Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Helical Fletching

Is this an important consideration for an intermediate/greenhorn archer?

Tell me your views. Lots of conflicting info online.

Not to be a jerk, but you need to evaluate it for yourself. Your bow, your arrows, your tune, your broadheads. And most importantly, your shooting form.

If you expect people to tell you, then you should just flip a coin. You're looking for shortcut, and it doesn't exist.

If you want advice how to start the evaluation process, then that is a different story.

Compound/Recurve? Mechanical/Fixed blade? Fingers/Release? Feathers/Vanes? Arrow rest?

Always helical with traditional gear. Did offset with compounds for years but recently switched to smaller 1.5" Blazer 4 fletch helical. I really like this combo - great arrow flight, no change in trajectory and broadheads/field points impact the same.

The reason I'm asking is I'm looking to perhaps fletch my own arrows and wondering if the extra expense of a fletching jig with helical capabilities would be a good investment.



Not looking for a shortcut. Looking for advice. Thanks for nothing.

Like JGray said, if you're shooting traditional, fletch with a helical twist. Right or left doesn't matter, neither does 3 or 4 fletch. I've shot nothing but traditional for more than 50 years, built custom longbows for 12 years and have shot nothing but wood arrows for as long as I've been shooting. Regardless of the arrow tip (field point, 2 blade, 3 blade or 4 blade), I've always shot helical fletching. The arrow just seems to fly better than with straight fletching or even off set fletching. Just my 2 cents, but again, it's based on over 50 years of experience. I started with a Bitzenberger single fletcher, then switched to a Jo-Jan Multifletcher about 30 years ago. I wish it was still made. If you can find a used one, get it. You won't be sorry.

Short answer - yes.

Several of the entry level fletching jigs come with straight and helical clamps - I'd get one with both.

Without knowing your set-up, it's a guess as if it is good - or bad, reality, you are probably going to experiment a bit with both.

I run a 1-2 degree twist in my hunting arrows with Slick Tricks.

They fly good with straight Blazers, but I've found that I like a little spin with the launch.

I always thought the main advantage of 4-fletch was that the arrow was always oriented properly on the string. Never tried it myself. Logically, one could go with smaller vanes and still have the same total steering surface, I suppose. The spiral/straight/angled discussion has been going on as long as I can remember, which is pretty long. Not sure it matters much. Only fletching I've done is making Hillbilly flu-flus by adding a section of spiraled full-length feather to a few of the old aluminum arrows I have on hand; very effective, BTW. One of my sons is getting into traditional archery after years of compounding and is going to roll his own for that.

Makes nocking an arrow possible without having to take your eye off your target (or if you're shooting in the dark ). With traditional gear, I used to shoot 5 to 5-1/2" 3 fletch on wood shafts (and still do at times), but mostly shoot 3-1/2 to 4" 4 fletch now with wood and carbon and find it to be plenty of steering surface.

Wife got me a Bitzenburger at xmas. I put together some 4" 4-fletch, left offset.

Compared to the 3-fletch left offset I mostly shoot, the 4-fletch do seem to get spinning pretty fast.

I don't know how important it is for a green archer (I'm one), but more feathers in general help straighten out an arrow that is not in optimum tune. Helical probably even more so, but it may put extra drag on the arrow too. I don't know if it is enough to be a consideration.

I did some bareshaft tuning with different point weight before fletching. The arrows are Gold Tip Warrior 340 shafts at 32". 200gr point. 4-fletch. They do fly well from a 50# Slick Stick. I've probably got close to 60# on my fingers at my 31" draw.

That's what I meant, though I might not have been clear about it. I like the idea, as index nocks can be a bit vague. My recurve shooting is strictly for fun these days, and the crossbow is kinda self-aligning.

For the arrow rest I had on my compound I had to stick with three fletchings to avoid a vane hitting the arrow rest.
I also used a right helical. It seemed that if I didn't I had an issue with the broad head ferrule always loosening up in the shaft insert when I would shoot. I just kept them finger tight.

i always carried my arrows in the quiver with the nocks timed in the correct position, so that I never had to be concerned about how the nock would set on the string. Stringing an arrow should be as much of a practiced consistant movement as drawing or finding your anchoring point.
For me to even need to look at the shaft to make sure the nock is in the correct position I would have had to of dropped the arrow. Not saying I never visually confirmed the correct nock and vane position because I did, almost every time, but there have been times that any effort to consciously verify it could of very well cost me a shot on an animal.

