All Carbon Arrows

[Furface]

Originally Posted by grimsby archer

...
Wooden arrows (esp longbow arrows) tend to have a steeper trajectory and therefore don't tend to bury quite so easily and don't tend to wander too far from the target making them a little easier to discover

Last year, at the YAA champs, we found a longbow arrow that had been lost the year before - and, as I understand it, the owner hadn't bothered to report it ("plenty more where that came from").
I used to shoot Redlines, and, despite my view that the grasslands were all part of the target at 100 yards, never left without all of them, because I considered it MY responsibility to account for them. It is the folk who think it is the job of a field party to find them who mess it up for others. Having said which, I have yet to see a competition where they have actually been banned.

[Watch_Man]

Originally Posted by Furface

Having said which, I have yet to see a competition where they have actually been banned.

We went to 3 or 4 this year where Carbon arrows were banned, although none were FITA, all were imperial rounds shot on multi-use fields. archery_mum swapped from her Nano's to her triples or X10's to avoid any issue. I shoot Navi's so it isn't a problem for me.

But as I have already stated, as more and more archers discover how good the Nano's are in comparison to X10's and also with the release of the Nano Pro, it may become a real issue for some poor tournament organiser.

[Jerry Tee]

Last time I checked the GNAS rules of shooting there was no mention of the material used for the construction of the arrow. These rules apply for imperial rounds. If a club bans carbon arrows at a comp then they are not complying with the rules of shooting, but adding an extra rule outside the GNAS rules.

[Watch_Man]

Originally Posted by Jerry Tee

Last time I checked the GNAS rules of shooting there was no mention of the material used for the construction of the arrow. These rules apply for imperial rounds. If a club bans carbon arrows at a comp then they are not complying with the rules of shooting, but adding an extra rule outside the GNAS rules.

Jerry

I seem to recall that someone did ask GNAS about this and the ruling is that for GNAS imperial rounds clubs can make a local ruling regarding carbon arrows on multi-use fields. Perhaps a GNAS Beardy can answer definitively.

archery_mum takes the view that for an imperial round it is not worth risking having a club banned from a ground because she wants to shoot her carbons and so she just switches for that tournament. However for a FITA record status it is different as it is unfair to expect an archer shooting in the UK not to have the same advantages as archers shooting in other Countries.

[Furface]

This has been discussed - heatedly at times - at Operations Committee (for the full minutes, see Archery UK Autumn 2006 to Summer 2007 I think). We agreed on two approaches:-
1) To approach FITA to put pressure on manufacturers to make the arrows more detectable. This has not produced any results as yet.
2) To recognise that TOs may have to restrict the use of otherwise legitimate equipment because of local conditions, and that that should not debar the tournaments from Record Status. Although it would be difficult to "police", TOs are required to state clearly on their entry forms that any such restriction is to be applied (a flier to this effect was to be added to the RS paperwork). [In the minutes, no distinction was made between GNAS and FITA rounds]
It was also reported that there are now relatively cheap metal detectors available that can pick up the piles of carbon arrows quite successfully, and clubs are encouraged to invest in them. However, given that many multi-use fields seem to be built on a base of discarded football studs, this is not always a boon!
******
IMHO, this is the only pragmatic approach. Landlords do set rules, and clubs have to respond to legitimate safety concerns. If we insist on our "right" to shoot all-carbon arrows, then we also have to accept the duty as individuals of ensuring they are all recovered. Even when they slip from the launcher on release and could be anywhere on a massive field.

[Andyakashrek]

I am an archer and until recently managed youth football. We played on pitches where archery was practiced and never once found an arrow. Dog sh*t, glass, glass pressed into the goalmouths, hypodermics, cans that have been shredded by mowers, razor blades inserted into the goalmouths. When reported to league and police action is never taken, but if just one arrow were to be found.........................................:min d-blow

[joetapley]

My experience is that more aluminium arrows "get lost" than carbon arrows. As regards carbon itself the fibres on a multi-use field are not nice and I can see the owners reasonably banning the use of all arrows containing carbon fibre as arrow breakages can result in fibre getting into the surface soil.

[Watch_Man]

Originally Posted by Furface

TOs are required to state clearly on their entry forms that any such restriction is to be applied (a flier to this effect was to be added to the RS paperwork).

Thanks for the clarification. I think if TO's state this on the entry form then no competitor can complain. However if it is not on the entry form I think there would be a legitimate right to complain if you were stopped from shooting all carbons.

However, the overriding concern must be to ensure that the organising club does not lose the right to shoot on the field.

Perhaps we will eventually have a situation where some archers will only shoot at competitions where all carbons are allowed and the TO's supply Danage bosses for the X10 archers...... I just wonder what they will do for the remaining 360 days of the year

[Random_guy]

To be honest, having seen both all carbon and a/c arrows blown to bits either as a result of hitting the bolt of a stand or the aftermath of being mown, there appears to be very little difference in the amount of carbon shards that end up all over the place.

[Jerry Tee]

Looks like we could all be shooting FMJ's then. Both of the ones I have destroyed so far the ally outter contained all the carbon.