Shooting at a free practice 3D range yesterday morning and had a bounce out on the first target, a hog at about 23 yrds. When I picked up the shaft I told my wife, and our buddy, the insert was gone and figured it pulled out. Then I checked the target and saw my arrow had snapped off about three inches behind the point. The reason I thought the insert pulled out, until I saw the target, was because the break was so clean, not shattered. Before we shot I had wiped the shafts with a rag and never noticed anything. You can see the field point barely penetrated. Maybe it hit something embedded in the target, or it lost momentum from the shaft breaking. Only time this has happened before is missing the hole in a steel bonus target, but the shaft shatters. Weird experience!

Is it footed?

Is it footed?

It hit at an angle, then snapped.

What brand shaft and how old are they?

Not all carbon shafts are equal, durability-wise. Some I can count on losing before breaking, others I tried were not tough at all. I still have a few from the dozens I bought some years back, I save them for 3D on 'rocky' courses. Losing one doesn't hurt ;-)

How many have you shot already that haven't broken? Something to actually think about when considering the value of a product overall; one bad apple doesn't mean the whole bushel is worthless, and likely that it was just an anomaly in that particular shaft. That said, I'll stick to my aluminum, or what some of the characters here refer to as beer cans. :)

They are GT 600 Entradas. 29 1/4 with 175gr field point. Not that old,not footed, and didn't hit the target at an angle. Some of these haven't been shot. I grabbed a couple from my arrow box before heading out. I've been shooting Entradas for years and other than hitting, as mentioned, a steel target, have never had one crack or break. I've used them plenty at survival shoots with zero problems. I'm thinking, because of the clean break, maybe an anomaly as George mentioned.

George, I always use beer cans when deer hunting!

I can’t remember the maker, but have heard that some 3D targets have a steel frame inside the foam. Maybe this is the cause.

MP

Mp, There's no steel in the 11 ring. (:>)

Some carbon shafts take little more than a scratch to cause them to break.

Aside from buying good quality, you're only salvation is to flex them, and do it often.

Rick

How do you install your inserts? Reason I ask is even low temperature hot melt requires heat. Maybe shaft got overheated? I screwed up once, yes one time, I put my heat gun on max when removing old wraps. I ended up with bent shafts that snapped when i flexed one. Otherwise it could have been a fluke like already mentioned.

Flex them regularly!

I had a camo Gold Tip blem break in 2 places on release. One break was so clean it looked like it had been cut with a saw. The second break wasn’t clean.

I had purchased the shafts new and had only shot them indoors in my basement. My conclusion was a flaw in the shaft. But I don’t know for certain.

Long story short, the broken shaft gouged the thumb on my bow hand to the bone. An artery in my thumb was cut and squirted blood like it was shot out of a hypodermic needle.

The up side of that was when I released the direct pressure in triage, blood shot several feet and I was move to the front of the line. I’m thankful that it didn’t sever a tendon.

So I shot aluminum arrows for quite a while but shoot mostly carbon now. Flex often

Flex them regularly!

I had a camo Gold Tip blem break in 2 places on release. One break was so clean it looked like it had been cut with a saw. The second break wasn’t clean.

I had purchased the shafts new and had only shot them indoors in my basement. My conclusion was a flaw in the shaft. But I don’t know for certain.

Long story short, the broken shaft gouged the thumb on my bow hand to the bone. An artery in my thumb was cut and squirted blood like it was shot out of a hypodermic needle.

The up side of that was when I released the direct pressure in triage, blood shot several feet and I was move to the front of the line. I’m thankful that it didn’t sever a tendon.

So I shot aluminum arrows for quite a while but shoot mostly carbon now. Flex often

I think your just showing off hitting the 11 ring !!!! I mean that's a heck of a shot !! See you at Cloverdale.

I use low heat hot melt and never heat the shaft, only the insert.

I noticed while flexing a shaft today that where that broke would be under my hand behind my thumb and finger gripping the shaft. Apparently getting right behind the insert would work better.

Clyde having had a couple of carbons break on me, I always get as close to the knock a possible. My breakages have occurred right up by the fletchings. Seems carbons don’t appreciate being bounced off Arizona rocks.

RonL

Good point. Rick Barbee has a great idea he posted on my other thread.

You’re not the only one to have one break like that recently. One of the ladies had that happen this morning a t our indoor range. Course she hit the edge of the old card table the cube target is on. It’s metal. But she shoots a 20# bow.

My theory is straight up compression damage if the arrow has previously impacted something a bit too hard.

Wood arrows will actually "chrysal" just like a wooden bow can and you can snap them easily right at that point.

Carbon does not like compression.

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