I use a blitz fletcher, 4 vanes, vertical offset, slight right helical.

Bareshaft tune at 30ish yards then set pins with fletched arrows, either your own fletched or bought, self fletching will not correct tune issues.

Kent

Short answer - yes. Absolutely

Thank you all for your expert insights. I appreciate it. I'm looking forward to experimenting with different styles of fletching and y'all have given me some great advice.

krp - those are beautiful arrows. Nice work. Does the vertical offset improve aerodynamics? Guess it does or you wouldn't do it.

I look forward to hours of practice and experimentation. Hell, I'm retired I got time.

They buck the wind significantly with a slick trick over a standard 3 fletch with helical, I shoot a mathews switchback @ 60lbs. My nephew who shoots a newer mathews at 70lbs and faster speeds experienced the same, that's at 60 and 70 yards in decent wind. That's all I can truthfully say about it.

Kent

Offset fletchings theory is that it catches more air (wind) and in so spins your arrow faster. I would agree with this for the most part.

Spinning your arrow is what helps smooth things out in flight. There is a point where not enough is bad, but wait! We bare shaft???? Yes! Bare shaft shows you just how fine tuned you really are or are not! Because it doesn't have that optimal spin. Like a Top spin it fast and it is smooth, as the speed decreases it becomes wobbly.

So there is a point like most all things at which you get diminishing returns.

Is there a benefit to Offset fletching, maybe in some really weird set-ups, overall and for the majority of shooters I doubt it. In my opinion if it had merit for the masses we would see it being used predominantly in Field Archery for sure, along with Olympic Archery. But where it would make 100% sense and give results would be indoor were there is no wind.

Bareshaft at distance will tell you different things, first is visual on rest position, you can see the nock kick up, down, sideways, adjust rest to straight flight. Second is spine, if you can't get straight flight bareshaft your spine is wrong. If the spine isn't perfect but close you can get good flight with fletchings.

My buddy had a new string put on his bow at a shop, drew a bull elk tag last for sept. He shot it up to 30 yards in his back yard then took it back to re'paper tune. He brought it over and his 30yd groups were shakey, sometimes 4 inch and other times flyers, his 50yd were pretty bad, fairly new elite and arrows should have been close in spine. I really didn't look at his setup as he was certain the shop tuned it and that's the way it always shot. I told him to pick his worst fletched arrow and I bareshafted it. She shot at 30 and it was 4 ft left and sideways when it hit the dirt pile backstop... holy crap... give me that damn thing. The nock was 1/4 inch high, his pins were maxed out he couldn't get past a 50 pin. But it was paper tuned, noisy also. Somehow the fletching straightened it out enough to keep around the target. 10 shots and he was tuned. Reset pins, it was quiet and he was deadly at 70 yards... he said maybe that's why I haven't been able to kill a javalina the last couple years, thought they were just my nemesis, kept shooting and missing. Besides he killed a 270 bull he text me last month that he killed a javi, what a difference a tuned bow makes.

Anyway target vs broadhead shooting are two different things... bareshaft with a fieldpoint then bareshaft with a broadhead, I've done it, get the kids and women indoors because that sucker can go anywhere, a drastic difference between fieldtip and broadhead. That's what helical is for, 4 vanes and possibly an advantage of offset. If I was field or olympic shooting I wouldn't need anything but basic straight fletching.

Bareshaft tune adjusting rest for best flight, you have to be back aways to see the flight.
Shoot fletched fieldtips to set pins.
Practice with a broadhead.

Kent

If I shoot a recurve off the shelf I like four fletch. Feather as much helical as I can get

If I shoot off a rest I like 3 fletch....my favorite is the bristle brush rest.Feather as much helical as I can get.

Compounds with a biscuit I like three fletch plastic....not much helical.

Cross bow....plastic I try to keep em straight.

If running feathers, always run helical (for trad or wheels).
That way they're good for fixed blade broadheads.
Why keep ANY arrows that might not ?
They work great for field points too.

Stared w 4.5" back in the early 80's.
Went to 5" when messing with trad.

My arrow and bow tune good enough, I didn't need all that.
3 fletch, 4" helical.............works with everything.

One size and type of fletching, one jig..........my old Jo Jan from the 80's.
Trad, or wheels w release............it's all good.

Did run Blazer vanes one yr on a Mathews single cam, used a straight jig a bud had.
They shot fixed blade heads great.

Back to feathers I went.

I don't shoot whisker biscuit rests.

I don't shoot whisker biscuit rests

Nobody chasing accuracy does!

