# Does smaller arrows really help



## zmanastronomy (Jan 29, 2013)

I'm shooting a lot of 900 rounds lately.
My best score to date is a 875.
My question is, if I go to a small diameter arrow, will it help my scores ?

Right now I shoot a standard size arrow with blazer veins.
Several other archers have mentioned I should try the ACC's or the Deep Impacts with smaller veins.

Thing is, I usually beat these same fellows at the shoots.

What has been your experience with going to smaller arrows ?

Thanks in advance.


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## giltyone (Nov 9, 2009)

zmanastronomy said:


> I'm shooting a lot of 900 rounds lately.
> My best score to date is a 875.
> My question is, if I go to a small diameter arrow, will it help my scores ?
> 
> ...


Personally, I have gone to Carbon One's in the proper spine for my setup and I have found that it has greatly improved my scores at the longer distances. Especially at distances beyond 60meters.


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## grantmac (May 31, 2007)

Depends on how windy your location is, also how good the group who is sharing your bale is (a bale packed tight with arrows can cause glance-outs).
ACCs are not really any slimmer than a standard carbon unless you are shooting a fairly light spine.

Honestly until you are shooting 890+ in practice on a bale by yourself there isn't any reason to shoot a skinny arrow. Unless it's very windy where you are.
If wind is a factor then something like a Victory VAP with very small vanes and a heavy point will work nicely.

-Grant


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## zmanastronomy (Jan 29, 2013)

Thank you to both commenters for your help.

I'm shooting Victory HV 400 V3's. They are 6.4 GPI, very light. I'm using 85gr tips and Blazer veins. 
Should I go to a 100gr tip and Blazer X2 veins, or am I reading too much into it.

Wind is unpredictable here in Florida. I guess I should work on the Indian right now and worry about the other later.
881 in practice is my best, and thought the smaller arrows might gain me a couple of points.


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## ccwilder3 (Sep 13, 2003)

If the wind is not a factor, the larger arrow may pick up a few lines that the skinnies miss.


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## OhWell (Aug 21, 2013)

If you don't mind I would like to share a story that addresses both the line cutting issue and another factor not mentioned.

My first NFAA Indoor Nationals was quickly approaching. I had been shooting very skinny arrows (.213 OD) and shooting them extremely well. A fellow shooter who shot for another company and was well respected kept pushing me to shoot fatter arrows for the line cutting characteristics. Well, about 10 days before Nationals I switched to a fat shaft. They shot well but I didn't see a change in my scores. With this being my first nationals I was very Nervous and had trouble keeping the fat shafts on my launcher blade. I ended up shooting a 598 for the weekend. Prior to that event it had been a long time since I shot anything other than a 300.

The other side of the coin for me comes from Harvey Penick a legendary golf instructor. He was never a fan of the over sized heads being used on the drivers. He felt it is very hard to hit the ball precisely with something so large. He often equated it to hitting a nail with sledge hammer. He also pointed to the over sized tennis racquets and how they offer more forgiveness but less control.

For me target shooting is all about precision and imagery. It is much easier for me to picture my skinny arrows going into the tiny circle than a fat shaft. I never think of catching a line I always use the image of staying inside the line. I believe we can all agree that this game is 75% or more mental and if we can focus our minds with pin point accuracy we will shoot better scores.

Skinny arrows (Nano's these days) help me focus my mind even more sharply because I know they have a better chance of staying inside the smallest ring on your target.

The other issue is forgiveness of yardage. Smaller OD means less drag and less drag means more speed. More speed means a flatter trajectory. With a flatter trajectory you will score better if you are off my a yard or two. For example, I am shooting 49lbs and getting 280.5fps. This means I can be off my a little bit on my yardage and still score well. We all know yardages can be off slightly from time to time on a course so this could mean the difference between shooting well and winning the whole thing.

Don't make the mistake I did and chase a maybe, catching a line. Go with the known factor, your focus and confidence. If you think a thin arrow will fly better and help you score better it will.


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## zmanastronomy (Jan 29, 2013)

Well, I just shot a 590 on a 600 round today with my standard sized arrows and blazer veins.
Wind was calm and I had a good warm up round. My best so far.


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## archerpap (Apr 24, 2006)

If you shoot with 4 on a bale, you may have less damage with smaller arrows. Our state shoot about 2 years ago, our 900 round bale had 2/893's, 895 and a 896. We trashed X10 pro tours that shoot, so anything lager would have been history. I believe 2 of us were shooting X10's, 1 Nano. the other an ACC(not 100% sure on the other shaft). Problem with small shafts is you can lose points just on the diameter. When I was shooting ACC's a few years ago, I was low to mid 50's shooter in field/hunter rounds. When I made the switch to X10's, I dropped to high 40's to low 50's. Practice with them will get ya back, as now I'm mid to upper 50's shooter, but spent a lot of time on the ranges!!


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## Brown Hornet (Aug 8, 2002)

Like others have stated or talked about. Smaller arrows don't really gain you points....but they do not loose you points like fatter shafts do from kiss outs and wind drift and you won't loose as many to damage. 

I remember shooting a local FITA event one weekend...on my bale there were 4 of us. I was shooting Nanos as was VaVince, Braden G was shooting X10s and the other guy was shooting ACCs. The wind was ridiculous that day....but the guy shooting ACCs who was a better shooter then I was finished in 4th behind Braden, Vince and myself because of how much his arrows were drifting in the wind. It was kind of swirling and changing direction. At one point the wind shifted from left to right and begin blowing hard the other direction. Braden, Vince and I went from middle right of the ten to the left edge with our X10/Nanos...the guy shooting ACCs had to adjust his sight so much at 70m to stay in that when the wind shifted he was hanging in the 9/8 range while Vince and I were still in the 10/9 area. Braden of course stayed in the 10 lol

If all is calm....and I'm practicing or shooting by myself or just with one other person then my scores with ACC or standard size carbons are the same with skinny shafts...throw others in the mix and I score better with skinnies because they don't deflect as bad and I don't loose shafts to damage. 

Yes the fatter ones are $50-150 cheaper.....but I have had the same Nanos for a very long time.


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## kkromer (Sep 14, 2004)

Hornet's right. If you're shooting 590 type scores any time you've got wind you're going to see less of a decrease in score. I've done a lot of testing for 3-d with really fat arrows and thinner shafts - Carbon one, ACC's and x10's and you'd be amazed at what a 5-10 MPH steady wind does to really fat arrows vs. those skinny ones. I know that's not the same game, but I'll say this I always have one skinny arrow bow and one fat arrow bow set up and if the wind is over 5 MPH steady while I'm in the open, or 10 if I'm in the woods for 3-d I shoot the skinny arrow every time. Anytime I'm shooting anything over 50 yards I'm shooting a skinny arrow, period... x10s, carbon ones etc. They are more expensive, but if you take care of them they last. I've had the same dozen x10s for 3 years and have only refletched, replaced nocks and pins.


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## SonnyThomas (Sep 10, 2006)

I've shot CXLs for both Outdoor and Field and did pretty well. I've thought of the Nanos, just never made the switch and probably won't. I two bounce outs, one in Field and one in Outdoor. Didn't effect the score because bounce outs are allowed re-shot. Sure makes a funny sound, them bounce outs on the big round outdoor targets. ???? Last time I shot Outdoor, this fellow Senior was using them tiny Nanos with them really high priced points (say EXPENSIVE) and he beat himself with his last shot, missed, gave me 3rd place. We used pocket knives and screw drivers to dig his high cost point out of the target butt


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