Long vs short vanes....forgiving?

[justin davis]

I go back and forth shooting 2 inch vanes and then switching to longer vanes. 4 fletch vs 3 etc. Do you guys think longer vanes are more forgiving compared to 2 inch vanes?

 

[Evan Williams]

Justin,

I really think that a TON of it depends on the broadhead that you choose to shoot. With larger fixed blades that have longer ferrules I wouldn't shoot anything under 3". But with all of the fixed heads on the market that have shorter field point length ferrules I don't see the need personally to shoot anything over 2". I am looking at running an AAE 2.3" vane this year. It is a little shorter profile and with shooting an expandable head this year that will cut the wind better. Just my 2 cents on the issue. If I did want some extra control I would go for a 4 fletch 90 degree 2.1" Fusion.

 

[desertstalker]

A couple years ago I experimeted with 4 different vanes ranging from 4 inch "classic" to 3 inch very low profile, to the stiffer 2 inch high profiles. In an attempt to find a clear cut "top performer" I shot combinations of fixed blade broadheads including Muzzy 3 blade, Wac'em 3 and 4 blade, and G5 Montecs on the different vane combos. To my surprise, I could barely determine a "best" flyer out to 80 yards (practice). I was concerned about going to the shorter vanes (hence the testing) and now I give them a very slight edge (on my setup). I consider my bow to be tuned to a pretty tight tolerance which I think is a huge part of getting those combinations to perform so similarly. I ended up choosing the shorter vanes and believe the stiffness of the short vanes to be more of a factor in steering broadheads than the length. The surface area provided by a longer vane goes out the window if it is so soft that it distorts drastically coming out of the bow. Just my .02

 

[Lawnboi]

I shoot blazers, and i dont really see a reason to switch considering they shoot right on all the way out to my effective range w/ my broadheads of choice, shuttle ts and t3s.

A short vane would appear to give less wind resistance, and also less drag though.

3 fletch w/ alot of helical

 

[justin davis]

Yea I agree that the small vanes will work just as well. My question is when it comes to forgiving... When the adrenaline is surging through the veins and your release is not as prefect as it could be. Are the longer vaned arrows more forgiving of a lesser shot? More drag is better...correct? Just trying to create some discussion

 

[Lawnboi]

but more drag = arrows gona drop faster

 

[Evan Williams]

but more drag = arrows gona drop faster

100% correct which is why it has been the thought to use them with the big nasty cut on contact fixed blades b/c they slow down and control.

As for the design and forgiveness. I don't think that a 4" vane or a 2" vane is "more forgiving". The intent of the 2" higher profile vanes are to "create" the same amount of drag as a 4" vane. Obviously, the more helical you add the greater amount of drag you create.

 

[J-Daddy]

I shot the AAE 2.6 Elite vanes alot last year...They are just under 3" long vanes, same profile as a basic 4" style vane. I was super impressed with them last year, at long range they shot great groups.

 

[trevore]

There are some slow motion videos on youtube that may help your decision. The longer 4" vanes usually fold and roll at the shot. The shorter vanes, due to stiffness, don't usually roll/fold. They tend to keep their shape. Which is why you don't generally see a difference in the grouping. Personally, I use the Quick spin speed hunters. They work as a 3 fletch on everything I've tried except Steelforce.

 

[Sunspot]

I've used many vanes but prefer the accuracy of the Flex-Fletch Flash 200's with my broadheads.; particularly, the 40+ distance. But then again, I am crazy mad about indexing, cutting, squaring, tuning.... I would assume the 3" would steer a tad better and maybe more forgiving for some broadheads but have more drag or crosswind effect.

 

[bowhnter7]

Hmmm......in my experience the Blazer type vanes "ballon" at around 45 to 50 yards depending on speed and weight of the arrow. I'm talking normal human measurements here not some crazy 87#'s 550 grain arrow stuff.

Actually saw this happen to arrows in a 3D shoot here not too long ago. Windy conditions seem to make it worse, watched the arrows flat out fall out the bottom on shots pushing that persons max range. They also seems to blow off course easier and are less forgiving to contact.....IE grass/twig, etc. Some guys have contact issues with certain style of rest and bow too.

I prefer a moderate lower profile vane like a Flex Fletch FFP-300. It's a target style 3" vane and give me plenty of control for the heads I'm using. Prolly, maybe might not recommend it to the fixed head fanboys. For those I would push em to the FFP-360.

My two pennies.

 

[Evan Williams]

bowhnter,

What hunting set-up are you running this year? I noticed you mentioned the 87# 550 gr arrow stuff another thread all who are wondering

 

[J-Daddy]

Personally I'm about done with Blazer vanes...I've got a bunch of Gold Tips fletched up with them right now but I think I'm gonna strip them all and go back to my favorite AAE 2.6 vanes...I've shot and shot and shot them, and I just shoot better long range groups with the slightly longer AAE 2.6 vanes. The 2.6's are almost 3" long "they look longer though for some reason" and the things just flat out work for me no matter what arrow I put them on or what bow I shoot them out of.

 

[Evan Williams]

With ya on that one J-Daddy!!! I can't hardly look at a blazer any more!!!

 

[bowhnter7]

bowhnter,

What hunting set-up are you running this year? I noticed you mentioned the 87# 550 gr arrow stuff another thread all who are wondering

I had good luck last year with ACC Pro's and will most likely use them again this year. Thinking bout the new hunting skinny's though. Only major downside would be there most likely isn't a bail at any of the ranges around that would stop them.

I shoot low pounds compared to most of you animals on here 63-65 on my Carbon Matrix.

 

[J-Daddy]

With ya on that one J-Daddy!!! I can't hardly look at a blazer any more!!!

I still think the little 2" vanes "look" cool but accuracy wise I think a slightly longer vane is better...Plus on some of the bows now days you run into fletching clearence issues with the taller 2" hunting vanes. To me that's another added benefit of the AAE 2.6's that I like so much, lower profile so not as much of an issue with that. Plus with a longer one you can get more helical which I think always helps.

 

[winter]

I shoot a 420 grain axis with blazers at about 288 fps and never have noticed any ballooning at longer distances. However I have noticed that most blazer type vanes are much noisier. Not a big deal to 40 yards but past that a deer is most likely going to hear the screaming meat missile much more than the bow. For fixed blades it's hard to ignore a blazer type vane. For us that shoot mechanical a 3ish inch flex fletch is just about perfect. Don't hear much about flex fletch among the commons, but for us target/fita guys flex fletch is the only way to go.

 

[J-Daddy]

I know alot of guys who soot Flex Fletch vanes and love them...I personally haven't shot them but I've never heard 1 bad thing about them. I just stick with AAE vanes cause they are easier to find, cheaper and they glue up great for me and fly great.

 

[pronghorn]

I have used the 2.5" Vanetec V-Maxx's for several years with mechanicals. I put as much helical on them as I can, they steer smaller fixed heads pretty well, but really shine with mechanical heads. If I'm shooting fixed heads I will use the 3" Vanetec V-Maxx again with as much helical as I can put on them. These are very stiff vanes and they seem to steer very well.

 

[J-Daddy]

Here's the AAE 2.6 compared to a Blazer...To get a size comparison.