Wood Arrows

I'm interested in shooting cedar arrows, does anyone shoot them or have any experience with them?
Thanks
Bob

Well, looks like I'll be the first. I just ordered some Port Oxford Cedar arrows for my Super Kodiak. I guess I'll let you know how they shoot.

Good cedar is getting hard to come by. I would suggest checking out Twig Archery http://www.twigarchery.com/. He has a good supply. If you can go with another wood Surewood http://www.surewoodshafts.com/ makes em out of douglas fir and some of the best shafts I have ever used. I shoot carbon 99% of the time but I'm getting the goods together to get back into wood a little more.

I have shot a lot of wood back in the day and probably the most durable I have shot were hard rock maple. Nearly impossible to find good maple shafts now days. I used to get good ash shafts from Silent Pond in New England but he went out of business long ago. I also had some lodgepole pine shafts that were good shooters. They turn the pine yellow over time.

Every now and then you can find the old ACME cedar shafts on ebay. Good stuff but they usually bring a good price. Well worth it tho. If you find a good source for wood shafts you might want to drop the cash and get a couple hundred so you will have some for a while. They are getting harder and harder to come by.

On shooting experience it has been said the port orford cedar is the perfect wood for arrows. I would agree but the douglas fir is a super close second. DF is usually a little heavier than cedar and good for hunting weights. Both shoot about the same. There is more quality DF shafts available then cedar right now.

I shoot cedar, and love it. I enjoy making, and shooting wood. I do a good amount of stump shooting, and my POC arrows hold up great. 50-55 fly great out of my 52@28 rd longbow.

I shot wood only for all of the 80s and 90s and quickly ended up using Maple, Ash predominantly with some Purple Heart. Cedar is straight and consistent but on the light side for me - although with some work you can find hunting weight (I like 12 to 15 grains per inch) - but the reason I don't like it for hunting is tip strength - Cedar is not consistently strong enough right at the point the broadhead is attached.

Just a brief reminder: if you switch to wood arrows shoot some at a target and get to know them, you may need to adjust the string nock some for the difference in the wood vs carbon/aluminum shafts.

If you practice enough with both and notice the difference in flight - there is a happy medium in the string nock that will allow for either to be shot with the same bow set-up....with little variance.

Hope this helps....

[those who know me know that I keep a set in the back closet - just for those loving squirrelllllllls, they are cheaper than c/a shafts....]