This may be a dumb question, but here it goes.
I've always used straight fletch since I use a TM style rest. This season I'm switching to a dropaway rest so I'm going to helical fletching. How do I know whether to use right or left helical? Does it matter? What are the pros/cons of each? How aggressive should my helical be?I'd appreciate any insight.
Thanks

I don't worry about it. Just make sure you use left feathers, with left clamp and right feathers with right clamp. The pros and cons are so little to worry about such as broadheads lossining due to spinning left, it seems to me right feathers/vanes/clamps are easier to find then left (Might be a regional thing)

I read ( on this forum ) that many people prefered right helical as it would have a tendancy to keep the broadhead tight on impact, as opposed to ( with Left hand ) have a tendancy to loosen.

What ewolf said is true follow his advise,good luck!

That's the funniest, and most ridiculous, thing I've ever heard. I hope no one here believes that.

It makes absolutely no difference whether it's right, or left helical. In fact, most archers I know using prong rests still use helical, just not a lot. Slow motion video even showed that it makes no difference what so ever, even for finger shot bows.

Unless.............

you're using real turkey feathers. Feathers from the left wing of a turkey must be fletched "left helical" and from the right wing, "right helical". That's the ONLY time it matters.

Really doesn't have anything to do with the style of tip (BH or field tip), or anything to do with broadhead penatration in an animal, but a left helical or left offset WILL tend to loosen your fieldpoints over time, and I would assume broadheads as well in the same type of target material as the fieldpoints are landing in.

Believe me, it is irratating to be constantly checking and tightening your field tips on the target range...[:@] Put some string wax on the threads and the tend to stay tightened up much better. OR, just stay with right offest or helical.

that may sound ridiculas to you but it is the truth
left hand helical arrow will unscrew the tip on impact of the target

Helical will definately cause the tips loosten up.If your arrow is hitting a target and spinning when hitting the target,the tip will be in the target and have a force applied trying to hold the tip from spinning but the shaft will not have a force trying to hold it from spinning so the arrow will loosten up from the tip.


This isn't that big of an issue and string wax will all but eliminate the problem but it is true.Go with right because they are generally easier to find and the tips won't be as likely to loosten up.

I've got news for you. I've always shot right helical, usually with a pretty high degree of helical, and my field tips would always loosen up too. The string wax was the only way to get it to stop.