# Basic arrow 101



## born2shoot3

more info on your bow and what you are shooting, draw length and weight.spine means stength of the arrow. the more poundage you shoot the lower the spine you need.


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## bearauto11

I'm new to this, so take it for what it's worth. But, this is what I have gathered from looking at posts here.
Brand is personal choice. Certain people seem to think certain brands are better than others. Different brands have different models. The more expensive the tighter the tolerances for weight and straightness.
Length has to be at least enough to accommodate your draw length and not fall off the rest. If you leave an arrow longer, it will make the spine of the arrow weaker and you can trim it down to get the appropriate spine.
Weight of the arrow helps in determining the energy the arrow flies with. There are recommendations for minimum weights to make sure the limbs on your bow don't vibrate (flex?) too much.
Spine is the amount that an arrow flexes. I believe there are a number of different ways to measure this, but the most common one that I have seen is how much flex an arrow will have at the middle of 28" when a 1.94lb weight is hung from it. So, a 400 spine arrow will flex .400 inches. A 500 spine flexes more and is considered weaker. A 340 spine flexes less and is considered stiffer. A higher poundage bow requires a stiffer arrow.
All the manufacturers make charts that give recommendations for arrow spine for certain poundage bows. From what I have gathered, though, is those charts are a rough starting point and a archer needs to shoot arrows and make their own determinations of what arrow is best for them. This is done through tuning (paper, bareshaft, visual observations, and probably some methods I have missed).
From what I have seen arrows are sized a couple of different ways:
Wood and some carbons use the 6075 or 4060 or other numbers like this. I'm not really sure but from what I understand 6075 means they should be spined for 60-75lb bows. Many of the manufacturers state the actual spine for these arrows also.
Aluminum are sized with a designation like 2117. With aluminums the first two numbers indicate the diameter of the arrow in 64ths (so a 2117 is 21/64" diameter). The last two numbers indicate the aluminum wall thickness in thousandths (a 2117 is .017" wall thickness).
Some carbons and some aluminums (Gamegetters) indicate the actual spine.
Other carbons just have a number that needs a chart to find the spine.
Keep in mind I'm a newb archer, so you may want to double check some of my information.
Good Luck,
--Tom


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## empty hull

Thats great information. I am very new to archery. My bow was bought used a couple weeks ago. It is a Browning and was suppose to be a 2005 model but after looking at pics, the 2002 Mirage 33 looks to be it. Draw length is set at 28" and weight is 65 lbs. Any info will be appreciated. Awesome forum here. Tim


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## kilerhamilton

this is always a interesting topic. imo you want to shoot a safe arrow. so rated spine or stiffer than recommend is better than a too weak of a spine. i draw 70# and 29in draw. i am rated for a 400ed spined arrow. i shoot a 340 because it is heavier and the penetration is better. as long as you shoot it accurately and it is safe. meaning it wont snap during release because the spine is two weak. then your ok. the lighter the arrow the flatter it will shoot for longer, but you are sacrificing KE "penetrating power"


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## CardiacKid74

The carbon express arrows you are shooting is to stiff. Those are a 300 spine arrow and you need a 400 spine for your set-up using 100 or 90 grain points. Your accuracy will improve with the proper arrow. Your bow needs to als obe tuned. How old are the strings and cables?


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## empty hull

Not sure about how old the strings are. I brought it to BPS and they said it was ok and should change the string after this season. I am thinking about using CE Piledriver arrows in 250 with 100 gr points. I think it is around 9.7gpi. Tim


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## empty hull

How do you determine the arrow length itself? Right now my arrows are 25.75" from the insert to the inside of the nock. Tim


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## ajstrider

Arrow length for hunting is not super critical, as long as it keeps the broadhead from clearing the rest and riser shelf if necessary, you are fine. I generally cut my arrows equal to my draw length, maybe up to 1/2" shorter. A note about spine, different manufacturers use different numbers, and each company releases their own chart on their websites so you should do some research there. You are right on the line between the 400/340 spine (those are Easton chart numbers). There are computer programs that do a bunch of complicated math and can tell you the exact spine and length to cut it to be perfect, but for a bowhunter I think that is a tad overkill. 

