Does Fletching Your Arrows Left or Right Make a Difference?

[@Jory623]

I'd like to know how many left clamps they'll sell after this video

[@robertmiller6822]

Lol man when I got my blitzburger Fletch the only offered me straight or right so I got right and bought a left because most of my arrows would go left but was surprised they didn't offer a left but I've fletched 90% of my arrows to the left. But I would say you can't really go wrong with a straight.

[@miked9112]

I bought one and a LH clamp for my AZ EZ

[@loki8284]

I think it means you need to test the same arrow with the same vanes for this to be remotely scientific. That way the only variable is the orientation of the vanes. I would also throw in a straight fletch as well.

[@tonyallen9131]

I can't believe that they didn't use the same fletching, this will end up being a ad for who makes the stiffer vain

[@EDHBowman]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4u6d5p4nNuJidk

[@timdec5488]

I was thinking the same thing. It's not comparing left vs right. It comparing two different vanes. With two different degrees. What a waste of time watching this was. Lol

[@EDHBowman]

@@timdec5488 there’s a lot more to that channel, I think you might find what you’re looking for

[@timdec5488]

@@EDHBowman oh no. I watch that channel a lot. Just saying it wasn't a very useful video to watch. Missed the mark on this one. Seems like it would be obvious.

[@sheyanderson4371]

“Why fight it.” is exactly my reasoning for fletching with the natural rotation. Seems most logical to me and I have never had any issues with tips or broadheads coming loose on left helical/offset. This may also be one of those topics, in the grand scheme of bows, that only the top 1% of the shooters need to actually worry about. Still would be fun to see a video with those top 1%’s testing it out.

[@MasterBuckProducts]

look for the Master Buck Flight Rite Decal, sticks to the arrow, when bare shafted, tells you right away what direction it spins when shot. Ask for it from Lancaster, if they don't have it, request that they do.

[@Alan_Edwards]

My thoughts exactly - why fight it.

[@Blazer-qj4ir]

I wish you did them both with Tac vanes or both with blazer vanes. Just makes me wonder if the blazer vanes took that little extra to start spinning because of how soft they are and because they folded at the initial launch because of that softness. Very cool video though!

[@JamesBond-oc4gm]

Agreed. Should be the same fletch tbf

[@toxic5000]

Great video! I really want to see some pros shooting 15 arrows fletched one way and 15 fletched the other way and check statistically if it's significant. That would be really awesome and scientific.

[@cesarelizondo5464]

yes don't see why they didn't do that as part of the experiment and see what happens to accuracy

[@EDHBowman]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4u6d5p4nNuJidk

[@IIDASHII]

The only way to do this scientifically would be to do it off of a mechanical bow shooter with the exact same arrows save for the fletching.

[@toxic5000]

@@IIDASHII You are right, but I wanted to see a difference when you add the human error. Maybe in the shooting machine the results would be the same, but when a human shoots, you would see a significant difference.

[@shareemibitsfala5534]

@@toxic5000 any human variance would be almost impossible to account for when trying to determine if one vane setup is better than the other. In fact, if the helical was significant, any change in the data would be beneficial for a shooter to adjust their technique. Then compile shooter data with their imperfections, adjusting their shooting technique to get closer to what the mechanical bow shows.

[@williamwhite8359]

I saw 2 arrows with different fletching, use the same fletching and arrows at different yards and shooting situations to truly test the accuracy. Also test the arrow speed to see if the off set changes anything.

[@upstreamer1661]

I agree.

[@RKeaton]

can’t say I notice a difference, but love this type of video from y’all. Love the “ask the pros” portion as well.

[@IIDASHII]

Have you tried it with fixed blade broadheads?

[@IIDASHII]

I'm certain that it makes a difference. I thought my bow had a clockwise spin and fletched accordingly. My field points did OK. My fixed blade broadheads were all over the place at 30 yards. I did everything I could to fix this. I bought a better squaring tool. I fletched more carefully. I tried more helical/offset. I upped my FOC. I tried different spines. Still terrible with fixed blades. I hunted that season with expandable broadheads because I COULD NOT get fixed blades to fly to my standards. Finally I decided to start from scratch and do everything over. I thought I was just going through the motions when I checked my natural spin off the bow, but to my surprise...it was counter-clockwise. I instantly knew this was my problem. I switched my helical to left and now I'm drilling a 4" circle at 50 yards with my fixed blade broadheads. This makes complete sense. If an arrow is PERFECT, which is difficult to achieve, it is still oscillating when it leaves the bow. With a fixed blade, the head will not be pointing perfectly straight because of this, and it will begin to plane. Rotation mitigates this by never allowing that planing force to be in any one direction for long. If, however, one's fletching is fighting the natural rotation of the bow, then there is significantly more time for the head to pull the arrow in one direction, and the flight is doomed from the start. Add user error/nerves in a hunting situation and this is a LOT worse. It isn't AS pronounced with field tips, but it will still hurt precision. Simple physics.

[@kevinheyde2589]

Very well stated.

