As long as your broadheads are grouping well and you're not getting any vane contact, there's no reason to change. Blazers are popular for a reason (because they work). There are many other fletching options that would also work, but if it ain't broke...
Tuning isn't as complicated/mysterious as it's sometimes made out to be. The basic idea is to get the "powerstroke" of the bow (i.e., the path traveled by the point on the string where the arrow is nocked) aligned with the rest. Since we can't watch/measure the string path during the shot, we...
You would likely be surprised by how much harder it feels to draw a Lift compared to your Switchback LD (at the same draw weight). Comparatively speaking, the draw cycle will start sooner and climb/fall more steeply, which often gets described as "harsh," stiff," and "jumpy." Modern hunting bows...
Bitz. It's slower than a multi-vane jig but more versatile in terms of angle, direction, quantity. If I were fletching a lot of arrows, I would probably switch to a multi-vane jig. But for the little I do (maybe a dozen new arrows per year plus a few repairs), the Bitz works fine.
If you can get them to tune (i.e., broadheads and field points group together), then there's no need to change. Spine charts/calculators would likely recommend 300-350 spine depending on your arrow length and point weight, but there's nothing wrong with continuing to shoot 400's if they're...
Perhaps. All the concentrated forms of permethrin I've found say "contains petroleum distillates" on the label, which I assume is the source of the odor. If anyone has recommendations on a particular brand of concentrate that doesn't leave a smell behind, I'm all ears. I'll keep using it...
Do you find that the farm store concentrate leaves an odor on your clothes?
I've diluted Martin's 10% and Gordon's 13.3% down to 0.5% for spraying/soaking clothing, and the clothes smell like diesel fuel afterward. The odor isn't overpowering, but it's noticeable. For my farm clothes I don't...
The goal of tuning is to get the rest in line with the path traveled by the nocking point during the shot. This can be achieved via various combinations of adjusting rest windage/elevation, nocking point location, cam timing, and cam lean/lateral position.
For left/right alignment, a purist...
I agree with @GrantK. Paper tuning is just step one to get you in the ballpark. Bareshaft tuning and/or broadhead tuning tell you what your arrow is doing at distance. It's possible to get a bullet hole up close through paper and still have poor flight downrange with a broadhead.
If...
You might be able to get away with your top pin at 30 yds if you're shooting a pretty fast arrow. I think top pin at 20 yds is probably more common. Only way to know is to test it out. Sight in at 30 yds then take shots at 10 and 20 yds holding your 30 yd pin on the bullseye. You'll miss high at...
Inserts are the main downside of any micro diameter (4mm/.166") arrow.
Because standard field point/broadhead threads (8-32) are too large to fit inside a micro diameter shaft, a "half-out" style insert must be used (if you want to stick with 8-32 thread components). A micro diameter half-out...
Harvest rates or draw odds?
Harvest rates are high for Oklahoma's elk hunts...typically over 60% of hunters fill their tag.
Odds of drawing an OK elk tag are pretty low...much better (by a factor of around 20-30) if you're willing to settle for a cow though.
Simplest would be a standard diameter (6.5mm/.245") shaft with a good old-fashioned one-piece flanged insert of whatever weight/material gets you closest to your desired total arrow weight.
Black Eagle Outlaw, Easton 6.5mm, Gold Tip Hunter, Victory VForce are all good standard diameter options...
Although it doesn't affect me personally because I already drew my once-in-a-lifetime OK elk tag (2022 walk-in cow hunt), I'm glad to see they've decided to reserve half the elk tags for 20+ point holders. I feel bad for the lifelong applicants who lose out to the lucky SOB's who draw on their...
Some would regard this as heresy, but I'll throw it out there anyway: if you're ever pressed for time, you can separate the flat from the point, cook both pieces together, and cut your cooking time in half. It's more difficult to keep the flat moist when separated, but it can be done with good...