How important is straightness really?

[rileyconcrete]

If you guys are making left hand arrows you can send them to me. I will put them to good use

[Dan K]

I've been really getting into shoot arrows and harvested a boatload of shoots of various types this spring. I found if you select common spine and similar weight they shoot about the same. Now streight is something else. I have some that are spiral but when you spin them virtically on the point the nock and point are perfectly still and the shaft looks like a Barber pole. They shoot dead nuts!  I also found if your arrows shoot close keep shooting them. They seem to marry the bow. After about 100 shots they fine tune with your bow. If they're way out at the beginning use them with another bow and follow the same discipline. With shoot arrows you need to make a bunch to get a few. No worries though. Just make another bow. You'll find a match sooner or later!

[bowtarist]

I tend to shoot them and mark the ones that shoot good with a shrpie or pencil, then I can keep track of the ones that hit "most" of the time.  Many have said to orient the stiff side, but they haven't said where to orient it, the stiff side of the shoot should be against the bow, opposite the index feather if you are three fletching, but stiff side should go towards the bow.  I shoot arrows of all differen lengths and diameters, heavy end forward and tally hoe, shoot em til you know em.  That's how I do it.  Good luck, dpgratz

[TatankaOhitika]

All those species you mentioned for arrow making will NEVER stay straight . Wooden arrows , even cane , will need a weekly mild heat and hand straightning . 3 coats of warm grease per arrow never hurts either . Straightness is critical for a primitive arrow to do it's job more efficiently - which is to  kill . But when your shooting within 15 yards , your arrow DOES NOT have to be lazer beam straight . I know because I hunt natural blinds shooting far from perfectly straight rivercane arrows . Just fletch good , maintain even thickness throughout the shaft , and remove any bumps or irregular parts of the arrow by sanding . And spine and weight ? Indians sure didn't have any grain scales or whatever , just learn the feel for whats needed , depending on the draw weight .

[H Rhodes]

Yep, make a bunch of them and keep up with the arrows that shoot good from a specific bow.  I am a cane arrow guy, and I don't worry so much about the straightness as I do how it shoots.  I heat straighten them and sand the nodes till I get a shaft that rolls pretty good across the countertop.  I then attach a point and spin it a little to make sure I did my work right.  Shooting them with different bows till I get a set that works is my approach.  Not real scientific for sure, but I make arrows to hunt with and I don't shoot further than 20 yards.   Blah, blah, blah.....  sorry for being long-winded.  My answer is straightness is important but it isn't what really counts.  Does it fly good and hit where you are looking?  That is the question.   I have some oddly crooked arrows that hit bullseyes and some straight ones that stray off target everytime...  With shoots, or cane, or any other material, you got to shoot them to test them.

[Dan K]

What Howard said +1

[Holten101]

Im going for quantity....im currently making (or remaking) all my shot arrows to up their spine (cutting of excess length, putting on lighter points and respineing) and maybe get a few good ones. I definatly disagree that shot arrows need weekly strightening....mine seem stable....even those that have been in the cubbert for years.

My biggest problem is that I use mine for 3D events (not hunting)....so I need at least 3 arrows that perform similar, and I cant limit my range to 15-20 yds. Buying shafts feels like cheating tbh....I would rather just go thought the pain of making enough shot arrows, so thats were im at now.

Cheers

[artcher1]

This crooked sourwood shoot arrow shot wasn't a fluke. Cut from the stump only 5 days previously. Shooter won the primitive division that days shooting that arrow about 80% of the time. A little understanding goes a long way .

[TatankaOhitika]

I usually instinctivley grab and shoot my best arrow .

[Thesquirrelslinger]

I usually instinctivley grab and shoot my best arrow .

