Pure Carbon's verses A/C's

This isn't a fantasy novel review about warring pureblood vampire clans or even a scary debate about eugenics .. unless it involves recurve. Recurve master race, best master race. Here we are considering the composition of your arrows. Outside of traditional wooden shafted arrows, there are three main sorts of arrows shot in modern archery. The first is aluminiums. The ideal beginner’s arrow, they are tough, not massively expensive and easily replaceable if you wrap one round a wooden frame. Some experienced archers and compounders shoot big fat cheating ali's indoors to try to game a few points with line cutters. However, we aren't going to look at all metal Ali's today as they aren't the problem we want to address .. as will become obvious. It’s the other two where our focus will lie.

Collars for front and back

These two arrow types are Aluminium/Carbons (A/C) and Pure or All-Carbons. In performance they are pretty comparable but our topic today is about how the shafts of each type is constructed and the major issue it raises. The difference between the two arrow shafts is pretty straightforward. Pure-carbon shafts are made without a metal component and A/C do have a metal component. The construction method for all-carbons is, very briefly, sheets of carbon fibre impregnated with epoxy resin are wrapped round a metal core called a mandrel. They are cured at high temperature then the metal core is removed. They are cut into approximate 32" lengths, ground and polished, then sorted into batches based on their stiffness or spine. A/C's follow the same procedure but there is a hollow aluminium core around which the carbon fibre/ resin is wrapped but this core isn't removed. A change in the process causes the carbon to bond to the ali core during the curing process. So hey presto … two different carbon shafts. One with a metal core and one without. And therein lies the issue.

In the UK, most clubs shoot on multipurpose playing fields unless they are lucky enough to own their own ground or have an insanely understanding local council/landlord who gives them sole use. AGB rules are pretty clear that we can't leave the field without finding all arrows. If it can't be found, a report requires to be written for AGB which is probably passed onto their insurance company as we now have a spike, likely lying at a shallow angle, in the grass of a playing field!** You also have to alert the landowner which could well result in the club having its let terminated and asked to leave. That's why ALL arrows need to be found. Consequently, many clubs have banned the use of all-carbon shafts. Why? Because, unlike metal cored A/C shafts and all metal ali shafts, all-carbons are almost impossible to find with a metal detector when they vanish into the grass. The points alone are not really enough metal for the metal detectors to get a solid lock onto amongst the inevitable false positives. Complicating things, all-carbon shafts cannot be banned at World Archery world record status (WRS) shoots because WA have deemed them to be legal equipment leaving clubs in a serious quandary if they want to run such competitions. This ruling does not impose itself on normal club nights/lesser competitions where the clubs have sway. As a result, most archery clubs, GA included, would rather all-carbons weren't used (serious understatement there) thus the "gonnie no" ruling outside of the big competitions.

There is a sort of solution, but it isn't a panacea or even that ideal. The addition of metal collars at the point and nock ends. Originally designed to protect shafts from rear strikes and impact into hard surfaces (worth noting that John! Ed), they have the added benefit of increasing the amount of metal in the arrow. This does give a better signal for the metal detector to get a grip on. And here comes that big old archery but … BUT … the signal is more intermittent than you get with an aluminium or A/C shaft. If you are sloppy or too fast with the metal detector, you will find nothing so best to let someone with arrow ferret skills run the detector if it’s an all-carbon with collars that's in the grass. Obviously, we try to steer newer archers down the A/C route for something like Easton's Parallel Pro or preferably, the very resilient Merlin/Mybo's Alimax shafts but this is the work around if an archer wants to join but owns all-carbons. We can't let all-carbons be shot on the field, but we don't like turning people away. However, no collars, no shootie outdoors and even then only shooting distances you are guaranteed to hit the boss. The risks are just too great in the event of more than extremely rare misses.

We wanted to raise this now in case people were considering new kit for Xmas and all-carbons might seem an enticing proposition given their comparatively lower cost. However, actually finding arrows in the grass .. that's something we don't need to address until 'summer'. Till then we're safe indoors where even GA's usual suspects can’t lose an arrow .. you'd like to think!

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** You might argue that the nock end isn't as dangerous as the pointy end which is safely buried in the ground. Speak to Geo who will regale you with tales of stabbing himself in the thigh with the nock end of an arrow. He missed his femoral artery by less than 3/4". Showing equal measure of stoicism and stupidity, he shot all of that gorgeous Sunday standing in a puddle of his own blood. By club rules, unanimously voted in some years ago, he is not allowed to show you the scar.