advantages of 2" vanes vs. 4"? lots of questions...

[BillK]

I'm new to crossbows after a few years hiatus from hunting while my boys were babies. Now that they're getting older I have some more time to devote to hunting but not enough to dedicate to my Mathews solo cam and what's involved with getting ready for the season with a vertical bow. So I bought a Vortex and really love it! Anyway....to my questions.

I see lots of guys using 2" vanes. When I got my Vortex with a Shadowzone scope from Dan Miller I went with his suggestion of Firebolts with 4" vanes and 150gr. Boltcutters. I haven't shot the broadheads yet so don't have a point of reference there. But I'm a bit disappointed in the vane colors on my firebolts - dark green on 6 and white on 6 and don't want to bug Dan about it. Figure worst case I'll use the white for hunting but the dark green are tough to see while practicing.

I'm a natural tinkerer/customizer so now I'm thinking I'd like something brighter and was wondering if I did buy 6 more bolts what I should consider. Will 2" vanes make a noticeable difference? Will it throw things off a lot vs what I'm used to? And where is a good place to buy some from where I can pick colors, lighted nocks etc? Should I consider a totally different bolt than a Fire bolt?

Also I don't have the S5 suppressors. Do they make a big difference? Should I get them and remove the dissipators or use both? I have the standard string with the "puffy" cloth silencers - do they slow down bolt speed a lot and should I ditch them? Should I get a custom Boo string? Should I consider a broadhead other than Boltcutters?

So many questions.... sorry. Or....should I just leave well enough alone for now. Its shooting great with field points now but I do enjoy customizing.

Thanks for any replies or suggestions!

Bill

[strum]

Bill,
i hate to be the first to chime in but ill take a stab at it..
I think these bows are made just for guys like you (and us)
right out of the box they are amazing..but we like to tinker..and its ok..
Fire bolts are great arrows and will serve you well
I like the Gold tip lazer 2 and others use maximum hunters
as for where to get em ..well Dan Miller makes some custom arrows and you can get some from Wyvern Creations..and also there are a few guys on the forum that makes realy fine ones too..
most use the 2" blazers i think..me too lol
i recommend the S5 ..it helps some with sound and if you dryfire it absorbs a good bit of the string energy that would normaly go to the limbs..
if your new..then you may want to stay with the stock string for a while ..
check out this sight for some great insight on this topic
http://boocustomstrings.com/home.html
ok ill stand down ..i said my part..hey dont be afraid to ask..these guys on this forum are full of good info and you may find it a fine place to hang your hat

[srhall32]

Bill, to be honest, Danny Miller knows this game...I would shoot what he sent you and try to stay with it...lots of folks on here know arrow building, broadheads and hunting arrow tuning up one side and down the other and can send you through enough arrow, fletching and broadhead info to keep you tinkering for a long time. You can buy Firebolts with lighted ( Lumenocks) nocks at BassPro....shoot your green fletchings at your target with your boltcutters and hunt with your white fletching...crossbow hunters don't worry too much about light colored fletchings since we don't wave them around.
My advice would be to shoot a lot and go back through the previous posts to see what others do....it just seems to me that you have everything you need already.

[JT of PA]

BillK ... I found this link/information useful.

http://www.huntersfriend.com/carbon_arr ... pter_4.htm

Hope this helps out.

JT of PA

[Pydpiper]

2" Blazers will do a couple things, first it will change the Center of balance of the arrow by lightening up the rear end, a bit. For guys who like to shoot a front heavy arrow, this is a great way to help achieve that.
The 2" Blazers will also keep groups tighter in inclement weather, less surface contact for side winds. In my experience my groups tightened considerably when I tore off the 4" Duravanes and went to 2" Blazers. That was important to me because a great deal of my hunting property is at the upper ridge of a river where the winds are strong and unpredictable, combine that with the fact that I love to hunt in the worst possible weather and they were a clear winner for me.
Your choice of broadhead will help determine if they are right for you too, fixed blades need more influence from the fletching than expandables.
Crossbows are a whole lot less pickey than their vertical counterparts, the short, fat bolts are less prone to the things that affect flight and stabilization. With a field point or expandable broadhead the arrow flight is hard to screw up, from 4" to a missing vane, to no vanes at all. With fixed broadheads, everything counts.

[Doe Master]

When it comes to arrows and broadheads there is alot of different thoughts .
Your first question about colours . Use the white for deer and the dull ones for turkeys . The colour thing is a personal choice . Some people want to be able to see the arrow in flight and others figure if they are camo`ed then the arrows should be too .
The shafts . Another personal choice . Some like carbon and others aluminum . It is like asking which is better Ford or Chevy .
The broadhead dilemma gets complicated . Some will say broadhead x is great but others say flies like crap . The blades that came with the bow are good . Excalibur wouldn`t put a bad product in a package .
There is a wealth of knowledge here ,just ask .

[Cossack]

From personal experience after lots of fooling around, the following:
.... Arrows: High FOC , like 18-20%, of light medium weight. aka Lazar II with 110 brass insert, 2" Blazers of Fusion vanes set at right helical. They weigh 400 grs with 100 gr tip, fly well, less affected by side wind.
....Broadheads: Fixed should have 4 blades and be relatively short like Slick Tricks; mechanicals that don't open in flight like Spitfire.
.... String: Weight is a big factor, arrows lose 1 fps for every 6 grains of extra string weight. Stock sting weighs 200 grains, stock Flemish weighs about 80 grans less, that's why it's faster. Flemish are stronger too (not split in two at ends). Boo makes great stings, including some fast Endless Loops, but the fastflight Flemish will do in the meantime.
.... STS: Definitely. Lowers noise only marginally but provides protection in case of dry fire. I leave my D bars on for even more protection.
.... Vane color: Prefer florescent colors like red and lime green or yellow, mixed. Flo colors are easier to see and shine bright under black light if looking for arrows at night. Two of one color one of another so I can tell cock vane if arrow spine is a factor.
....Lighted nocks: Your call. Easier to see but add about 25 grains to back of arrow, thereby changing weight and FOC. You'll have to practice with and without them to determine if flight/point of impact is the same.

Get into a shooting routine that you perform every time. e.g Cock bow , SET Safety, insert arrow, pick up bow to shoot, etc. Doing so will keep you from becoming a member for the Dry Fire Club.