arthur P]

A lot of the reason most pro shops use left helical where you are is because most of their customers use left helical. And then, more customers will use left helical if the shops use left helical and only stock left wing feathers.

Around here, it's exactly the opposite. The shops fletch right helical and stock right wing feathers.

It's a regional thing.

Really, left or right helical is absolutely meaningless for everyone except those precious few who still shoot selfbows and use their knuckle for a rest.

The bit about right wing feathers keeping points tight and left wing loosening them is a load of manure. It's one of the many things people hear and then repeat it, over and over again. When enough people keep saying it, then it miraculously becomes 'truth' even though it has no basis in fact. I use right wing feathers and am constantly tightening up my points if I don't dope the threads with string wax.

If you like feathers, stick with them. They have many more advantages than disadvantages. Vanes only have one great advantage: they're waterproof. Check the shops to find out what's most available locally (probably left wing) and buy your jig to use them. It's best to be set up to use what they sell. Even if you go mail order, some day you'll find yourself in an emergency and wind up having to use what you can run to the store to get. You don't want a right wing clamp and only be able to get left wing feathers.

[Orions_Bow]

well spoken Arthur P, I agree a lot of BS out there. I use right & my tips come loose all the time & have to fix it by using string wax in the threads! I think it has more to do with loose fitting tips & arrow vibration than anything!

[PABowhntr]

What is best?

That is a very subjective question. If you ask which fletching style and configuration promotes accuracy to the greatest extent then I would probably say a hard helical feather fletch...5 inches preferrably. However, though that might be the most forgiving configuration/style on paper one also has to consider the increased time spent on fine tuning your rest setup because of potential fletching contact issues. Durability with feather especially in poor weather conditions also needs to be monitored.

In the "middle ground" you could pursue a slightly shorter vane or feather with less helical or even an offset fletch. The shorter vane and lower degree of twist both make for less potential fletching contact issues and thus, for the most part, an easier tuning experience. The trade-off is that they do not promote accuracy as much as the previous example but more so than just a simple straight fletch...especially with exposed blade broadheads.

[JeffB]

If you like feathers, stick with them. They have many more advantages than disadvantages. Vanes only have one great advantage: they're waterproof

Amen.

I shot vanes for a few years, then went to feathers exclusively for several years. Over the past couple of years I've been trying to give vanes a fair shake again, but I've become fed-up with them.

In my book vanes have 3 advantages, and none of them have to do with arrow flight.

1) Waterproof.
2) Cheap (unless you use Flex-Fletch)
3) Easier to fletch.

Feathers stabilize any arrow better/quicker, are much easier to tune with any rest IME (Contact with rest/cables, etc is much less critical, if at all) and will still shoot well if you take a chunk out of them (unlike vanes).

I understand why folks like vanes, but for me they are more trouble than they are worth.