Fletching and Rest Type
 

I use a Fuse drop away (Basically a QAD) and I have the majority of my arrows fletched with a right Helical.

when I had a Whisker Biscuit, I was using straight or offset fletching - seemed like Helical was causing problems with the WB.

Switching to helical and a drop away rest made a huge difference in my shooting.

what do you guys use for fletching and rest set up?

I use an Arizona EZ Fletch to fletch my arrows in a RW helical and use NAP Apache drop away rests on all my bows.
I'm sure that your accuracy dramatically improved once you switched over to helical fletching. A straight fletch with a Whisker Biscuit and shooting broadheads would likely have given you inconsistent results at best.

Helical aids in faster recovery for an arrow. Straight or 1 degree offset fletch have much slower recovery so your tuning has to be absolutely perfect. Helical lends to a much greater forgiveness. But it also slows your speeds a bit as well. Not so much that it really matters on close range but it is a fairly significant loss down range in comparison to straight. It does make me glad to see that more hunters are actually waking up to the sheer stupidity of the whisker biscuit design.

The whisker biscuit was an excellent hunting rest in its time. Now there are better options.

I shoot helical flecthing and a ripcord rest and offset broadheads.

Rock I remember the very first time I saw one of those things when they first came out and thinking "what a retarded design, that won't last". I can never truly figure out what anyone is thinking when they buy them. A rest designed in such a way that it ruins your fletch, slows your speeds, wears out if you shoot as much as one should shoot to stay sharp. All just because some can't figure out to put a finger over their arrow when moving or drawing :confused: Just never could get that. Hard to remember how many folks have come to me asking why their bows aren't consistent and I see that big old brown eye staring at me from their bow. I'd just point at it and say "there be your problem". And 99.9% of the time it was.

Yet there are still some guys that swear by them while others swear AT them

Oh come on now. Putting your finger over the arrow with a compound bow? Not mine.

There are better options but that is a huge exaggeration. Ive never seen a WB cause inconsistency at hunting ranges let alone 99.9% of the time.

Are you sure you are not replacing improperly installed/tuned WB with another properly installed/tuned rest then saying "see I told ya"?

I mean come on like it or not we have all seen hundreds of WB shoot just fine. If its not there is something else wrong.

The only problem Ive ever seen regularly that you mention is having to change the Biscuit as it wears out.


There are others I prefer but I wouldn't hesitate for a second to go hunting with a WB.

I've used the whisker biscuit for about 6 years now (on my second one) and have no complaints so far. I bought a new bow this year and contemplated going with a QAD drop away rest, but in the end, I stayed with the WB with my thinking being "if it's not broke dont fix it." Also, I've always shot fixed broadheads, except one year I shot Rages. In my experience, i've come to the conclusion that the fewer the moving parts, the better.

OK I didn't express my opinion/experience with the WB. I will tell you that at one time I did use one. It was tuned to my bow and I shot pretty good with it and harvested several deer using one. But from day 1 when I switched to a NAP Apache drop away my groups improved I would estimate 50%. Shooting 2"-3" groups was the norm with the WB. Once the Apache was tuned groups at 20 yards were now well under 2" and busting nocks and ruining vanes was now the norm until I got smart and started shooting at different dots on the target for each arrow.

Yes Rock, having come from a traditional background I keep a finger over my arrow out of years of habit. Now as far as the inconsistency question, as Bronko stated, I consider when someone smartens up and replaces a Biscuit with something better (dang near anything) and I see their groups improve dramatically then yes I have to assume it was the part. When using most all carbons, those bristles get worn if you are shooting as much as one should. Not to mention the fletch problem. Wrinkled up fletchings cause poor flight as well. Same thing with "horizontal wear" of those bristles. No way they could wear evenly so you have one side weaker than the other which will turn an arrow. Again, all this is based on shooting as much as one should shoot throughout the year to remain on top of your game. Sadly there are too few people that actually practice that much.

Maybe what you and many others call "shooting fine" is quite a bit farther from my definition of "fine". If I'm not busting nochs at 20-40 yards my equipment isn't tuned properly. Call me a perfectionist (it's actually quite accurate) but I am of the same mind with my firearms and my archery equipment. If I can't tune a round to at LEAST MOA for a firearm then I work on it till it can.