Alum. or Carbon

[bubba101st]

I am presently shooting Easton XX75 alum. arrows and am wondering about carbons. I have read all the pros and cons that the different arrow companys have put out for our benifit, or theirs. What is the real world saying about the difference in the 2. I was thinking about the Easton Axis or the Maxima cross carbon. What the story as you guys have seen it?

[BuckBrann02]

We're on the same boat on this one, bubba101st. I've been shooting Easton XX78 Superslams for a good many years now. But I too, have been thinking about carbons. I'm thinking about the Carbon Express Maxima or Terminator Hunter. Carbons fly much straighter and have deeper penatration than Aluminums. I've always been concerned about Carbon saftey too. I know that if they was to break, they're suppose to break clean and don't splinter like the first beman carbons that came out. But I don't know. I still feel the safest with my Superslams, but I'm itchin' to try a carbon. I shot a few at the archery stores and was very impressed. So we'll see.

[bubba101st]

I too have shot a few from my bow. It's set at 60# and useing the same total weight arrows I had the same penetration from 20 to 60 yards with both arrows.

[airborne]

I used to shoot Alum all the time. I went to Gold Tip 3555's and I picked up around 25 fps. They will withstand a lot of abuse. Once I shot and the arrow hit a small branch. From that point on, it bounced from tree to tree. I found the arrow and ithe shaft was fine. The mech broadhead was junk. I have been shooting the same arrows for 6 years. I would have bent all the alum by now. Some think that the alum get better penetration but I am getting pass throughs with my carbon. I shoot a Darton at 63# draw. The bow is about 5 years old. I just did one of those silk screen indoor shoots and it had a built in chrono. I was shooting around 269 fps. Some of my friends have gone back to alum. I think they get caught up in fads. I will never go back.

[kajunhunter]

Like Airborne I also shoot the goldtips, and am impressed with them. Unlike aluminum arrows, carbon as some flexability so you don't have to worry as much about the shaft getting bent during a hunt. I never shot aluminum arrows, but from what I saw and stories I heard, I don't think I ever will.

[Rock Horn 1]

I switched to carbon a couple of years ago and I like them if for no other reason because they are either straight or they are broken.

larry

[bubba101st]

Thanks to all of you. I have not been into archery for very long (last season was my first). I have yet to take a deer with a bow and want to make sure I am doing all I can to be ethical when the time comes. I will likely go to carbons. Thanks for the input.

I also want to say I don't believe I will ever go back to rifle hunting. While I love firearms and the right to own them. I have found that archery and bowhunting comes with a "family". That is something that you don't find to much of in this world. I hope I can be a part of this as you all are. Thanks again.

[Dclewis]

Bubba, Like Rockhorn said, carbons are vey tough. They will NEVER bend but can be broken. Breaking a carbon shaft is very hard to do outside of drilling a rock or the hinge on your shed door (been there and done that).

I'm shooting Carbon Express CX200's out of my Switchback and absolutly love them. I picked up my first 2, 1st place 3-D shoot trophys with this combo. Try em and your never go back to Aluminium.

Dave

[Black Mamba]

A carbon arrow is straight or broken. You can test the shaft by flexing it and it will spring back to its original shape. An aluminum arrow can have a slight bend to it or maybe a small ding in it and will affect its flight. If you have a uni nok arrow, you can unscrew the point and point the nok toward a light, You should see concentric circles if it is straight, it will also show small deviations that may not shown up when rolling across a smooth surface.
Carbon arrows take more abuse if you shoot 3d, the aluminum arrows can suffer some accuracy during a 3d shoot if one shoots the same arrow as aluminum does not react the same as carbon.

[smallgamehunter]

gold tip expedition hunters work for me i shoot a pearson recurve thast 46lbs at 28inches. i picked up alot of speed with carbons

[bubba101st]

Ok. Carbons it is. I am thinking of going with the Gold Tips. The on thing I am wanting to know is this, I like the size of the alum's (dia.) and want to know if the carbons are made in the same or similar size. I know the thinner ones are suppoded to get better penitration and more speed but I like the thicker arrows. I recon it's a personal thing.

[siucowboy]

Black Mamba very interesting method of spot checking an aluminum arrow for straightness...I have to admit I've been bowhunting for 14 years and never heard of or seen anyone do that....I LEARNED SOMETHING NEW HERE TODAY - THANKS!

