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Crow Terminator

Crow Terminator

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I have played with Blazer vanes for a little while now, trying to figure out how to get best flight with them. Now there are some ways you can fletch them and get horrible flight. Your groups will open up quite a bit. Especially with a fixed broadhead. And you'll even notice the arrow looping around.

The best way I had ran into fletching them, was with a straight clamp jig, doing as heavy of a right offset that the arrow will allow. You'll get good flight like that, but I'm one of those folks who is always searching around trying to make a good thing better. And I've found it for fletching the Blazers.

Now don't get me wrong, I have two Bitz jigs with right helical clamps. I've fletched the Blazers on them and found out it was not a good combo. So what I'm about to say is going to sound odd.

I bought a Bohning Helix jig ($39 with free shipping on eBay). Yep the one just for 2" Blazers. I thought I'd give it a whirl and see if their claims for optimal flight were true. I fletched 3 arrows in their jig with 2" Blazers and I was pretty impressed with the consistent and tight groupings (yes with fixed broadheads too) at even extended yardages. With a straight clamp and my heavy right off set, I was getting "good" flight out to 25 yds (I define "good" with 3 arrows inside a 3" circle across) or so but after that, the group opened quite a bit. With the same bow setup, and same arrows...just fletched with the Helix, the arrows are touching at 25-30. And my 40 yd groups are not far off from what the other fletching method was at 25-30.

If you are going to be shooting Blazers, I'd really look into this jig guys. It's not much for being durable and a monkey could be trained to fletch with them. It advertises a 3 degree offset with right helical...and that 3 degrees is about what I fletch mine with, with the straight clamp. But the helical angle is different than what you'd find on a Bitz right helical jig.
 
I have no problem fletching Blazers with my Bitz. Especially when it comes to arrow flight. Which I very rarely shoot groups this is what I can do with mine at 45 yards.



Target.jpg
 
What Crow is referring to is the limited amount of the helical that can be put on such a short vane with a standard size bitzenburger clamp . These clamps were designed for longer fletchings , therefore they do not have enough helical in a short length for blazer vanes .
I might have to look into the Helix jig .
 
Yes, I do agree with that Radar, I was just saying that I do not have any trouble fletching the blazers with a Bitz. I just offset it as much as possible will still getting good contact with fletching and shaft. It can be a pain in the rear and the helix might make it easier. If my comment come off as being a Smart but I am sorry Crow I did not mean it that way.
 
JThuntsalot said:
Yes, I do agree with that Radar, I was just saying that I do not have any trouble fletching the blazers with a Bitz. I just offset it as much as possible will still getting good contact with fletching and shaft. It can be a pain in the rear and the helix might make it easier. If my comment come off as being a Smart but I am sorry Crow I did not mean it that way.
Click to expand...


The true test of arrow flight is testing with a fixed blade broadhead like Crow did .
Offset and helical are different . Helical is an added twist to the fletching around the shaft . Offset is just a straight vane that is angled on the shaft . It is hard to get a helical twist with a Bitzenburger jig clamp (not offset) .
 
Radar said:
JThuntsalot said:
Yes, I do agree with that Radar, I was just saying that I do not have any trouble fletching the blazers with a Bitz. I just offset it as much as possible will still getting good contact with fletching and shaft. It can be a pain in the rear and the helix might make it easier. If my comment come off as being a Smart but I am sorry Crow I did not mean it that way.
Click to expand...


The true test of arrow flight is testing with a fixed blade broadhead like Crow did .
Offset and helical are different . Helical is an added twist to the fletching around the shaft . Offset is just a straight vane that is angled on the shaft . It is hard to get a helical twist with a Bitzenburger jig clamp (not offset) .
Click to expand...

I also agree with that Radar. I shoot Slick Tricks and also can do the same at 45 with them on a Block target. I have helical clamps for my bitz. But have never tried them with the blazers cause I was getting great flight with just offsetting them
 
All I have for my Bitz is a very helical set-up.

As an experiment, just ordered the 2" blazer vanes that you heat-shrink on with hot water when I saw this thread. Any of you tried those? Thoughts on them?
 
Wes Parrish said:
All I have for my Bitz is a very helical set-up.

As an experiment, just ordered the 2" blazer vanes that you heat-shrink on with hot water when I saw this thread. Any of you tried those? Thoughts on them?
Click to expand...

I just can't see going away from the shrink wrap Blazeres. In fact, I just re-did one this morning; the first one that needed replacing in two years. I'm getting 2 inch groups at 25 yards with Slick Tricks and Strikers with them. I just don't think it's worth it (for me) just to get a slightly smaller group at distances I never shoot anyway.

Your mileage may vary.
 
