Fletching philosophy...left vs. right ???

[Raineman]

Hey all. I have been browsing through the site all day and can't find a thread on this (even though I know there has got to be one).

Basically, I hear a right handed shooter should shoot LEFT HELICAL and a left handed shooter should shoot RIGHT HELICAL.

While I have heard this, and the opposite, I have yet to find anybody that can explain why in detail. Can anyone explain this to me? What is the reasoning? What effects does it have?

My thanks in advance.

[Longbowmark]

Raineman,

The idea is that with a right handed shooter the arrow will paradox to the in such a way that left wing fleathers will stalilize the arrow quicker. and just the opposite for the left hand shooter.  However, if you are shooting a bow with the nock point in the right place and the correct spine arrows.  Both shoot well

[BodarkOkie]

I believe it makes a difference if you are shooting self bow with no shelf....shooting off of your finger.  If you are shooting this style, then follow the advice.  Left wing for right-handers and right wing for left handers.

I simply helps (not 100% effective) keep a forward edge of a quill (that might be a little loose) from embedding itself in your forefinger.  Trust me, if it happens, it will bring a little bitty tear to your eye.

Just my 2 cents worth of old info.    

Gene

[Cutty47]

I'm right handed and prefer left helical...but I think it's going to get pretty hard to find left helical...most archery shops have stopped carrying it already...good news is you can pick up left pretty cheap on **** right now as a result...

I'd say the "official consensus" is unless you're shooting off your finger, it doesn't matter...unless you try to mix left and right...which is a no, no...

[Brian Krebs]

they say history is a set of facts agreed upon by experts...
But lets give it a try anyway.
For a long time turkey ranchers would cut off the left wing primary feathers ; because if a turkey tried to fly it would then flop to the ground.
Then back in the late 1900's the turkey ranchers started cutting off the feathers from the right wing.
 This meant the market was then flooded with left wing fletch; because when the bird was processed the left wing was the one that had matured/ and was still there.
 The result was a lot of arrows being fletched left helical; as that was all that was availible.
 Problem was not flight of the arrow; but the direction of spin of the arrow in flight.
  The problem was not accuracy.
The problem was that insert broadheads were becoming popular; and when the arrows flew spinning in the opposite direction they had flown; the insert blades would loosen either in flight; or when they hit animals; and the blades would come out.
 Then along came little washers to make sure the heads stayed on tight; and better broadheads.
  Now some ranchers cut off right wing feathers of the young turkeys and some the left; so a market exists dependant on their whims.
  People talk about shooting bare shafts accurately; and the addition of fletch just makes the arrow spin and that provides for more accurate flight; just like the twist of rifling in a rifle barrel improved bullet flight over smooth bored rifle shot bullets.
 If you wrap the front of the fletch with sinew; it shouldn't dig into your finger when you shoot.
 I have no idea if any of this is true; I have lost over 40 years of bowhunting; any semblence of what is right over what is politically right; or what the market says over what the consumers know.
 But - what I said is 'history' as I have heard it.................  :rolleyes:

[DarkeGreen]

Years ago we rasied birds. When you had fliers you clipped both wings but it had nothing to do with feathers. All the feathers remained in tact. The part of the wind that was clipped was a tendon. My best guess is the theory about shelf clearance and embedded quills would make the most sense...but who knows.

[OKCtradguy]

When we raised birds, we would clip the feathers of one wing.  I believe the reason there used to be an abundance of left wing feathers is that most folks are right handed and when you have the bird between your legs with your left hand grasping the leading edge of the wing (where the wing bones are), and you cut with your right hand, you are cutting the right wing feathers.  This leaves the left wing intact.  I would say that Brian's history lesson hits fairly close to home from my experience.

I have shot arrows with left wing fletching and arrows with right wing fletching and they all shoot fine as long as your bow is properly tuned.

[keepemsharp]

I shoot a Flatland long bow. I wanted to shoot 4-fletch to eliminate nocking decisions. Ended up with 4 4-in.banana cut at 90 degrees. I shoot right handed and use turkey feathers. The right ones worked well and the left ones were erratic. Don't know what this proves but it works for me.

[shootrmn]

Yesterday at the local range I was shooting a couple different arrows. I had carbon with right helical modified T-hawk feathers 3 fletch, carbon with full T-hawk 4 fletch rt, carbon with 3 rt 5 1/2 inch bananas and cedar with 3 left helical 5 inch sheild. Out of my bow r/d long bow with a center cut riser, they all shot to within 2 or three inches of each other at 10 yards and the group expanded to about 10 to 12 inches or bit more at times at thirty yards. I was trying to see if there was enough difference in arrow flight to make going back to heavier wood for hnting a problem. What I found was that my bow and arrow combination was less a factor than my form. When I got it all right any of the arrows (carbons weighed 450 grns, cedar 540grns)would stay in the vitals at the ranges I would shoot at when hunting. I would hesitate at any shot beyond 25 yards and can't imagine shooting beyond 35  at game. I should also say that I have only been shooting trad for 2 years and that I have had the long bow less than a year so my experience is limited and I haven't done this enough to know what I can't do. Just my humble opinion.

[Jeff Strubberg]

If I shoot right wing, I end up witht he top of by shooting hand buggered up.  Performance-wise, there isn't a lick of difference between the two.

[Aeronut]

I shoot both and haven't seen any difference in performance and I've probably got both left and right in my quiver now.

Dennis

[gwhunter]

Im right handed and shoot right wing feathers.  They work fine.  I just put a bead of fletching cement at the leading edge of the feather.  That keeps my index finger skin intact.  Before I did this, I had many a gash inmy finger.