Fletching choice

[Eastonsgrandpa]

My favorite vane choices are dependent on if I'm going three or four vanes.
For Three vane setups, I prefer an Easton Bully vane.
For four vane, I like the Flex Fletch SK2.

I do all vanes with a right helical out of the Arizona Mini Max.

You mentioned wanting to keep speed. Careful you don't have too much speed with fixed blades. I've found that much over 280fps can make tuning fixed blades more tricky.

Also, check that 340 spine. At 70 pounds, depending on the length of your arrows and weight up front, that may be too weak.

I would recommend a 300 spine at 70 pounds even if the charts say 340 is good.
On my 75 pound bow, the chart says 300 spine but they just don't tune well. 250 spine is bullet holes.

 

[JStol5]

3 or 4 fletch AAE max stealth has been fantastic for me. Kind of annoying with the prep pen and all that but I’ve had great durability and they stick well. Worth it to me.

 

[Stache Attack]

Appreciate the input!

If you want to get fancy on left or right helical/ offset start close to target with a bare shaft mark and shoot working your way back you’ll see it naturally spins left or right. Can fletch which way it’s spinning to work with the natural flight instead of against.

 

[KcNsan3]

My favorite vane choices are dependent on if I'm going three or four vanes.
For Three vane setups, I prefer an Easton Bully vane.
For four vane, I like the Flex Fletch SK2.

I do all vanes with a right helical out of the Arizona Mini Max.

You mentioned wanting to keep speed. Careful you don't have too much speed with fixed blades. I've found that much over 280fps can make tuning fixed blades more tricky.

Also, check that 340 spine. At 70 pounds, depending on the length of your arrows and weight up front, that may be too weak.

I would recommend a 300 spine at 70 pounds even if the charts say 340 is good.
On my 75 pound bow, the chart says 300 spine but they just don't tune well. 250 spine is bullet holes.

Awesome info! Thanks

 

[KcNsan3]

3 or 4 fletch AAE max stealth has been fantastic for me. Kind of annoying with the prep pen and all that but I’ve had great durability and they stick well. Worth it to me.

Ill check them out! Thanks

 

[KcNsan3]

My favorite vane choices are dependent on if I'm going three or four vanes.
For Three vane setups, I prefer an Easton Bully vane.
For four vane, I like the Flex Fletch SK2.

I do all vanes with a right helical out of the Arizona Mini Max.

You mentioned wanting to keep speed. Careful you don't have too much speed with fixed blades. I've found that much over 280fps can make tuning fixed blades more tricky.

Also, check that 340 spine. At 70 pounds, depending on the length of your arrows and weight up front, that may be too weak.

I would recommend a 300 spine at 70 pounds even if the charts say 340 is good.
On my 75 pound bow, the chart says 300 spine but they just don't tune well. 250 spine is bullet holes.

Really just trying to put everything in my favor for a complete pass through.

 

[Tilzbow]

28". 340 was one of the three options. Should I go for something stiffer?

.340 will be slightly weak with a 100 grain point, and even more weak with a 125 grain point. I‘d go with a .300 spine. Better to be a little stiff than marginally weak.

 

[Eastonsgrandpa]

Really just trying to put everything in my favor for a complete pass through.

Pass through is great and has way more to do with shot placement. Folks shooting 40 pounds get pass through shots. I personally prefer to err on the side of massive damage.

Fact is that bad shots happen. I choose big cuts for when that happens.

Going to try the Evolution Outdoors Hyde this year in 150 grain.

 

[michaelt3719]

I recently switched from blazers to rapt-x vanes (q2i version of a blazer style) and am happy. Q2i adhesion is top notch, they're quieter in flight (I fletch with a mini max and they put on a hard right helical). More durable as well, so if you shoot a biscuit or arrow gets buried in the target they come out of it better

I second this. I like blazers ok, but now that I've tried the rapt-x I like them better. They're stiffer than blazers, which makes them tougher and I think quieter, and they have a fairly wide 'foot' that makes it easier to get a good job of gluing them. And with that good helical the mini max puts on them, they do a good job of steering fixed broadheads.

