# 2" Shield cut feathers...anybody use them.



## Long Rifle (Dec 8, 2011)

I know that most traditional archers use a longer feather but has anyone used those like the 2" Rayzer. I can shoot actually Blazers off the shelf of my longbow just as accurately as 4" feathers and I'm considering using the 2" shield cut Rayzers for 3D shooting. Whadya think?


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## wv hoyt man (Feb 17, 2012)

I just prefer 5" with a hard helical. They shoot great and look good.


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## marc weier (May 26, 2009)

I have been using them for the past 2 years with no issues. I bowhunt with them too with a 200 grain VPA terminator up front on an axis.


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## Jeb-D. (Sep 21, 2011)

I've been thinking of trying some. They are much cheaper than 4 or 5" and I'd imagine they are fine as along as your arrows are tuned.


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## Merriam (Jul 30, 2009)

I am in with the exact same question. I shoot four-fletched rayzers out of my compound, but am starting to shoot my recurve more and more. I love how they fly out of the compound with 125 grain VPAs. I did see a homemade YouTube video of someone comparing them to 5" feathers. It wasn't real scientific, but he claimed they flew as well.


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## JINKSTER (Mar 19, 2011)

i have some gt5575's fletched up with 2" rayzors and tried them..they fly alright but if the release isn't absolutely pristine?..flight wobble can be visually detected...that said?..

i think they'd work just fine on low mass weight shafting such as VAP's, Cheetahs, Carbon1's and the likes but wouldn't recomend such for heavier shafting...theoretically a well tuned bow/arrow shouldn't need fletching so the primary reason (for me) for it even being there is to compensate for the slight human error of releasing a string cleanly off ones fingertips and correct arrow flight despite even a poor release..if the shafting is of a lightweight variety such as micro diameter/thin walled CF shafting?..not much feather is needed..but get into something heavy like my 11/32nds doug fir woodies?..and i'm happy that i have 3 x's 5"ers on them...so to me?..the more the shafting weighs?...='s the more fletching surface needed for rapid flight correction.

Note That: recently?..Steve Morely posted about how thrilled he was with the flight of some alumalogs he fletched up...

using a (4) fletch configuration.

i know this...i'd rather my arrow be over-fletched than under-fletched..especially shooting fingers/stickbows...but the choice is yours.

All i got and L8R, Bill. :cool2:


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## Easykeeper (Jan 2, 2003)

They should be fine, at least with field points. If you arrows are tuned (good bare shaft flight) it doesn't take much fletching to get good flight. 

They might be fine with broadheads too, but personally I would stay on the safe side and stick with 4" or 5" feathers for hunting.


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## J-san (Oct 12, 2004)

I used 2" Gateway shield feathers and had good results with them. Shot them out of my compound and they stood up well to 280fps and out to 60yds. They also flew well out of my recurve with field points.


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## TheLongbowShoot (Mar 23, 2012)

I personally would never use that short of feathers since with broadheads there will not be enough stability after about 20 yards. I only use 5" Shield cut.


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## Long Rifle (Dec 8, 2011)

The reason I'm toying with the idea is that I recently picked up a 2012 PSE EVO 7. I didn't keep it long, I found that I just much prefer my longbow but I had some Blazer-fletched shafts left behind that were tipped with 125 grain Muzzy broadheads. For fun I tried them off the shelf of my longbow. Absolutely no detectable problems with flight out to 30 yards. I prefer a feather fletching, always have, even with compounds, so I ordered some 2" Gateway Rayzr Shield cuts today and I'm planning on trying a 75x105 four-fletched shaft.


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## Matt_Potter (Apr 13, 2010)

Shot them for 3d and liked them 4 fletch they would work fine with broad heads


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## gun (Apr 26, 2005)

2" Blazers, due to their stiffness, can really balance arrow flight. I'm not sure that 2" feathers are equal to the Blazers. It sounds like you have a perfect tune on your longbow, great job.


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## Bowmania (Jan 3, 2003)

I'm betting TheLongbowShoot never shot them. After experimenting with them (2 inch feathers from Trueflight) I took off all my 5 inch feathers. AND probably the most important point is I shoot the big 160 Snuffer. All you 5 inch shooters go take a look at 2008 Ashby Update Number 4. I'm betting you'll switch.

Part of my experiment was shooting a 5 inch feathered arrow and 2 inch feathered arrow through a chronograph. After about 5 shots each, I averaged the difference from 0 to 1 foot per second difference. Two inch leading, if you call that leading. Not enough to change. I was kind of stumped, because I expected more of a difference. I started to think (usually a bad thing) about what happens to the arrow after release. SOOOOO, I went out to 20 yds and shot the two arrows. THE TWO INCH ARROW WAS USUALLY ABOUT 3 INCHES HIGHER IN THE TARGET. That was enough to change.

It was enough to change if it shot good through paper and it did at 12 feet and 12 yards. My usual tuning or verification distances.

