Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Helical Fletching

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!