If I am going to shoot veins, I would use 2" blazers, but the 4" feathers look so much better (2 black and 1 barred red). I currently shoot Carbon Express Maxima 350s at 8.9 gpi with 160 gr Simmons Shark Broadheads. Obviously, the broadhead is very large and I would like to cut weight wherever possible. How much of a difference is there between 4" feathers and 2" veins?

Not enough to notice.....2 or 3 grains each...you would be looking at saving between 6 and 9 grains, which equates to about 1 fps....Not enough to worry about IMO.

I believe that Blazers weigh about 5 gr each for a total of 15 grains. Three 4" feathers weigh just about 10 grains. The weight savings is minimal.

Feathers might be worth a try just to see the difference in flight control, especially with those large broadheads. If you fletch your own arrows it's kind of a no-brainer. Gain knowledge from hands-on experience.

By the way Blazers are VANES. Veins carry blood.

I just weighed these on my grain scales

3- Blazers 18 grains

3- 4" feathers 6 grains

Not a lot of difference in the scheme of things but feathers are more forgiving and improve your FOC, both very good things to have on your side

Dan

Thanks for the quick response everyone. I have gathered that feathers are probably better because they are more forgiving and provide better control which is important to have when using such large broadheads. I just wanted to confirm that MeanV2 is saying that the feathers are actually lighter. Is this true? I hope it is. Also, how does the noise level compare? I have never shot Blazers before.

Feathers will make more sound during flight than vanes, but I shot feathers this year and not one of the deer I shot knew anything was up until the arrow hit home. A personal observation/recommendation: You can practice with feathers until they're beat up, chewed up, missing chunks and falling apart. In this condition, they'll whistle andwhiz their way to the target,but they're still fully functional and they'll still be the best at stabilizing and steering the arrow IMO.Still, for hunting, I always hunt with brand new feathers. They're just more quiet when they're new.

Great! Once again, thanks.

We have a winner!

Feathers are around 2 and blazers are supposed to be 5, they aren't.

I like feathers, thinking of using some on fmj's. They do make more noise going through the air and aren't good in the rain (they'll lay flaton the shaft) but they have they're place. Don't know if they'll gain any speed because they catch more air (the noise issue) and catch more as the wear.

Sure are perdy.

That sure is a big broadhead, over 1.5" cut. Feathers most definitely fletched helical.

Thank you.