1. sports
2. archery

From Factory to Field
By Jason Herbert
T
Carbon Expertise Helps
Victory Perfect its Arrows
he story of Victory Archery is
one of fate, opportunity, a whole
lot of innovation and a bit of
luck. Just over four years ago, California
based golf shaft company Aldila saw
an opportunity in the archery industry
that it just couldn’t pass up. Founded
in 1972, Aldila realized that there isn’t
a lot different about the manufacturing
processes of carbon golf club shafts and
carbon arrow shafts. Its deal to acquire
Victory Archery closed on December
30, 2010. In turn, Aldila was purchased
a couple years later by global juggernaut Mitsubishi Rayon Company Ltd.,
giving Victory Archery even greater
resources in its quest to earn a larger
share of the arrow market.
Steve Greenwood’s name may ring
a bell for many veterans of the archery
industry. A pioneer in aluminum arrow
manufacturing back in the 80s and
carbon arrows in the 90s, Greenwood
knows a thing or two about arrow innovation. Although he had been out of the
arrow industry for a while, Greenwood
had not forgotten his design for the
perfect arrow. It was thin and strong
for both long range power and the least
wind resistance possible. When Aldila
called on behalf of Victory Archery,
it didn’t take Greenwood long to see
the opportunity that it was and hop on
board as general manager.
Poway, California is constantly
beautiful and sunny. With its palm trees
and California beauty, it’s honestly the
last place I’d think to find a high performance hunting arrow manufacturer.
But Poway is where Victory Archery
calls home. Quietly nestled
in the foothills northeast of
San Diego, Victory is nice
and close in proximity to
Aldila for many reasons.
Most of Victory’s manufacturing and other processes
Here is one of the company’s pre-preg carbon machines
in action. You can see rolls of material on the machine
feeding tubes of carbon toward the camera. The unique
combination of materials and applications is a well kept
secret. However, the company did share that everything
it creates is made right in Poway, blocks away from the
company office and headquarters.
are shared with Aldila and Poway is
home to Aldila: hence Victory needs to
stay close. Honestly, as I’m writing this
in December, it’s the time of the year
where I’m quite jealous of Victory’s
sunny and dry location.
“We’ve got a heck of a team assembled here,” Greenwood said as he
filled me in on how things were going
at Victory. “Mitsubishi is one of the
world’s largest carbon pre-preg manufacturers. We are vertically integrated,
whereas we make our own carbon
pre-preg.” As Greenwood explained,
this is one of the advantages of being
involved with a huge global corporation. The term “pre-preg” is used when
talking about carbon composite materials. Specifically, in the arrow industry, pre-preg is a carbon composite
fiber that is impregnated with a resin
material. Greenwood explained to me
that most arrow manufacturers do
not have the capability to manufacture their own pre-preg but as a subsidiary of Mitsubishi, Victory Archery
certainly does. Generally speaking, in
Victory shooter Adam Greentree with an Asian Water Buffalo he was able
to harvest with a Victory VAP. Extremely big game like this often offers long
shots behind a thick hide. The company feels that its ultra thin diameters and
FOC rating allow its arrows to be lethal at long distances.
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Here is the Victory VForce Sport 300. With a .245 inch diameter, the red coloring indicates a straightness tolerance of +/-.006 of an inch.
All Victory shafts are spine aligned and even the Sport arrows adhere to the company’s strictest standards for quality. What you cannot
see underneath are the several layers of woven carbon pre-preg fibers that give this arrow its strength and stiffness.
This is the Victory VForce Elite 500. With a .245 inch diameter, the yellow coloring indicates a straightness tolerance of +/-.001 of an
inch. Regardless of the caliber or class, all of Victory’s arrows have a high FOC (Front Of Center) rating for longer downfield power and
accuracy.
The Victory VForce Gamer 500. With a .245 inch diameter, the green coloring indicates a straightness tolerance of +/-.003 of an inch.
With aluminum alloy nocks, each Victory arrow can handle countless shots through today’s top performing bows.
the science of carbon pre-preg, the
strength comes from the physical carbon fibers and proprietary resins. In
the case of carbon arrows, the fibers
run the length of the arrow shaft as
well as being woven around, giving it
the most strength possible. A graphic
in the company’s catalog shows the
several layers of straight run fibers as
well as the layers of woven fibers that
make up a Victory arrow. Without giving too many trade secrets away, I can
say the company that has perfected
strong golf clubs utilized much of the
same shaft technology in its arrows.
A proprietary combination of carbon,
fabrics, resins and techniques is used.
The carbon pre-preg is cello wrapped,
heat cured and transformed into sleek,
strong arrow shafts at plants overseas.