[@affordableairgunningbyjb6994]

I think you are spot on.. !! I just came back from a weekend of trying to get my "cheap" broad-heads to group... Nothing !! Random as hell !! Then after our last session my friend ask why I fletch clockwise... never heard of testing my bow's natural spin. Thought it was a joke. Tested and it turns about 100 degrees counter clockwise in 4 foot !!! That is a lot of induced spin and even if that broad-head is perfect, the natural flex in the arrow will cause the head to produce a aerodynamic force that will off-set my arrow, till the fletches have induce enough spin and stability that they will override the head. In this video you see how far it flies before it corrects itself. What we do not know was how much induced spin the bow produced. If my spin (100 degrees) is more than the bow used in the video, then my arrow will take longer to stop and reverse direction. This will amplify my errors with broad-heads !!! I am convinced that this will solve my problem... Great Video Thanks Lancaster !!

[@mikenzinaortega81]

Damn man that was a great explanation and example I feel like you nailed the cause an effect. nice writing man!

[@garedjennings6509]

I feel like Kyle Douglas has the best insight in this video. I agree with his reasoning.

[@ricardoruiz6612]

i have done testing on this. It does make a difference. i was shooting out to 70 yards and with slow motion on with my phone scope i noticed the arrow knuckleball around 30 yards if not fletched the natural way of how the bare shaft shoots out of the bow. im a western hunter and cant have that.

[@jonbecker9393]

Thank you all at Lancaster for taking time out to do this demo. Yes, to any well sighted person, that Blazer right offset arrow stands still all the way out of and a full yard beyond the riser. The science is long established in terms of projectile correctness of build. If it didn’t matter, manufacturers would not bother with vane tilt before distribution.

[@todo9314]

"why fight it". Thats exactly how i feel. I'm running left helical on 2 different bows and 2 different broadheads. not having any problem with either field tip or broadhead backing out.

[@vichtor]

Love listening to Kyle. He managed to say so much with so few words. This guy knows what he is talking about!

[@patrickmercante4376]

Hey Pete, great video! After 30 years, I have gotten back into archery at 71 years old. Just bought a new Holt Ventum 30. That is all I have ever shot since I have been young. That would be during the Jurrasic Period. I use to hunt off the back of a brontosaurus. However, the new PSE's look awesome.

[@michaeldelay600]

Next video-Should you hunt off the back of a male or female brontosaurus? Our high speed camera captures the difference

[@pattowle4434]

Great video guys. I love the slo-mo photography footage. My head hurts after watching this. My question is, if right is wrong, then why do OEMs all fletch that way?

[@averagearcher9523]

I believe it's like what Kyle Douglas said, so it doesn't unscrew your broadheads. I heard the left kick is because of the way the string is served, so either string makers for bow manufacturers need to serve the opposite way, or broadheads and field point need left hand threads and arrow manufacturers need to put left offset or helical on their vanes. But my only thought is wondering if they had vane drag when it would start spinning right away and they by doing opposites it would make the arrow guide straight until it's clear of the rest and or shelf.

[@pattowle4434]

@@averagearcher9523 Yeah, I have heard about the unscrewing issue. As a pro archer that makes a living controlled by fractions (millimeters) I understand the concern for getting every advantage in your favor. But, since I don’t make, I’m sticking with what I am doing. I’m just the “Average” guy.

[@justinmahan7860]

​@averagearcher9523 that was my thought. Maybe right helical would keep from overspending and causing drag?

[@NorseOutdoorsMan]

Very cool to see in slow-mo!! Thanks for sharing. Just did my own testing with left helical and offset vs right helical and offset for TAC driver 2.75 and AAE Max stealth vanes and when shooting field points out to 80 yards all 4 setups were nearly identical in groupings, but as soon as I shot them with fixed and mechanical broadheads, the TAC drivers in a left helical with a 3 degree offset consistently grouped perfectly with a field point out to 60 yards while the same setup in a right helical and 3 degree offset would start to drop at 50 yards, and the Max Stealth in both the left and right started to drop at 50 yards.

[@bowhuntordie]

Great video guys! Although Todd is surprised he wasn't consulted for his opinion on the matter.

[@pjreilly3997]

Justin told us Todd wouldn’t understand any of this…..

[@bowhuntordie]

@@pjreilly3997 This is true, but it won't stop him from having an opinion. LOL

[@MasterBuckProducts]

The Flight Rite decal from Master Buck goes on the arrow to show bowhunters what direction the arrow spins…no brainer. Of course it makes a difference. Why fletch an arrow is it naturally spins right and fletch left?? Great video, 👍🙏🦌🏹

[@zacscott5031]

I did this same test on my new bow just to see what happened. Before I tested I shot my original right helical blazers and I saw a bad tail kick as the arrow traveled down range which was magnified at farther distances. So I clocked the shaft and fletched left helical as the shaft came out counterclockwise. The left helical ended up shooting one to two inches higher at 40 yds and looked like lasers flying down range. Wouldn’t say the grouping changes but the arrow definitely flew better and apparently faster.

[@127TROOP]

Very informative if not downright thought provoking. Excellent video.....

