Fletch questions

[bfisher]

No need to sabotage their scores. We shoot in different classes. They shoot Bowhunter Release and I shoot Senior division. Last week the one guy shot a 218. The other guy shot a 225. I shot kind of lousy, dumping a couple shots really low. 30 targets and I ended up with a 275. Had five 5's, two 8's and 4 X's (11). 5's are a killer, and on close shots, too.

I still can't compete because in our winter league "Senior" means you shoot what you brung. I was shooting the FireCat with basically a hunting setup (no stabilizer)and competing against a lot of guys shooting target gear (scopes, long stabs, etc)

[brushrat]

iv'e heard a lot of people complaining about the factory made fletching removers out there. I have been using one of the tools from my woodcarving set. They have curved blades and nice feeling wood handles. They work perfect for alum. or carbons. You can buy them at harbor freight for cheap! Give it a try..........

[bfisher]

Might have a look. I have a Harbor Freight 3 miles from my house.

[flytier17]

No need to sabotage their scores. We shoot in different classes. They shoot Bowhunter Release and I shoot Senior division. Last week the one guy shot a 218. The other guy shot a 225. I shot kind of lousy, dumping a couple shots really low. 30 targets and I ended up with a 275. Had five 5's, two 8's and 4 X's (11). 5's are a killer, and on close shots, too.

I still can't compete because in our winter league "Senior" means you shoot what you brung. I was shooting the FireCat with basically a hunting setup (no stabilizer)and competing against a lot of guys shooting target gear (scopes, long stabs, etc)

Thats me, the guy with the fancy stuff and the low score.

Last year, this was my setup:

Martin Pantera NOS X (you know the stats on this one, no need to list)
Doinker Carbon Elite 28.5" with 2 8" Vbars
Toxonics Naildriver 5300 with viper 1 5/8" Scope and 2X (.5 diopter for me) magnification and a 0.010" pin
Spot-Hogg Platinum arrow rest with a single arm launcher
Easton Fatboy 400's with a total weight of 338grs.
Carter Ember release

on the local 30target range, I shot 190 average at firs, 210 by the end of last year.

Alec

[bfisher]

Look at it this way Alec. There's always "UP". I can say I never shot that low of a score, but then I was a pretty accomplished shooter some 15 years before 3D targets hit the scene. Don't fret about it. You'll get better.

This is why I try to stress learning good form and shooting nothing but form. Sure, tune your equipment, but to be able to tune it properly you have to have consistent form. To develop good consistent form the bow must fit you. That means both draw length and draw weight.

Another thing. Don't keep score if you can help it and never ask what your score is. You don't have a score till you're done shooting. You get there by shooting one arrow at a time. Don't worry about the last shot and don't think about the next one. The only one you can do anything about is the one in the bow.

[border]

I use an old box-cutter w/a dull blade...one quick swipe and the old fletch is gone...then I scrub the arrow with the cutter blade until I'm satisfied I got all the glue then scrub w/emery until it's baby butt smooth.(This has never harmed a camo finish either...no need to get carried away though...you're only cleaning the surface)..Then clean w/acetone (just to make sure I got all the glue), or 99% alcohol to make sure there's no residue and it's clean. I've yet to see a CARBON thread raised on an arrow I've prepped this way...They are tough. Wipe and apply new flethcing. I'm using Fletch-tite and it works fine if I've prepped/cleaned adequately.
As for wraps...I've tried some. Same prep but do the whole wrap area...they stick to anything clean. But I gave up on them in a hurry when I found out that if I have to replace just one fletch I have to strip everything and do it all again. And that is a mess. I will not use wraps anymore...They're pretty but they're also a pita. I don't want a pile of plastic wrapping on the floor just to do one fletch.
Either I don't know how to fletch very well and am not precise enough to do just one fletch on a wrap or it's just that wraps are a pain...I tend to think the latter.
If you want to find out what works best for you simply take a trashed carbon arrow and try differnt approaches to cleaning/prepping for fletching. They're pretty tough on the surface...Just remember you're not trying to carve them into a point like a tent post, you're just trying skim between the fletch and the surface of the arrow...Simple really...Angle is everything...after a couple tries you'll be swiping them off with impunity...And dull is good on a knife/razor, whatever here...I've read a lot of your posts and you should not have a problem w/any of this...And you must by now have at least one carbon arrow you can sacrifice to learning this simple approach eh?

[flytier17]

The wraps I use are pretty goot to refletch on. I can usually take the vane off without tearing the wrap, and they don't run with Methyl Hydrate to clean them. Also, a 7" wrap is only about 6 grains or something. Pretty light.

Believe it or not, I have no garbage carbons to practice on. I've shot Aluminums and FMJ's for so long, all the carbons I had before have been sold or trashed or lost or given away. All I have are 7 CXL-II's and 6 CXL-SS's, and none of thema re garbage yet.

Alec

[flytier17]

My yard estimation is pretty good. I don't say this to brag, but this is not my problem. I'm within a yard, sometimes 2 out to twenty, and I'm usually within 3-4yds out to 50. I consider it good compared to some of the peole I shoot with. One guy estimates every footstep all the way out to the target, and usually misses it. Another uses a cheap monocular with a built in rangefinder (etched reticle, not digital), but he invariably shots high by about 6-12" so I don't say anything to him. I'm still shooting better than both these guys.

I think my problem is knowing where to shoot on the animal. For example, When I shoot a deer targer, at first I was tuching my pin 3" in behind the shoulder joint (as depicted), and 1/3 of the way up from the bottom of the ribcage. Just like it was a real deer. I go to fetch my arrows, and find the score zone higher, and farther back. On a real deer, I would almost call it a gutshot. They were goot targets too. Mackenzies for the most part, but the club is switching to Rineharts.

If I used binoculars, could that help me see the scoring zone on a target? How good do they have to be? I can't go drop $1000-$2000 on a pair of Zeiss or Swarovski's.

Alec

Look at it this way Alec. There's always "UP". I can say I never shot that low of a score, but then I was a pretty accomplished shooter some 15 years before 3D targets hit the scene. Don't fret about it. You'll get better.

This is why I try to stress learning good form and shooting nothing but form. Sure, tune your equipment, but to be able to tune it properly you have to have consistent form. To develop good consistent form the bow must fit you. That means both draw length and draw weight.

Another thing. Don't keep score if you can help it and never ask what your score is. You don't have a score till you're done shooting. You get there by shooting one arrow at a time. Don't worry about the last shot and don't think about the next one. The only one you can do anything about is the one in the bow.

[bfisher]

A good Bino can certainly help, especially if you have targets that are leaning or slightly quartered. Sorry Alec, but I use Swarovski, mainly because I can afford them. Then again, I got a really good deal on them a half dozen years ago. 8x30 for $629.

Before that I was using a Bushnell Trphy 10x42 and they were absolute garbage in shadows or fading light. Maybe you should do a search on AT and see what people are using. I know not everyone can afford the high end stuff.

Then again, you can buy a decent bino for the price of a new bow these days and the bino will stay with you for the rest of your life and even go upin value, whereas we know what happens with bows.

[flytier17]

Whats the most important feature to look for in Bino's for 3-D? Light transmission and image clarity (lense quality), or magnification to see those subtle indented rings on the target out at 50yds. Or both.

Alec