Paper tune should have showed that guys bad arrow.
Who the hell paper tuned it?

The shooter has to paper tune it, it's his bow. It will react to his form.

I have paper tuned for decades.
Never a bogus tear.

Whatever was shown on paper, showed w bare shaft too.

The short distance for paper tune means I can set stuff up on my patio.

All helical, all feathers, all of the time, bow of choice matters not!! I’ve been making my own for 40 years, and a JoJan fletching jig is what I use, left wing, or right wing clamp depending on the supply of feathers. 5” for recurve, 4” for compound, and arrows for my kids, and now grandkids. I’ve tried vanes, and fletched them straight or offset, but broadhead flight always required more tuning than I cared to do. Arrows with helical fletched feathers, for me, never require broadhead tuning as long as I was shooting the right spined shaft. I’ve lost count how many deer I’ve killed using a recurve, so when I switched to a compound due to an injury, I never concerned myself with arrow speed; weight is a different story!!
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40 years of shooting archery, J.O.A.D., Field, Indoor, 3D, and hunting. Never found it hard to get arrows to fly straight with field points or broad heads. I shoot all my wheel bows to 90 meters and stick bows to 30. I predominantly shoot fingers wheel bow hunting. I do shoot and at times hunt with my bow I shoot release with. I shoot the same broad heads from two very different speed bows. Matter of fact I shoot the same broad heads on my stick bows as well. So make that three very contrasting speeds. No problems! Tune your bow and arrow properly from the start. Shoot a quality fixed blade broad head and fletch your arrows with a slight helical in the direction of your choice.

Have you tired the AAE Trad-40? I love them on my wheel bows. Feathers for the stick bows.

Bowhunting forum and I assume the question is for a compound shooting release and broadheads which are the majority of shooters.

Since most folks can't tune the bow/arrow/broadhead combo and experience issues, I give them the quick easy tune without all the physics and whys.

Take your setup, string an arrow and eyeball center and level, look down the string and set a pin in line with the string/arrow so you won't miss the target on a side, shoot up close to test the pin that you won't miss the target up or down. Take a bareshaft and shoot at distance, I like 30yds, keeping both eyes open to see any kick at the back end, without fletchings it can't correct itself. Adjust the rest to correct up down right left until you get a reasonable flat straight fight, could be 5 shots could be 20. Any kick not corrected by rest adjustment is a spine issue, over or under, if it's close, when shooting fletchings it will shoot very well. Easiest way to adjust spine at the range is with head weight, take some different weight field points and test.

Set pins shooting FT in groups, then I switch to a broadhead for practice.

The 4 fletch shoots better in the wind on every bow I've tried.

A 3 fletch helical will do ok.

Kent

Nobody can tell you if helical will make a difference with "your bow, your arrows, your tune, your broadheads. And most importantly, your shooting form." That was what I originally posted to your question. Like I stated, you'll need to evaluate it for yourself, which is what you are now planning to do.

You're going to get all sorts of advice. The best thing you can do is to evaluate it for yourself. If you're lucky, you'll struggle and learn a lot. If you're unlucky, you'll find success by chance but hopefully not pass this "wisdom" down to others.

You may think these statements are unfriendly, but they are just the opposite.

Point taken and thanks to all for your input. I have a lot of practice and experimentation ahead of me.

2° offset is more than plenty to steer any broadhead you wish to shoot. Start getting more aggressive than that and it has a parachute effect on your arrows at longer range. Noisier too.

Just got some new 300 Goldtips in.
4" helical feather 3 fletch coming up.

Fingers or release, wheels or trad............shoots fixed blade BH and FPs the same.

Boringly repeatably good.

Maybe it's more than needed. I dunno. Hit my targets where aimed, blow through my deer.
I'll keep running it.

Hopefully I can go to bigger/heavier Cutthroat BH's this yr.

Helical spins the arrow like rifling.
Straight acts as drag on the end like the tail on a kite.
I have shot helical on everything...vanes or feathers... 2" to 5".... woods, carbons, aluminums.... Recurves, longbows, compounds.
Left or right doesn't matter either. Although it is easier to find RW feathers in more sizes and configurations.

I always shoot right hand helical. I just finger tighten my broad heads and It helps to keep them from loosening up when I shoot.

Tips come loose due to the harmonic vibrations of the arrow upon release. Right or left hand fletching doesn't affect it.
If your tips come loose, wrap the threads of the tips with a couple of wraps of dental loss and screw them into the arrow.