[@johnbursell4391]

Indexing the spine of each arrow and shooting each arrow through paper for tune was more beneficial for MY groupings than fletching direction. Hard to imagine one setup being best for all setups and shooters.

[@ny-co3039]

Awesome video PJ! I've noticed less drop down range since ive switched to fletching left, the way the bow wants to clock

[@southernrootschickenfarm5385]

Wow I never new this I learn new things every day from y’all’s videos

[@James.712]

When i was recovering my Iowa buck last fall, I went to pick up the arrow and the Annihilator broadhead was missing. Initially, when i walked up on the arrow, I thought it broke off but once I picked it up, I realized the broadhead spun off. Never found the Annihilator, but got the deer! Either go right helical or loctite!

[@stuartbrown2189]

Looks like the top Fletch makes contact with the bar above the rest on the right offset

[@pjreilly3997]

It does look like that, but we blew it up and slowed it down and there actually is no contact. The fletching just folds over…..

[@dougroope8040]

I have wondered about this for several years, so this summer I fletched half of my arrows with a 3* LHO and left the rest already fletched with the 3* RHO. My arrows spin left off the bow… Now I don’t hunt at extreme ranges (70 yds plus) but I shoot them A LOT out to 150 yds, and what I noticed right away is, “with my equipment” a slightly flatter trajectory beyond 80 yds. Especially 100-150 yds. I shoot a fixed 100gr 3-blade Muzzy broadhead and at all ranges beyond 40 yds I noticed more consistent accuracy and they group with my field points out to 120 yds. Well beyond ethical hunting shots. This was just for testing purposes… I urge anyone that plays or practices at extreme ranges to try this for yourselves and see if you show the same results. I found it very interesting…

[@JW-bw8nj]

So, which one shot better out of your bow?

[@MasterBuckProducts]

look for the Master Buck Flight Rite Decal, sticks to the arrow, when bare shafted, tells you right away what direction it spins when shot. Ask for it from Lancaster, if they don't have it, request that they do.

[@johnscott841]

Why haven't you used the same vane just fletched left, right or no offset?

[@f1948s]

Excellent video.I would prefer to fletch in the direction the arrow naturally spins.

[@lordcarnorjax8599]

It was really interesting to see the arrows out of the bow in slow motion like that but really you'd need to compare the results of the same arrow & fletches with the different direction offsets to get a real picture of whether it's worth it or not. I know you asked the pro's what they thought but I want something that's provable with data. Do 36 arrows at a minimum at some distance outdoors of each fletching then compare the results. Maybe add a chronograph into the equation. I'd be looking for tighter groupings. Then repeat indoors to take wind out of the equation. To be more scientific you can then do different vane types.

[@5jjt]

Super interesting! I wonder if vanes could be eliminated all together by utilizing some other spinning method? Special shaped imprints on the arrow? Plastic rest that uses two plastics with different friction ratings?

[@brokenarrow6491]

I see it but it's hard to say what the difference would be if the fletching was the same. And I don't know if it would make a difference in accuracy. Usually arrows are fletched with right offset or helical because the points unscrew in the target using left. Of course there are ways to help with that like putting wax on the threads. Interesting though

[@Saxon1331]

I’d like to see two identical arrows, one fletched left and the other right. Then see if there’s a difference in accuracy.

[@KowboyUSA]

That's what I'd like to see. One bow, one archer, identical arrows and vanes, one left one right: how is accuracy affected.

[@snap-n-shoot]

There would be. If the 3 arrows that are left fletched are identical, they will hit the same spot. Same with the Right fletched arrows. Its about consistency with the same three arrows you have. If you mix them then yes they may not be consistent.

[@JohnNeedham-zk5ms]

Unless it starts clocking the impact point does not change up to a 3 degree helical we have a shooting machine the reason we have it is to setup target bows and we do a lot we tune all kids 4-h bows for 5 county’s it does impact speed at distance so u would lose a little KE but very little

[@hennokruger219]

Have you ever thought about the affect on the turn of the arrow from Northern vs Southern Hemisphere's...USA vs South Africa?

[@hennokruger219]

Just something interesting...for instance I shoot a Mathews,shipped from the States down south to South Africa...we mainly shoot right helical down here...the same bows gets distributed up north in the States from the factory...and it seems you all shoot left helicle...thus the question earlier...north vs south hemisphere?

[@caninphx]

Most do not shoot left helical

[@videos4dave]

Northern vs Southern Hemispheres affect bullets over long distances, not likely to affect an arrow over a relatively short distance.

[@erosionhead420]

Man ,, I’m just shooting traditional recurve. It’s a really cool experience to get into archery. I’m looking into re fletching some of my 7:27 damaged arrows.

[@jeremylandphier692]

As a pitcher, the wind and air effect the ball to move in odd directions when throwing a knuckle ball , but if you put spin on a ball it has more stability and thus you have more control !

[@ZevenART]

Great video. Really like this format. I sent Tim G. a message this summer about this exact subject, and began fletching left (why not).

