fletching idea ?????

[Rufus]

I have an idea and since nothing is new and front of center weight is good, has anyone here tryed fletching arrows 1/3 of the way up the shaft from the nock end.

[roly]

How would you hold it in the fletcher?

The fletchings act as a rudder for the arrow, don't know if it would stablize fast enough.

Just wait someone will know

[Rufus]

My fletching jig will hold 6.5 inch feathers and i am now shooting 2" fletching i thought i might try to go up the shaft as far as i can and see how arrow flight is although i can not go 1/3 up the shaft i can go a few inches.I am new to cross bows and thought maybe someone has already tryed it.

[vixenmaster]

I maybe off base on this as i am not a math user fer figuring. If you move small vanes down the shaft towards the front it will mess with the FOC. Like trying to balance a 15" shaft with the end weight out back with no rudder

[Rufus]

That sure might be true i just do not know, thats why i thought i would ask and see what the thought on it was. I have a new ibex an if the snow ever stops i am dying to try a few different ideas.

[SPITFIRE]

Can't think of any good reason to put fletching in the middle of the shaft,it will serve no purpose. It will however become a pain in the a$$ when you are target shooting. Good bye fletching. JMO

[Tom]

Steer an arrow from the back same as you would a boat or an airplane.

Moving the fletchings forward will lessen their effect and their ability to steer.

It's a matter of leverages.

Why are vertical bows generally more accurate then crossbows when in the hands of equally compitant shooters is because the arrows are longer. The longer the distance between the point and the fletching, the more stable the arrow will become. A more stable arrow will help with a more accurate shot.

Moving the fletch further up the shaft will not normally help in the flight characteristic of the arrow.

[Tennessee Tom]

I agree with Bstout the arrow steering shoud have more leverage on the rear . what if a car had the steering wheels( tires )in the center it would be harder to keep it from wobbling !!!!!!

[wabi]

Knew I'd read the answer, and I finally found the link!

All else being equal, the further to the rear the feathers are, the more efficient the guidance. The feathers should not be any further forward than is necessary for clearance.

Read the entire article here - http://www.trueflightfeathers.com/guide.htm

[Limbs and Sticks]

Thanks Wabi I couldn't find that link, I use feathers,so I trimed my scope mount so I could fletch mine 3/4in from nock,the trimming of the mount gives me clearence, the further back the better the guidence.

Wes

[Rufus]

Thanks everyone it looks like the closer to the nock end the better and maybe we should all shoot feathers.

[Czy Horse]

20 years ago I used to shoot the feather fetched 2117's until I heard how much noise they make screaming into the target. The cut hollow feather fibers where like blowing across a case of open pop bottle tops.

Feathers always out shot the plastic . . better arrow stabilization. .my guess

[Tom]

Feathers always out shot the plastic . . better arrow stabilization. .my guess

This had been my experience (years ago) also.

It wasn't long however until I realized the FOC had gone from adequate using feathers, to less than adequate using the same arrows fletched with plastic.

The additional tail weight caused by the plastic was causing the arrow to fly a tad on the squirrelly side. After increasing the nose weight, the plastic fletch flew almost as good as the feathers.

The exception of course was hunting in the rain where the plastic fletch ran circles around the feathers.

Many years ago I came across a white powder substance in a tube style container (have not seen it in a store for many years) which worked well for weather proofing feathers. You insert the fletch end into the tube, close the lid and then shake everything. Remove arrow and let set for a while. Now in the rain the feathers will look ragged and beaten but the accuracy would stay the same for me and after they dry, they would look normal. I have some hunting arrows for over 15 years and all I shoot is feathers.

20 years ago I used to shoot the feather fetched 2117's until I heard how much noise they make screaming into the target. The cut hollow feather fibers where like blowing across a case of open pop bottle tops.

Feathers always out shot the plastic . . better arrow stabilization. .my guess

Feathers are noisy, but so are plastic fletching. Feathers are more noisy, but at what level of noise will a deer not get alerted from noise when it is coming at them.

I use feathers as I find that they shoot the best, therefore I have the most confidence in that setup.

[Limbs and Sticks]

Water repellents, this is one I've used with good success a while back,this may be what your talking about Tom this has been around a long time, I've used silicone sprays and liquid form, even used water born Thompson water seal, they all worked for as long as I wanted to hunt in the rain, that is caught in the rain while hunting. As said more accurate because they are more forgiving than plastic, arrows same weight one feathers other vanes, feathers will be faster less drag than vanes,I don't want anyone to get me wrong I hunt with vanes too on certain vermin. I don't worry about noise, I only need one shot.

Wes

[Tom]

Wes I think that is the same thing I have (I do not have it here so I can't say for sure) and use but mine came in a container about 8-10 inches long and 4 inches in Dia. The lid has a resealable hole which the arrow goes through so that the fletch gets held in a sealed container. Shaking the fletched end inside the sealed container really coats the fletch well.

Too bad as it did really work well.