Bowmania


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## Bowmania (Jan 3, 2003)

Those 2 inchers were FEATHERS I was shooting. Pretty sure the Rayzr are vanes. I've played extensively with vanes and can't get broadheads to fly. I did get very good field point with something called a bi-vane from three rivers, but when I put on BH's they stunk. I pretty much shoot broadheads exclusively.

Bowmania


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## Alpha Burnt (Sep 12, 2005)

No, the Rayzrs are feathers. Blazers are vanes. Truflight makes a 2" shield cut that is higher profile than the Rayzrs and I like them better.


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## TheLongbowShoot (Mar 23, 2012)

Bowmania said:


> I'm betting TheLongbowShoot never shot them.
> Bowmania


Ah, I like how you know better than me.


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## thed (Jan 31, 2012)

So then could you shoot arrows with vanes off the shelf if you so desired... at least with field tips?
Long Rifle seemed to have no problem.
I keep reading that when you shoot an arrow, the fletching doesn't even touch the shelf.
Then there are people that leave the little space for the feather to pass through between the shelf and the sideplate and say you must shoot feathers.
Who is right?


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## Long Rifle (Dec 8, 2011)

I watched an interview with Fred Eichler who said that on a well-tuned rig the fletching will never contact the bow. He also related, I suppose because of that belief, that he shoots cock feather in as well. His assumption is that there is more potential for fletching contact with two feathers on the bow side.

I ordered yesterday. When I get some fletched up and a little range time with them I'll share my results....


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## Bowmania (Jan 3, 2003)

In my experiments I tried the Trueflight higher profile feather. I think it was 2.25 inches long and 16 mm high compared to a normal 13mm. Don't take that to the bank, I don't know what a mm is. Anyway, they make noise.

Bowmania


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## TheLongbowShoot (Mar 23, 2012)

Bowmania said:


> In my experiments I tried the Trueflight higher profile feather. I think it was 2.25 inches long and 16 mm high compared to a normal 13mm. Don't take that to the bank, I don't know what a mm is. Anyway, they make noise.
> 
> Bowmania


Maybe it was just my low poundage longbow but that short will never work for it.


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## Bowmania (Jan 3, 2003)

TheLongShoot, The lower the poundage the easier it would work. That's why all of us who tried them know that you haven't. PM me and I'll be happy to send you some.

Bowmania


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## Long Rifle (Dec 8, 2011)

Finally got the 2" Rayzr shield cuts in today's mail. If the proposed Saturday closing of the USPS makes things any slower we could go back to Pony Express and get things quicker....but that's another story.

Promptly fletched a few 31" Heritage 250s, they'd already proven to bare shaft very well from my Omega. I'd already decided on trying a four fletch @ 75X105 and had the shafts prepped and in the jig, waiting. Just a few minutes with the Bitz and some Bohning fletching tape and I had a couple done and was headed out back to the range. Gotta say, I was really impressed. Arrow flight was excellant... no kick, no wobble, they seemed to impart more spin than the 4" parabolics they replaced. They actually looked like darts heading toward the bale press, the florescent yellow was extremely easy to see in flight, and the four-fletch shield cuts made cock feather orientation a thing of the past. And they just look wicked cool.......


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## knotdodger (Oct 2, 2005)

I am using 2in shield cut feathers now for indoors. They do just fine if the arrow is the right spine.


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## Bowmania (Jan 3, 2003)

There's a thread going on the LW right now about using 2 feathers instead of three. As soon as it gets warm here, I'll be trying 2 two inch feathers. They're talking about 2 four and five inch.

Bowmania


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## Long Rifle (Dec 8, 2011)

Read that this morning.....


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## marc weier (May 26, 2009)

TheLongbowShoot said:


> I personally would never use that short of feathers since with broadheads there will not be enough stability after about 20 yards. I only use 5" Shield cut.


Explain how an arrow is going to lose stability after 20 yards. If anything the smaller fletch takes longer to pull an un-tuned arrow out of paradox, once its flying straight it will continue to do so until something else acts on it, like hitting a tree branch.


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## Long Rifle (Dec 8, 2011)

The LongbowShoot... everything I've read and seen suggests that a properly tuned bare shaft can be accurate(with field points) out to twenty yards and very well tuned even further. A five inch fletching can hide a multitude of sins unless it's well tuned. You're using 15" of guidance, nothing I can see wrong with that...for you. I'm also experimenting with a (considerably)lighter shaft than the Heritage that has also bareshafted well and the shorter and slightly lower profile of the four Rayzrs to reduce uneccesary drag. So far it's proving to be a very accurate combination and a considerably flatter trajectory for 3D. That doesn't make either one of us a bad guy.....


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## leftyhunter (Mar 6, 2005)

I switched from blazers to 2" shield cut barred feathers from Trueflight out of my compound. THey fly better, to me that the Blazers. They shoot, like an above post said about 3 inches or better higher on target at 20 yards. At 40 yards they are higher too and seem to pentrate my block target further than blazers---

Never shot longer feathers but am/have switched to the TrueFlight 2" feathers and love them.


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