Victory makes arrow components
but is most well known for its arrows,
which are widely used for hunting,
competition, recreation or a combination of the three. When talking Victory
arrows, the discussion can be broken
down into three distinct varieties. The
VAP series (Victory Armor Piercing
for hunting or Victory Accuracy &
Performance for indoor and outdoor
competitive target shooters) is made
from high modulus pre-preg carbon
and is the company’s pride and joy.
One of the major selling points of any
Victory arrow is the micro diameter. In
fact, the VAP boasts a .166 inch internal diameter. During hunting or target shooting, a micro diameter arrow
allows for less wind resistance and, as
the company claims, tighter groups. In
the past, some smaller diameter arrows
were criticized for being too fragile but
Greenwood and the rest of the team at
Victory believe that their micro core
and thick walled arrows are the strongest on the market. Greenwood shared
that Victory’s arrows are made from
“high modulus carbon with a micro
diameter for the ultimate strength and
stiffness.” He added, “Nothing out-penetrates them.”
Not all VAPs are the same nor is
any family of Victory arrow for that
matter. Within each arrow family
comes another unique division. Each
and every arrow produced at Victory
goes through a series of tests. One
of the tests is for arrow straightness.
Within the VAP family, the straightness tests that each arrow endures
help sort the arrows into three groups.
The Elite series is composed of arrows
with +/-.001 of an inch. To make it
easy for dealers and archers to get the
proper arrow, all of Victory’s arrows
are color coded. The color for Elite
arrows is always yellow. Yellow boxes,
yellow paint, yellow vanes: all yellow.
The Gamer series allows arrows with
+/-.003 of an inch. Everything related to
the Gamers is colored green. The Sport
series is made up of arrows within
+/-.006 of an inch. All of the Sports are
colored red. If any arrow is somehow
produced that isn’t within +/-.006 of
an inch, Victory throws it out. “Even
our greatest tolerance series of arrows
still adhere to the highest standards,”
Greenwood said.
The Victory RIP arrow is new for
2015. With an internal diameter of
.204 inches, the RIP is the company’s
intermediate modulus carbon pre-preg
arrow. For archers who are looking for
an arrow that is narrower than standard but not wanting to go completely
micro, the RIP is the arrow of choice.
The VForce competition and hunting arrows are still made with Victory’s
proprietary formula for pre-preg carbons but come with a “standard” internal diameter of .245 of an inch. The
standard modulus carbon pre-preg
VForce arrows still offer everything the
VAP does but are more comparable to
other hunting and target arrows on the
market due to their wider, more standard diameters.
Not to overlook an opportunity,
Victory also recognizes the growing
need for crossbow components and
makes a series of high performance
bolts. With the same high performance,
micro shaft mentality, Victory crossbow bolts have a very unique design
to accompany them. Their patented
Rail Ryder Technology allows for much
less friction on the arrow, with only
two points of contact as the bolt is shot
through the crossbow. One contact
point looks like a bubble in the middle
of the Rail Ryder and the bolt also has a
point of contact at the nock.
Along with micro diameter arrows,
Victory produces nocks and inserts.
The term “insert” is used rather loosely
with Victory; “outsert” may be a better
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fit. The machined aluminum Penetrator
inserts that hold standard broadheads
and field tips actually sit on the outside
of the arrow shaft. The threaded insert
still easily glues to the inside of the
shaft but it also extends and gains the
necessary diameter to accept a standard 8/32 inch threaded broadhead
or field tip. Along with the increased
diameter of the insert, the Penetrator
serves a dual purpose of impact protection by enclosing the end of the arrow
shaft. “Not only does this help protect
the arrow,” Greenwood told me, “but it
also increases the FOC.”
Also rather new to the company is
the Victory aluminum nock. According
to Greenwood, today’s bows are so
powerful that the company needed to
tweak its nocks a bit to keep up.
As far as the bricks and mortar
of the operation, Victory shares a lot
of staff and equipment with Aldila. I
spoke on the phone with National Sales
Manager Jayson Bentcik and he filled
me in on how things work: “The carbon
arrow shafts, nocks and inserts are built
about a block away from where I’m
standing now.” Since the technology
and production of arrow shafts and
golf club shafts are so similar, most of
the production for both is done on the
same machines.
Recently, at the 2015 ATA Show, I
had the chance to meet Greenwood in
person and learn more about Victory
arrows. He explained to me the theory
behind spine alignment; “This really
isn’t hard to do...in fact, I’m surprised
more arrow manufacturers don’t align
their spines.” Each and every carbon
arrow has a spine running the length
of its shaft. Through the manufacturing
process, there’s always a spine where
the arrow is the strongest and flexes
the least. Greenwood told me about the
company’s “double check” system for
straightness; “When we do spine alignment, we are also checking for straightness. We twist each shaft 365 degrees to
precisely locate the spine. While doing
that, we’re ensuring the most accurate straightness classification as possible. Spine alignment makes a huge
impact on arrow grouping. We’ve seen
it several times in various tests and in
paper tuning.”