[@toddwagoner51]

The tact are definitely spinning quicker. But it still appears that the flletch are clearing the rest before the spin. And that's the most important. The green 4 degree with the opposite spin is definitely gonna clear better. Because it is knuckle balling. I use to shoot left offset out of my right handed set up because it cleared the pacesetter better. 6 of one half a dozen another. I never seen any difference in accuracy. But I did get better clear And with left offset out of right handed bow. Great images. Love to watch an arrow fly.

[@mikemitchell9157]

I've seen the hesitation on mine as well. I've watched them change direction down range about 20 yards when I was shooting 1⁰ right offset. Now the only thing I question is my broadhead with a right or left helical. I've seen them come loose with a left offset because it loosens when it impacts

[@joelow6086]

Interesting. What works for me may not work for others. I shoot 26 inch arrows with 55lb draw weight. For me feather vanes straight fletch arrows groups tighter at 20 yds. For 30 yds the right right helical 3 inch vanes groups better. I never practice above 30 yds because for hunting wild boars my average distance is around 70 ft. I like watching your videos. Thank you.

[@fletchdeeptv1958]

This is why I build my own strings and twist counter clockwise which makes the bareshafts go clockwise and match the right helical fletching I use.

[@robertmiller6822]

Ive alway thought Makes sense to go right, so you don't have to keep tightening field tips and broadheads, most of my bows spin left and I've never made strings but maybe if I get some made might Ask for a right.👍

[@ottobond007]

Thanks PJ you have me more confused than ever before 🤣🤣🤣 Great video

[@KowboyUSA]

Strongly suspect my HTR naturally spins left since it backs out thread-in points when fired close to a target block. Since right hand vanes would eliminate that problem, what I'd really like to know is how is accuracy affected by that short pause in spin direction. A test comparing otherwise identical right-left arrows from the same bow would be awesome.

[@Dean-zx6nx]

From my understanding the “natural spin” of the arrow depends on the direction the string is twisted when it’s made. But I have been wrong once. 😂

[@the_sharp_carpenter]

Correct, string and serving direction

[@jhuntley575]

Yes a strings twisted clockwise will spin the arrow counterclockwise

[@peternguyen1911]

I'm wrong way more than once

[@MasterBuckProducts]

look for the Master Buck Flight Rite Decal, sticks to the arrow, when bare shafted, tells you right away what direction it spins when shot. Ask for it from Lancaster, if they don't have it, request that they do.

[@MaxHasManyHobbies]

I would think that going with the natural spin direction with a faster spin would improve the accuracy of the shot. I noticed you interviewed compound bow shooters. What do the recurve bow shooters think?

[@OpiatesAndTits]

The arrow wasn’t a foot from the bow. Fletching is meant to stabilize flight I saw both arrows so their job. I think if you shoot bare bow traditional you should fletch to compensate for drift based on shooting style - clockwise spin for Mediterranean and counter clockwise for thumb release. Of course I could be wildly wrong but I suspect pushing into the bows existing drift or bias causes less accuracy.

[@JBJHonez]

For starters, should have used the same fletchings, just adjust them when putting them on. Those white ones catch more “air” to spin more anyways

[@igotatan1]

I agree with you with modern equipment. But I find that with the traditional bow that I have, I find it's different, by preferring a RH helical for a longer shot, by a #52 @ 40yrds stick bow at 30-50 yards. And was a gift from my Father, that he taught me to be a responsible hunter back in '83. It's a Fred Bear from the 60's.

[@philkolkman3199]

Great .. video! I believe I would relate this to aerodynamic jump. It will cause inaccuracies when wind conditions are present.

[@aaronshorter864]

My son has a nerf football that has the vanes. It’s fletched for a left hand thrower. With him throwing it in its natural rotation he gets about 10 yards further than I do throwing against the rotation. Can actually see the ball stop rotation and start rotating to the vane orientation, and taking away energy.

[@EDHBowman]

From an email to TAC last week: Thank you for the quick reply, Ryan! In this case, then I would definitely recommend the 2.25” Matrix the highest. With the Matrix being a bit shorter, but higher profile than the 2.75” Driver, it gives them an advantage with this type of broadhead. So my #1 recommendation is definitely the Matrix 2.25” with a 3-fletched helical. If you can fletch around 3 degrees, that’s exactly what I’d do. If you would want to try a 4-fletch, you could use the 2.25” Driver vane with a 4-fletch, but I know my top recommendation works perfectly with the IW broadheads. I worked with one guy who shot these and they didn’t fly great at first. We did some troubleshooting with his bow and got them to fly better, but they still didn’t fly well until I had the thought to switch the helical. Originally, he shot left helical based on my recommendation, but as soon as he switched to right helical, they flew like a dart. So even though his bare shaft spun to the left, the broadhead clearly pulled to the right, so the vanes and broadheads were fighting eachother until he found the perfect corresponding helical direction. Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any additional questions. Randy Groff Operations Manager TAC Vanes Kelly Products, Inc. Direct - 678-729-1454

[@precisionarchery8482]

Randy is an awesome guy and always willing to help anyone.