Same. On my shoot arrows I like to paint the nocks a different color for each arrow... it helps me ID the arrow and remember how it flies(I only have about 6 so it works fine)

[crooketarrow]

  I han't weighed,spined a shoot arrow for 15 years maybe more. Here a couple things to conceder.
  I get all my shots under 20 mostly 15 or under. This helps with weight and spine.
  My bows are center shot. This in itself helps with crooked arrows. But all arrows flex around the bow at the smae spot.
  I've made sets arrows and if you want to put the time in you can make a set spine and weight arrows. They won't be as close as a set of carbons.  You just can't start with a dozzen shoots and plan on getting them all the same but I can start with sat 45 or 50 and end up with a dozzen with in 5 grains.
  But with a slow,center shot selfbow you don't need to go that close. People and your included (I CAN TELL THE WAYS YOU TALK) have been brain washed by the compound craze. And everything has to be totally the same to hit your target. It's true with a 300 FPS compound 2 grains and they have to be spined all perfectly the same. If you want to show off and shoot 10 rings for your friends go back to a compound.
  But your shooting a SLOWWWWWWW selfbow.
  A little been or kink dos'nt matter. Your arrows all come off the bow at the same place. With a center shot bow all your arrows come off the bow with in 8 or 10's. So it really don't matter it the rest of the arrows not perfecty straight. If you don't beleive me POWER your arrow up before a shot. Shoot it like this and you can see the point (lenth of arrow) in which your (all) arrows leaves the bow.
  Keep it under 20 most of my shots are 15 and under. Isn't that why we bow hunt and not shoot a rifle 500 yards. If my bow shoot the arrow ok I use it. Do you think indains set around the camp fire passing the scales and spine tester around. NO, LIKE I SAID IF THERE BOW SHOT IT GOOD THEY USED IT.
  I killed 37 bucks unteen does and 15 gobblers most with unweighed, unspined shoot arrows. Not on knew my arrow had a been in it. I love to shoot but I suck. But I can shoot concented 3,4 inch groups at 20.

[richardzane]

good post crooketarrow.

If we have to have some kind of definition ---what you're saying I believe defines "primitive archer" the best --learning to do as a our ancestors did.
This applies to not only archery/hunting but to living a good life as well. The life that most modern humans are missing out on.

[Dan K]

Maybe all of this doesn't really matter. All I'm looking for is a way that I can make a dozen arrows that all shoot fairly consistently without having to make 100 of them. If there's a way to check the shoot and determine it will get close to what I want before I go to all the work of fletching and pointing, great.

[Holten101]

  I han't weighed,spined a shoot arrow for 15 years maybe more. Here a couple things to conceder.
  I get all my shots under 20 mostly 15 or under. This helps with weight and spine.
  My bows are center shot. This in itself helps with crooked arrows. But all arrows flex around the bow at the smae spot.
  I've made sets arrows and if you want to put the time in you can make a set spine and weight arrows. They won't be as close as a set of carbons.  You just can't start with a dozzen shoots and plan on getting them all the same but I can start with sat 45 or 50 and end up with a dozzen with in 5 grains.
  But with a slow,center shot selfbow you don't need to go that close. People and your included (I CAN TELL THE WAYS YOU TALK) have been brain washed by the compound craze. And everything has to be totally the same to hit your target. It's true with a 300 FPS compound 2 grains and they have to be spined all perfectly the same. If you want to show off and shoot 10 rings for your friends go back to a compound.
  But your shooting a SLOWWWWWWW selfbow.
  A little been or kink dos'nt matter. Your arrows all come off the bow at the same place. With a center shot bow all your arrows come off the bow with in 8 or 10's. So it really don't matter it the rest of the arrows not perfecty straight. If you don't beleive me POWER your arrow up before a shot. Shoot it like this and you can see the point (lenth of arrow) in which your (all) arrows leaves the bow.
  Keep it under 20 most of my shots are 15 and under. Isn't that why we bow hunt and not shoot a rifle 500 yards. If my bow shoot the arrow ok I use it. Do you think indains set around the camp fire passing the scales and spine tester around. NO, LIKE I SAID IF THERE BOW SHOT IT GOOD THEY USED IT.
  I killed 37 bucks unteen does and 15 gobblers most with unweighed, unspined shoot arrows. Not on knew my arrow had a been in it. I love to shoot but I suck. But I can shoot concented 3,4 inch groups at 20.

I think that might be the first time I have felt offended on this board....you dont know me Crooketarrow, and you certaintly dont know what I expect from shot arrows, so stop the compound, weights and carbon insinuation.

Cheers to the rest of you

[bubbles]

I start with all my shoots slighly stiff and unfletched and sand them down a bit at a time till they fly straight out of my bow.  Seems to work well for me.  Anything that doesn't fly well gets straightened again and if that doesn't solve the problem I toss it.  Its surprising how well a wiggly shaft can fly when it matches the bow. I feel I get a better ratio of good shafts to bad shafts with this method.