how many use vanes

[ionicmuffin]

how many use vanes to save money on fletchings?

[Ifrit617]

Herasy I say! 

seriously though, the extra money spent on fletching is well worth it. Better arrow flight, more traditional looking, and you can shoot off your hand.

Jon

[Stefan]

if you want to save money go and find some goose feathers, it wont be long before the are molding (spring)

plastic vanes suck for bows without the proper arrow rest

[bubby]

vanes wont hold up, better off using feathers , find some turkey hunters and get their wing and tail feathers if you can

[ionicmuffin]

I will try that. the only reason why im using them, is that, since im not hunting with them i dont want to spend money on feathers(around 50c per feather.) and vanes(10c per feather.) so i could pay 30$ for 300 vanes or i could pay 150$ for 300 feathers. Just in comparison.

[bowtarist]

Some guys buy em @ the art/hobby store.  Craft feathers I think they call them.  Check out the illegal feathers thread on this page.  There is a guy in there that gives some info on that.

I've always heard that vanes jump off a hand or riser.  When I've bought them in the past, I buy one 100 count bag of full lengths and that lasts a while.  Keep your options open, 300 feathers is quite alot, you don't want to be passing them on to your grandkids.  dpg

[ionicmuffin]

oh i know i can go through 300. thats only 100 arrow worth, and i make em for the people who shoot my bows, because they go through them at around 6 per 3 months or something

[bubby]

if you get whole feathers you can use both sides, just not on the same arrow,  learn how to strip them or cut and grind, man I don't think I go thru 300 feathers in 4 years, feathers last much longer than vanes

[Olanigw (Pekane)]

I've got enough friends that hunt goose and/or turkey that I can get feathers year 'round for free.

[stringstretcher]

Pekane you have two sure fire ways to not lose those arrows!!!  Don't shoot, or Don't miss....lol..  Unfortunately I do both wrong....lol

[sleek]

I use a two fletch arrow to save featers. With proper planning and feathers, you can get two arrows fletched up with two feathers, by splitting the quill as was mentioned above. That reduces your cost by 2/3rds. Makes vanes allot less appealing....

[ncpat]

I have only bought arrows with vanes when I had no other choice. When I make some, I will use feathers. I have a set of arrows I was given for Christmas in 1977. They have periodically had lots of use and most of the feathers are still good. 4 inch I believe, rounded parabolic style. I credit the rounded shape to helping them last so long.

I see people on Youtube making bows/arrows from various scrap materials they scrounge, survivalist sort of thing and using what you have on hand. I may do some of these ideas for a variation when I have time.

[ncpat]

I use a two fletch arrow to save featers. With proper planning and feathers, you can get two arrows fletched up with two feathers, by splitting the quill as was mentioned above. That reduces your cost by 2/3rds. Makes vanes allot less appealing....

The only 2 fletch arrows I ever shot were little ones from toy sets as a small child, ones that also had rubber suction tips. I don't even remember how well they flew. Do you notice any difference in flight? I would be willing to try 2, just have gotten used to 3 all my life. I remember in the 70's, catalogs would often offer a 4 fletch option for a few extra dollars. I don't hear much about 4 fletch these days.

[bowtarist]

ncpat, two fletch is good! specially when done with whole secondaries eastern woodland style.  Search some of the past posts.

ps. I don't think I've ever seen a vane on a wooden arrow. ?? 

[sleek]

There is little, if any, difference in two fletch and three fletch performance. If there is any, its in favor of the two fletch. Less feather involved, less drag, faster, quiter, less weight aft, and such. If that's enough of a difference to be even measured.