Well there is no question, Turkey feathers have been used by most arrow makers as the feather of choice. There is a great deal many feathers that will work. Goose, swan, eagle, hawk, and more.
Turkey feathers have some great advantages, they are tough as nails, last along time. One of the drawbacks is they can be very expensive, uncut turkey feathers can cost as much as your wooden shaft.
As most people that come here seem to be interested in making their own archery gear, I will tell you a bit about using cheap swan feathers from the dollar store.
I have been using these tail swan feathers for years. I only use them for arrows that I don’t plan on shooting much.
I am a big fan of flaming arrows. A few times a year I will get a few people together or if already at a gathering bring my bow to perform. I live near the ocean and it is a safe place to shoot flaming arrows, I would never recommend you to shot flamming arrows anywhere else but into the water.
For these kind of single use arrows, it doesn’t make sense to purchase either arrow shafts of take the time attaching turkey feathers. This is where the dollar store swan feathers come in.
The swan feathers combined with a arrow made of an ocean spray shoot, with a tip made of a simple washer provide me with a total arrow cost of about .20 cents. I do not finish the the shoots, I only straighten them for this use.
The cheap swan feathers are something I recommend to anyone new to making arrows that don’t expect them to be their last.
The drawback of swan is when they get wet the do not hold up as good as other types, they are easily damaged. I do not recommend them for anything that should last, but for an arrow that you have just whipped together for a little fun, they can’t be beat.