Feathers

[PRB]

Does anyone use feathers ?
If so how do you like them and what brand do you recommend ?
Are these good ones... http://www.trueflightfeathers.com/products.htm

[jay73]

I used to have some, some bright pink ones, on aluminum bolts. Good to find in the dirt if you have to - never had to. I've switched to rubber since i started using carbons, thats all that came on them. I've had someone tell me that rubber is better. More durable, something about water soaking into the feathers that may make them heavier - that may shoot off target. I don't know for sure. Only reason I switched was availability really.

[Tom]

I use feathers and have used them for over 20 years. I no longer carry arrows with plastic veins, but that is just my choice. Feathers are lighter, about 1/3 the weight of veins.

In wet weather feathers look the worse for wear but they still shoot great. If they do take a beating in the weather, just set them up to dry and they will look as good as new. You can also get powders that water proof the feathers and work very well. Not sure about the brand you asked about, but feathers will work for you.

Hope this helps.

[PRB]

Sounds great. I think I might give em a try.
I've been doing some research on feathers and I like what I've read thus far. The pros seem to outweigh the cons. I'm not that rough with them that I feel I need the duravanes.
Does anyone use 1 degree/straight fletching ?

[prairiewolf]

You can go to a traditional shop and get hand ground , real barred wild turkey feathers or you can learn to grind your own . Wild turkey feathers have oil impregnated into them and are waterproof . You can also use wild goose feathers . The water off a ducks back thing . They are the best flyers ( bar none ) , they are waterproof and they are way KOOLER than store bought fletchings . Barred Turkey Feathers will also drive the girls wild . Been there - Done that .

[PRB]

Thats interesting. The feathers from the link I posted say they are from domestic turkeys not "wild" turkeys. The following is theyre answer to waterproofing...

What if I hunt in the rain - how can I protect the feathers?

Excellent dry powder water proofing such as Bob Rightnour's "Fletch Dry" are now available. "Fletch Dry is easily applied to completed arrows, adds virtually no weight to the arrow, does not stiffen the web of the feather and does a super job of water proofing.
"Fletch Dry" treated feathers will shed water for days.. it's really amazing. You have to see it to believe it. (Contact: Rightnour Mfg., Box 107 Main St., Mingoville, PA. 16856)

[prairiewolf]

And that's why you have to treat them . Domestic turkey don't know what rain is . The procces you mention will work OK but the feather itself is inferior from the get-go . They don't have any integritty as compared to the real thing . They will work fine until they do get wet and then thay will lay down like a two dollar whore . And no they do not dry out perfectly . They do dry out well enough to do the job . They just look like a twisted sister . Non of this really matters . They all get the job done . I just thought you might like to know that there is a feather out there that is both light weight and waterproof ( to a point ) and will spring back like magic . Nuff said .

[footed shaft]

PBR,let me know if ya want some "real" barred turkey feathers.I had several members off this site donate their wings to me this year. I have alot of r/w and l/w primarys. I could split/grind you some up if you would like to try some.
I have even got into dying them lately,can really come up with some nice colors. Let me know .Bill

[Tom]

.......They will work fine until they do get wet and then thay will lay down like a two dollar whore . And no they do not dry out perfectly . They do dry out well enough to do the job . They just look like a twisted sister . ........

Like I said above, I use the powder water proofing and only do it once and after they dry from getting soaked, ou would have a very difficult time from telling the arows apart (now I do not mean the next day, given awhile for the feathers to come back, they are good as new). Now about when they are laying flat on the shaft, soaking wet, I have never noticed any loss of accuracy and I have shot many arrows in my life.

In saying that, I hopefully will be getting some wild turkey feathers for my arrows for the reasons mentions above.

[wabi]

Feathers are all I use since I fletch for my traditional bows, too. I seem to get a lot better adhesion to the shafts when fletching, and the feathers aren't really that much of a problem in rain or snow. They might get matted down when shot a few times, but they still seem to shoot well. I use either 4" or 5" parabolic cut feathers and just use the same color for all three (no cock feather) to keep things simple. I usually buy them by the 100 count package to save a few $$$. I've found I can see flo green (which actually looks yellow to me) the best, so that's the color I stick with. I can find a lot of arrows that skid under the grass if the fletching is visible at all, and I would not be able to see most of the other colors I've tried under similar circumstances. I use some rather expensive shafts for some of my longbow arrows ($16.00 each for the shafts only!) and I can do a lot of crawling and looking when one of those disappear in the weeds!
About the best method Ive found for fletching carbons is to use a crest wrap to get good adhesion. I've tried about every chemical known to clean shafts, and still have problems at times. I just fletched some aluminums for the crossbow to have some cheap "practice arrows" in the quiver for those dull moments, and the feathers are falling off in the cold weather? The fletch-tite glue is actually coming off with the paint of the shaft still glued to the rib of the feather. They were old shafts, so the factory paint job must be failing? Next batch will get crest wraps!

[PRB]

Thanks for all the great advise.
footed shaft you have a pm.

[footed shaft]

PRB,PM'd you. Bill

[footed shaft]

Randy,feathers are all split and ground/chopped and i will be sending them out in the morning . Bill

[Vince]

Food for thought:

Feathers aren't more accurate than vanes, they're more forgiving.

Feathers are a must when shooting recurve bows off the shelf or compounds with shoot-around-rest.
Feathers have 'give' allowing them to fold away from the arrow rest rather than crashing into it like a plastic vane would and causing the rear of the arrow to fish-tail on its way to the target.

The ribs on feathers induce drag and force the oscillating arrow to straighten much sooner than using smoother surfaced plastic vanes.
This induced drag also compensates for steering action a big broadhead tends to have on an arrow.

The bigger the feathers, the more they will help compensate for tuning problems.

That same drag has some velocity drawbacks down range compared to vanes.

It is my understanding that feathers shouldn't be used with bows exceeding 300 ft/sec. Apparently at that velocity, feathers fold back to the point one is shooting a bare shaft.

Feathers are not as quiet as vanes if rubbed against something and at the higher velocities ( + 270 ft/sec), you can actually hear the arrow/feather combo zipping through the air on its way to the target.
I'm sure game can too.

For me, i use feathers with my recurve and vanes with my compound and xbow.

[PRB]

Thanks for the extra advise Vince. I need to learn as much as possible.