Insert compatibility

[ImBillT]

First, I’m going to be shooting a wooden bow with no arrow rest or anything else I can adjust.

I’m considering some Easton Axis 5mm arrows, but I will likely only be able to cut them to about 33” at the shortest. In order to tune them, I may need to adjust the amount of weight upfront, and would prefer to do that at the insert instead of the broadhead. I know that inserts which allow you to screw weights into the back exist, but I’m having trouble figuring out which of those will work with which arrows. On Easton’s website, I can see which inserts they recommend for the 5mm Axis, but they don’t tell me much about those inserts. On other websites, I can find inserts that accept weights, but I can’t find out for sure if they’ll work in a 5mm Easton Axis.

My apologies, my experience with archery is limited, and most of it involves letting the shop tell me what I need.

 

[p_ham]

Check out Ethics archery, they have a lot of good options. They break everything down by diameter and offer insert/outsert setups that are very strong. They have an arrow selector on their website that's very useful.

Inserts for the 5mm Axis should be .204, your outer diameter will change with spine.

 

[Redman]

I would also suggest Black Eagle arrows. They have a great adjustable insert set up.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

None of Easton's 5mm insert/half-out offerings are compatible with screw-in rear weights. Black Eagle, Gold Tip, and Victory all make 5mm/.204" half-outs with rear-facing threads that accept screw-in weights. The shank diameter is the same on all of these half-outs, and they will all fit inside an Easton 5mm Axis. However, you also want a smooth transition between the outer surface of the arrow shaft and the rear of the half-out. So if you're mixing and matching shaft and half-out manufacturers, you'll need to compare the OD of your 5mm Axis shaft to the OD of the shaft the half-out is designed for.

An alternative to using threaded weights to experiment with total front end weight would be to use heat reversible glue ("hot melt") and try inserts/half-outs of various weights until you find one that tunes well.

 

[ImBillT]

None of Easton's 5mm insert/half-out offerings are compatible with screw-in rear weights. Black Eagle, Gold Tip, and Victory all make 5mm/.204" half-outs with rear-facing threads that accept screw-in weights. The shank diameter is the same on all of these half-outs, and they will all fit inside an Easton 5mm Axis. However, you also want a smooth transition between the outer surface of the arrow shaft and the rear of the half-out. So if you're mixing and matching shaft and half-out manufacturers, you'll need to compare the OD of your 5mm Axis shaft to the OD of the shaft the half-out is designed for.

An alternative to using threaded weights to experiment with total front end weight would be to use heat reversible glue ("hot melt") and try inserts/half-outs of various weights until you find one that tunes well.

I think I misunderstood what a half out was when I initially wanted a half out. I now want an insert that is either a standard or an HIT style. I might go with a collar.

 

[Irrelevant]

Check out Ethics archery, they have a lot of good options. They break everything down by diameter and offer insert/outsert setups that are very strong. They have an arrow selector on their website that's very useful.

Inserts for the 5mm Axis should be .204, your outer diameter will change with spine.

I too have used Ethics a couple times recently, but I'd be cautious about using their arrow selector, gave me the wrong diam and therefor I ordered the wrong size. Calipers confirmed I needed the next size up.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

I think I misunderstood what a half out was when I initially wanted a half out. I now want an insert that is either a standard or an HIT style. I might go with a collar.

If you don't want to use a half-out, your only two options for a 5mm/.204" arrow are a HIT or an Easton Deep Six RPS insert.

The Deep Six RPS insert is an "old-fashioned" flanged insert scaled down to fit inside a 5mm/.204" shaft. As a consequence of its smaller size, it has 6-40 threads (instead of standard 8-32 threads), which severely limits your broadhead choices.

If you're not willing to shoot a 6-40 threaded broadhead, your only remaining option is a HIT. The HIT design is patented and only produced by Easton, Ethics, and Iron Will. HIT's are available from 15 gr to 150 gr, but none of them have rear-facing threads to accept weight screws.

 

[ImBillT]

If you don't want to use a half-out, your only two options for a 5mm/.204" arrow are a HIT or an Easton Deep Six RPS insert.

The Deep Six RPS insert is an "old-fashioned" flanged insert scaled down to fit inside a 5mm/.204" shaft. As a consequence of its smaller size, it has 6-40 threads (instead of standard 8-32 threads), which severely limits your broadhead choices.

If you're not willing to shoot a 6-40 threaded broadhead, your only remaining option is a HIT. The HIT design is patented and only produced by Easton, Ethics, and Iron Will. HIT's are available from 15 gr to 150 gr, but none of them have rear-facing threads to accept weight screws.

Looks like I’ll probably try to tune by using a really heavy HIT from Ethics, and vary point weight until I get a total amount up front that tunes, then subtract that total from 315gr, find an HIT insert that is close to that weight, and re-check my tuning/fine tune, using the new insert a 315gr field point.

 

[longbow51]

What pound weight are you drawing?

 

[ImBillT]

What pound weight are you drawing?

That’s not entirely set yet due to injury. I’d like to be around 60lbs+, but that will depend largely on the healing of my broken wrist and forearm. I was able to take two shots with my lightest bow last night(33lbs). I’ve only been able to draw it to full draw for a few days. I have an 80lb bow that I could shoot prior to getting hurt. I didn’t shoot it as accurately as 50-60lb bows, but I’ve never practiced a lot with anything other than a compound and that was quite a few years ago. Due to local regulations changes I decided to go bow hunting this year and had been practicing for about three weeks before I fell. I don’t have any question that I’ll be able to shoot 50ish.

Obviously the arrows are only going to be tuned to one bow. I’m shooting for 50lbs on the first set. If I get a 60-65lb bow built and can shoot it, I’ll make another set of arrows.

 

[bisblue]

I have two sets of axis arrows for my trad set ups 300s @625 grains and 340s @565 grains. I use the ethics inserts and hot melt, then I cut an old aluminum shaft and glue 1" on as a footing.
I also shoot trad vanes.