[windstalker]

i shoot carbon express term. 6075 w/55# dont no about the splintering,never broke ir splinterd one , i'm not real high tech. and up on all the new stuff like i should be , but my little set up works jest fine, happy trailz,goood huntin and alwayz pay homage killemandgrillem

[Hawg]

Cedar all the way!

[windstalker]

hey hawg, cedar? what happen ta blackjack? LOL. see ya on the trail

[Hawg]

OH! I forgot to tell about my new arrows and broadheads.... They are brass with a 180 grain broadhead.

[dubyam]

I am going to be the lone voice in the wilderness on this. I like my aluminum Eastons. I have been shooting for about 13 years now, and I have bought exactly 18 arrows. I started with a dozen, and have managed to keep about 8 of them in good shape over the years. I check them thoroughly every month or so to be sure they are straight, using more than just my eye or a tabletop. Dial guages work wonders for this. My groups stay consistent don't change point of impact year to year, except when I get restrung, then I adjust a little on the sight.

My brother shoots carbons. He has problems with tip breakage around the insert, as well as havign poorer terminal performance than my "culvert pipes" as we have come to call them. (I shoot a 2314 XX75 that weighs 478gr with a 100gr broadhead). Now, for the record, I became a real believer when I started killing deer with my bow. I shot a doe at close range, she fell within steps of where I hit her. I have since shot deer at many distances and have not had one run out of sight in the woodlots where I hunt. Two years ago, I shot a doe after misjudging the distance to her, and hit her high. Arrow went through her spine. I mean absolutely through it. Shattered a vertebrae, dropped her in her tracks, and then stuck about 4" into the forest floor behind her. Arrow is still straight, too. I just believe that the combination of mass and good speed is more valuable than high speed. For the record, my brother is switching back to XX75's, and he shoots a Bowtech Liberty at very high speed. I shoot an older bow, and am getting about 220fps out of my pipes. I say go aluminum, and take care of your equipment.

As an aside, so that people don't think I hunt easy, I hunt public land with my pipes, and hike in about 1.5-3 miles, depending on where I want to climb that day. I carry everything in, climbing stand and all, so the potential for damage to my pipes is not small. I just have to be careful, and have learned how to take care of them.

[windstalker]

hawg, youll need probly moer than 180gr. im uzin 250gr. ifen were headen ta s.e. okla. ta hunt fer ya no what!

[special]

go carbon dude you will fall in love.

[tjen]

I shoot a 65# Hoyt Aspen and 60# Custom Kodiac. Both shoot Beman 340 with inserted wieght tubs. This give me total arrow wieght of 500 grs with 125 gr broadheads. The same wieght as my 2215 XX75's. I like the quitness of carbon and its not as cold in the winter. All penitrate the same because they wiegh the same they have the same momentum. The issue I have with the carbon is their cost seems like the right combination of fiberglass and carbon would give us a lower priece arrows that are not to lite or to heavy and less prone to fracturing stronger but less brittle. With 3D shooting you need flat trajectory little penitration, and in hunting you need both so you compermise both. Not to mention that the heavier the arrow the more energy the bow transfers to it and the quiter the bow is after the shot an absolute necessity when hunting. A good set of cedar's are hard to beat in a recurve!

[daveybug]

Aluminums have a habit of denting/bending and with my experience carbon hold up better. However if you damage a carbon you'll chalk it up as a loss. I like carbon

[PA_DBL_LUNG]

I have been shooting carbons for a good while and will not reiterate all the values others have shared here. It is true that alum. have more kinetic energy which definately has some advantages, Durability is what mainly swayed me. The best example I can give is making touching the release trigger accidently, making a bad shot and driving one through the side of a T-111 shed wall up to the fletching. I refletched it and am still using the shaft. It all comes down to personal perference I suppose and believing in your equipment at the "moment of truth".

*** ONE NOTE OF CAUTION. If you happen to hit the bone or major joint of an animal just right, your carbon shaft can shatter inside the carcus. If this happens be very, very,sure you carve out and throwaway all meat around the point of impact (about 1'' around I have read). If not, you could injest carbon fibers which could tear-up your insides. I read about this in other places, but not very often. Shattering a carbon shaft insider a carcus is rare but it can happen from what I have read.

Hit 'em hard and low. Good hunting from PA.