 

[roosiebull]

Forgive my ignorance in advance, I'm doing as much research as I can to abolish it as fast as possible. I've decided to build my own arrows now that I've learned to tune my own bow. (shop I took it too played me for a fool in terms of tuning it, so I'm taking it upon myself) I'm curious on fletching choice. I've been looking everywhere for something of a guide. I'm shooting 70 lbs and plan to make new arrows with a 340 5mm axis. Is fletching personal preference? From what I gathered you can afford larger fletching for a more stable flight out of a more powerful bow. Any information or references would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Love this community!

**EDIT: Running Montec G5's

I didn’t read the replies, so I apologize if it’s been discussed, but I recommend shooting a 300 spine rather than 340’s

As far as fletch, the sky is the limit. I shot 4 fletch heat vanes, now I’m shooting aae max in 3 fletch… you are targeting a certain surface area to steer your arrows

My favorite combo ever is 6 fletch mini blazers, low profile, right amount of steerage, not too much drag and very quiet, but pain in the ass to fletch

 

[KcNsan3]

.340 will be slightly weak with a 100 grain point, and even more weak with a 125 grain point. I‘d go with a .300 spine. Better to be a little stiff than marginally weak.

Thinking this is what im going to try now. Thanks for the input

 

[KcNsan3]

Pass through is great and has way more to do with shot placement. Folks shooting 40 pounds get pass through shots. I personally prefer to err on the side of massive damage.

Fact is that bad shots happen. I choose big cuts for when that happens.

Going to try the Evolution Outdoors Hyde this year in 150 grain.

Im all about placement over anything else.

 

[KcNsan3]

I second this. I like blazers ok, but now that I've tried the rapt-x I like them better. They're stiffer than blazers, which makes them tougher and I think quieter, and they have a fairly wide 'foot' that makes it easier to get a good job of gluing them. And with that good helical the mini max puts on them, they do a good job of steering fixed broadheads.

Ill check them out! Thanks

 

[KcNsan3]

I didn’t read the replies, so I apologize if it’s been discussed, but I recommend shooting a 300 spine rather than 340’s

As far as fletch, the sky is the limit. I shot 4 fletch heat vanes, now I’m shooting aae max in 3 fletch… you are targeting a certain surface area to steer your arrows

My favorite combo ever is 6 fletch mini blazers, low profile, right amount of steerage, not too much drag and very quiet, but pain in the ass to fletch

6 fletch sounds insane lol. Going 3 and if need be Ill refletch and go 4. Hoping 3 will do the trick. Thanks

 

[roosiebull]

6 fletch sounds insane lol. Going 3 and if need be Ill refletch and go 4. Hoping 3 will do the trick. Thanks

I might go back if I can find another small vane like the blazer mini that I like since they are discontinued

It’s really not that bad, considering the prep I’m doing with aae max, and it’s rare to have a fletch get damaged, and it’s the most quiet vane setup I know of, and extremely low profile

 

[Szwampdonkey]

Fletch with feathers and forget about it. Absolutely nothing is more forgiving and tunable.

 

[KcNsan3]

Fletch with feathers and forget about it. Absolutely nothing is more forgiving and tunable.

Youre the second person Ive heard that from. No draw backs for high velocity arrows?

 

[mod-it]

Feathers steer really well and are very light weight. They are also a lot more forgiving of contact.
The only drawbacks are they are pretty noisy in flight and generally they can be damaged easier than a plastic vane.

 

[roosiebull]

Feathers steer really well and are very light weight. They are also a lot more forgiving of contact.
The only drawbacks are they are pretty noisy in flight and generally they can be damaged easier than a plastic vane.

If you hunt a wet climate they suck. I won’t even shoot feathers with my recurve, there is no practical way to keep them from collapsing going through wet brush

Some rain is fine if you treat them, but wet brush will flatten feathers with any treatment in pretty short order

I would probably mostly use feathers if I lived in a drier climate

One other drawback is feathers are noisy rubbing on your clothes or brush too. They are light, steer well, and very easy to fletch

 

[MattB]

Youre the second person Ive heard that from. No draw backs for high velocity arrows?

Now you've met both people who believe that. ;-)

There is a reason virtually everyone who shoots a compound uses plastic vanes instead of feather fletchings. Feathers do have their advantages as stated, but IMO they do not begin to offset the disadvantages for a hunting arrow - especially if you think you will ever experience rain in the field.