I shoot the cxl 250 and really like them. But I do fairly well with my yardage so I'm not worried about drop as much.

 

Looks like you sighted in with the cxl then shot the Vaps. But the vap could be shooting high in the first place. To make this test valid you need to sight in the cxl at 20 then shoot them at 30. When done, you need to sight your bow in at 20 using the vaps then shoot them at 30. THEN you can compare the results. My guess is they are going to be a lot closer.

 

My thoughts as well. Probably improper testing. When you change arrow OD it's the same thing as moving the rest that same amount........people do this when they broad head tune as well and then think arrow X shoots broad heads better or worse but again in essence you have changed the tuning so all bets are off for an equal comparison.

 

I'd say whatever arrow is more accurate out of your setup at 3D distances, regardless of all other factors. Accuracy rules all.

IMO, It doesn't matter how must each arrow drops at each distance if you spend time learning how to judge distance properly. Too many people ignore this yet it's just as important as executing a good shot. Without one you can't achieve good scores.

Just my opinion. Take it for what you will.

 

IMHO, it's depending on your skillness to judge distance.
If you are able to judge the distance with minimum error, you can use fat arrows and gain points due to the increased diameter
otherwise... I would prefere skinny arrows that are faster and less drop

 

I test shoot Vaps vs GT22's and Xcutters every year and every year the Vaps shoot better. The Vap shoots flatter , groups better , tunes better and slips right on in those crowded 12. But I stray away and shoot some tourneys with the fat shafts and always come back to my vaps. Having said that for the first time ever I could have gained points with a fat shaft in the state Asa shoot . There were 9 targets that I was less than an 1/8" out of the 12 , fat shaft would have gottem. Then again if I would have been a lil more accurate I would have hit them !
You can make a log fly good for 20-30y , but my groups always open up at 35-50 way more with a fat shaft. The skinny vaps just stack together.

 

My thoughts as well bud...
I have been using the Vaps for many years now . I have tried MANY large diameter arrows and could never get them to shoot like the Vaps...
And i also found the Vaps dont drop nearly as much as the large diameter arrows ...
Guys seem to use FAT arrows to catch the lines on 3-d target's ..
I dont rely on fat arrows to boost my score
Myself shooting the open class (unknown Yardage ) out to 60 yards im all about the Vaps...
Spot shooting- Large diameter
3-D Shooting- Small diameter is the way i roll ..
Good luck

 

For shooting in the UK I shot a recent 3D shoot way better than expected using my target bow and VAPs. I’m now thinking that these or 3DHV may be the way to go. I noted when setting up my sight tapes at long range that my VAPs were quite a lot faster than the sight tape for that arrow speed, which I guess did not take into account the ballistic efficiency of the skinny arrows. I too find my VAPs very forgiving and just easy to shoot well. I am running 340 spines (at about 286fps) quite long, but could use shorter 400s for an easy 300fps. I’m going to do some test shoots and see what happens. I’d say the majority of targets are between 20 and 35 yds, but an average shoot with 36 targets probably has 6-10 that are over 35 and of those there are normally about 3-4 that are 40-60yds. I suspect there’s probably swings and roundabouts here - it does’t matter what you shoot!

 

I have 3DHV's at my 3D arrows and haven't found better yet.
I did like CXL250's but they're not available anymore so not going there.
Maybe that new V-TAC would be a way for fatter arrow.

I shoot WA, so here's no speed limit.
My 3DHV is light and goes 318fps.
Using 400 spine arrow with 59.6# DW.

 

I like GT-22 which are fat but not as fat as some.

 

As for me I like a 23 series shaft. I shoot Fatboys and am moving to Superdrives. I just think they are the best "all around". I trialed some 27s a while back and just decided to stick with 23s.

 

I shot a 40 target round with a guy one time that had 19 arrows less than a millimeter into cutting the lines. He was using GT22's. If he'd been using skinnier arrows, he would have lost a whole bunch of points.

 

