Arrow Grade?
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What do you guys think...............a shaft that has a tolerence of .003" vs one that is .001"........I know the .001" are suppose to be nicer.....but does the average guy benefit from paying the extra for the "3-D" Grade?
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Not in my opinion. I shoot the Trophy Ridge Hailfires at .004 and they fly perfect. My buddy shoots the Gold Tips at .006 and he shoots awesome. But we don't normally shoot any more than 40 yards or so.
Absolutely agree. They both :aero: straight as an arrow. :wink:
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Most folks don't realize that .003 is about the width of a human hair. Over a span of 28", which I believe is what most arrow companies test their straightness at, it will be pretty much imperceptible. My personal opinion is that only the top shooters or those shooting very long range will ever notice a difference between .001 and .003.
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One of the best hunting shafts in the business is a Beman ICS, and they start at 0.003. Another standard in hunting quality shafts is a GT XT, at 0.003.
One of the things you don't see in those specs is how that rating is determined. I have CX Predators at 0.005, that are straighter on the average than my Beman ICS Hunter's. The weight is closer also.
I buy the low end shafts to evaluate a shaft whenever possible. Victory "5/6's", Gold Tip Entrada's/Expedition's, etc. and I use the mid grade shafts for hunting. The cheapies also work great with mechanicals. I do spend the extra for 0.001's spots, but it's a psychological edge for the most part.
Lately I picked up a few sets of Victory HV's. The HV1/0.001's were VERY straight, and weight was less than +/- 1gr for the dozen. The HV3's were so close it was not worth the time seperating them. The HV 6's will be my 3D shaft of choice, and I'll use the 350's with Rocket Mechanicals, they also tuned and shot well with a 100gr Nitron, out to 55yds on my backyard range.
The "average guy" will probably never see a difference.
What you get with a tighter straightness tolerance is usually a tighter SPINE VARIATION tolerance to go with it, which has a much greater effect on accuracy. Between .001 and .003 straightness and spine variation being equal, I submit that only the top level pros could shoot the difference out.
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This can be addressed by shooting each shaft before you fletch. I do this from 15', and rotate the nocks 90 degrees after the first shot. If you have straight entry with the nock at two different dimensions, it's gonna' fly.
The lower grades will often, but not always, have a flyer or two. This will definately affect BH flight, but usually doesn't make much difference as a practice arrow. But I also do this with other grades, and I have found "flyers" in more than a couple of "Pro" grades, in fact, the numbers are about even there.
Weight is usually more consistant with top grade shafts, on the other hand, CX Predators are as consistant as any shaft you can buy. And I rarely see more than a grain or two difference top to bottom with most grades in a single set or dozen.
In the end, you get what you pay for. A/C/C's are the best example I can think of. But you can sort your way through a pile of Beman's or GT's and walk away with way more arrows for the same price.
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771 Posts
Those ratings can be a lot like IBO ratings, not all that accurate. My proshop measures actual arrow straightness at his shop and says most of them don't live up to their advertised tolerances.
The other thing to consider is how long they stay at the tolerances they were when first purchased. Shooting them, standing them in a corner, etc., can have an effect over time on arrow straightness.
The other thing to consider is how long they stay at the tolerances they were when first purchased. Shooting them, standing them in a corner, etc., can have an effect over time on arrow straightness.
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