Changing setup for 3D

[Ashy Larry]

Now that season is pretty much over I’m looking to get into some 3D stuff. I have a few targets at the house, a great course nearby and a “TAC” style event coming up in March about an hour away. I’m assuming the normal MO is to get a lighter weight arrow setup for flatter tapes and pin gaps. My “hunting” setup is 490 grains and not the flattest. What do most guys change when going from hunting to 3D setups?

 

[Healthy Scratch]

I shoot Easton 5.0s. Most of my friends shoot VAP TKOs for foam. You have to watch tight arrow groups; lighter arrows aren't forgiving.

 

[Ashy Larry]

I shoot Easton 5.0s. Most of my friends shoot VAP TKOs for foam. You have to watch tight arrow groups; lighter arrows aren't forgiving.

What do you mean by forgiving

 

[sndmn11]

What do you mean by forgiving

Probably means forgiving of impact from other arrows.

I switch to 23s with glue in target tips.

 

[Healthy Scratch]

Probably means forgiving of impact from other arrows.

I switch to 23s with glue in target tips.

That's exactly what I mean. They're not as robust as say an Axis. But, they are a lot lighter and shoot a lot flatter.

 

[Beendare]

The top 3D guys I know don't go overboard on very light arrows. It seems that right around 300fps +/- is a fairly forgiving setup....but when you approach the 320-ish range, they seem to think their accuracy diminishes.

Thats usually about a 400g to 420g arrow

 

[mfolch]

Get some super cheap accmos arrows 4mm from amazon or 3.2 from AliExpress. $70 for 2 dozen, with generic pin nock bushings, Beiter pin nocks, ff ffb 187 in four fletch, 100gn glue-in inserts, taw ~400gn. Make sure you identify and fletch oriented along the string spine, and cut the straightest section of the shaft, basically make a match grade shaft. total cost will be less than $100 for 24 near-perfect arrows that you’ll not mind losing or breaking.

 

[Hussar]

If you're just shooting for fun, you probably could continue to shoot your hunting setup. If you can dial to 100 yards, that's probably more than enough for most of those shoots.

But, if you're looking to be a little more competitive or just want to build a dedicated arrow, you could build a fatter, lighter arrow (something like a VTAC 23 or Superdrive 23).

I've shot my hunting setup at all the 3D and TAC style events. I can dial to about 120 yards with my 488 grain VAP TKOs, so I haven't had an issue with reaching out to targets.

This year I built a dedicated 3D/TAC bow. I'm shooting 354 grain Victory VTAC 23s with 120 grain glue in points. I'll still shoot one of the TAC courses with my hunting setup to make sure everything is dialed in. But, I'm planning on using the 3D bow for the majority of my shooting throughout the year.

 

[Jpsmith1]

Im not a competitive 3D shooter or anything, but I shoot respectably.

I shoot my hunting arrows because they were expensive and they're accurate and durable.

Why build a new arrow, retune the bow, resight a second sight or tape when you're already solid with the one ya got?

That said, the fun of flying arrows at 3 digit ranges has caught me up a little and I've been thinking about a sub 400 grain arrow just for long bombs.