[@matty_1337-c7u]

Myself and everyone I showed at my league shoots were fascinated by this post. Please make plans to test two same direction/naturally clocked arrow setups and the parachute effect at long range. You could do one in hard helical and one in a middle of the road (say 2.5?) deg offset and compare parachuting effect on long range accuracy in high speed camera. Naturally splice in some comments from the best of the best ASA guys like Chris Perkins Timmy g Kyle and maybe Sharon W haha. Great video LAS, love it!

[@Alan_Edwards]

I just purchased a new Verdict and want to prep some arrows before it gets here and posted a question on Archery Talk about which direction a Verdict rotates. I did not get the answer but some questions about whether or not it even matters. Too me it's just another one of those little variables that all add up to make a bow as accurate as possible. I match weigh my components now when I build arrows so if I am going to go through all that, why not know which direction the arrows rotate out of the bow and fletch them to match too? Just makes sense to me !!

[@bottomlinearchery9774]

Fletching clearance would be better with the pause in spin at the bow. To my way of thinking, that would have a better outcome for accuracy than a slight pause in spin. As someone mentioned in the video, I doubt the bare shaft is coming off the bow with any force in it's natural rotation. More of a coincidence than a factor. If you bare shaft tune your rig, and everything is fine regardless of the vane orientation, rock on.

[@ldotred]

Went back and looked at all slow mo shots and found the blazer fletching had considerable contact with the arrow guard on the rest with the exception of the shot at 3:02 of the video. The blazer Fletch in that shot had contact but very little and the clocking started at the same time the driver started clocking. Fletching contact definitely had a role in the blazer Fletchings delayed spin.

[@pjreilly3997]

Go back and watch again. Go to exactly 1:12 and stop the video. The Blazer is folding over before it even gets to the arrow rest. It never actually makes any contact with the rest.

[@ldotred]

@@pjreilly3997 were gonna have to agree to disagree cause the arrow guard is what is making the Fletch fold over, every time..

[@pjreilly3997]

@@ldotred Watch the video and pause it. It folds over before it ever gets to the guard every time.

[@pjreilly3997]

At 3:41, the vane is already folding and it's nowhere near the guard. Then, the vane actually stands back up straight as it goes under the guard. You have to use the pause features to really dissect when that vane folds and when it goes under the guard.

[@ldotred]

@@pjreilly3997 already did that but this time I set my playback speed to slug mode and putting it on pause and I'm still seeing contact. I think the best way to determine if contact plays a role in the clocking is to use identical fletchings but with a smaller profile eliminating the question of contact, not saying your wrong and I'm right I'm just not convinced because what I see is questionable.

[@Helikopterpop]

Id say that fletching the opposite way of the natural spin might make the nock unpinch from the string more cleanly. If fletching the same way that the arrow wants to spin, you already have some torque that wants to keep the nock hooked on to the string. And that might make the differece in the nocks decide the accuracy a bit. So I am not certain that fletching the same way that the arrow wants to spin without fletching is the way to go.

[@markcarey5673]

I agree with many of the comments below and many of the comments made by the individuals in the video. I think the most important thing, from my perspective, is that the difference that left vs right fletching might make in the accuracy of an arrow would only be important to the top 5% of shooters at the farthest distances. Like many other archers I practice at Rangers far beyond the distance that I normally shoot a deer. I practice at 50 or 60 yards because I know if I can keep control of shot placement at that distance 20 and 30 yards is going to be a cakewalk. My actual average shot over 50 years of bowhunting has been somewhere around 15 yards. Up close and personal is why I bow-hunt in the first place. I am not a competitive target shooter. I imagine it matters more to Levi Morgan than it matters to me.

[@maxschell8823]

WOW! Great video. Not being an elite archer arrow rotation vs. right fletching or left fletching probably won't make a difference in my scores i.e. I have other issues in my shooting form, consistency etc. . HOWEVER I will pay attention to the arrow rotation and the right / left fletching the next time I fletch arrows which I will do next week. The process of checking rotation is simple. Thanks again for the video. By the way if you set this test up using a machine to shoot the arrow the accuracy of the test may be confirmed. Also use the same vane for that test. Yes, extensive testing takes time.

[@jerryweatherman7468]

I've always shot right helical since 1980. Recently....I heard Levi speak about making sure to fletch your arrows in the direction it naturally wants to spin. At this point , I'm waiting for a pro or someone to do any little bit more extensive testing so I'll know if if need to change all my fletching to a left helical..... since my arrows want to spin counter clockwise.

[@jhuntley575]

Just buy ABB bow strings or ask your string maker to twist your new strings from now on counterclockwise if you want them to naturally clock to the right

[@chompo9135]

I find that using a field tip that has an integrated o-ring all but stops tips from unscrewing even if a left offset is fletched. I also like to loctite my arrows that I dedicate to broadheads. I take my most perfect matching arrows and use those for my three broadheads

[@30cpe]

Teflon tape on the threads will keep the tip from unscrewing. Plus it's cheap and easy to do. As for this "test," using different vanes with different degrees of offset pretty much negates anything we might have learned.

[@LeonVenediktou]

I can see that it has developed a mind of it's own, it stops a bit and then decides to spin... A Sentient Arrow. Maybe with the right incentive it can seek gold by itself?