JT -- The way you described fletching your Blazers is the way I have been fletching them up til now. With your straight clamp on your Bitz (which is also what I have) you are looking at getting a 3 degree OFFSET on a standard size carbon hunting arrow. That's about all they will allow. Now like you, I've gotten good flight out of them that would make most any bowhunter happy fletching them like that. But like I said, I'm one of those guys that is always playing around trying to get a little bit more out of everything.

The Helix gives you that 3 degree offset, but it puts a pretty sharp right helical on the vane. And the improvement is pretty drastic. It looks like the biggest piece of junk you'll buy for arrows. I mean there's nothing fancy about it at all. It's very simple but once you start fletching and shooting the arrows, you'll be very satisfied. If I were one of you guys that are going to shoot the Blazers for a while, and fletch my own arrows or have been looking for a jig to do it yourself...I would take a stout look at the Helix. Like I say, I got mine for $39 off eBay with free shipping. Anywhere else they will run you $40 to $45 without shipping. I'm in no way affiliated with Bohning or the people on eBay. I'm just a bow hunter trying to tell of a good thing and trying to save ya'll some money.
 
Thank you for the review of the Helix jig , Crow . I have always been a big fan of the Bitzenburger , but I may look into the Bohning Helix if I decide to go back to Blazers .
 
Radar -- I am going to play around a little with some scrap arrows I have. I read that you can fletch any of the 2" vanes with the Helix, and that you aren't limited to just Blazers.

I may fletch up some of the Max Hunters on a couple arrows and see how they fly. With a straight offset, they actually fly better than the Blazers with just the offset but I don't know how they would do with a helical offset combo. One way to find out :)
 
Good post Crow.
I am like a couple other guys on here. I use a Bitz, and have good success with the offset but I actually find shooting a fixed 3 blade Muzzy straight works best for my set up.

My question is:
Does fletching with the Helix make "enough" difference that a hunter, all jacked up, getting ready to make the shot.... could he tell the difference then?
I am not trying to sound sarcastic or smart ellic... but did it make enough difference on your setup that you would be more confident in making the "kill shot" out past 45 yds?

Thanks
 
backstraps -- Going by your signature -- if accuracy is what you are after, than yes there was a very big difference. I'm a 3D shooter, and even under "calm" conditions, the straight offset method of fletching had me limited to 30-35 yds MAX, with a pretty wide group. They would still be within a 6" circle though. At 40-45 yds, they wouldn't group inside the 6" circle but you could sneak one in every now and then.

I shot a grouping yesterday that I took a pic of from shooting 25 to 40 yds and that's why I came over here, to post that picture. I'll have to take another picture now, because the PC is reading the card as corrupted and needing formatted. Anyway, I shot 7 arrows at the dots on my Yellow Jacket bag. I put two arrows each, in one spot...then shot another spot with two arrows. Then shot the bottom spot with 3 arrows. When I went to pull them, the 25 and 30 yd group arrows were touching. Then the 40 one, all 3 were together in a silver dollar size circle.

So that said...just changing the fletching method made the arrows go from a 40 yd outside of 6" circle group to almost touching one another. So throw in the jacked up hunter factor...and I'd say it's well worth it. I thought it enough that I stripped every one of my arrows down and have them all refletched now.
 
We trust your opinion , Crow . I know you are an impressive 3-D shooter from the results you have posted in the past . You could probably wax 90% of the shooters on this forum . :) I appreciate the info on the jig , because I had given up on Blazers when I shot them alongside my feather fletched arrows . Now I might give them another try with the Helix jig .
Thanks for the heads up !
 
Thanks for the info Crow!

I still have 2" blazers on about two dozen hunting arrows that shoot well, but I'm curious about this clamp. I use 2" flex flech flash vanes on fatboys for 3D. Here's some testing I did on the vanes...

fletch.jpg
 
Crow - how do you thing the jig would do with Axis arrows since they're pretty skinny?
 
Crow thanks for the explanation. You know I really do seek accuracy, but my sig is based towards people purchaing bows that have incredible IBOs rather than ones that fit them and they can shoot accurate.

I agree with you and your studies. However on my current hunting setup, I dont have any problems holding a 4 inch group at 40-45 yards. My target has 4" circles and inside them isnt a problem.

I am going to try the new fletching jig for sure. Anything that gain accuracy at shorter ranges, can only help at longer ranges naturally. It is the time and efforts spent then shared by archers like yourself that gets others thinking on how they can use your studys for personal improvments of our own.

Thanks for sharing! AND getting us thinking! :)
 
Crow after reading this post. I have been doing some testing on my own with my Bitz's. I offsetted them as much as possible keeping good fletching contact will using my right helical clamp. and I must say it did make a difference than using just the straight clamps and a plan offset. It seems to have tightened my groups up by about a half inch or so. Going to do some more testing today. Thanks for getting me motivated in trying other things. :cry:
 

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