I would venture to guess it had nothing to do with the straightness that mad them fly bad. It probably had more to do with inconsistant spine issue. Or you had some that were no where near .006 staightness. It's a problem with cheaper carbon arrows from what I understand. I my self have never really had that problem, but you hear it alot. I personally wouldn't shoot goldtips if someone gave them to me. I hear more bad stuff about them than any other arrow made. They do sell alot of them however, and the more product you have out, the more complaints you will get about them.

I don't order arrows of the internet either. I either get them from a shop or at cabela's.

And as far as messing aluminums up when shooting them, I have never done anything to an aluminum that wouldnt' have messed up a carbon as well. What ever you did to crease or dent an aluminum would most likely damage a carbon as well. You just might not see it is all. They do resist bending more than aluminums however. Like if you step on one or drop something on one. Or have to fight with it to get it out of a target. I have yet to bend an aluminum arrow under normal circumstances. I have glanced them off things and done stupid stuff and bent or messed them up, but had I done the same thing with a carbon it would have snaped into pieces. Carbons are not indistructable. I have several of them someone can look at if the want to. They break to if you hit them with another arrow.

Paul