Carbon or Aluminum Arrows?

[NonTypicalCPA]

I'm new to crossbows - picked up an Exocet 200 for this falls bowhunting. I need to get some arrows and while researching on the forum was surprised to see a lot of posters using aluminum. I made the switch to carbons many years ago with my compound bows. Are there advantages shooting aluminum arrows out of a crossbow or is it just personal preference?

[Migabby]

I made the switch to Carbon last year, some of the Folks here use the Aluminum for hunting only (KE is better) and the Carbon for target. There claim is, and its true, Aluminum bends more in target, and 3-D, Carbons less so.

Migabby

[bkisel]

Just so you know over the decades, out of vertical bows, I've shot fiberglass, wood, aluminum and carbon arrows. If I had a favorite it'd be woodies out of a longbow. Off my Exocet I've only shot carbons. This being said I personally would not jump on aluminum arrows having more KE and expecting that to necessarily translate into better penetration vs. carbons. I believe an important factor to consider is the arrows frequency of oscillation - think in terms less wobble and therefore straighter vectoring from carbon vs. aluminum as the broadhead enters the game animal. You just might be getting better penetration from a carbon arrow having less KE than a given aluminum arrow.

Now, I'm not suggesting that there are not any advantages to shooting a heavy arrow vs. a lighter arrow. It would I believe be easier and less expensive to put together arrows on the heavy side using aluminum for shafting than with carbon but with weight tubes and other stuff you can get carbon arrows heavy and still have the benefits of the carbon arrows lower frequency of oscillation.

The long and the short of it is that either aluminum or carbon can/will serve you well.


Take care...

[Rich]

I shot carbons simply for their durability. I have shoot some of the same carbons for years, once they start looking ragged I just refletch them.

[OkXbowHunter]

Hey Rich, I'm a fairly new shooter as well. I'm also one who thinks the grass is greener on the other side of the fence!

Since I bought my Axiom, I've bought about 2 dozen various sizes of xbow bolts to see which ones shoot the best. Just got in some GT Laser II Kinetics yesterday and glued in the inserts. Went out this morning and tried them with 125 grain field tips.

Know what? They shoot nearly the same as everything else I've been shooting! They do seem to be more weight forward heavy than my other arrows, even the 2219's. Seem a tad slower but nosier out of my bow. Also, I noticed it seemed they buried up a little deeper into my Morrell xbow target.

There'll be another experiment tonight as I put them up against the 2219's!

I'm thinking about hunting with 2219's simply because they are cheaper and easier (IMHO) to work on if they need it.

But who knows. Hunting season is a month away and I reserve the right to change my mind several times before then!

[M&M]

I have been shooting crossbows for 20yrs and have shot both and both can shoot very well I started out shooting aluminum then switched to carbons then back to aluminum as I said both will shoot very well the reason I chose to go back to aluminum is that I have had a couple carbons break on me and one broke in a deer I did recover that deer just fine but a carbon arrow can break and splinter and if a person injusted some of that carbon material from the meat it could be very unhealthy. now if an aluminum arrow breaks or bends it just breaks or bends and I am ok with that

[Migabby]

and if a person injusted some of that carbon material from the meat it could be very unhealthy. now if an aluminum arrow breaks or bends it just breaks or bends and I am ok with that

I have heard that also... It is now my understandding that it is not true any more that the newer shafts that problem does not now exist. Is this not true?

[End of the road]

I bought an Exocet a few months back and started shooting the Firebolt carbons that came with it. I exploded two right away trying to sight it in. My fault though, at over 300 fps rocks can be pretty hard on carbons. That got me thinking about carbon though for hunting and I asked a similar question on the forum. I was told the Firebolts are now the C2 style (it has a C2 symbol on the shaft) and are less likely to splinter.

I did pick up a box of the 2219’s to give them a try and have been using the aluminums for target and with judo points for bunnies. Mostly because I was new at this and they were less money if I broke or lost them. Both the Firebolts and the 2219’s hit pretty much the same place for me at about 25 yards using 125 gr field points. Have not made the decision on what to hunt with this season, which is my first, but I am leaning toward the carbons.

[Boo]

I shoot carbons because they are less noisy and especially with the present arrows I am using you don't have to be so careful with them. I am always on the verge of going back to aluminums because they are cheaper, straighter and you have a wider range of weights available.

[crazyfarmer]

carbon- wont bend.. if its going to bend it will break. No guessing if you have a bent arrow to throw off flight

aluminum- bends!! Always had to check to make sure it wasnt bent after a shot.

both fly straight and do the job but I dont like the guesswork of a bent arrow. Never had one explode on me. I had 2 break lodged in the front shoulder of a deer but aluminum would have bent or broke also LOL. Its no way aluminum wont bend or break compared to carbon when lodged in a deer.

[NonTypicalCPA]

I think I'll stick with carbon. The bow came with 6 firebolt C2's. Do these have any weight forward technology in them? If not, should I add inserts up front?