[@mrcjd2001]

Thanks for taking the extra step with thos video! Great info!!

[@bbmas1930]

these guys are saying the short pause before the fletchings take over (with the blazers) is most likely a bad thing. But then Dudley recently does tests and talks with an Olympic advisor/ arrow test lab guy and they agree that you DONT want the arrow spinning while the spine is sorting itself out ie you don't want the fletching turning the arrow while its wobbling all over the place in the theoretical up and down plane. They say let the arrow stop oscillating, then let the vanes spin the arrow. So who do you believe? Problem is that most people on this side of youtube aren't good enough shots to really be able to test that. We're taking the word of pro's who can't really agree. Also I'd like to see someone take the bow/arrow off a guy who says their arrows always clock left or right, and have them shot through a hooter shooter to confirm there's no human inputs that influence that. I've seen enough vids where strings wound this way or that and even the same brand bareshafts that turned different ways out of the same bow. Could it just be face pressure, type of seer (single or caliper, opens inward vs outwards) and the effect that has on the way the D-loop whips around after the shot, that is the bigger influence?

[@MegaBastt]

I think one of the problems with asking pros is that they are pros. Their form and shot execution are the best they can be. For an average joe (jack), I would think having that fletching immediately steer would help out a more novice archer. If you are shooting a single bevel though you need to match your bevel to your fletching direction. To me this would benefit a non-pro more than a pro.

[@ashesofamerica3753]

I think your right and I’m gonna fletch my Easton axis off of the string naturally!

[@kevinnguyen6456]

should have used same vanes on both arrows

[@jons7e]

Probably 90%+ of bows will produce the counterclockwise spin (due to strings most people think). Yet the most common jigs and prefletched arrows sold are for a clockwise spin. To add to the confusion, some people feel broadheads are more prone to unscrewing with a counterclockwise spin, and many single bevel broadheads have a grind that would work best with a clockwise spin. And, if all of that weren't enough, there are many great archers that go with or against the bows natural spin, and have great success. It's a mystery as to the right answer, and maybe it's splitting hairs.

[@ericballard9171]

To actually evaluate left or right offset, you should shoot the same fletchings for comparison. Also, I would say the natural movement of the areow is a function of the arrow spine as well, and how that spine is oriented to the string. For this reason you should shoot multiple shots with different arrows for each fletching and offset considered. Levi's could be the best veins ever made, I don't know! But this video seems more like a sales add than an informative discussion video.

[@chengsterboi07]

I seen a video made by Paige Pearce and she tested many configuration qb and says the twist of the string n serving doesn't matter. She tried different arrows too. Some would clocked left and some would clocked right. She even shot multiple arrows that came in same box and they each clocked different.

[@ricardoruiz6612]

she does a great job on that video. now i test ever arrow regardless if they came in the same package

[@windy77011]

A true test would be to fletch 2 arrows with the same vanes. Different vanes perform differently. The arrows are the same. But it's hard to say difference is the helical, When the vanes are different on each arrow

[@HuntEthical]

Just match the offset with the natural rotation of the arrow. It doesn't hurt anything and gives you peace of mind.

[@Bob-ts2tu]

haha just noticed your post after putting mine up, and that was my conclusion exactly - great minds etc 😀

[@HuntEthical]

@@Bob-ts2tu My man 🤙

[@peterxyz3541]

Can you do a high speed on finger release with recurve? D Loop release on recurve?

[@donaldvonlintig8445]

Now if you have a fixed rest, anything but a drop-away, this might be beneficial to have a slight delay in rotation, as the arrow leaves the string, and travels through the support arms on the rest. Especially on smaller diameter arrows, when your trying to avoid fletching contact with the rest. Something to think about.

[@ryanvlk1102]

I agree that there really is no difference. I like the fact that fletching the arrow, where it comes off the bow naturally. And anyone that flashes left a trick, that was taught to me at the shop I worked at, put some string wax on the threads, the thicker string wax. Fletch however, you want. That is one thing that I’ve learned over the years shooting archery. It’s the best thing you can do is just go out and shoot your bow. Don’t overthink it just go. Have fun do it however you want don’t listen to everyone else.

[@joshsinglefooter]

I just love that Mr PJ is smiling during slo-mo. Can't fake that.

[@ck_sidekick8306]

I'm wondering if the flex of the arrow immediately after release could have any impact on this. Does spin the opposite direction of what the arrow wants to do help or hurt the arrow righting itself? Likewise, if it's a "go with the flow" spin, does that help the arrow right itself sooner, or does the flexing last longer?

[@MasterBuckProducts]

Keep it simple don’t overthink it

[@Fender1031]

For me on the traditional side I notice on my longbow with a narrow smaller shelf that offset plays a MAJOR role in deflection and shelf clearance. On my larger radius shelf recurve, I dont notice anything. I shoot trad vanes on my recurve and recently switched to predominately shooting my hybrid longbow and wanted to shoot trad vanes off that but I noticed no matter how I tuned my set up I was getting tears on one of the vanes all the time and I realized it was because my bow was clocking left but I was fletching right helical so as I was releasing that arrow was essentially twisting straight into the shelf and causing tears and deflection. I switched to left offset and the tears stopped.