You guys know you do not need fletching at all don't you? All fletching does nothing but create drag. You can accomplish the very same thing with a piece of string attached behind the nock. Adjust string length depending on your shaft, head, nock combination. Ask any pilot if you do not believe me.

No we’re all to stupid(sarc). Maybe in a perfect world, but fletching and vanes are also used in an attempt to minimize variables in the field. I think I’ll forgo using a string myself, it’s just not that important for me to try and re-invent the wheel.

YMMV

Slow motion video your bare shaft. Note the rotation of the arrow coming off the string and out of the riser. I would mirror that with my fletchings.

Yeah ask a pilot! Because we know how smart they are. LMFAO the only people with less commonsense are engineers. But don't worry a Pilot or Engineer will be along shortly to let us know how smart they are.

Fletchings will increase the rotation of the arrow which helps stabilize the arrows flight. It does also cause drag and increases surface area which increases wind drift. But the trade offs are worth it.

So a device adding drag behind the arrow.
Hmm, kinda like mine to be fletching ahead of the nock.

Hey now!

Easter is my day off - the Engineer is gonna have field this one...😆

Engineers gave us the FOB to replace those antique feathers and vanes.

MCH - hope you’re having a good Easter!

Haha the FOB....... I bet an engineer or a pilot invented the Buttout!

Things are great here in MT, getting ready to bear hunt. Might do a little Turkey hunting but Turkeys have never really held my interest much. Hows the FSR life? I know you are living the Dream. You ever want to hunt here I got room for you. Happy Easter.

Trumper is correct vanes are more or less drag, that accounts for left, right, spiral or straight helical. The naive would serve themselves best to open their minds prior to typing. The shaft that flexes after release will indeed become stable with a string tied to the rear of the shaft. It just takes longer to do so.

So this wonderful string............how and where is it attached to the arrow?

Feathers/vanes allow for clean arrow attachment, draw and release.

Believe it or not, but a properly tuned arrow to the bow needs little to NO fletching with field points. I'm approaching this from a trad bow approach.

Straight feathers parallel ( no offset) can work.
Staight feathers with offset to the shaft can work. Left or right.
Helical (left or right) can work.
Short (2-3" ) or long (5+ ") feather fetching can work.
Three of four feather fetching can work.

Again, depends on how your arrow is tuned to your bow.
Or, another way to look at it, the more feathers, the more length, the more offset or helical curve you NEED for good arrow flight, you probably have an arrow that isn't tuned well enough for that bow.

3 feathers, 4" long, with moderate straight offset or helical, should aid most arrows to fly well enough.

Watch this video. The archer is a "pretty good shot.". He is Col. Jimmy Blackmon (US Army, former Commanding Officer of the 101st Airborne Air Assault, IBO trad archery 3d World Champion, US National 3d trad Champion).
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JOklaPN44TM

Another good video by "Greg", of "archery 101"
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yVTEJ6xO21s

I normally just fletch an arrow up and paper tune on the patio.
Short distance, and always gives proper reading. Can do at 1 am too (after I get off work).

Have gone back and bare shaft double checked at longer. Same results.

Think the problem comes from folks trying to tune a bow and build an arrow at the same time.

This chit aint that hard.

Running 3 fletch 4" heiical may cost me some speed, but it's boringly good and repeatable.
180-280 FPS

All my arrow build testing is done w FP.
Have NEVER shot a bare shaft w BH on it.

And nope, not even curious.

Think most tuning "how to's" say NOT to try a BH w bare shaft.

Have only had one bow (recurve) that was out of the ordinary on arrow (req'd substantially stiffer than thought).
Out of around 35. Compounds have been pretty easy, except for the Oneidas, that also req'd a stiffer spine.

There I wonder if string over travel the culprit.
New model w string stops might be neat to test.

I know a lot of folks like to tinker.
And there can be an advantage to doing that, if competing.
But most folks just muddy the waters, think they know more than they do.

Set and forget aint a bad thing.
Why I run everything helical.

One less thing to screw up.
And one size and brand of fletch is kinda convenient too.
Only need one jig and it stays in one config.

The older I get the less I can tolerate hassles

Got a bud that always fuggs with his bow, always.
He's won the IBO, dunno if he still shoots for a brand.
I wonder how many times he's screwed up, always tinkering.

LOL

When I bow hunted I shot traditional off the shelf. I fletched feathers helical.
I tried straight. Broadheads fly better for me with the shaft spinning. Field points do ok straight fletched.