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Archery Arrows: How to Select the Best Arrows For You Understanding the types of arrows and their benefits. Choosing the right Archery Arrows Regardless of whether you are using an archery compound bow, archery recurve bow or archer long bow; finding the right archery arrows is an important part of guaranteeing accuracy and enjoying archery. Custom arrows do not cost much more than bargain bin arrows from your local sporting goods store but make all the difference when it comes to accuracy. Especially with modern, hi-tech archery compound bows finding the right arrow for your shooting style and setup is essential to getting the best performance out of you and your archery bow. There are a couple major considerations when buying and customizing arrows. Shaft Material There are four different technologies being used for arrow shafts that are available on the market today. When considering any arrow shaft, there are a couple considerations that must be made. The weight of a modern arrow shaft can vary quite a bit and most archer compound bows require a minimum weight to keep from damaging the bow. The other primary consideration is straightness. As we delve into the specific types, these issues will be discussed. 1. Wood Wood arrow shafts are truly the original. Most of these shafts are made out of a special type of cedar wood known as the Port Orford Cedar. These shafts are known for the incredible straightness, low cost and strength. It is possible to take down big game with a wood shafted arrow. However, they can bend or warp when subjected to heat and humidity. They are still used with archery recurve bows and archery long bows but cannot safely be used with modern, high power, archery compound bows. There are companies that make high tech arrow shafts with a wood finish to let people have the look of wood without any of the downsides. 2. Aluminum Aluminum arrow shafts have been around since the 1940’s and have been incredibly popular since the 1970’s. There are more aluminum arrow shafts sold each year than any other material. They are inexpensive, incredibly strong and extremely straight. In general, they do tend to be a bit on the heavy side but you get strength and well engineered flexibility as a benefit. 3.Carbon Carbon bow shafts had a rocky start but more recent advancements keep having their market share pick up year after year. They are incredibly lightweight, which in general gives faster shots but can be a negative if the chosen archery compound bow has a minimum weight requirement for arrows shot with it. Carbon arrows are incredibly durable and straight and are becoming the go to arrow shaft for hunters. 4.Carbon and Aluminum Hybrids Carbon and Aluminum hybrid arrow shafts are the latest and greatest technology. They offer most of the benefits of both carbon and aluminum with only one trade off which is cost. They are typically smaller in diameter than either carbon or aluminum arrow shafts which gives better penetration for hunting. They are very straight and as durable as aluminum arrows. They come both in aluminum wrapped with carbon fiber as well as carbon fiber covered in aluminum. Proper Length of the arrow When making custom arrows, you can customize the length of the arrow. There is no need to leave the arrows the length the manufacturer made them and have to send all that extra mass down the field. You can get extra speed from archery compound bow rig simply by making sure your arrows are the right length for you. The basic rule of thumb for archery compound bows is that the length of the arrow can be very close to the measured draw length. The length can vary slightly depending on the design of the riser of your archery compound bow as well as the tip you are using. For example, a basic riser requires a bit longer arrow shaft compared to the more modern center-shot cutaway riser. If you use a large broad head tip, there will be clearance issues that will require the archery arrow shaft to be a bit longer. Typical archery arrow shafts are much too long and will have to be trimmed down. It is ok to do this but it is important to use the right type of cutting device for the type of arrow shaft you are trimming. For aluminum arrow shafts, a plumbers tubing cutter or even a hacksaw will work to effectively lop off the inches needed. Remember, as with woodworking, measure twice, cut once! For carbon fiber archer arrow shafts, it is important to use an abrasive high speed wheeled saw. This could even be your high speed rotary tool with a cut off wheel. Arrow Fletching Fletching is the plastic or feathers that stabilize the arrow while it is in flight. They can dramatically affect the flight path of an arrow and should be chosen carefully. Plastic vanes have improved dramatically over the years. They are durable and stable in all weather conditions. The same vanes can stabilize many different types of arrow tips. They are available in a wide variety of styles and lengths to suit any archery need, from big game to target archery competition. They are also available in different weights to help balance out the arrow shaft. Feathers are still in use however and are not only the fletching of choice for traditional archery recurve bows and archery long bows, many compound bow users still use them. The feather offers a couple key advantages over plastic vanes. First of all, they offer more stabilization than a plastic vane and secondly they are more forgiving if you hit the rest prong or the riser shelf during release of the arrow. Plastic vanes can cause the arrow to be more inaccurate in the case of this type of inaccuracy. Their disadvantages are they are not as durable, in general, are a bit noisier in flight and can be affected by wet conditions. |
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