Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Shooting and Hunting => Topic started by: Capt on October 12, 2013, 06:54:20 pm
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I just got my 2nd self bow finished and will hopefully be getting a chance to go after some Hogs and or deer in the ne'er future....
I haven't got the experience or the material for self arrows yet so I researched and bought some online.....
I'd love some opinions on my choice?
My bow is Osage and 50# @ 25 1/2".......... I chose to go with aluminum for the low maintenance reason and got 500 spine Easton Gamegetter Xx75's cut to 27 3/4" with g5 montec broadheads.....
The broadheads are 125grain......
My research tells me this should be a good combo for a 50# self bow....
Any advice or comments much appreciated.......
Pic of my bow attached...
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what do they weigh ??
and how do they shoot ??
I'm not a big fan of shooting aluminum arrows from a selfbow but if that's what you got -and it shoots good-
then have at it!
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Unless these are just temporary substitutes then I would recommend you get some carbons ( if you go wood grain many people won't notice) aluminums are so fragile that they rarely last more than a year for me
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I'm not familiar with aluminum these days but most shafts are spined for arrows 28" long. With wood arrows each inch under 28" increases the effective spine of the arrow by 5# per inch.
It is time you think about building your own arrows, either store bought shafts, handmade shafts, cane or hardwood shoot shafts.
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Okay, Personally I am a big fan of aluminum arrows unlike a lot of people. Do not cut your shafts that short at first. You will have to play with tip weight and shaft length to get the proper tune. I would recommend going no shorter than 31" to start for shaft length and start with 125 grain tips. Bare shaft or paper tune from there, starting by playing with point weight and then if drastic changes are needed cut the shaft a bit shorter. I personally draw about 40#, but my draw is 30" (approximately the same power as your draw at 50#) and I shoot Easton legacy 1916' s with good success.
Jon
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Ifrit gave you some good advice, leave them long and bare shaft them, aluminums are easy to tune. Ive shot them out of glass bows for years and did not find them to be particularly fragile. While not my choice for a self bow they are more than adequate to hunt with. Use them until you can get some proper wood arrows
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Hmmm 50#@ 25.5". I'd say to get you in the ball park 55# spine cedars at 32" with 125gr.
I have a 48# glass recurve and a 62# Osage selfie @ 26" that loves this setup.
But remember......tune to your specs.
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Im betting your too stiff. You may consider 160 grain heads, or more. That, or leave the arrows 2-3" too long.
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SELFBOWS AND ALUM. DON'T MIX
Your still inthat compound mode.
It won't take you long to understand this.
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The problem i have run into with aluminium arrows is they are just to light in physical wieght wich usually translates to handshock that will shake the fillins right outa your teeth :o, lol... That bein said, i have made a few bows that love em ;).... Look in your backyard for shoots or ask a local farmer if you can cut some of his multifloral rose...garauntee he will let ya ;D... Brian
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Bamboo tomato stakes from your local Do-it-yourself store are great arra material also and they are dirt cheap and should be on sale now.... Brian
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The answer to your question depends on how centershot (or not) your bow is. Your bow has a cut in shelf and is closer to centershot than most selfbows, but your setup may still be too stiff. As others said, leave the shafts longer if possible, or use alot more weight up front. There's a free program called Stu Millers spine calculator which lets you input values for various arrow componets and bow specs and then it calculates the "dynamic spine" of your arrows and "required dynamic spine " of your bow. I put in the stats for your arrows and bow (guessing that it has it's shelf cut to about 3/8 from center). The program basically indicated too stiff. I realize that this program is not gonna be 100%, but it get's you in the ballpark. Playing around with options it looks like these shafts at 32 inches with 145 heads will be close.
I disagree with Koan that aluminum is too light. Your shafts alone weigh about 10.6 grains per inch, which is similar to many woods, and heavier than some carbon shafts. The beauty of carbon or aluminum is that you can add weight inside the shaft and swap out componets easily. Like any arrow, it's all about getting the stiffness you need at the physical weight you want.