Feathers vs Vanes? Scuff on arrow rest?
07-04-2013, 07:33 AM
#11
Spike
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 15
You can shoot regular vanes off-the-shelf, or even off-the hand (my favorite), if you use this trick I figured out a while back.
I ran across a website selling vanes for traditional bows, supposedly to be able to shoot in wet weather. I think the name was Bi-Delta, or something like that. Anyway, their 'secret' was that the lower vanes had 'micro-cuts' in them that allowed them to flex just like a feather when they come into contact with the arrow shelf, or your hand. Hmmmmm! I got to thinking, "Micro-cuts? WHy can't I just make my own 'Micro-Cuts' in a regular vane?"
So I drug out an old Thunder Storm Hunter carbon arrow that was about ready for a re-fletch, anyway, got my fly-tying scissors out, and made dozens of tiny angled cuts on the two lower vanes. It looked like a feather fletch when I got through. It took me all of 5 or 6 minutes to complete the job.
I went out back to my 'archery range' and shot the arrow several times at my targets from 10 to 40 yards, and the arrow flight was perfect each time. It was just as accurate as any of my expensive, feather-fletched Port Oxford cedar arrows...maybe even a bit better. The arrow was faster, and I could not make it fishtail at all (always a problem for me with cedar arrows, unless it is a perfect release....). I shot it pretty. I shot it ugly, and everything in-between, and the arrow flew perfect every time from all of my bows, including the compounds, both off the shelf, through a Whisker Biscuit, a brush arrow rest, and even off my hand (I love really primitive bows....). No problems.
Now, I just buy arrows at Walmart, 3 or 4 at a time, and just make cuts in the vanes. It saves me a bundle on arrows, as well as being much easier (no one stocks feather-fletched arrows around here, at all....).
Give it a try with an old arrow sometime. You'll be amazed.
I ran across a website selling vanes for traditional bows, supposedly to be able to shoot in wet weather. I think the name was Bi-Delta, or something like that. Anyway, their 'secret' was that the lower vanes had 'micro-cuts' in them that allowed them to flex just like a feather when they come into contact with the arrow shelf, or your hand. Hmmmmm! I got to thinking, "Micro-cuts? WHy can't I just make my own 'Micro-Cuts' in a regular vane?"
So I drug out an old Thunder Storm Hunter carbon arrow that was about ready for a re-fletch, anyway, got my fly-tying scissors out, and made dozens of tiny angled cuts on the two lower vanes. It looked like a feather fletch when I got through. It took me all of 5 or 6 minutes to complete the job.
I went out back to my 'archery range' and shot the arrow several times at my targets from 10 to 40 yards, and the arrow flight was perfect each time. It was just as accurate as any of my expensive, feather-fletched Port Oxford cedar arrows...maybe even a bit better. The arrow was faster, and I could not make it fishtail at all (always a problem for me with cedar arrows, unless it is a perfect release....). I shot it pretty. I shot it ugly, and everything in-between, and the arrow flew perfect every time from all of my bows, including the compounds, both off the shelf, through a Whisker Biscuit, a brush arrow rest, and even off my hand (I love really primitive bows....). No problems.
Now, I just buy arrows at Walmart, 3 or 4 at a time, and just make cuts in the vanes. It saves me a bundle on arrows, as well as being much easier (no one stocks feather-fletched arrows around here, at all....).
Give it a try with an old arrow sometime. You'll be amazed.
07-04-2013, 07:38 AM
#12
Spike
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 15
Don't worry about it. We got lots of toes, so you just step all you want to.....
