feather advantages????

[rml127]

I am currently shooting Easton 2514's with 100 grain muzzy's. I have 4 inch helical vanes. What difference might I notice if I switched to 4" helical feathers? How about 5" helicals. Also, how do you know when to use 4" or 5"?

[Jerry/Pa]

The difference will be slight if any. Your FOC will increase slightly but not enough to make a difference in you arrow flight. At close range out to about 20 yds you will pick-up some speed. Afer twenty yds. that will revese itself with drag. Feathers are more forgiving and will stablize your broad head better. As far as 4 or 5in. helical. I think that will depend on your rest or launchers or if you think 5in. will help stablize your arrow better. I shoot 4in feathers and get great arrow flight w/carbon selects and muzzy's. Rain and snow will effect feathers. Even if you water proof them they will not with stand a long down pour. That is somehting to consider. Hope this helped. Jerry

[Arthur P]

Going from 4" vanes to 4" feathers will drop your arrow weight about 18 grains or thereabouts. You'll get a bit faster arrow flight out of the bow and a good long way downrange, well beyond 20 yards. Drag is not a problem if you don't wrap a hellish amount of helical on the feathers. Most people I know use far too much helical.

If your broadheads are a little erratic with 4", then try 5". Trial and error is the only real way to tell. Generally though, the larger diameter and the more blades (more blade surface area) a broadhead has, the more fletch it's going to need to control it.