Does it matter right wing vs. left wing?

I have also heard that it doesn't matter much as the arrow doesn't actually start spinning until it's about 10ft, give or take, off the shelf. I will say that in building my own arrows, RW is much easier to use if you are using a Bitzenburger fletching gig as, in my uneducated opinion, the positioning of the fletch allows me to take a small screwdriver down the joint and ensure a good bond the entire length of the fletch. I'm a novice arrow builder, but I've noticed my LW fletches are not nearly as clean as my RW fletches.

Yeah.... there are several things to consider regarding fletch. Where they end up in relation to your hand and the shelf is one. There is some leeway and I believe changes from left to right address this issue a bit differently. How you affix them to the shaft and how well you blend in the leading edge so there is less there to bite you should that become an issue is another one.

High speed video of arrow passage off a bow reveals several things, and a few fun facts thrown in lets us ponder a bit more. An arrow, released via fingers on a recurve or longbow tends to bend around the bow to some degree with the rear end naturally swinging away from the riser as it passes, giving some clearance.

An arrow on the string cannot begin to spin until it is off the string, and generally well past the riser. Again, high speed video shows this. It also shows feather movement, almost like it is flapping, upon release. No matter which way it spins, it does not spin away from or towards the riser due to feather induced spin, since it is well past the riser before this even begins.

I knew I came to the right place. Thanks everyone for chiming in. I kind of figured that the consensus would be that it didn't matter. But momma always said there's no dumb question, just the one not asked.

-Jeremy

"The one rule that I think is universally accepted is to avoid affixing feathers of both wings to the same arrow." - Graf

Thanks for pointing that out, Steve. My own "doesn't matter" assessment is a bit presumptuous, it seems. One should be consistent in their application of either "all" RW or "all" LW feathers to individual arrows, even if using straight clamps. In the interest of full disclosure, it also assumes feathers with the same cut patterns and lengths. Although I have to confess that I don't have any first-hand experience based on non-compliance with any of these assumptions, but I'm guessing one is unlikely to see improved arrow flight😉

It might depend on what "does it matter" means...

Left wing is the most popular among right handed shooters. This can mean that dealers run out of left wing feathers from time to time.

I have also noticed that turkeys seem to come equipped with an equal number of left and right wing feathers. For those of us who make our own fletching, we can double our supplies by using feathers from both wings.

In the end, being flexible in what wing you affix to your shaft can help you avoid running low on arrows at an inopportune time.

The one rule that I think is universally accepted is to avoid affixing feathers of both wings to the same arrow.

Jeremy,

As stated above, doesn't matter. If he saw better flight, then so be it, but I don't think it was attributable merely to switching from RW to LW feathers.

I’ve heard from guys a lot more knowledgeable then me,that it does not matter in the least whether you shoot right or left wing.Because the feathers do not even start to spin the arrow till they are passed the riser anyway.And in my own experience,I’ve noticed no difference either.

For most of us it probably doesn’t matter which except. I was getting nicked from time to time using right wing feathers, I am RH, until I read Brayn Ferguson’s book where he suggests using left wing to solve this issue. Well it worked for me as well. Now if you want to cloud you mind go over to the leatherwall and read the “clock it” post. Or be like me and not sweat the small stuff.

I sometimes have a mixture of left and right in my quiver, never noticed any difference in the way they shoot. I’m right handed.

I shoot the same arrows right-handed and left-handed. Arrow flight is good regardless, shooting ASLs in the Hill style.

Doesn't matter. If the arrow is well tuned to the bow, left or right wing makes no difference.