Can't teach an old dog new tricks??  I have always fletched my arrows with 3 feathers & that goes back some...1980 to be exact.  I use 5" shield cuts cause I like the looks.  More importantly I felt that they stabilized my arrow fine.  However it has always been a trade off for me as to noise/arrow hiss toward my targeted animal.

I hunted one day with JC at the TXS a few weeks ago and watched him take a nice goat.  While he was field dressing it, I looked at his arrow set up...large Simmons Interceptor with 4 very small feather to stabilize it!  If I'd seen that arrow and not the flight, I would have almost laughed.  He said he got the best flight with that set up and hardly any Noise.

OK I was still a little skeptical but I tried a few yesterday.  I shoot Beman ICS Hunter 500 & Axis 500 cut 28 1/2" with 200 grain up front.  I really like the Axis arrow but it's flight is a little stiff from my 47# bow.  Big problem...this is going to cost me     They flew better than any arrows I've shot.  Now I have to buy a new chopper & some more shafts!

Disclaimer:  This is JMHO for me...Doc
 

At 18 yards, Granted I'm not the shooter in JC's caliber or for that matter a lot of other tradgangers but I'm sold.  Plus my Axis arrows  were just as good as my Bemans now.
 

PS: Forgot to say...4" Hunter cut from Vario Clipper.  Orange feathers a little ragged as I hand cut a few before my new blade comes.

I agree with your findings.  I have had similar results.

Thats my favorite setup too Jeff.4-4 1/2" nanners. They fly good and quiet and stabilize wonderful. Nice shootin by the way.

Hey Tippit, I switched just like you for the same reasons a few years back. Another benefit to going to the 4" nanners is that you can get more from your stock of full lenght feathers without doing so much splicing.

Happy Easter brother!

What angle do you four fletchers set your fletch at?  Thanks,

Stan

Jeff, I just tried the same thing and am finding the same results.  I have always fletched with three, but on the hunting arrows I carried in Texas I had four 4".  (Had them hid under a fletch cover so you wouldn't have seen them)  I really like the way the four fletch fly!  The only problem is now I need to buy all new full length feathers.

Stan I use either 75x105 or 60x120.

Nice Robinhood Doc. I'll call em in you kill em!!      

Four fletch or no fletch..Those Axis shoot well..  

I set my bitzenberger at 90 with LW helix.  My Axis did Not fly well before using the 4 fletch.  Just to see if I was just fooling myself, I pulled out of couple of bows that I've always liked but could never get them to shoot consistently.  To my amazement the arrows flew great.  Just my observations.

I have a ton of LW 5" shields that will going under the knife...surgical lipo resection to become 4" slim nanars     Doc

Nice center punch Doc! Keep shooting like that and its gonna cost some money.    I tryed some LW 4 fletch on the Texas hunt. Shield cut, only complaint from me was they are noisey. Lucky did'nt matter way the wind was a howling day and night. And the goat did'nt hear it a howling INCOMING.    Thanks Jeff now this is gunna cost me money!

                      Brent

Oh by the way you could not have picked a better one to center punch!    

               Brent

I've found that even with the the same size feathers (5" shields) that 4 x 90 fletch to be much quieter than a 3 x 60 setup.  I am looking to start using at most 4 1/2 inch fletching for the same reason that Deadsmple mentioned about getting 2 off a full length.  Feathers cost an arm & leg these days!

Hey Doc,

I changed to 4 fletch a few months ago with the same results myself.  Like others, I started doing it because I could get two 4" from full length feathers.

Nice robin hood.

Scott G.

Yep, Charlie...see what you've done! Charlie talked me into trying some smaller feathers in 4x configuration about a year ago. I've done very few single changes to my equipment that did as much good for me as this one. I know it sounds crazy, but I am convinced that this setup (4 smaller feathers) is superior to my old 3x5" shields. Not only do they seem to stabilize quicker, they also have better trajectory.

If you haven't experimented with a 4x configuration (and I haven't been able to tell the difference between the 4x90 or 75/105), you owe it to yourself to just give it a run.

Glad it worked out for you Jeff, the more you shoot it I think the more you'll like it.