why carbon arrows?

xeonsPWN

New member
im very new to this and have only shot indoors. why do people use carbon arrows outside? can i use my aluminum arrows outdoors?
 

Murray

Well-known member
Ironman
American Shoot
AIUK Saviour
Primarily, carbon arrows are strong and light, and less affected by the elements on their way to the target. You CAN use ali's outdoors. but getting to the longer distances can be much more of a challenge.
 

Macbow

New member
I use Carbon Express Heritage shafts with my AFB because they look like woodies but are supertough and consistent, cheap and cost effective, and I can adjust the overall weight from the same as my cedar shafts (400 grains) to heavy (600 grains). I use carbons for training and save my matched tapered woods for competition.
You can certainly use aluminiums outdoors - one advantage of aluminium over carbon is a metal detector picks them up easily. Very handy on a field course.
 

Rik

Supporter
Supporter
As Murray says, Carbon shafts are lighter than aluminium. Lighter shafts means less draw weight needed to get the longer distances. Carbon shafts can also be made thinner, for the same stiffness as an equivalent ali shaft, so you get less wind drift.

If you're shooting shorter distances, then there is no problem with ali shafts outdoors, so long as you accept that they're slower and will get blown about by the wind a little more. I'd guess that most people start shooting outdoors wil ali shafts, and only move up to carbon when they need to.
 

GeoffT

Active member
Ironman
All but the crudest carbons are built around a thin aluminum core and so can also be found easily by a metal detector
 

joetapley

New member
Lighter shafts means less draw weight needed to get the longer distances.
Or conversely higher arrow speeds with the same draw weight. People (including low draw weight me) have always been able to reach 100 yards with Ali arrows.
Bottom line is a lighter, thinner arrow shaft will outperform a heavier fatter one. If you look at the Easton arrow Spine/weight chart on one side you have the heavy, cheap Al shafts; in the middle the lighter weight, medium expensive parallel carbon shafts and at the other end the very light weight, very expensive barrelled carbon shafts. The direction of heavy to light is the same direction as increased arrow performance (unfortunately it's also the same direction as arrow cost :( )

Another benefit to carbon over aluminium is that they are less likely to take a bend. With aluminium arrows there is a permanent arrow straightening process going on. With carbons they tend to be either straight or bust. The can take a bend but I've never succeeded in straightening a bent carbon.
 
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Merlin83b

Member
Rik said:
I'd guess that most people start shooting outdoors wil ali shafts, and only move up to carbon when they need to.
How do you determine this? Reach a kind of score plateau and need something to move you to the next level? Get upset with wind blowing arrows all over the place?
 

tel

Active member
Fonz Awardee
The direction of heavy to light is the same direction as increased arrow performance (unfortunately it's also the same direction as arrow cost)
Can anyone explain to me why this trend exists? You'd expect to find something, somewhere that was both the best at its job and cheap, if only by accident! And before the barrage - I know certain materials are more expensive, but why are they always the better ones?
 

joetapley

New member
Can anyone explain to me why this trend exists? You'd expect to find something, somewhere that was both the best at its job and cheap, if only by accident! And before the barrage - I know certain materials are more expensive, but why are they always the better ones?
Murphys Law


There's a big improvement in performance ali - parallel carbon for a medium price increase. The performance difference between parallel and barelled carbon is fairly minor for a major price increase.

And to be fair aluminium shafts are a major improvement over wooden shafts for target archery at not to great a cost.
 
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Cakemeister

Moderator
Fonz Awardee
Xeon, if you do decide to go for carbons for outside you'll need an arrow puller of some sort as broken carbons tend to splinter, which you don't want in your hand- especially as x-rays can't find the bits...
 

Rik

Supporter
Supporter
tel said:
Can anyone explain to me why this trend exists? You'd expect to find something, somewhere that was both the best at its job and cheap, if only by accident! And before the barrage - I know certain materials are more expensive, but why are they always the better ones?
That's a little unrealistic... If you produce something that is unarguably the best in the market, then you can probably charge what you like for it... The driver is how much the market will bear.

Merlin83b said:
How do you determine this? Reach a kind of score plateau and need something to move you to the next level? Get upset with wind blowing arrows all over the place?
The "getting upset" is probably the most common reason. Either with the arrow performance in wind, or just the sightmarks. Some people find they can't reach the longer distances very well and buy carbon shafts to help. There shouldn't be any score plateau. Aluminium shafts are (if anything) more inherently accurate than carbon, though there's not a great deal in it. But as Joe said, carbon wins on performance.

GeoffT said:
All but the crudest carbons are built around a thin aluminum core and so can also be found easily by a metal detector
Easton Vectors are crude? McKinneys certainly weren't, neither were the Beman Divas... Just because Easton sticks an Aluminium core in it's most expensive shafts, doesn't automatically make all-carbon shafts crude...
And I've never had more trouble finding all carbon shafts, than aluminium cored ones. Both will come up with a rake (sometimes in pieces :( ). In my experience, problems with finding shafts are more likely due to where they went (away from the place you'd expect them) than what they are made of.
 
GeoffT said:
All but the crudest carbons are built around a thin aluminum core and so can also be found easily by a metal detector
I have also been to some target competitions where all carbon arrows are not allowed. This is where you are shooting on a field that is used for other sports such as cricket, ******** or rugby. Organisors can be wary of not finding an arrow and later there is an injury, may be a bit over-cautious but I suppose better to be safe than sorry.
 

tel

Active member
Fonz Awardee
That's a little unrealistic... If you produce something that is unarguably the best in the market, then you can probably charge what you like for it... The driver is how much the market will bear.
Firstly, as this forum proves, nothing is unarguably the best.

Secondly, charging what you like because you can wasn't really my point - I was thinking more materials. Like tungsten is better than SS, but is also much dearer.
 
R

rgsphoto

Guest
tel said:
Firstly, as this forum proves, nothing is unarguably the best.

Secondly, charging what you like because you can wasn't really my point - I was thinking more materials. Like tungsten is better than SS, but is also much dearer.
Hmmm more a case of some arrows are better for a given job, that can't be denied. ie an ACE/Triple will out perform an X7 for a gents Fita at 90m in a wind.
 
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