3 Fletch vs. 4 Fletch

[HookUp]

Tim Gillingham hunts with four fletch. Hunt with what you have confidence in.

 

[Brendan]

4 Year old Thread here, but - The question of 4 fletch vs. 3 fletch isn't that simple - the answer is "It Depends".

You can shoot a low profile, short vane fletched 4 fletch with a 1 degree offset, and get LESS stabilization than a longer, higher profile 3-fletch with a big helical... Or, it could be the other way around depending on the choices you make. It's all about lateral surface area of the vanes when it comes to horizontal wind drift, and frontal surface area and the drag and rotation that induces when it comes to stabilizing the arrow.

And, Shane's right. If you're a better shot with a well tuned bow (People like Shane, Gillingham), you need less stabilization than someone who's not as good a shot and torques the bow more often (Me), or who has a bow that isn't as well tuned. Fixed blade vs. mechanical plays in here too.

Best thing you can do? Try out a bunch of different combinations. Test them with broadheads shooting at paper targets - chart your accuracy (consistency) and how much drop / drift you get, then use what works best for your setup, because it may be different than for someone else.

 

[sim22mie]

I'm going to experiment with this very thing in the next couple weeks. Have always shot a blazer on a helical. I've been shooting a aae max stealth on an offset rather than helical. I'd like to mess with an aae pro max in a 4 fletch on an offset and a bohning heat vane in a 4 fletch on an offset. I don't think I'd run a 4 fletch on anything other than those smaller vanes, but time will tell.

 

[ontarget7]

I have played with a handful of 4 Fletch combos but never really have found the one. With standard vane sizes 2" and up they have been loud. Then the smaller vanes I haven't seen ideal control with fixed blades on the lower profile ones.
Now the recent 4 fletch Blazer X2's might be the ticket for me. They are quieter but seem to be tall enough to keep stability of fixed blade heads in flight. So far the Slick Tricks out to 60 yards have not been a problem.

If these keep proving themselves I might just go to a 4 Fletch combo.

So I may just change things up and go with this 4 Fletch combo for its quiet characteristics in flight.
They seem to be small enough that they hold up better as far as nicks and shooting holes in my 3 Fletch combos. So less refletching would be great as well.
I passed one completely through a 3D target the other day. All thou slightly crinkled at first it was right back to normal within a few minutes.

Impressed so far.


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[tracker12]

A few years ago I had a nice conversation with the owner of True Flight feathers. He told me that all he has ever used for the last 40 years is 4 fletcher arrows. I made the switch at first with my trad gear and liked the results. Last year I switched to 4 with the compound. I like the forgiveness with my fixed blade BH's.