Need Dennis and other X-bow hunters

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Dennis, I'll bet you know the answer to this!

Questions about fletching & accuracy.

I heard from a very knowledgeable bowman that on a crossbow, helical fletching will really tighten up groups.

1. Is it true generally that more spin is needed for x-bow bolts than arrows? This does stand to reason.

2. If I cannot do a helical fletch, should I do a 4 degree offset (rather than a 2 degree offset as I would do with arrows)?

Or, should I leave the PSE Tac-10 arrows as is? There are 4 long vanes but no offset and no helical to them.

I have a blitzenbarger, which is supposed to do the flattened "Star Wars X-Wing Fighter" pattern that the Tac-10 and Tac-15 bolts use (if I'm not mistaken). Thinking of using Quik-Spin STs with a 4 degree offset. The accuracy I'm currently getting is definitely nothing spectacular.

 

[dennishoddy]

Here is what happened to me that caused me to miss a Pope and Young buck.

When first shooting the Xbow, like good compound shooters, I quickly realized one needs to shoot at different bulls with each shot to prevent shearing off the fletchings. I sheared off fletching from several bolts and put new ones on.
The bolts I got came from Excaliber and had a helical fletching, so that is what I still use.


I was in the stand at Big Mac, and a P&Y stopped 30 yds from me on some acorn rage I'd put out.
It was a measured range, as they don't allow range finders.
Pulled the trigger and the buck jumped and ran off, with the bolt going way over the dop of the deer.
I replayd that scenerio a million times in my mind, and could not figure how that happened.
Months later, I got the Xbow out and for what ever reason and looked at the foot strap where one put the foot into for cocking.
I saw a tiny cut in the foot strap powder coating.

It all made sense why I missed.
The Bolts that one re-fletches have to be timed so the broadhead will not hit the foot strap.

I took a dremmel tool and cut a groove into the foot strap that will allow any fletching angle to work fine.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Man, rough story; doh!

This Tac-10 has no foot ring (a crank instead), so no worries there, except for general inaccuracy resulting from a change, so point taken.

What kind of fletch would you try if you were me, with 4" quick-spins: 2 deg offset, 3 deg offset, or helical? This is for shooting through a whisker biscuit.

 

[dennishoddy]

I've never shot through a whisker Biscuit, as when I hunted with a vertical bow, I shot bare bow. Me, the bow, and fingers, with a simple rest.
I do believe in the helical fletching, especially if one is going to use some of the broadheads like the Bear. The arrow needs to spin to prevent planing.
I continue to use the helical on the XBow.