fletching question

[FLA-XBOW]

I have never fletched a bolt and my vanes on my firebolts are a little beat up and i have no clue about anything related to arrow building as far as the offsets. I see people talking about 4 degrees this and 1 degrees that. Someone please give me a quick run down on vanes.Thanks in advance, yall always come through

[mchurch]

I have had the best luck with the Arizona EZ fletch for aluminum arrows witha 4 degree right helical. I use 3 inch fusion vanes. I use Gorilla glue blue top for glue. I have had great results with the firebolts and laser 2's.

[vixenmaster]

Most of us like the short stiff vanes 2" Fusions & Blazers alot of us like the Blue top Gorilla glue & alot of us use one model or the other of E-Z Fletching Jig & it comes with directions & video on youtube!

[j.krug]

Most of us like the short stiff vanes 2" Fusions & Blazers alot of us like the Blue top Gorilla glue & alot of us use one model or the other of E-Z Fletching Jig & it comes with directions & video on youtube!

Nuff said right there!!
You will find the EZ fletch jig simple and efficient to use.

[badredbird]

i use a blitzenburger , i white wrap bolt and use 5 inch aae white duravanes helps give you sense of where ya hit, i like the five inch vanes with a 3 degree offset, i know alot of people here like blazes but on a bolt for longer ranges there is nothing like a 5 inch vane , i use beyond bond because it adheres to bolt on molecular level those vanes hang in there tough , i have excellent accuracy at 60 70 yards

[strum]

i use a blitzenburger , i white wrap bolt and use 5 inch aae white duravanes helps give you sense of where ya hit, i like the five inch vanes with a 3 degree offset, i know alot of people here like blazes but on a bolt for longer ranges there is nothing like a 5 inch vane , i use beyond bond because it adheres to bolt on molecular level those vanes hang in there tough , i have excellent accuracy at 60 70 yards

I cant see 70 yards...
i also found the Blue top gorilla glue to be inexpensive and easy to use.. as an example .i shot one arrow (laser 2) into my bag target last week..must have hit a weak area and went almost out the back side,,i had to pull with all i had to get it to come on out..figgered itll tear the vanes off and ill have to redoit.not so..the vanes looked a bit out of shape but they stayed put on the shaft..after a while they retured to shape and i been shootin it every since..

[badredbird]

lol in a few years i probably wont be able to see 70 yards either ,i clipped a rabbit other day was at about 65, does the blue top gorilla not foam up and expand cuz thats a good thought, i do like the beyond bond its a tad more expensive but it really adheres the vane will tear before it will release,been fletching bolts now, and was thinking trying bluetop but all gorilla glue ive ever used expands like crazy

[sumner4991]

I also like the AZEZ for quick repairs . . .simple and stores away easily.

I like the shorter 2" Blazers, but, I'm not married to them. I've tried a few brands of vanes and different lengths. I really couldn't tell any difference. Get the pretty ones.

I have never used the wraps . . .I figure if I can see them going, then something could see them coming. Honestly, I just didn't want the weight added to the back end of the arrow.

The blue cap Gorilla Glue doesn't expand like the regular Gorilla Glue.

[badredbird]

i shoot a pretty heavy bolt, 513 grains with wraps 2219 and 150 grain b heads , they come out of exomax at about 306 fps, i use the wraps cuz a few times i hit deer wouldnt have known how good i hit them until saw blood on wraps, easier to find too, weight doesnt bother me cuz they stabilize better and more k/e as far as vanes blazes dont make diff at 30 yards when ya start getting out to 50 i notice they stabilize grooup tighter the duravanes are textured so they help stability too, just a preference is all , been tinkering around with some 2117 shafts had a bunch got at a garage sale 2 doz for 7 bucks , so cut them down foolin with them now , but have a pretty good combo with 2219 s they pack some punch havent fooled with carbons much , know some friends who shattered on bone, thatd be my luck, i use the 150 grain boltcutters but even with great hits dont get much of a blood trail initially going to play with 170 grain heads ordered to use with 217s should be some wicked foc

[badredbird]

i shoot a pretty heavy bolt, 513 grains with wraps 2219 and 150 grain b heads , they come out of exomax at about 306 fps, i use the wraps cuz a few times i hit deer wouldnt have known how good i hit them until saw blood on wraps, easier to find too, weight doesnt bother me cuz they stabilize better and more k/e as far as vanes blazes dont make diff at 30 yards when ya start getting out to 50 i notice they stabilize grooup tighter the duravanes are textured so they help stability too, just a preference is all , been tinkering around with some 2117 shafts had a bunch got at a garage sale 2 doz for 7 bucks , so cut them down foolin with them now , but have a pretty good combo with 2219 s they pack some punch havent fooled with carbons much , know some friends who shattered on bone, thatd be my luck, i use the 150 grain boltcutters but even with great hits dont get much of a blood trail initially going to play with 170 grain heads ordered to use with 217s should be some wicked foc

[tracker12]

New to CB shooting but have shot Compounds for years. So where do you all get your inserts and flat nocks for the Excal.

[wabi]

Not 100% sure what information you're looking for, but here's a try at an answer.

The 1º, 4º etc. reference is to the angle of the fletch to the arrow shaft. The more the angle, the faster the arrow spins in flight (more RPMs), and generally the better it stabalizes in flight with any imperfections in the broadhead trying to steer it off course from the front. The downside is that it looses speed more rapidly and therefore has a more arcing trajectory and more limited range.
An example of the extreme would be a "FluFlu" arrow used in traditional archery. Large (uncut) feathers at an extreme angle limit arrow flight to a very short range for aerial shooting.

In my sketch below (no to scale!) the blue vane indicates a 1º offset, the green represents a 4º offset, and the red is an 8º. I've exaggerated the angle, but as you can see another problem would be that as angle increases the vane would take up more side-to-side area (wider) and can create a problem by rubbing on the sides of the channel in the crossbow rail.


I've found 4º to be a good compromise for most hunting arrows. It allows longer vanes (4 & 5") to clear the channel, but still provides ample spin to stabilize most broadheads.

[Horizontal Hunter]

I also like the AZEZ for quick repairs . . .simple and stores away easily.

I like the shorter 2" Blazers, but, I'm not married to them. I've tried a few brands of vanes and different lengths. I really couldn't tell any difference. Get the pretty ones.

I have never used the wraps . . .I figure if I can see them going, then something could see them coming. Honestly, I just didn't want the weight added to the back end of the arrow.

The blue cap Gorilla Glue doesn't expand like the regular Gorilla Glue.

This.

I like to tinker and I have shot 2" Blazers, 2" Zeon fusions, Aerovanes, 5" Duravanes, and 5" feathers (RH) and IME they all shoot my Slick Trick tipped arrows well out to 40 yards. some slightly better than others.

All were fletched with a 4 degree right offset. I use a right offset as it causes the arrow to spin clockwise which when the arrow impacts it will cause the broadhead to tighten against the insert.

I also use the AZ-EZ fletch for my arrows. It makes quick work of fletching my arrows or doing a repair.

I am currently shooting 5" feathers as I feel that they may be forgiving if I clip a branch. This is my first season with them so we will see how they hold up.

Bob