Opposite the spine is the arrow’s
most flexible point. To be consistent,
Victory places the cock feather of each
arrow along its spine. The spine alignment is shown on Victory arrows by a
white line silk screened on the surface
along with the arrow’s other designs
and the color that indicates the grade.
Not only does the arrow perform best
when the spine is placed at the top but
it provides the most consistent shot
possible.
Another label I was curious about
was Victory’s ICE arrow coating.
Greenwood let me inspect a few different arrows at the show and I could feel
the difference between the ICE coated
arrows and the ones without the coating. ICE coating is a “nano-ceramic.”
I could have taken a guess at what
a nano-ceramic was but Greenwood
elaborated for me anyway and confirmed my suspicion; “It’s a microscopic ceramic coating that impregnates the outer layer of carbon on the
arrow. It helps reduce friction, leading to a better group, more downfield
power and longer lethal distances.”
I asked Greenwood about the vanes
and how Victory makes them. He said,
“We’re not in the vane business...I leave
that up to the experts. We like Bohning
Blazers and the new Fusion X from
Norway Industries.” All Victory arrows
are hand fletched but, like Greenwood
said, Victory leaves the production of
high performing vanes to the experts.
The company’s website, www.victoryarchery.com, has an entire page
devoted to its perfect combination of
deadly arrow components. Labeled the
“Penetrator2,” this “all-star” lineup of
Victory technology is impressive. The
website described the system: “Victory
Archery’s exclusive Penetrator Hunting
System combines the ultra small diameter VAP arrow with our patent-pending Penetrator Broadhead Adapter and
Victory ICE coating. This revolutionary combination of components yields
the deepest penetrating small diameter
arrow available.” The site went on to
explain that any broadhead can continue to be used because the Penetrator
adapter accepts standard broadhead
threads. Following suit with the rest
of the company’s color coded labeling system, Penetrator broadheads are
color coded to fit their proper arrows.
This Penetrator2 system is impressive
and according to the website, it outpenetrates the leading competitors.
The website also showcases an interesting graphic demonstrating recent
penetration testing results.
Bentcik spent some time explaining
A good old-fashioned “Robin Hooded” pair of VAPs. Steve Greenwood and Jayson
Bentcik both agreed that Victory arrows are super strong but will not hold up to getting
“tubed” by one of their quiver mates. Both of the men bragged that Victory arrows are so
consistent, the crime of “tubing” happens often.
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Simple
operation
and design
Fits most
arrows –
including
crossbows!
Strong and
durable –
works 100’s
of times
Pro Staffer Rebecca Francis with her final ram to complete her Grand Slam. Francis is only
the second woman in history to complete this grueling challenge and gives a lot of credit
to her Victory arrows. Victory feels that its arrows will continue to help hunters achieve
goals with the confidence to take longer shots.
why he feels that everyone can win with
Victory arrows; “We want our dealers to
finally start making money by selling
arrows. Traditionally, the markup on
arrows is so small that many dealers
barely break even by selling them, if
they don’t go into the hole. With our
price points and MSRPs, we guarantee our dealers will be able to make a
profit with a clean conscience while
selling the highest quality arrow on
the market.”
When asked about these last
few months, Greenwood had this to
say: “It’s been a wild ride...I feel like
I haven’t been home since last summer. We’ve been on the road a lot,
doing shows and meeting with customers. It’s worth it, though. I believe
we have the best arrow on the market
and I want to educate everyone in the
industry as to why.” I could relate to
what Greenwood shared about being
on the road a lot. One of the dirty little
secrets about the outdoor industry is
that we’re busiest during hunting season! If Steve Greenwood were tired,
he didn’t look it. Always wearing a big
smile and seemingly limitless youthful
energy, he was glad to handle and talk
with anyone who came by the Victory
booth during the entire weekend. I
thought in the back of my mind, This
guy would make a decent politician;
maybe that could be his second career.
We could always use more lawmakers who are archers! I can see it now:
“Greenwood in 2018!”
Interestingly enough, I talked to a
target manufacturer at the show later in
the day. This particular company had
no affiliation with Victory. The manufacturer explained to me the grades
of his targets and how they were each
designed a bit differently for poundage,
game animals hunted, bow speed, etc.
His last target, the “biggest and baddest” and the one that could stop an
ICBM missile if necessary, was at the
end of the booth. While I simply listened
and took notes, he said, unprompted,
“This one is for crossbows...and anybody shooting Victory Arrows.”
“Wow...I was just at Victory, talking with them,” I said. “You really
need to make a separate target for
those arrows?”
“Oh yeah,” the target manufacturer
said. “They out-penetrate anything I’ve
seen.”
Editor’s Note: Jason Herbert is a
school teacher, an outdoor writer and a
father of four. His Factory to Field business profiles appear in each issue of
ArrowTrade magazine.
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