Working on this years elk hunting setup and would like some opinions. Anyone notice a difference between a 4x3" fletch vs a 4x4" fletch? Noise, cast, etc.? I can group my bareshafts with fletched arrows pretty good out to 30 yards (when my form and particularly release allow me to) so I'm confident in my tune and thinking I don't need as much feather. Any thoughts are welcome. Thanks, Mike.

Nope....but if you convince yourself it matters it will.

I have shot 4X3 and 4X4 and not been able to see a difference in either cast or noise. I shot these at my hunting ranges (20 yards and in) and out to 80 yards for field rounds.

Roger Rothhaar shot and hunted with 4 fletch arrows and he was an amazing hunter.

See what you like and good luck on your elk hunt! Keep us posted please.

I am not shy about going with a little more feather with a broadhead, just in case I have a form or release “imperfection” in a Field situation. But 4X3” strikes me as adequate. Others here are fans of 5” or even 5 1/2”….

You honestly Just Can’t get more steerage without increasing noise and drag (at the expense of Cast), so it’s hard for me to convince myself that there’s not any difference…. But I’m not convinced that I can SHOOT the difference inside of 40 yards.

I guess I’d have to go to shooting with a hard gap or sight pins to settle that for myself. You know…. Lasered ranges and definite/quantifiable changes in hold. But since I don’t attempt to estimate range, I’m not aware that I have to compensate for added drag. I DO feel like I usually hold a bit higher with 4X3” at 80’ yards.

I inherited a bunch of 4x4" fletched carbons and one set of woodies that seem to fly as good as my 3x5".

Most on here know, that I am a minimalist when it comes to fletching.

Even 3" is longer than I prefer.

And, 4 of them is a waste of one perfectly good fletch, that could be used on the next arrow.

Currently shooting 2.5" X 3 low profile Bi-Delta Sharktooth vanes. They stabilize my big ole broadheads perfectly. :-)

Rick

I have used both for years but have gone to 2" 4 fletch the last several years. I use a 3 blade 125 gr fixed head & they fly awesome. I practice with them thru 50 yds but my hunting with longbow is 25 yds & under & compound is the same. In field rounds I shoot thru 80 yds with filed tips.

In what I've experimented with, 3" will stabilize an arrow as good as 4".

My comment above is based on 160-190 grain heads.

Thanks for the input guys. Rick: Hear what you're saying but I 4 fletch because I use nose to feather as another reference point and that configuration puts the feather in the right place. I just ordered some 2" Gateway Rayzrs from Lancaster to try out. Thanks again for the info!

I like 4 fletch. I think it's cheaper, if you cut your own. You can get alot of fletchings out of scraps you'll throw away if you're shooting longer three fletch. If you're buying fletchings I'm not sure it's worth it.

I like 4” also. When you say you can group bare shafts with fletched arrows out thirty yards, I assume that is with target points. How about with broadheads and more wind? I honestly don’t know the answer to that.

I know there are some guys who will bare-shaft a broadhead-tipped arrow…. But I’m not one of them.

I wouldn’t put it past Rick’s abilities, mind you. We don’t really have any place to shoot BH, though; too many knuckleheads who can’t stop themselves from shooting up the 3D course….

So now I’m feeling overfletched with my 3X4” setup :p

Corax, Funny that you mention bareshafting a broadhead because yesterday I was SO confident in my set up that I put a 175 three blade VPA on the bareshaft and let her fly from 30 yards. The arrow promptly nose dived into the lawn 15 yards from me. I took it as a victory because despite the horrific trajectory my left and right was good!;)

I bare shafted the long Grizzly broadhead, last year and got great arrow flight, but I was shooting a total of 200 grain inserts behind it on a 400 GT for a heavy 687 grain arrow. Then I added 4 each 5" fletches, actually it might have been 3 fletches, but at anyrate, I have recently went to 4" and 4.5" feathers, using 4 fletches.

I like 4 fletches because of how they clock for me on the bow, and I know it doesn't matter much, but I like the idea of not having to worry about lining up the cockfeather, although, cockfeather in shoots pretty good on my recurves, longbows too, for the most part.

I’m not saying I would want to try that AT ALL, but if I were to give it a shot, I’d start at maybe 5 yards, keeping a sharp eye out for any shenanigans, and then back up a step at a time. By 30 yards, an arrow could be flying sideways, and it seems like with thst much steerage up front, it seems like it could happen in less than a blink….

If you have a "tuned" arrow/broadhead combination like most folks on here claim to achieve, why would you be apprehensive about bareshafting a broadhead on that shaft if that combination is what you intend to hunt with using broadheads? It really makes little to no sense. All you need is a safe place. And if you don't get the same flight characteristics using a broadhead on that bareshaft then your tune isn't as good as you think it is and your fletching is covering a LOT more imperfection than most folks let on.

Dan Quillian was bareshafting broadheads in the 90's...and so we're other folks. My favorite way is a long open field.

I have been testing both 4" and 3" low profile banana cut on my xx75 2016 both fly awesome and it doesn't matter what broadhead as long as they are the same weight they fly prefect,I hunt with wood so I use a 4" Banana cut on them 4X4 as the 2016 it doesn't matter what broadhead as long as the weight is the same. All broadheads used on the XX75 were 150gr and on my wood 60/65 broadheads are 160gr, The Broadhead are Howard Hill, Grizzly, Zwickey, Bear Razor, Ribtec, Wolverine, ACE EXPRESS, Woodsman Broadheads, MA3,

I don't see why one would need to be scared to try bareshafting broadheads. The way I do it is bareshaft with field points first, at the same weight as the broadhead. Get that pretty close, then try the broadhead. you won't be that far off and correct from there if needed. Start close to the target, 5 yards or a little more, use a fair-sized backstop if you are worried about it.

I could see how, if you only had a small target and no backstop or bales of hay behind your small target, that it might become a concern.

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