RE: How important is shaft straighness for hunting??
 

I think confidence in your equipment has alot to do with it. If a guy knows he can group .006 arrows and is confident and trusts his equipment. But on the other hand if a guy had a bad expericence with the same arrow he loses his confidence in his equipment. Its like buying anything to do with archery if it works and gives you the confidence then what more could you ask for. Instead of asking which bow, arrow, rest ect. is best I would like "which do you prefer and why". sjb3

RE: How important is shaft straighness for hunting??
 

First, Elkcrazedfrk, I have been close to elk, or should I change my screen name to BigJ12elkshooter for you to believe me? Second elkcrazy8, I wasn't there when your arrow broke so I cannot tell you what happened. I can tell you that many elk have been killed by .006 carbon arrows as well as wooden and aluminum arrows with complete pass throughs. And many .001 arrows have been broken by elk as well.

I think there are many other factors such as overall arrow weight and the arrows grains per inch and shot placement that have more to do with an arrow staying together and penetrating than straightness. Remember we are talking about a difference of a human hair from arrow to arrow. Many things can cause an arrow to enter off center and not produce optimum penetration and performance. I wouldn't be so quick to blame it on .006 or any of the other inconsistencies that according to some of you are inherent to all arrows that don't have a .001 straightness.

RE: How important is shaft straighness for hunting??
 

Just so you know BigJ12, my arrow was 524 grains with a cut to the tip head. I was hitting with 83 ft lbs of kinetic energy. There is no reason why that should have not been a pass through ,the back half of the arrow was straight in still. It was enough for me to switch arrows. I think that anyone in that situation would have done the same that I did and made the switch. Elk are too awesome to take any chances. Yes there are alot of elk taken with all sorts of arrows. I just know what I experienced and I will do what ever it takes to minimize the chances of losing a bull. And cheap arrows were definately on my suspect list. Happy hunting

RE: How important is shaft straighness for hunting??
 

I can't argue with that, I'm not suggesting anybody should get "cheap arrows" for elk or any other kind of hunting. All I'm saying is There are some very good strong and well made arrows by very reputable companies that just happen to be .006 I would not consider them to be "cheap Arrows" just less expensive than the .001 arrows.

With that in mind I see no reason why they won't work just as good as a .001 arrow with the same construction (with the exception of straightness)and have no concernable difference in flight and accuracy in the hands of an average archer/hunter.

Thanks for the discussion and happy hunting to you as well.

John

RE: How important is shaft straighness for hunting??
 

I wanted to add that evaluating a target arrow is not likely to tell you what will happen when you put a fixed blade broadhead on the end. The broadhead magnifies all poor tolerances. For a couple bucks you can get an arrow that is straighter and has better spine consistancy. This will give you a broadhead tipped arrow that flys noticably better (at least I can easily notice it). I see hunters putting hundreds of dollars into the latest scent lok, cover scents and dozens of other things that have questionable benefits at best. That brand new, latest greatest bow, will do nothing to increase your accuracy, yet hunters are constantly constantly spending tons of money trying to find it. For a couple bucks, you can have a broadhead tipped arrow that is at least slightly more accurate on average. Is it worth a couple bucks? Each has to decide that for himself. Myself? Well, I'm not spending $2000 on my elk hunting trip this fall and then going cheap on the arrows. It is worth a couple bucks to me. Think about it, the broadhead and the arrow are the only things that actually do the killing. I think most would be better off with the cheapest commercially produced bow on the planet and the best arrows flying out of it.

RE: How important is shaft straighness for hunting??
 

i break arrows because i am addicted to shooting groups, and every once in a while i forget to move the slide on my sight when i'm practicing. i'm actually a pretty good shot. i like shooting 12 at a time during the offseason. i really like it. i'm hooked on groups. at 50 yds 6 of them will be in the dot i'm shooting and the rest will be close, well except maybe 1 or 2 will be 4 or 5 inches off. 1 may be 8 off right or left. my up and downs are great. i'm learning to make strings and cables now and am constantly shooting them in and dialing everything back in. i have tried to paper tune my bow with a underspined arrow before. oh my, what a headache. that's why i went to the 75/95's. since i got spine right for my setup everything is a lot easier.

now, when i change to broadhead only practice i square my ends and find my best 6 arrows. i tune the bow to my broadheads and don't pick up field pts until after season. i am in the camp of 'i could care less if my field points hit where my broadheads do.' no more groups at that pt. i don't shoot competition, but am thinking of doing some 3d shoots during this season, the fun rounds, for practice.

Len: i never doubt anything you say is from your vast experience and dedication to archery and your customers. as i've said before, i wish your shop was just around the corner. i would be down there picking your brain and bothering you a lot.

RE: How important is shaft straighness for hunting??
 

WOW! I didn't know this post would get this kind of attention and heated debates. As for now I am proud of the fact that I am shooting the cheaper Redhead Carbon Supreme and getting 1" groups out to twenty yards. I'm going to stick to the .006 and save some money. If after a summer of practice I can't get 1"-1.5" groups out to 40 yards then I may opt to try the more expensive arrows that claim better results. Otherwise I am going to stick to the .006's.

Thanks everybody for your help!!

RE: How important is shaft straighness for hunting??
 

I use .003 arrows. I do believe that arrow straightness affects your accuracy, but not enough for the average person to tell. The only reason I shoot the .003 arrows is because they are the A/C/C arrows. I would never use another type of arrow again.

RE: How important is shaft straighness for hunting??
 

:D

hee hee

nothin' ever changes 'round this place

RE: How important is shaft straighness for hunting??
 

Having not read all the replies, I'll throw in my two cents. Straighter arrows are usually better arrows. I say this re: spine and weight consistency as well. Spine is, IMO, THE most important spec needed for consistency. A couple of grains from arrow to arrow won't kill you but, the spread will be less with better arrows. With field points inconsistencies won't be as noticeable. But put on fixed blades, and arrow flight can get ugly. After the arrow leaves the bow, the best bow in the world won't make lousy arrows fly well.