and this comment is far from accurate,it really depends on where his miss's were.the only people on this site that would truly benefit form a fat arrow verses a skinny one are.
1. pro's that can consistently guess within 1 yard of target out to 50 yards.
2. those who shoot marked yardage.
everyone else on here would benefit from a skinny verse fat arrow when shooting 3d.
if you have never done the testing to prove it to yourself shame on you. the facts and results speak for themselves. the simple fact that not only can you shoot a lower profile fletch on the skinny arrow but the diameter drag of the fat arrow will always hit lower on the target. do the test for yourself and watch in particular you sight tape get smaller if nothing else this alone should show you the the drag not only of the higher profile fletch,but the shaft drag itself will hit lower. so all these guys who thought if I only had a fatter arrow I would have caught that line just don't realize the fat shaft slowed the arrow down and that's why they hit low. that shinny arrow would have been indie the 12 ring not below it.i will only say that if most of your miss's are right to left that you might benefit and that's only if you are shooting with no wind outside as that skinny arrow is an even bigger benefit there.i have done test multiple times using my old favorite arrow 3-28 acc/verse's both my others fatboys /clx 150/250 and x-cutters.here are some results.
1.all arrows weight the same.
2.all arrows had the same fletch
3. all arrows had the same tip weight
4.after each shot group I re-zeroed the 20 yard mark to account for the smaller diameter arrow on the rest.
multiple 6 arrow groups were shot for 20 thru 50 yards.
results 3-28 acc sight tape was 3 yards shorter than the fatboys/clx 150/250 arrows. 3-28 acc arrows sight tape was 5 yards shorter than the x-cutter sight tape from 20-50 yards.
so what does this mean.it means that when you under guess the yardage by even 1 yard at a target past 40 yards with the fatter arrow you have zero chance of getting the 12 ring that the skinny arrow would still catch the bottom of and if there is any wind you wont be closer left to right either you will be farther off as the wind will make the arrow drift more.
now lets say since you are using a skinny shaft and you need lower profile fletch to stabilize it you will see even a bigger pin gap spead as I did when I went from mini blazer vanes on all of the above arrows donw to the bohning 1.75 shield cut x vanes. don't believe the results try it for yourself. I now shoot victory 3dhv arrows with 120 grains points for my 3d arrows.and here is the kicker I shoot mostly known yardage these days.

 

Just remember not much point having fat arrows if you cant get near the line ie 1/8" or more away from the line as it wont touch / cut the line to get extra points I went away from fat arrows I had too many be fragile / break due to thinner wall etc

 

I have began testing skinny vs. fat. I built two arrows that weigh exactly the same, 331 grains. My fat arrow is a Carbon Express CLX 250 (.350" diameter), my skinny arrow is a Victory VAP 350 (.229" diameter). Both arrows are fletched with the same AAE 1.75" They are shot out of the same bow, a Hoyt Pro Elite Edge set at 56 pounds @30" draw. All arrows are cut to 28.5". The VAPs did have more FOC because I had to use a 80 grain point and a 70 for the CLX, and the CLX nock weights more). My bow is tuned for Victory VAP 400 spine with 70 grain points, so there could be a little difference because of the tune. In the future I plan on tuning two bows for the two arrows, but it was a beautiful day and I just wanted to see what would happen. The VAP shot 293fps, and the CLX shot 290fps (shot both arrows 3x to verify) I can't get my pics to upload, I will try to load them separately. The results: I shot both arrows using a 20 yard pin, aiming at the same spot. I shot at 20 yards, then at 30 yards The VAPs dropped 4.5" and the CLX dropped 7" (all I can shoot in the yard) I need to get to the range and get out to 50 yards. According to the ballistic calculator, the CLX's should drop 30" more than the VAP's at 50 yards. The CLX's did drop 2.5" more between 20 and 30 then the VAPs.

I want to see how much being off say 2 yards at 40 or 45 yards compares to the .066 gain of the CLX, What good is the fat arrow if you are 2 or 3 inches low?

So what good is not being sighted in with the CXL 250? It's all about accuracy.....

CXL 250s (when they first came out) with Blazers. Pic is from 2006. Placed and won a bunch in club and state sanctioned events with the CXL 250 line of arrows, 250, 2-250, 250 SS, 250 Pro.

 

Yes, but the other perspective is that he might have shot more arrows right inside the kill with flatter shooting skinny arrows that are more forgiving. I tend to find my skinny arrows just easier to shoot.

 

Op: did you move your rest to accommodate for the different diameters?

If not, that fat arrow would have been coming out of your bow nock low. An arrow not flying straight initially takes on more drag and causes more drop. The larger diameter alone will create more drag.

Chrono your arrows at a longer distance (20yd?) And you should see a larger difference in speed due to increased drag.

Sent from my SM-J337V using Tapatalk

 

Victory NVX 23s. Big enough to catch lines and I have noticed very minimal affects from wind.

 

theoretically fat shafts should be better, for the same reasons they are better for spots. in reality, I have never seen them gain anyone any points on the 3d course anywhere that I have shot in my 48 years of shooting. at longer distances their unforgiving stiffness can be somewhat frustrating.

 

I was shooting VAPs this season before our world stopped. They shoot well for me and they match the ID of my hunting arrows (Injexions) so can share some components. I don’t think I’m at the level that possible 2 points from pulling a line a shoot is gonna swing me one way or the other.