Arrow question

jerseyboy · 11-04-2002, 01:00 PM

I have some old cedar arrows from my Dad's younger days
He used to use a 64# recurve. I just bought a 45# ben pearson on ebay
My draw may be longer than my Dads, if not would these still be usable today? Do I need to do anything to them first? How do I tell
if they're safe to use? and how do I detirmine what kind and weight broadhead to use?
ThanX all!

LBR · 11-04-2002, 08:09 PM

Jersey, if the arrows were the right spine for your dad's bow, most likely they will be too stiff for yours--unless you shoot a point/broadhead that is a lot heavier than he shot.

If they are not cracked or otherwise damaged, they should be ok to shoot. Check them out good, flex them some to make sure they are still sound. The Port Orford Cedar trees that arrows are made from are very old to begin with--live trees cannot be cut, so old trees are dug up, salvaged from bogs, etc.

The kind and weight broadhead you use is up to you. I like to go with 125 grains or more. Any quality broadhead should do the trick, but I strongly suggest staying away from mechanicals.

Good luck!

Chad

Long Bows Rule!

IrishLad32 · 11-04-2002, 08:27 PM

I'll second what LBR said, the shafts for a 65# recurve will bay WAY too stiff for a 45# recurve. Generally speaking, a 65# recurve would take shafts from 65# to 75#, possibly stiffer; a 45# recurve would take shafts from around 45# to 55#. A drastic difference, no? The weight of tips you use will make a difference in what spine weight shafts will work. I'd recommend starting will some basic shafts in a few different spine weights to find out which shoots best. Find out for sure what your draw length is, it's a critcal thing to know because if it's longer or shorter than 28" you're not holding 45#. Call an arrowsmith to get hooked up with some basic arrows. If you fletch them yourself you can get some shafts pretty cheap. If you have them fletched they're still pretty cheap if you go to the right place. Having the right arrows is definitely important, else shooting wouldn't be any fun. Have fun with your new bow though.

God bless,
Brandan

jerseyboy · 11-05-2002, 05:28 AM

ThanX Guys,
I'm not sure if my Dad (in his youth) paid alot
of attention to the details and finer points of archery.
So I'm not sure if these arrows were right for his bow!
The heads were changed a few times (using furrel cement)
and right now some have a solid broadhead and some a newer
"vented" broadhead, which appears lighter. When I get shafts
what kind of cement is recommended? ThanX again for your help
and I'm sure I'll have more questions once my bow arrives!

IrishLad32 · 11-05-2002, 02:00 PM

I've always used Bohning Ferrul-tite. It's worked great for me. I read an article about it being the same stuff used to glue layers of plywood together. So if you have a mill near by you might be able to get some left overs from them.

God bless,
Brandan

Wahya · 11-05-2002, 05:16 PM

I use hot melt.

Make em sharp and shoot em straight, or leave em home.

jerseyboy · 11-07-2002, 11:14 AM

The "bow guy" in Ray's sport shop last night said:
the 2117 game getters I have from my compound would be ok
to shoot in the recurve I just bought used.
the recurve is 45# draw , is he correct?
I have some cedar arrows with old "deadheads" on them
how do I check their spine? and is spine similar to spine
of a rod blank?
ThanX

Lilhunter · 11-07-2002, 11:40 AM

JB,

The easton charts are a joke! A 2117 alum spines out at 70lbs! Now considering you are pulling more then 28, it may be close but I would bet its still to stiff. There is alot of factors playing into it though.

You'll need to find someone with a spine testor to check them. And to my knowledge no its not the same as the spine of a rod blank....its the stiffness of the arrow where the rod blank acts like it has a back bone or one spot where it should be the top of the rod. Close but yet not the same.

jerseyboy · 11-07-2002, 01:52 PM

ThanX Lilhunter,
I guess I'd be better off at a smaller more specialized bow shop.
While I don't want to "cheap out" I would like to use whatever I can from my old stuff. Could you recommend a shaft for a 45# recurve
to be used with (i beleive 125 grn) wasp 4 bladed broadhead?
One of the customers there last night said he swears by the expandable type broadhead, but my wasps are brand new, never shot
(bought them before I tore up my shoulder)!

Hobbes · 11-07-2002, 03:13 PM

I tried 2117's with my 45 lb recurve because I had them left over also and the Easton chart said they were ok. They were way over spined as mentioned before. I have just recently fletched some 1916's for the bow @ 28" long with 125grain heads and they are shooting much better.