CARBON VS. ALUMINUM

[GREYWOLF]

I have been making Custom arrow's and bolts for over 30 years now, from compressed ceder shafts to ACC's , I dont do many wood's latley except for old time traditional cusomers who like my single and double taper ceders.
Latley (4) years now I have been selling mostly XBOW bolts in CARBON OR ALUM. I personally leaned too the GOLD TIP XT's and BEAMANS . but for 2 years now , with 5 deer taken from 18 yard's to 52 yard's useing GOLD TIP's not one bolt has emergerd intact . The latest one in the photo below came from a YOTE I hit SAT. night at 20 yards useing a 100 gr. spitfire pro an a new EASTON FIRE BOLT as you see it also broke in half ! leaving the last 4" inside the animal . to be found when I skinned her out. I have been testing a lot of aluminums lately. And have been useing only EASTON XX75 2215 . 2216 , 2219 and my favorite 2314 ! ,
all have been great with consistant accuracy and no snaping off ,
The 2314's weigh in at 395 grains with a 100 grain point and wrap with 2" blazer vanes . They have a F.O.C. of 15.5 % and fly so good , they will be all I will be useing from now on. I am just wondering what you fellow shooters have found out in your field trips . I am putting a poll on this thred , but I realy want to hear what you all have had happen to you when harvesting game Thanks GREYWOLF

[Boo]

Craig, this is the first year for hunting with carbons and I have to say that I am disturbed at the Gold Tip L2 snapping. I've always used aluminum and have had many bent but most still straight(of the ones that I've recovered). I've bought some Easton shafts made from C2 carbon. I know this stuff is very tough from my experiences with compound bows. This will be the last try in carbons. If these snap next year it will be aluminum only for hunting and carbons for targets.

[hawg hunter]

Greywolf I've had that happen with carbs only because the deer ws shot through both shoulder blades and flopped around with part of the bolt insde. coyotes turn flips and run around in circles and do all kind of strange things, very hard on all arrows if you don't get a clean passthrough . HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY. Ronnie

[kendo kid]

Greywolf,
The aluminum with the Spitefire is a magical combination for me. Lots of deer have gone down, including Chocolate (number 13 in Ontario all time cross bow in '99), to this combination. If you do not get a pass through, the aluminum shaft will bend when it strikes a tree. This allows the arrow to retract as the mechanical folds back into its original position. Generally, the arrow, after hitting one or two trees comes out and leaves a good blood trail. Carbon shafts snap off, do not retract and thus have a smaller hole for the blood trail. This has been my experience. I am sure there are many other paths up the mountain.

Kendo

[xbowking]

I have had good luck with my carbon GT's , i havent had any snap or break at all i have put several through deer and the one through that bear , the one went through that bear and into a ceder tree on the other side of her @ 17 yrds and im still using that arrow today , the only time i have broke arrows is when i miss my 3D target and it goes into some rocks (witch is not very often ) LOL then they blow up real nice, im real pleased with my GT's i have been using them for about 4 yrs now .

[Normous]

To be fair and honest in my 15 years of Excalibur experience and many deer harvested with it, I would report that I have broken bolts in Carbon GT II (2), 2213 (2), 2216 (1),
2219 (2). I have used and harvested with all of them. That makes 7 in total that have broken in deer, yet all resulted in recovered deer, thankfully.
The way I see it, any bolt can break, especially when the front shoulder bone in motion contacts the bolt on impact. The GT II is the lightest of the bunch, so I can see them possibly breaking more often, yet you would think that 2219 are strong. Guess what? I had two break on deer and medium sized at that. That leg/shoulder bone is surely responsible. What the perfect bolt composition is? Well, nothing is perfect in all situations. Those 23 series might break just the same, we shall see.

[sumner4991]

I've broken both over the years too. The faster we shoot these bolts, the more we will have break. I still recover more of the carbon bolts in tact after impact.

[Boo]

I've broken both over the years too. The faster we shoot these bolts, the more we will have break.

Scott, you may have a point there. This is the first year I did not use the old carved tipped Exocet.

[LondonDave]

When my son shot is buck at 20 yards with the Excalibur Firebolt is broken in the exact same place as the one you've posted. He also shot at a rabbit and missed and the bolt broke in the same place. I don't know what he hit when he missed. We have not tried aluminum.

My neighbour shot a doe at about 30 yards with the GT laser II. It was a complete pass through and the bolt was not damaged in any way.

All shots were with Wasp Boss broadheads.

Dave

[Cossack]

Have shot same GT Lazer II through two deer without any noticeable change save need to touch up the Slick. Have broken 3 so far: 2 'Robin Hoods', one deflected off side of target (had previously dropped bow on scope) glanced off two trees and went through two sides of chicken wire garden fence. That was one BUSY bolt, don't blame it for giving up the ghost.

[wabi]

It's a slow process of narrowing down the choices, but today I use 2215 aluminums and fixed blade broadheads.
Had 1 GoldTip Laser II break in my quiver and 1 break in a deer - no more carbons for me.
Had a Wasp JakHammer mechanical fail to open on a deer this fall - no more mechanicals for me.
Low percentage failures in both cases, but any failure that can cause a lost animal or ruined meat is not acceptable to me. There are enough things to go wrong without having to worry about equipment failures, too.
That's why I hunt with Excalibur!

[Stash]

The latest one in the photo below came from a YOTE I hit SAT. night at 20 yards useing a 100 gr. spitfire pro an a new GOLD TIP FIRE BOLT as you see it also broke in half

Just wanted to point out that the Firebolt is an Easton product, not a Gold Tip.

[DuckHunt]

I've never had a bolt from my Exomax stop in a deer. It has even drilled through the front shoulders. I guess I've been lucky.

I have broken a couple carbons by hitting rocks or trees after they exit the deer (assuming a hit it).

I've just bent up (or broke) too many aluminum arrows over the years with a vertical bow to consider using them in my crossbow.

DuckHunt

[Farmer]

I use both aluminum and carbon . 2216 @ 20 inches is my shaft of choice for aluminum . price is reasonable and the shaft takes a fair amount of abuse.

For carbon it is beman thunderbolt . I have one crested and fletched with 2 inch blazers , it has been thru 2 black bear and 1 good whitetail buck . It is ready to serve in another hunt .

Best of all both shafts weigh about the same ; so I can shot either with no change in point of impact.

[camo jack]

My firebolts are easton carbon C2 looks just like your pic. I am not the best shot I just started shooting X-bow about a month ago and I have broke four one in a deer but it was a bad shot still got the deer. I like 2314's I shot them a few years back with my vert bow what size rear insert do you use?