Arrow broke during the shot! ??

[Kegbelly]

Was doing some shooting this evening, everything's going good. Then one arrow misses my target completely. The shot sounded the same on the bow, but instead of the thud of the arrow hitting the target I hear a loud BANG! What the heck-- there's no arrow in my target OMG, don't tell me I just dry-fired?? I look around... no, there's my arrow stuck in the fence, it flew right over the top of the target. Huh?
Now I'm chrony testing so I'm only 7 yards to the target, and I think there's no way a 3/4" fenceboard is gonna stop an arrow from a 380 that close, something's wrong here. I pull the arrow out of the fence, and there's no tip, just the splintered carbon shaft buried in the board. Then it clicks... that arrow was broke before it ever hit the fence. So I start looking around on the ground, and sure enough I find the rest of the arrow: tip, insert and all, about 10 feet in front of my bench and about 8 feet off to the right. I'm guessing the arrow broke as soon as it launched.
I've broken a few arrows on pass-throughs and such, but I've never had one break like this during a shot, ever. I didn't notice any damage to the arrow when I loaded it, but I wasn't really looking for it either. I checked my limbs out good and everything looks OK on the bow, and I shot several more shots and everything seems good with the bow, but it's not a good feeling. These are Diablos with hundreds of shots on them, is it time just to toss them? Do carbons get weak with the stress of repeated shooting? Anyone else ever had an arrow break apart during the shot?
Here's where the shaft hit the fence. POI is a good 14 inches above POA. Carbon splinters still sticking out...

Here's what's left of the arrow. I think it snapped the instant it launched, and most of the damage to the shaft happened when it hit the fence. Very strange...

[Boo]

The harder and more often an arrow shaft hits a target the more it will likely lose spine. The effect starts at the front just to the rear of the insert because the shaft is not supported by the aluminum or brass.
I think the results of hitting wood of any kind is pretty unpredictable. You just don't know how what kind of direction the tip will take. If it does not go absolutely straight, I'm sure the results will be a broken shaft. The field tip, as opposed to the bullet tip, is meant to hit objects more solid than a target butt.

[xcaliber]

Glad you, and the bow are OK.

[cdn.redneck]

seem that shooting from 7 yards with a 380 isn't a good thing to do
the arrow previous impact did hurt the carbon and twisted it so that shot broke it apart as firing.
I broke an arrow at 12 yards shooting a squirrel so I can imagine the impact at 7 yards.

[Boo]

At 7 yards, it lost spine pretty quick!

[cdn.redneck]

why you even use a crossbow at 7 yards, fishing rod can reach like a whip

[Boo]

John, I made the assumption that you've hit a wooden back stop or something hard before.
BTW, even something like a Spyderweb target up close is damaging to your arrows.

[Kegbelly]

why you even use a crossbow at 7 yards, fishing rod can reach like a whip

I'm doing some more chrony testing where I'm putting a lot of shots thru the bow, so I set up fairly close so I can use my time actually shooting instead of walking back and forth. I didn't think anything about it, I've read several references where guys shoot indoors at really close distances. I'm still convinced the arrow broke before it hit the fence though.
Point taken, I will move farther away.

[Kegbelly]

John, I made the assumption that you've hit a wooden back stop or something hard before.
BTW, even something like a Spyderweb target up close is damaging to your arrows.

I've had pass-throughs with crappy targets in the past, and broke a couple arrows when I hit trees with pass throughs or misses on deer. If you mean has this arrow hit something hard before, no it hasn't. I've got 2 feet of styrofoam blocks behind my targets so even a pass thru on the target still has a decent backstop behind it. Which didn't help much here of course.

[vixenmaster]

I believe carbons & alum. arrows will lose spine. Even carbons will bend n take a set

[Boo]

John, I've taken thousands of shots into my Thirdhand Rag Bag from 12' to 15 ' away, sometimes using bows that clock well over 400 ft/sec. Nothing has ever happened.
I bought a Spyderweb target and when I whacked it up close and personal the target rocked! I spoke to someone at Spyderweb Targets and they said it's probably not a good idea to shoot it so close.
I think maybe the shaft was damaged previously?
Another thought. Shafts that are straighter are less likely to break when hitting a hard target.
So you just might be right about thinking that your arrows are weak (lost spine and no longer straight). Maybe you should consider getting a dial gauge and make or buy a arrow spin tester? That stuff isn't really expensive.

[hankenhunter]

After a shooting session it is a good idea to flex you shafts to see if there is any cracking. I have found two bad shafts this way. Happy shootin,
Hank

[jody5252]

Rule #1 when using carbon arrows... After several shots, always inpsect/flex all of your arrows!

[Kegbelly]

John, I've taken thousands of shots into my Thirdhand Rag Bag from 12' to 15 ' away, sometimes using bows that clock well over 400 ft/sec. Nothing has ever happened.
I bought a Spyderweb target and when I whacked it up close and personal the target rocked! I spoke to someone at Spyderweb Targets and they said it's probably not a good idea to shoot it so close.
I think maybe the shaft was damaged previously?
Another thought. Shafts that are straighter are less likely to break when hitting a hard target.
So you just might be right about thinking that your arrows are weak (lost spine and no longer straight). Maybe you should consider getting a dial gauge and make or buy a arrow spin tester? That stuff isn't really expensive.

Well, I am shooting new targets that are packed really tight. At this distance they hit with a real pop. Maybe that was a factor.
I think the arrows may be past their prime, I think repeated shooting and flexing has made the spine weak and they flex too much now.
As for previous damage, I didn't see anything unusual. I wipe the arrows off after each shot and look them over, make sure the tip is tight, etc. That's not to say there wasn't any damage, but if there was I didnt catch it. I don't know, but something sure went wrong on this shot. Don't know how else to explain it except the arrow broke somewhere between point A and point B.

[Kegbelly]

I believe carbons & alum. arrows will lose spine. Even carbons will bend n take a set

I didn't know carbons would take a bend like that Mike, I've always heard "they're either straight or they're broken". I can see how they'd lose spine over time though.