What's in an Arrow?

As I find myself mired in the dog days of summer, I continue to make preparations for the up coming archery season. One of the most critical component for your bow hunting equipment is your hunting arrow. When I first started in archery, I used one style of arrow for everything. That worked great for a season or two, but the more you know, the more you think you can improve. If you ask 50 people about arrows, you might get 50 different answers. I will try to explain what I look for in a 3D arrow, as opposed to my hunting arrows. I have shot Gold Tip, Black Eagle, Beman, and Easton Arrows. Based on my results in the field and on the course, I only shoot Easton arrows. Their product line up and down has something for every application, in everybody's budget.

Every manufacturer will give you a chart of some sort to aid in your arrow size selection. You will need to know your draw length and draw weight. Some other variables include brace height, release method, and ATA velosity rating of your bow. This will determine your spine, which is your arrow stiffness. I shoot 400's for both 3D and hunting.  

Easton Lightspeed

When I am putting together an arrow for 3D archery, the main thing I look for is speed. I want a fast arrow, with a decent diameter. A fast arrow is a light arrow. Arrows are measured in grains, and the bare arrow shafts will be labeled GPI, grains per inch. When you cut the shaft to your size, you multiply the length by GPI to get your weight. Everything else you add onto your bare shaft will add weight; inserts, tip, vains or fletchings, nocks, bushings, ect. I shot Easton Lightspeed arrows last season. At 7.4 GPI, and 28.75 inches, my shafts alone weigh 213 grains. After all the necessary components, they weighed in at 344 grains. You can pick up a cheap postage scale for less than $20 and it will help you out immensely when building your arrows. The diameter of the shaft is important because the larger the arrow, the more line cutting ability it has. One season I used a micro diameter shaft and left countless points on the table. Most of my shooting is outdoors, so I steer clear of the large "broom stick" shafts used in spot shoots. When shooting outside, you also have to contend with the elements. A 35 MPH cross wind will make any shot more challenging, but using a large diameter shaft will make it next to impossible. 

Easton Hexx

When I am building my hunting arrows, the main thing I care about is kinetic energy. This is how much power your archery set up produces. In regards to the arrow, its the mass of the arrow and the speed of the arrow. Simply put, a light arrow will have less kinetic energy than a heavier arrow. Less kinetic energy means less penetration, which in turn means less success in the field. We as hunters owe it to our quarry to ensure a quick, clean kill. For years I hunted with Easton Axis. At 9.0 GPI, my arrows weighed in at 402 grains. For this season, I built a dozen Easton Hexx. The Hexx is a fast arrow, at only 7,2 grains per inch. To achieve the desired weight, I installed a 50 grain brass insert to give me a finishing weight of 396 grains. A sign of a quality arrow is consistency. 11 out of my 12 arrows weigh 396 grains, with the other on weighing 395 grains. 

The finishing touch on my arrows is the fletching. I use 2" Blazer Vanes for both my hunting and 3D arrows. The thought being that the smaller vanes enable the arrow to achieve a flat line of flight quicker. I have also found that since I use mechanical broadheads, the Blazer Vanes make my arrows easier to broadhead tune. The nice part of fletching your own arrows is the countless options of colors and styles that enable you to truly customize your arrow.            

Now that my hunting arrows are built and ready to sling, I can spend the rest of my summer fine tuning my bow. Paper Tuning, French Tuning, and Walk Back Tuning are all methods that will ensure you and your equipment are dialed in. Next time when you reach into your quiver, take a second to think about what you are reaching for. Is your arrow tailor made for what you are using it for? Or, is it just an arrow. Chances are if you answered the later, you are not getting the most out of your archery experience. Take some time and build the arrow thats right for you, I promise it will make a difference when you need that 11 ring, or that stud buck makes a daylight appearance.