[@TheDanielBrown]

For one you need to use the same vanes on both arrows with same amount of offset. For two the factory fletched arrows contacts the containment bar in your arrow rest

[@sierraridgereaper]

Looked to me like the vane on the blazer shaft either hit the cable guard or the riser before it even left the bow and that is what caused the delay in spin to the right. Look closely and you will see it hit something as you can see it twitch and the vane flexes to the left a bit before it leaves the bow.

[@randomcdude4430]

I think rest type might be a factor. Saw a video about the saunders aro-gate development and they said that at first all their testers were shooting indoors with no helical and it worked fine, but then when folks shot helical through the og design, it caused interference. So they did a redesign to account for the helical. My thought is this, maybe a pause before the spin fires up can be a good thing. If the arrow doesn't start spinning until after it has cleared the bow and thus rest, there is less chance for a vane to slap a component of the rest on the way by. Especially important when shooting a full capture rest or anything with less clearance than the size of your fletching. If the everything goes perfect with a arrow spinning as soon as it leaves the string (fletched to natural spin of bow) and the fletching clears every component as it passes over the rest and off of the bow, then it is likely going to be more stable. But...if everything isn't perfect and a fletching slaps something as it passes the rest and leaves the bow, then you have an unpredictable loss of stability. I think this would add variability to the shot process. Then if your arrow has no spin until sometime after leaving the bow (fletch opposite natural spin of bow) as the high speed suggested, then your odds of fletching contacting components as it passes the rest and leaves the bow is less. Maybe this is not as stable as a perfect shot fletched to nat rotation, but it is more consistent shot to shot. So maybe the fletch to nat spin ups your chance of a highly accurate shot (with the potential for inaccuracy to be magnified by fletching bow contact, ie fliers really fly wide), but fletching opposite of nat spin ups your precision shot to shot. I say accuracy can be compensated for with other means (sight adjustment, aim point for trad gear, etc), but avoiding an unpredictable source precision/consistency drain is worth it's weight in gold. This may be why it doesn't seem to matter which way you fletch, because the trade-offs of each method essentially cancel out any advantage over the other (with nat spin vs opposite nat spin). Since I plan to shoot a full capture rest for turkeys think I will likely fletch opposite of nat spin for my next rig.

[@randomcdude4430]

Ps to test this fire a descent sample size (n=25-30 each method) of 3-5 arrow rounds of each fletching method then calculate standard deviation of overall group size, count number of fliers for each method, and compare average distance of fliers to main group. Heck run some T tests or ANOVAs on your group sizes. Maybe use some bare shafts as a control group. This could be a fun science experiment for someone who has more money than me to spend on arrows and fletching gear.

[@Favorites2499]

Check out 1nestly video he made these ages ago. He actually counts the number of rotations to a 20 yard target. It is a significant number of rotations to the target. Also yes the twist of the string does have a lot to do the the natural rotation. 95% of string makers twist their strings counter clockwise( LEFT natural rotation of arrow). The one major company that does clockwise is AMERICA BEST.

[@Bowhunterohio]

So I did watch a video where there was 3 arrows fletched left, right, and then 3 fletched straight. After the test at 20, 30, and 40 Yards it was found that the right helical had better groups. So what I think is that a left helical spins to fast which causes the arrow to be less stable where the right helical has less spin which can really help with accuracy. Even though I watched this and seen the results it still makes no sense to me and that is why I still shoot the left helical. It just makes more sense.

[@Friedbrain11]

I like the short and high helix arrows but the arrow had to wait till the air made it turn as it was fighting the natural direction the bow wanted it to go which was opposite of the direction of the vanes.

[@synicktdorji4190]

thanks for this video... does the string twist have to do with the helical or offset fletching.. left or right fletching depending on string twist, counter or clockwise twist

[@2ndAveScents]

Ok, all things being equal, my guess is that the right fletch pausing the natural left turn before beginning the right rotation could be a good thing. At 300 or so fps, the right spin begins within a meter or two of the rest, which looks bad in high speed but realistically happens very quickly. The left helical is for sure applying an increasing amount of torque to the arrow shaft until the nock releases from the string, which is being amplified by the fletching as it accelerates. That torque must absolutely influence the way the arrow comes out of the bow which will ultimately need to be tuned out and then sighted in. The right helical is balancing out the torque created by the string launch perfectly as you can see in the high speed since the arrow leaves the string with almost zero rotation. My guess is that if you took the same exact everything with the only variable being the fletch direction, without adjusting sight, the left helical will group further from the aim point. Both arrows tuned to a bullet hole, it won't be as different, but any variation from that I feel would be magnified to some degree by the left helical. Try taking a bow out of the box without tuning, group it with bare shafts and then try it with both helical directions, and my guess is that the one spinning the arrow towards the direction of natural rotation will actually be worse before tuning. Just my half baked guess. Edit: Also, the arrow that doesn't start spinning until it leaves the bow completely has no chance of fletching contact. That's a good thing imo.

