Bunch of arrow questions

[Toofarsouth]

Since I broke my leg last week and ended my season my wallet has been burning a hole in my pocket. I had been debating on switching to a 4mm arrow setup this year but kept my 5mm’s just because I was familiar with how they shot and really had no complaints other than they are heavy.

I know there are mixed feelings on here about heavy arrows/high f.o.c. builds, but the one thing that made sense to me was bareshafting with different point weights until you find a combination that naturally wants to leave your bow straight(ish). So that’s what I did with my 5mm arrows and like I said I have been pleased with them overall. But I can drop around 2 grains per inch going to 4mm shafts which would lighten me up about 55 gr in total.

Anyways,

My first question is this, can I expect the same point weight to act the same on 4mm as a 5mm assuming the spine is the same? Or am I looking at repeating the process of going through different weights to find what wants to fly true?

My second question is for those of you who use wraps on 4mm arrows have you found it beneficial to take material off the wrap lengthwise to avoid a ton of overlap?

Third question would be, have you noticed 4mm like different fletching combinations compared to larger diameter shafts? Or would my 4° offset 3-fletch be as good a place to start as any?

Thanks to any who feel the need to entertain the boredom of a man stuck on the couch for the rest of the season

 

[Mighty Mouse]

My first question is this, can I expect the same point weight to act the same on 4mm as a 5mm assuming the spine is the same? Or am I looking at repeating the process of going through different weights to find what wants to fly true?

In theory, a given amount of front end weight will produce the same dynamic spine reaction regardless of shaft gpi and diameter if all other arrow parameters are the same (length, rear weight, static spine, etc); however, you'll need to verify this through actually shooting/tuning the new arrows. Use whatever method works for you, but (with a compound) I choose my arrow weight then tune the bow as needed to get that arrow to fly well (instead of tuning by altering point weight).

Third question would be, have you noticed 4mm like different fletching combinations compared to larger diameter shafts? Or would my 4° offset 3-fletch be as good a place to start as any?

If you lighten the shaft and leave everything else unchanged, your FOC will increase, which reduces the amount of fletching you need. Again this is theoretical and requires actual shooting to determine the "best" fletching configuration. Three vanes at 4° is a fine place to start, although you may have difficulty getting vanes glued on a 4mm shaft at that angle depending on vane length and the jig you're using.

The insert/outsert is the weak link in most 4mm arrows. I would recommend doing some research on that topic before making the switch.

 

[Toofarsouth]

In theory, a given amount of front end weight will produce the same dynamic spine reaction regardless of shaft gpi and diameter if all other arrow parameters are the same (length, rear weight, static spine, etc); however, you'll need to verify this through actually shooting/tuning the new arrows. Use whatever method works for you, but (with a compound) I choose my arrow weight then tune the bow as needed to get that arrow to fly well (instead of tuning by altering point weight).


If you lighten the shaft and leave everything else unchanged, your FOC will increase, which reduces the amount of fletching you need. Again this is theoretical and requires actual shooting to determine the "best" fletching configuration. Three vanes at 4° is a fine place to start, although you may have difficulty getting vanes glued on a 4mm shaft at that angle depending on vane length and the jig you're using.

The insert/outsert is the weak link in most 4mm arrows. I would recommend doing some research on that topic before making the switch.

Thanks for the reply, if I do make the switch it will be using Iron Will components as I am familiar with and have been more than happy with them. Would hope for the same quality in their scs system.

I have quite a few different vanes to play around with so I should be able to find something to work in the LCA jig. I hadn’t thought of adhesion issues due to the smaller radius arrow. Might find myself using a softer vane than normal.

I’m roughly two hours from my closest archery shop so if it gets much beyond tuning the rest it turns into a big day. That was another big reason for trying to find an arrow combination that flew well naked. Until I can make some room for a bow press any cam tuning is out of the question

 

[Mighty Mouse]

Thanks for the reply, if I do make the switch it will be using Iron Will components as I am familiar with and have been more than happy with them. Would hope for the same quality in their scs system.

Good choice. An Iron Will HIT with collar is the best 4mm option IMO if you're willing to use Deep Six components. Their only downsides are cost and incompatibility with standard 8-32 thread heads/points.

 

[GatorGar247]

Only thing I can add is 4mm components are expensive. Look at your total arrow build before you buy the shafts.

 

[anthnichols]

I would definitely think the smaller diameter would react a little differently than the larger shaft, even with the measurements being equal. Just for the fact that a larger diameter should be more rigid? Just my thoughts anyway. Might not be significant enough, but I would definitely shoot em to find out. Like you've been doing.