assualtarcher

Sorry Arthur, I didn't mean to ask just a vague question. I really appreciate the info you gave me, but what I meant was, if the individual little, I dunno what you call 'em, the little hairs on the feather started separating from eachother or getting "miss-aligned" with each other, would that affect the arrow flight? Or does that even happen? I think I could ask the question better if I knew what I was talking about, but then I guess I wouldn't be asking the question!

Arthur P

I gotcha now. Those little 'hairs' will get ruffled up. Their surfaces act kind of like velcro. The back side of one hangs onto the front side of the next one, and so on. They hold themselves together. If they do get mussed up and won't straighten back out, you run your hand along the feather and they'll usually just zip right back up. If they don't, that's when you fire up the teapot and run them through the steam. A couple of quick passes and they're good as new.

Even when they are kinda ratty, feathers will still shoot great.

bigbulls

Yes you are correct. I was thinking 700 times lighter when I wrote that. Brain fart. But you all get the point anyway.

Leverdude

I'v got 6 feather fletched arrows I been practicing with since spring. Some are half gone & ones missing a chunk in the middle & theyre all a bit frazzled. I shoot alot as I find it relaxing & just plain enjoyable. Anyway my point is these sorry looking feathers that have flown down range at least 100 times each & likely more still fly true. They do start making a bit more noise once battered like they are but they are practice arrows, no target has jumped the string yet. While I'v heard horror stories about wet feathers I'v not had trouble. I dont use the waterproofing stuff but bring a sandwich baggie to put over them should it pour. Never used it tho as if its raining that hard I either go home or sit in a ground blind. I'm hesitant to shoot a deer in a hard rain for the reason Arthur said about no blood trail. Also like he said they arent likely to be moving around in a downpour.
I think alot of the talk about feathers being worse than vanes comes from guys just doing it the way their told. I know where I live theres not many that shoot with a release that have any use for them & most will talk bad about them all day. Ask them if they ever tried them tho & most havent. I got set up with vanes when I started because thats what they use at the local shop if you dont specify.
They shot ok but didn't last long before I started poking holes in them. I like doing things myself so I bought a jig to fletch my own. I was gonna buy vanes again just because everyone said theyre better but I saw some barred shield back feathers online & had to have them. What a suprise when I found them more forgiving & longer lasting. They look cool too!
The only downside I can see personally is it takes longer for the glue to set up than vanes do.

ButchA

I've got a question.... I'm a long time shooter ofXX75's in2315 withthe common, standard 4" vanes. They are rugged and ultra cheap - money wise. With a 125grbroadhead, theysure pack a wallop!

Anyway, what would I gain by trying an XX78 Super Slam in 2315 but yet fletched with a 5" feather instead of a 4" vane? ....one of the never ending curiosities with archery.

Winger

If what you are shooting works good, probably nothing

XX78's are more bend resistant, but shoot the same as XX75's. I shoot them in mixed lots frequently, with no difference. As for trying feathers, read all the above.

Arthur P

You don't say how long your arrow is, but assuming you shoot a 30 incher- You can expect to drop about 15 grains in arrow weight. You can expect to pick up about 3 fps in arrow speed. You can expect your FOC to increase from around 9.4% to 10.8% (calculated, obviously). You can expect some decrease in long range (60 yards +) performance.

If you're having good results with a 4" vane though, there is no reason to go to a 5" feather. A set of 4" feathers will stabilize your arrow better than 4" vanes, will make your arrow 18 grains lighter and increase your FOC to around 11.1%, without sacrificing long range performance.

So, you won't expect much difference but, with feather fletch, your arrows will be slightly lighter, slightly faster, significantly more stable and easier to tune.

ButchA

Thanks Arthur P....

My XX75's are cut to 30.5" and with a 125gr tip, the whole kit 'n kaboodle weighs in at 568 grains. (flying tire iron! )

I was thinking that a 5" feather would have a touch more weight than a 4" feather and would help out better. To be quite honest, I have never shot a feathered arrow before, and have no clue what to expect. I just use the common basic 2315 cut to 30.5" with the regular Easton 4" vanes.

Arthur P

Well, on an arrow with decent mass, like the 2315, you won't see a huge difference between 4" vanes and 5" feathers. The arrow's weight will have enough momentum to maintain downrange speed in spite of the extra drag.

Put those 5" feathers on a light carbon arrow though, and those big feathers will have a lot more effect. Less mass, less retained speed and energy downrange, so it's more susceptable to drag. Another way of saying light carbon arrows can't even penetrate AIR as well as a heavier arrow.

gonzodemon

OK . You guys like ganging up on a feller dont ya but . I have been an archerfor over 20 years and I too have tried them all and what I wrote was what I know to be true. I do hunt in the rain as dothousands of other bowhunters some of my bigger bucks came from a big buck slippin around between rain showers. Also how do you kill anything if your arrows are covered up in your quiver ? my arrows at least the one im gonna shoot is on my string.field points may fly the same in your bow with wet feathers but with broadheads I think not. wet feathers may come rite back in steam but I dont know anyone who has a steamer or a tea kettle in the tree. so while you feather guys arenot hunting in the rain or keepin your arrows covered up or your back at camp steaming them back in shape me and my plastin waterproof vanes will be in a tree in a monsoon shooting a huge swamp buck. If I think the rain will wash away the blood trail I just dont shoot but hunting isnt all about killing now is it. Hope I didnt offend you but us Texas fellers get our dander up when we get ganged up on"REMEMBER THE ALAMO" the may have lost but it didnt make em wrong..............................