mauser06

i will bew faced with the great desision in modern bow hunting soon enough...to go carbon or alumanum? what are your reasons for shooting what you do??? i was reading in a book at the book store one day and they seem pretty even on advantages and disadvantages but i dont know much so i cant say what one had more important advantages and less hurting disadvantages..any help on my desicion?? just from tv shows alone im leaning toward alumanum...ever carbon arrow shot seemed to barely penetrate...for them flying faster than alumanums youd think theyd go in deeper..but they seem to hit and loose energy faster than the few alumanum shooters left on TV..sure i dont watch tons of bow hunts but thats what i observed...thanx...

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Buck Magnet

I use carbons, Beman ICS Hunters to be exact. I shoot them because a. they fly faster b. they don't bend c.I havn't had any problems with them.

I just can't see putting 80 bucks into a dozen aluminum arrows that can bend. I want a arrow that I can use for target shooting, take hunting, and kill several deer with it before it breaks (usually from deer breaking it while running)

Good Luck This Season: Buck Magnet



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Rob/PA Bowyer

Buck Magnet....to clearify, carbon arrows are not faster. The same weight aluminum will fly as fast as the same said wait carbon.

I know you mean they are faster because they are lighter......I just don't like misinformation. Carbons are not faster because they are carbon but because they are lighter. <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

<font color=blue>Good Luck and Good Shooting</font id=blue>

<font color=red>Rob</font id=red>

CAJUNBOWHNTR

Carbon arrows are more durable which is cheaper in the long run.They also seem to be more tolerant to changes in tip weight etc.Most carbon arrows are able to cover spine requirements with a smaller number of shafts as compared to aluminum.This means you can change your poundage or tip weight (within reason) and not have to buy new arrows.Just make sure you buy quality arrows.Some of the cheaper carbons are not that straight and can vary in weight per dozen.As far as penetration it's all relative to the KE of your setup.I've never had a problem with penetration.

CB

WHACKEM N STACKEM

BuckAlley

I made the switch to carbons 2 yrs ago, and I'll never go back to aluminums. Why, simple I shoot as many 3D courses as I can in the summer. I simply got sick & tired of replacing bent & broken alums. It was costing me $. Plus the modern carbons which comes with inserts, rotating nocks, and comparable prices to alums made the choice easier. It does help to know a little about arrows, and I can tell you not every single carbon in a dozen will be perfectly straight. I always get 1 or 2 in a dozen that won't spin perfectly. The remaining 10 still outlast a full doz of alums if you shoot alot. One other nice advantage I did notice the very first time I tried carbons. They are real quiet across the rest. Even with shrink tubing on my rest, I still could hear some noise from an alum when drawing. I also have no problems with penetration, and I dropped 25grns on my heads when made the switch!

CBM SC

Avoid frustration,shoot all carbons. You'll have a flatter trajectory ,don't have to worry about bent arrows,etc.
Some people like aluminums because they are fatter which helps with clearance problems on your rest, I haven't had any problems with carbons.Carbons are either straight or broken - Aluminums bend,A/C/C are hard to bend, but will. Some new carbons are cheap(my last dz cost $69.00).
Don't be fooled about penetraion , I feel carbons have less drag and penetrate better than aluminums (because generally they are smaller in diameter). I shoot a set up with 75 # of KE and blow through deer with a 352 grain carbon arrow and big expandables (actually too good...they usually go in the ground about 10&quot; -18 &quot; after passing through the deer).

Arthur P

Aluminum.

I can tune my bow to an aluminum arrow in less than 15 minutes and have it as good as it can get. I've spent HOURS tweaking around on carbons and not had them tune in. I can usually just screw ANY broadhead, on and have it spin true. And if it doesn't spin true, it's VERY easy to reposition the insert. With carbons, it's always been a chore for me to get broadheads to spin true, and most of the time there are only a few in each dozen that will do it. So, I can be hunt ready in minutes with aluminum vs too many hours of wasted time, tweaking with carbons.

My 2315's and 2317's weigh 100-150 grains more than the carbons I've tried. They make my bows much more pleasant to shoot - quieter, less shock and vibration. The heavier weight doesn't stress the cables and string as much, so less creep and less retuning and less frequent replacement. I lose 30 fps or so due to the weight, but I feel the gains in other areas are worth it.

Durability with my arrows is not quite as good as carbon maybe, but it's not far behind. Most of the arrows that do get bent, I can easily restraighten to factory tolerances with my arrow straightener. I've spent far more money on carbon than aluminum over the past 5 years and have yet to find any carbon arrows that shoot good for me. So, aluminum is cheaper for me over the long run.

My philosophy for hunting is, if I can't get within 30 yards of an animal, I have not earned the right to draw my bow. Trajectory differences between carbon and aluminum inside 30 yards are practically nil. For 3D, I have to be a bit more precise in my yardage estimates than carbon shooters but that's okay. Once I figured out that I didn't HAVE to win each tournament I entered, I started enjoying them more. And I still pick up an occasional trophy.

Penetration, I have no practical basis for comparison. All I know for sure is aluminum has never failed me and I have never been able to get carbons tuned up good enough for me to even consider hunting with them. As for how far carbon penetrates 3D targets vs aluminum, I've explained, in depth, many times on this forum why I feel trying to equate penetration in foam rubber to penetration on a living animal is a flawed idea.

However, since carbons do penetrate deeper in foam, and since the extra speed generates enough heat to weld them in, that brings up the primary reason I prefer aluminum. I don't have to smear on soaps, oils, ointments, lotions, potions or unguents to lubricate my arrows, nor do I have to wrestle with 3D targets to reclaim my property.<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

Tazman

Excellent points Arthur, I do not shoot 3D tournements or the like so The occasional bent or creased aluminum aroow is no big deal to me, I like the cost of aluminum vs carbon. I am not cheap, but I can not justify the extra cost of carbon for me. I am not saying carbons are bad, I am just stating my reason for aluminum over carbon.

The Tazman aka Martin Price
Proud father of a Devil Dog

huntinginga

How about this,


They both kill deer and with the same efficiency. I switched to carbon a couple of years ago because 6 Bemans came with the Hoyt Magna Tec I bought. After that I never bought Bemans again. They were a fine shooting arrow, but I made the mistake of trying the Bass Pro carbons for $40 a dozen (half the price of most) and have not had an issue yet. Shoot great are very durable. Both deer I shot this year were with the same arrow, different blades.

So the only reason I switched is because they came with the bow. Otherwise I had no real pressing emergency to make the change since my alluminum arrows killed many deer asw well.

Jim

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