Other than easton, what companies made aluminum arrow shafts and were they of any quality??

As far as I know all or nearly all of the aluminum shafts made regardless of what name was on them were made by Easton.

They were just different strengths of material.

American made aluminum shafts in the 1990s. I think I still have some somewhere.

I hope an arrow collector/expert shows up here. I have some aluminum arrows that uses a glue in aluminum nock. The arrows are around 1/4" at the point and taper down to around 1/8th at the nock. The nock is the smallest I have ever seen.

No markings on the shaft.

Anyone else remember X-Caliber fluted shafts in the mid-80's? I fell for the marketing and they were a disaster. LOL

Yea

think browning marketed them(the ones I had had Browning logo )

PSE equalizer...were those made by easton?

I have one of those as well, Jon Stewart, they are flight arrows. Have no idea who made or where.

Thanks George. I took a measurement and the nocks are 1/8th inch. Bow string would have to be awful small also.

There were fluted shafts made in Korea for AAE. There was another brand of black shafts with the name “magnums “ on them . Not Easton but another knockoff. They bent pretty easy like the old green/yellow shafts Easton sold as one shot hunting arrows back in late 70’s. The Magnums were made in Korea as well. I have a few in use as garden stakes

Does this labeling jar any memories?

The barreled aluminum flight shafts referenced above,...I've owned and seen a number of these over the years. I recall at least two were stamped "FOLBRETH" near the nocks; and yes, the nocks were also aluminum. I was told they dated from the 1940s.

There was also a extremely soft gold colored shaft with plastic tapered nock inserts. Can't recall the maker.

Those soft gold ones were made by Easton for Tru-Flite.

Wow! I had forgotten about those old aluminums until you guys brought them up. Especially the "fluted" shafts! Man, those old aluminums were junk. Some of them used to bend just shooting them into excelsior target butts!

Anyone here remember the aluminum shafts that had very slight etchings or cuts going around the shafts from near the tips, and then backwards toward the fletchings? Supposedly, the shaft would be weakened at the cut and when in a game animal, the arrow would break at the cuts and the bowhunter could gauge the amount of penetration he got. These shafts didn't last long! Can't recall the name but I think they came out in the early eighties.

I’m just sitting here wondering what could possibly be so obscure that neither George nor Jon Stewart would know exactly what it was…

Just remembering all of the thoroughly awful aluminum errors that have been on the market in my lifetime as an archer… It’s no wonder that people were so eager to switch to carbons when they came out. Yeah, I know “aluminum ARROWS”, but (for once) Siri knew what I REALLY meant….

ROFL thinking that arrows guaranteed to be destroyed on a single hunting shot were successfully marketed as a Value-Added product…. SMH

I miss the autumn orange

case kiska...those were Shear Advantage, it was a system of broadhead and shaft which had a hollow ferrule into the shaft and a hole near the nock. This was to run blood out the shaft and/or allow air into the animal's body to collapse the lungs. The cuts in the shaft so it could snap off easier at the body hide.

Quality aluminum arrows were available when carbons were introduced same as they are now. But the selection was better then.

Thanks Raghorn. Yep, as soon as you mentioned the name I knew it. Guess I'm just getting too old to remember all the crap I used to. Yep, Shear Advantage,...I wonder if someone might have a copy of an old ad for the shaft they could post? Some guys might find it interesting! Unusual concept.

Anyone use TV antenna tubes, the story is little long but in the end got several to fly with some jerry-rigging, did this in the mid-60s.

“ Quality aluminum arrows were available when carbons were introduced same as they are now. But the selection was better then.”

Absolutely. But the problem with quietly getting the job done RIGHT year after year after year is that it just doesn’t offer much in the way of sex appeal. Once the main stream went high tech, aluminum had to fight for market share by going with fancy camo graphics, but then the speed wars began…..

At which point I suppose carbons one out for durability, because those 12 and 13 thousandths of an inch walls sure didn’t have much going for them in that respect.

Personally, I think aluminum arrows are the Dads of Archery projectiles; they’re not very sexy, but they just plain get it done.

Penn Aluminum made shafts 30yrs ago,but they were not made with Xx75 material

I remember the Shear Advantage arrows that came about in the 70's. We had an archery shop then but didn't bother getting any as most of our customers at that time had no interest in them. Easton has been known for quality manufacturing for a very long time, and like buying a Bear or Black Widow....or Howatt recurve bow, one tends to stick with what has historically shown its merit. Besides, back when I started you could buy a dozen Easton shafts for about $8.00 (Swift), or XX75 for about $9.95. X7's were too expensive at nearly $12.00 a dozen for shafts. :)

There were a few companies that dabbled in some aluminum but most gave up on it. We also had some Furlong Stainless Steel back in the 70's, they kinda bombed as well. Carbon Express sells some aluminum through Walmart, but I don't know if they buy raw shafts from Easton or have them made elsewhere in Asia.

Killed a lot of deer with Easton Gamegetters!

I remember killing a buck with those Shear Advantage arrows. They did not work as advertised either. The hollow opening at the base of the broadhead plugged up with hair from the deer.

