Are impact collars worth the cash

[Bmoore]

I’m looking at building some RIP TKO and swapping the inserts for some 50 grain brass ones. I’m trying to decide if I want to put impact collars on the end as well. I have a few Easton axis that I use through summer for 3D shoots and target stuff and I’ve noticed that a few are starting to mushroom on the end. In fairness they are a few years old at this point and I’ve pull all of them out of the dirt but it has me thinking if on my new build I should put some impact collars on to protect the ends from mushrooming. In theory i like the idea but it add substantial cost to get the iron will collars which would fit perfectly with the OD of the shaft.

the new build will be primarily for hunting white tails this fall if that has any influence. Just curious what some of the prevailing opinions are. Thanks

 

[Warmsy]

I've tried a couple aluminum impact collars. Waste of time and money. They last about 6 shots into something hard like trees and 2x4s. I bought the iron will impact collars and epoxied them on. I torture tested one arrow. 20 shots at a knot in a 2x4. That arrow is still fine. I'm pretty stoked about them. Out of a45# recurve.

 

[wildwilderness]

Iron will impact collars are worth the cost. Saving a shaft will buy them

 

[Cng]

I was breaking arrows left and right when I got into stumping, so I made my own collars out of aluminum arrows that just barely fit over my carbon shafts (with some light sanding). I put 1.5” collars or footers on the point end and .5” collars on the nock end, and I don’t think I’ve broken a shaft since, including a few that missed my backyard target and slammed directly into my cinder block garage.

So, I don’t know if they’re worth the money, but even my homemade aluminum ones made for some darn tough arrows. Now if I could just find a way to keep from losing them…

 

[HaydenLane]

I took to stumps and cow pies one day this spring when the turkeys weren’t cooperating. My buddy though it looked like fun and decided to join me. He shattered an axis on a rotten log at 40 yards on his first shot.

Needless to say, his next arrow build will have a collar. $5-6 an arrow to save $15-20 worth of shaft, fletching, wrap, and time.

I’m currently running RIP TKO 300s with IW collars, 200 up front total. I may cry if I lose an arrow, but I’ve yet to be afraid of breaking one.

EDIT: the IWs are actually a touch large on RIP TKOs. I personally used cold melt to fill the gap. If the fit was snug, I would’ve just let the point hold them on. YMMV

 

[5MilesBack]

I built a couple dozen RIP TKO Elite 250's with 75gr HIT's, 100gr Ethics, and regular 16gr HIT's without any collars. I've never been a fan of collars as they are just one more thing that has to be absolutely perfect and perfectly aligned for true spinning arrows. I would say for just shooting targets and animals they are not needed. But if you want to save an arrow here and there that you've shot into concrete or rocks or something, then perhaps you'll find value in them. I haven't shot enough hard stuff yet to make a good determination on how durable these RIP TKO's are. But they'll work fine for animals.

 

[Bmoore]

Thanks for the replies. I try to get a few seasons out of a dozen arrows when I can so if the collars stop the ends from mushrooming it might just be worth the extra investment. I would like to be able to shoot a deer and resharpened the broadhead and use it to shoot another. So I really want to have a durable setup. But also do some 3D stuff in the fall to keep me sharp and I know I can end up missing a few eventually. So it would be nice to have a fully functional arrow left at the end of the day. (If I can find it) haha.

 

[5MilesBack]

I would like to be able to shoot a deer and resharpened the broadhead and use it to shoot another. So I really want to have a durable setup.

Last year I shot my moose with one of my GT Kinetic XT 200 arrows with just regular HIT's and an Exodus head, then used that same arrow with a new BH on it to shoot my sheep. That arrow is still fine and the Kinetics have been some of the least durable arrows I've used.

You can always buy just a few of the collars and try them out and see what you think of them first. You can also transfer them to different arrows as well, so you really don't need a dozen of them.

 

[N2TRKYS]

I’ve never had an arrow break with pass throughs on deer and hogs. I’ve always been able to reuse my arrows. This is with regular sized arrows and regular inserts.

 

[Bmoore]

Thanks for all the input. I think I’ll buy a half dozen of them and use them for a bit. Maybe shoot a few without and see if there’s a difference. If so I can always pick up a few more later.

 

[PAhntr91]

I’ve had very good luck with them. Saved a few arrows for me already. Definitely worth the price.

 

[Scorpion]

Decided to do some destructive testing on arrows with and without them. Shot into a metal dumpster at a range of 20 yards. Yes, they make a difference.

 

[Fullfan]

Do not think so, bought a dzn of the IW collars. Could not get my shafts to spin without a wobble after installing them. Sent them back

 

[Warmsy]

Do not think so, bought a dzn of the IW collars. Could not get my shafts to spin without a wobble after installing them. Sent them back

Are you using HIT insert s? I don't even bother spinning my arrows anymore with HIT and IW collars

 

[ozyclint]

Or you could get some aluminium shafts with suitable ID, cut sections to desired length, epoxy them on and have the same result for peanuts vs "$5-$6/shaft".

who pays that?

 

[Fullfan]

Warsmy no sir

 

[5MilesBack]

Decided to do some destructive testing on arrows with and without them. Shot into a metal dumpster at a range of 20 yards. Yes, they make a difference.

Of course they make a difference.......but how many metal dumpster tags are you going to get in your lifetime?

On animals, I've NEVER had a problem with an arrow that a collar would have helped with.....even going through elk shoulder blades and humerus bones, or hitting the knuckle and stopping cold.

 

[Scorpion]

If I had 10 elk sized animals standing in the yard perhaps I could have shot something else, so the dumpster had to suffice.

I haven’t had any issues to date with deer or elk either, but that doesn’t mean it can’t or won’t happen. I’ve had one issue in the past where side loading of the arrow potentially lost me an animal. Even a direct impact to a scapula can be enough to cause an arrow to fail if tolerances are stacked and arrows are not squared. I shot through the offside scapula of my bull last year and am not sure I’d have as much confidence in that without a collar system.

My primary reason for running them is as much to increase the life of the arrow shaft as anything. I’ve had sidewall blow outs of arrows with HIT type inserts and Half Outs during practice and competition. The impact collars greatly reduce this. Also, I’ve found my arrow builds to have less runout and better concentricity, making tuning much less of a chore.

FWIW, I only run them with 0.204“ and 0.166” ID shafts on my compounds. I run standard OD shafts with a flanged insert with my current recurve setups.

OP - give some collars a try, you’ll extend the life of the Axis shafts enough to come out ahead in the long run.

 

[Hoot]

I believe in them, I don’t think they’re required, but they definitely extend the life of your arrows. Aside from tinkering with different shafts I have shot the same dozen axis shafts for 3 years now and as long as I don’t lose any I’ll have them for years to come I imagine…

 

[5MilesBack]

I’ve had sidewall blow outs of arrows with HIT type inserts and Half Outs during practice and competition.

I've been using HIT's for about 15 years in several different types of arrows, and the only arrows I've had an issue with near the tips are my GT Kinetic XT 200's, and BE Rampage 250's. Everything else has been fine with HIT's.