Learning Curve

GotBowAz · Jan 16, 2012

I will share a learning experience with you all out there that I never took into consideration. (Yes I should have known better) I have gone to the same pro shop and bought 340 FMJ?s with blazer vanes for years. I love the set up but this last time I was sadly disappointed and alarmed. I went in and bought a new dozen recently. I still had a few of my older arrows so those I used for practice and the new one?s I saved back to shoot just before hunting season. Don?t make this mistake as I was so last minute on shooting these new arrows before season that I had to use my old practice arrows to hunt with.

Here?s what happened. Apparently the Pro shop did not have FMJ?s already fletched up from the factory?or they used a different fletching tool. Whatever the case I ASSUMED (I actually never gave it a thought) the blazer vane fetches would have the same helical as they always have. The day before my hunt I took 6 of my new arrows out and shot them. To my disappointment and disbelief they were slower and noisier than my previous arrows. Heck at 40 yards which is my favorite shot distance I had a significant drop. The whoosh they made all the way to the target was horrible, Like a Coue?s deer wouldn't jump that noise! Always check your helical and make sure the PRO shop uses the right set up/jig. It's a mistake that will now cost me to pay to have my fletches removed and replace. Bummer.

GBA

BigPig · Jan 17, 2012

Better yet, buy an AZ EZ Fletch tool, your choice in vanes, and some glue. Learn to do it yourself and just buy bare shafts. You'll save money in the long run and all your arrows will be built consistently!

wvbowhunterinalaska · Jan 17, 2012

That is why I got myself a fletching jig. My wife got me some factory fletched Goldtips and I had to get some of them reflected a few times. Some were a few degree offset straight fletch while some were a hard helical and so forth. One Christmas a few years back I got a Bitzenberger(sp) fletcher and I sat down that day and reflected all my arrows the same way and haven't looked back. If you can save a few coins after a while you will have plenty of money saved to get a decent fletcher and the supplies to do a professional job ON YOUR OWN and save yourself a few coins.
WVBOWAK

GotBowAz · Jan 17, 2012

I have always considered doing exactly what you both have mentioned. I've mostly considered it in the past just as something that would be fun to do but now I can see some serious benefits to doing this myself. This is the very first time I have ever had an issue. I have to admit I have had a lot of convenience by stopping at the PRO shop. It's just down the street not even 5 minutes from work, it's on my route to and from home also. I order them up and they are ready for me to pick up by the time I get out of work. It's been nice but I think it's come to an end and I will do as you both have suggested and get the right stuff to do itmyself. Beside's, i might actually enjoy it.

GBA

3blade · Jan 17, 2012

I went farther than that and also bought an arrow saw so I can do it all myself. Its definitely paid for itself many times over over the last 20 yrs or so.

dingo · Jan 17, 2012

Hey GBA, Another vote for getting a jig and building your own. You can still support your archery shop by buying all of the components from them. It really isn't hard at all. Kinda relaxing and very rewarding. If you get an adjustable jig like the bitz, you can set it up with your old arrow as a template. Or take bigpigs advice and get an ez fletch and then it is a no brainer. Then if you hit a fletch or have them looking like potatoe chips? No problem. You can fix them yourself now. Everything will be fine.

...that is until you realize you now have the power to build an arrow in any configuration. Then you begin to wonder what the differences are between vanes or feathers, two-three-or four inch fletching, straight vs. helical, what is the ideal offset, three vs. four vanes, what type of cut to use...and when you look up you realize that you've fallen a little deeper into the hole called "bowhunting". And when you have exhausted every possible arrow combination, you can pull out your old arrow that you saved for a template, lol.

You could even go so far as to build your own flu-flus or find some turkey feathers and build some decorative primative arrows. You might even get some nails, a short length of copper pipe with a copper cap, and welding apron and try your hand at knapping an arrowhead just for fun. You could start with the bottom of a bottle so you wouldn't waste any good pieces of flint.

I took the plunge when I was able to find a used bitz with all of the clamps for a great deal. No regrets. Simply cut off the old fletchings with a drywall knife, then lightly sand the shaft and wipe with acetone. I currently prefer to use loctite ultra control gel for fletching glue.

GotBowAz · Jan 17, 2012

dingo, dude you make me laugh! As Im am reading your post I assume that you tried all these things you mentioned yourself already. Ha ha that's funny stuff. It also does sound like lots of fun too. 30 years of bow hunting and I have often thought about making my own arrows over the years. Now I have a good reason to do so.

I have heard and read a lot of good things about the Az. EZ Fletch Tool, and the Bitz as well. I like a straighter fletch and I hate hearing my arrows whoosh to the target for that reason. Those little Coue?s are a skittish as a deer can get and seemed to be wired on springs with every step. At 40 yards they can jump a string at 300 fps. I don't want or need to have them hear my projectile coming at them too.

And Dingo, thanks for the tip on the glue as well. That was going to be my next question. As far as supporting the PRO shop I've been going to over the years, well? that just may end. I won't say who they are but twice now they have tried to sell me 400 FMJ arrows and one of those 2 times I took for granted I got what I asked for. I bought them, took them on an out of state hunt, got there and shot them without realizing they were 400?s instead of 340?s like I asked for. They would not take them back. I bought/ordered more, went to get them, and found they had done the same exact thing. That time I looked them over at their shop and believe me I went out of there with what I wanted/ordered except for the right/correct helical, that was my bad though. What really torque me was the individual I dealt with tells me 400?s go out of his bow just fine at the same poundage and set up. They went out of mine fish tailing badly and he had the gull to look at me like I was lying. Now this with the hard helical fletches AND back to back orders I'm pretty much done with them. One more note is that they are not a PRO shop for the brand of bow I just bought so I had to go to yet another PRO shop to get what I was after. Oh darn it, there I go and went off on a tangent, I was just getting over it too, ha ha ha LOL!

3blade I will be getting an arrow saw or make a set up jig for my dermal. Probably save time and effort just buying a saw. Mostly this was my fault to begin with as I didn't pay attention to the details. What I really want to get across with this post is that others don't fall victim either by accident or otherwise by making these same mistakes. Look your purchases over well, be sure they know exactly what you want. In this case, second time around I had it written down and they had that wrapped around the arrows and STILL messed it up! It was a big learning curve for me.

GBA

dingo · Jan 18, 2012

GBA

Sounds like it is time to have your eyes checked, lol. Our powers of observation are limited to what we can see.

GotBowAz · Jan 18, 2012

Yep dingo, your point is well taken. I put too much faith in a PRO Archery shop that I would get exactly what I ordered, my bad for sure. The first go around with the wrong arrows , 400?s instead of 340?s, I asked for the camouflaged instead of the typical dark FMJ?s. So I never even batted an eye when I picked them up to look at that small but legible number 400. The second set of 400's I got/made them to replace on the spot and I was so upset by it AND that the shop made me run late for another appointment because I had to sit and wait on them to cut, fletch, and glue inserts into them that I just wanted to get out of there. As a result I didn't even look at the helical on the fletches. Really dumb on my part. The more I think about it the madder I get at myself and the shop! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!! See you got me started again! LOL.

GBA