several ????'s
 

I'm new to the traditional shooting.I did shhot several shoots with a rest ,plunger,and stablizer setup.Man it worked greatAfter the world shoot I'm debating wether to take it hunting.One ?? is I fletch my own does anyone use the feather fletching tape? and is it beter than glue?Another one is what type of broadhead do you use,3 blade or two blade?Also are Parabolic feathers better than sheild? Are they quieiter ?I'm still new to this and I'll have more?? after the world shoot,Thanks for your time.

RE: several ????'s
 

Hi Goldenarm. I'll try and answer your questions....

1) the fletching tape works fine, just remember to finish em off by putting a drop of glue on both ends of each quill.

2) The type of broadhead is largely your choice, barring any mechanicals of course, but especially forlighter draw wtrecurve/longbow set-ups a COC (Cut On Contact) broadhead gives more reliable penetration. There are very good COC heads in 2, 3, & 4 blade configurations.

3) I've found that parabolic is some quieter in flight than shield, but I'vekilled severalhigh strungKywhitetails w/both & I don't think they knew the difference. Personally I would pick parabolic if I had to choose just one.

There are several very intelligent & experienced ppl on here that (hopefully) will answer you w/a slightly different perspective on this stuff, but that's the way it's suppose to be. Bowhunting is a very individual endeavor.

RE: several ????'s
 

everything arrowsmit said, I am going to try banana feathers this year. I try them at the shop I goto and to me they seem quiteter then the others. Try as many as you can and find out what works best for you.

RE: several ????'s
 

Right now, I'm using a maxi-fletch feather:



They are more like a banana cut but not quite. I think that theystopped makinga banana cut feather, so you may have to cut them yourself (or someone else). I'm probably going to get a cutter myself to make them soon.

My preference between shield and parabolic goes to shield cut.

Some swear by the tape, but I have had some trouble with it. I stick with glue myself and wait long periods for it to dry. I'm usually not in a hurry.

As far as broadheads go, I use a muzzy 145 grain for whitetail. But I may go with a stinger 150 grain this year.

RE: several ????'s
 

I agree with Vic (Arrowsmit) on all counts.

I read an article or something several years ago about different feather cuts and how quiet they were. All else being equal (length, amount of helical, etc.) here is how it's supposed to be, from quietest to noisiest.

Parabolic
Sheild
Bananna
High Backs

I shoot sheilds because I like the looks.

Chad

RE: several ????'s
 

Stick a target just past a (hopefully BIG;)) tree, then get behind the tree & have a (trusted[:-]) friend shoot arrows w/several different fletching styles by you. That'll tell you the truth.

BTW, sounds silly i know, but shooting arrows THRU a pc of corrugated cardboard a few times will quietendown their flight considerably.:eek:

RE: several ????'s
 

Doesn't sound silly to me. I figure you are softening the feathers a bit so they lay down more. Seems like that would be what makes them quieter. Good trick!

Chad

RE: several ????'s
 

Yep, new feathers are noisier than feathers that have been 'broken in'. Vic's method is just the fast way to get 'em broken in. ;)

Long feathers are noisier than shorter ones. High profile feathers are noisier than low profile. Feathers with a hard helical will be noisier than fletching with a moderate helical. It's one of the many tradeoffs in archery, the further you go toward stabilizing the arrow with the fletching, the noisier the fletching is going to be.

I really like fletching tape, but it does seem to have a shelf life. Old tape doesn't stick the feathers on as well as fresh tape. If I've had a roll of fletching tape for more than 9 months or so, I buy fresh roll for my next fletching job.

As to broadheads, I'd like to use 3-blade heads, but I can't get them as sharp as I like. IMO, an extra sharp 2-blade head is more deadly than a sorta sharp 3-blade. If I could figure out how to get that polished razor edge I like on a 3-blader, I'd use either the Wensel Woodsman or Snuffers. Another option that I have used is the good ol'Muzzy, but I always flat stone that trocar tip's edges to razor sharp, using a fine Arkansas stone, so the head is more like a true cut-on-contact head.