My first aluminum arrows were from shafts purchased from Herters (world perfect, as I recall they stated). Not sure if they manufactured them. They bent readily, and after many lawn mowings moved into Easton shafts that were way better.

The fluted shafts were supposed to help the blood come out of the critter if you didn’t get complete penetration. Believe that’s what the other grooved shafts were supposed to do as well. Unfortunately the fluted shafts were made with real thin walls like 2012. My wife broke probably 4 dozen hitting hard stuff like trees. But it was her favorite arrow so I got them for her

A bow shop I use to go to years ago in the early 90's had shafts that he said were imported from imported from Europe, don't quote me but I believe he said they came from France. He carried them for a couple of years but then quit, don't remember if they had a manufacture name on them. They were all gray in color, similar to the plain gray one's that Briar shows. DANNY

Did Easton make Bear Aluminum arrows?

Think I remember the Bear arrows from the 60s, think they were identified by numbers, maybe 312 and 309 something like that.

Easton likely did make Bears aluminum arrows.

Easton has been making aluminum arrows since 1946.

Bear were metric I believe?Dont think Easton made them.

The Bear Archery aluminum arrows made in the sixties were the "Metric Magnums." Not certain but I believe they were the XX-75 alloy and introduced about 1968. The nock end was tapered to accept the standard nocks of the day but the point end was cut as needed and then a polymer insert was inserted to accept the screw- in point. They were first sent out with the polymer (plastic) insert and did not feature an aluminum insert, that came later.

"polymer (plastic) insert" that insert was offered from Easton at one time as well.

They made carbon composite inserts also

In Bertalans book about Whitetail bowhunters many of them mentioned Aviatube(?) aluminum arrows. Don't know much about them or where they were made. Maybe someone does on here.

Looks like there is French company that specializes in aluminum tubing.

That woul go with Lunecuttets recollection possibly.

Avia Tubes were made in the late 80's, early 90's. Grey and black camo pattern on them. They were a brittle shaft, much like the xx75's. Had all the popular sizes, 2016, 2018, 2117, 2216.

Beman sold aluminum shafts as well in the 80's, just wasn't too popular.

"Once the main stream went high tech, aluminum had to fight for market share by going with fancy camo graphics, but then the speed wars began….."

Camo came out way before carbon became credible. Say 1980. But I may be thinking of the boutique camo, maybe Easton camo, like the XX78 super slams came out later, as you say.

I had grey shafts with just the spine marked on them, they were Jim Daugherty Naturals. One of my favorites.

I seem to recall seeing an announcement for stainless steel arrows in one of those annuals. But the announcement was all I ever heard tell of them.

I always liked the bear fiberglass and easton orange xx75 - used some little cups over the fiberglass tip end to protect from shattering - those where the days you walked into gibson here in texas and there where rows of recurves

Loved Gibsons stores. Guns, bows, arrows, everything for hunting and fishing. Miss those days.

“ They were a brittle shaft, much like the xx75's. “

I’ve not found XX75’s to be “brittle”- pretty tough in my books.

Seems to me that Browning marketed a "rifled" shaft with their Serpentine" broad head? The al. shaft had grooves in the shaft that spiraled around the shaft, but I could be having a senior moment?

I’m trying to figure out the XX75 brittle thing myself. XX75 T9 shafts are plenty tuff in my book as well.

I shoot aluminums, 2114 Autumn Orange in my 58# and 52# recurves and have a lifetime supply. I'm shooting "swaged" AOs in my 52# bow at the moment. Vern Butler swaged them for me years ago. I finally ran down some older 1916s for my new 45# recurve after sending several dozen to grandsons along with a bow that likes them. I thought they would be easy to replace but that isn't the case. :) I find no reason to switch to carbon.

Just had a reminder of how tough the Bear Metric Magnums are. These are the brown shafts not that funky camo. These are 8.6mm , these were made by Easton for Bear from X-7 material. I now have 10 shafts and two were tweaked. This size is equivalent to 2216 in diameter and wall thickness. Took me awhile but got them straight. Wish I had bought a hundred back when.

in the 70's Les Hunt made the "Big Daddy" aluminums here in Utah before Easton moved to Utah...they were not anodized but very strong shafts...a lot of local guys like Harold Boyack and Jim Pickering shot them...when Easton can out with the green gamegetter shafts...Les's arrows faded out of existance...4finger

We were drilling 4 very small holes thru one side of the shaft from behind the insert to about 6" on the front end of our shafts and 2 back by the fletching...the idea was we knew we would get at least 8" of penetration inside the chest cavity on Elk and the venalating holes would help deflate the lungs and if the shaft broke it would be a drain for blood...this was before the ShearAdvantage came out and to tell you the truth...on Big Animals it Worked...Deer sized animals we usually shot thru so I can't say they helped... This Mohawk 1 tipped 2317 did the trick on a 5pt Bull...4finger

If you look at the the of the shaft you will be able to see that it broke on one of the hole as the Bull went thru the timber...4finger

Beman in France made the metric stuff, I had early Beman ultra thin carbons with the outserts, labeled made in France. They were sold afterwards.

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