[@tomfan8441]

At 2:52 of this video, the arrow on the top turns 180° only before exiting the screen. But the Blaze arrow on the bottom had turned several times before exiting the screen. This means Blaze arrow offset is much aggressive. If this test is done on the same bow, same arrow shaft and same vane but with different left/right fletchings then the results will be more evident. My first impression is the Blaze arrow will lose its velocity and shoot a shorter distance.

[@mjc_208]

It looks to me like the blazer vane gets thrown to the left, either by folding over due to not being stiff enough, or somehow contacts something. Either way, the vane being forced to the left by something and the opposing force of air trying to push it right seems like the reason it sits there for a second before the air finally wins and forces it to the right. I think a high speed camera that can capture high definition at something like 20k fps is needed to make any judgements on arrow / vane / string / serving combinations and how they each affect arrow rotation.

[@w4447]

Newby here. How do I find out what direction my arrow spins? Do I have to video it or is there another way?

[@Bob-ts2tu]

i have just purchased a new bowstring, a good one, and the serving is wound anti clockwise, (as is the string), and from what i can gather that means that arrows should want to naturally spin clockwise, so should be fletched right offset, HOWEVER, when shooting bare shafts from 6' - 10' the arrows turn anti-clockwise, (in the direction of the centre serving) and not opposite - i tried this many times and all with the same result, so why would this be? it's confused me - is the direction of serving twist the last word, or are other factors involved. presumably i should just go with what the arrow wants to do and fletch left offset, but id like to know why it isnt behaving as so many others find. thanks

[@edvervoort2481]

That's an excellent video!

[@leftyjw129]

Archery is mostly mental. If you feel as though you are more accurate you will be. I alway clock my arrows and fletch left. Does it help I don’t know but mentally I feel as though I shoot better therefor I do.

[@SnapCracklePip]

my first thought is the non spin actually could be an advantage......you can control how the vanes are oriented to clear the riser or rest or whatever.....and as long as its consistent and you get used to it .....

[@rileymod2523]

Should use the same vanes for comparison and a Hooter Shooter for accuracy outcome.

[@slimjimmy229]

It definitely appears that the right offset arrow has a hesitation before spinning. Does it matter? I'd have to say not likely for most archers and applications. The point that the blazer arrow isn't spinning the amount of drag that is being produced would be much greater then when it's flowing with the spin. Likely that increased drag should offset the instability from a lack of rotational velocity but would sacrifice a few FPS. On the other hand if you have imperfections in broadhead alignment or spine straightness/flex then the immediate rotation could minimize the "drifting effect". Once again, is it enough of a difference for the average archer to notice? I doubt it, however I can see it making a difference if you're shooting a large broadhead that isn't aligned properly or one with a bent ferrule/blade. That would be an interesting test video in itself out of a hooter shooter.

[@lstownley]

Check out 1nestly's channel. He's done some high speed videos on left clocking vs right clocking, various types vanes and spin rates, and single-bevel vs double-bevel broadheads. Here are just a few in no particular order: Left vs Right: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bZWce2ahgrhmopI kzbin.info/www/bejne/rYPVY2aon7ath6M kzbin.info/www/bejne/epmsl32Ym82jpaM Fletching Spin: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4u6d5p4nNuJidk Broadhead Spin: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qHrTp5KGibOGq7M kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZWZkoeIaK9opsk kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWq3aXmZatZ4htU kzbin.info/www/bejne/q2ibqHarrpyWh8k String Twist vs BareShaft Rotation: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i4Gcd3eea9SCo9E From Huntinsker's channel: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6OucpxmbtOFhrM Huntinsker is one of two collaborators that started the most popular thread on ArcheryTalk's website: The Comprehensive DIY Compound Bow String Cable Making Guide with over 1 million views and over 8200 posts! www.archerytalk.com/threads/the-comprehensive-diy-compound-bow-string-cable-making-guide.2062893/unread

[@duanethompson2360]

Arrow brands will determine the way the arrow spins. Paige has a video showing one spins right and one left from the same bow!

[@wlamb13]

Will any size shaft spin the same direction? Once you bare shaft tune one arrow will all spin the same as long as you don’t make any changes?

[@puckerbutton7025]

from my side of the range of you fletch with the spin then the arrow spins sooner and starts to correct sooner if you go against the natural spin the arrow takes longer to correct its self so im thinking fletch your bigger vanes/arrows with an offset that goes with the natural spin for short range fletch your smaller ones against the spin for longer ranges

[@tomdavis3383]

Should have used the same arrow shaft with the same vanes. One fletched left and the other right at the same angle.

[@Timberdam]

Ive seen the same test on you tube with same results...Does it make a difference ?? definitely a lag time if your going against the natural spin.of the bow string.. pbly more critical with broadheads after all the spin is like the rifling on a barrel.. spins bullet to stabilze it

[@humanperson4132]

Could be a good thing for the arrow to clear the riser before it starts spinning. My bow clocks left and I run 2.75 and 2.25 tac drivers both left and right and to be honest, I don't really notice a difference with the grouping when they're all shot together.

[@sergeantsodom6969]

How do you find which way your bow naturally spins (barebow)