101 replies to this topic

[Hardawaypoints]

Fullquiver, on 16 February 2012 - 02:04 PM, said:

I was thinking of building my new arrows with 4 inch feathers with as large of helical as will clear in my rail.  I have seen that feathers will group as well as any other type of fletching.  They lack a little in durability and at very high speed (over 330) I think they may have problems with stability.  My x-bow is around 300fps and with my new batch of 2219's  I'm thinking that the feathers might be the best fletching.  I am also going to 140 grain heads and have already purchased 6 Magnus 140gr Stingers will now have to dig around for some 140-145gr feild points.

Feathers are more forgiving than vanes and they correct the flight of an arrow faster, especially in colder temperatures, but they don't like damp/wet weather much.  I've fletched thousands of arrows from the years I worked at a sports shop and I experimented with a lot of different configurations.  Your arrow will get better accuracy from longer fletching, but it is also getting more drag. That drag is why feathers don't hold up as well to faster bows.  Longer fletching also helps off-set the weight and drag of a heavier head.  If you put too much twist on your fletching, it will shorten the feather's life by the likelyhood of having more flex and greater contact with the bow. They will also have much more pressure against them because there is more air resistance as they are imparting more spin to the shaft.  That difference is not great, but it exists. Very often the outer edges of the fletching will become worn uneven or ragged over time, which makes them create a sizzling sound as they fly.  The more you shoot them, the faster that happens.  As fast as crossbows are, that sizzling sound won't be an issue on closer shots, but at distance it could work against you.

Since you roll your own arrows and can replace fletching before it becomes worn enough to be a problem, you will most likely get better accuracy from your arrows.  The feathers ought to work well with weight of your broadheads, as that heavier head will slow velocity of your arrow too.  Sounds like a deadly combination. Good luck.

Jim

[FuzzyFultz]

HighlandHunter, on 18 February 2012 - 08:23 AM, said:

FF,

Been doing some searching and found a very similar 2" cut-off saw with the same specs as the Harbor Freight one (made by Chicago Electric) you are refering to.  This one is made by Anaconda. The prices are the same, but the Anaconda one comes with a one year warranty vs a 90 day warranty with the one from Harbor Freight.

Search: "2" high speed mini miter/cut-off saw, #919"   on Amazon if interested.

The customer reviews for both of these 2" cut-off saws are the same as best I cant tell. They both work great for cutting arrows according to customers, but are not the best quality for high end jobs. Personally I don't know anything about Chicago Electric or Anaconda. Perhaps both are just distributors.

I agree, I think they are both distributors HighlandHunter. I searched those to and decided since the Harbor freight is close and I could take it back if I was not pleased, I would purchase there. Saved me from the $6.00 shipping also. Some customers where completely dissatisfied, while others said they where OK. But for the money, I must go this route and maybe find a quality one later for cheap on auction or something. I have saw some neat homemade saws on Yahoo videos to.
                                    Fuzzy

Edited by FuzzyFultz, 18 February 2012 - 10:39 AM.