ijimmy

.030" wow thats like a mile for arrows . Care to mention the brand name ?

Len in Maryland

The guilt is widespread and is usually in the less expensive wrapped carbons. I have seen some of the ' better' carbons as much .015 out. It also varies from batch to batch. In some cases I' ve seen some of the less expensive arrows better than ACCs in this matter.

This is why I tell my customers to always check their arrows on the spin tools we have located around the shop. I have customers who want to ' select' all the straight arrows before they purchase a dozen. This I will not allow them to do because ' I' don' t even do this for myself. I accept the ' not so straight' arrows for what they are and only use them for FT practice. If I were to allow this, I feel that I would be doing a disservice to all my other customers, because their yield would definitely go down.

Rob/PA Bowyer

Excellent post as always LEN in Maryland. That criteria or lack thereof is the biggest strike against fixed blade broadheads and why mechanicals are such a craze. As you know, there is no excuse for people complaining about fixed blade broadheads not being accurate. It' s usually never the broadheads problem but the shooter and his equipment(bow and arrows). Most people are either too ignorant or just too pig headed to time the time, expense to figure that out thusly taking a shortcut and using mechanicals. Now before everyone starts the bashing, I' m not classifying everyone into this catagory. I know there are many exceptional archers, in form and knowledge that still use mechanicals with exceptionally tuned equipment by choice.

But I digress....excellent post LEN.

Phil in MO

Len, besides ACC' s which brand/s of shafts do you recommend?

Len in Maryland

Since the problem occurs moreso from batch to batch, and since it occurs with most manufacturers, it would be foolish of me to specify anyone.

Checking and taking the time to properly tune your arrows is the best advice I can give.

8PT

Len, another question I left out. Do use use some method to determin the stiff side of the spine on shafts (carbon in particular) and align the cock fletch accordingly? If so, how do you go about it? I have learned a simple and quick method for doing this and it seems to make a noticable difference in group size and number and extent of flyers. All of the limited brands and model shafts I have checked have shown a stiff and weaker side to some extent.

Len in Maryland

For hunting situations, I don' t worry as much about the " stiff" side of an arrow. This will show itself in the tuning process and will be eliminated/pushed to the practice mode. With hunting arrows, I want them to be as good as they can get when penetrating. If not, you may get an arrow ' bending' during the penetration process and subsequently loose penetration, or take a different course through, or break within.

If you want to use a ' weak sided' arrow for practice, turning the nock until you get good flight is often the answer. You must also realize that this phenomenom may be the result of a very slight bend in an arrow. Any arc along the arrow' s length will result in a favorable ' bend' during launch. Some find that floating the arrow will show the bend/stiff side of an arrow.

I find that shooting and evaluating the results with various methods gives me the best results/confidence.

Please share your " quick and simple" method.

Arthur P

ALL the ICS type carbons I' ve had on my spine tester have a stiff side. It makes sense to me to have that stiff side aligned the same on each arrow. Tuning the arrow begins when you build it, not so?

I refuse to accept a lower yield due to straightness. Before I make up arrows from a dozen shafts, the first thing I do is check straightness. Guess what... If I find any shafts that are outside the tolerances I PAID GOOD MONEY FOR they are going back to my dealer for refund or replacement and he can take up the issue with the manufacturer. If I pay for +/- .003 straightness, I' m not accepting +/-.006. And I have no problem burning up more money in gas than the price of the shaft in order to get what I paid for.

Arthur P

Len, I really mean no disrespect. You' ve known me through these forums long enough to know that. But isn' t the very fact that people are wanting to hand pick their own arrows a condemnation of carbon arrows to begin with? I mean knowledgeable shooters know that a certain percentage is going to be pure junk.

If we meekly accept getting 5-8 useable arrows out of a dozen, aren' t we pretty much encouraging the manufacturers to keep screwing us? If we don' t demand higher quality then we aren' t going to get higher quality.

c903

I am with Art on the " I expect to get what I paid for" issue. I too do not want to climb Len' s case, but he said it, not I.

I am amazed that a dealer would openly say that he would not allow a customer to assure they are getting what they are about to pay for. Now if he were to advertise that the arrows were a " grab-bag," that you may not get but a few straight arrows, and then adjust the cost accordingly, that would be acceptable. But not when a product is claimed to be what you may not get when you still will pay market price.

I am also surprised that he would find it ok and suggest that a person " ….practice with not so straight arrows." Practice with deficient arrows for what? For the hell of it or to hunt with? Either way is not the shooter tuning his or her bow and self with those deficient arrows?

Moreover, what is this " disservice to other customers" bit. How would my expecting to get what I need and pay for be doing a disservice to others? As for the equality of the yield going down; getting what you pay for is not the same as distributing rice in Ethiopia.