A little bit on spine here so you understand it's importance. As someone else stated, spine is basically a measurement of how easily the shaft flexes. An arrow must flex when it absorbs the kinetic energy from your bow. If the arrow flexes too much, it can snap in two when you shoot, this where being underspined is dangerous. If the arrow is too stiff and doesn't flex enough, it will have problems absorbing all the energy from your bow and end up leaving some energy from in your bow in your bow in the form of vibrations and such. Going up or down one spine level does not normally cause anything catastrophic.

Arrow weight is a big deal when it comes to calculating the kinetic energy the arrow carries. IBO lists the bare minimum as 5 grains per pound of draw weight for safety reasons. As arrow weight increases, your bow becomes more efficient at transferring energy from the bow to the arrow, thus increasing your kinetic energy as your arrow gets heavier. This holds true up to about an 800 grain arrow from what I understand, though I have never cared to try an 800 grain arrow, that is freaking heavy. Since your bow becomes more efficient at transferring energy to the heavier arrow, that leaves less energy in your bow in the form of noise and vibrations, making your shot quieter and smoother feeling, which is also another added benefit.
The benefit of a lighter arrow is that it has a higher velocity and thus lessens your arrow drop if you make a bad judgement on distance. Arrow weight is your preference though, I hunt whitetails only and like to be around 400 grains myself. Every arrow has a gpi (grains per inch) listed for it which varies with construction, spine, and color , camouflage arrows tend to weigh more due to the coloring I suppose or something, heck if I know. You have add the grains for nock, insert, and vanes too, they add up, and broadhead of course.

Manufacturer preference is also personal. But you pretty much get what you pay for, the more expensive, the tighter tolerances you get on weight, spine, and straightness. I doubt that most people would notice the difference in a $100 per dozen arrows and $200 per dozen arrows as far as straightness goes, I know I can't really tell much in my accuracy.

I don't deal with aluminum arrows at all, so I won't pretend to know much about the numbering on them, but they also have manufacturer's charts for them.

I recommend trying to get 3 of several brands/types of arrows and seeing which ones tend to fly the best out of your bow.

Brand names that I will cut and make for people and trust are (in no particular order) Carbon Express, Easton, Gold Tip and Beman. I haven't tried any others just because I haven't had any requests for them yet.


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## empty hull

That was very good information! I think I am understanding this a little better now. It seems so simple yet complicated. Tim


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## CardiacKid74

I have to disagree. Spine may be even more critical in a hunting rig because your using a broadhead on the arrow that will change flight in a poorly constructed arrow. If you have the wrong spine you will see less accuracy in a walk back tune and will not be able to paper tune properly. Also do not rely on generic charts that manufacturers put out for arrows. Its not accurate for every bow out. 

For instance a Bowtech Destroyer 350 set at 30" Draw and 70 Lbs has an IBO rating of 350 fps. Now if you take an entry level PSE Nova set to the exact same 30" draw and 70 lbs. Its rated at 295 fps.

the PSE needs only a 391 spine where as the Bowtech needs 280/300 spine

Now if you look at an arrow company chart that would tell you both bows need the same spine arrow. 

Whenever I sell an arrow to someone that persons bow information gets entered into my program to give me the right spine and length to make the right spine. Length should never ever be determined by where the rest sits. It should be determined by proper spine for your bow and also allow clearance for broadheads used. 

So whatever you do is up to you but if you want accuracy you will want to have the right spince and a tuned bow.


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## CardiacKid74

For your setup I can get you into V-Force 400 fletched with blazer vanes cut to 27.5". Not sure how your using 25.75" arrows with a 28" draw unless the bow has an overdraw on it..

Victory arrows are +/- a half grain per dozen. They come in 3 straightness V1 is +/- .001 V3 is +/-.003 and V6 is +/- .006

Theses run 
V1 105.00
V3 85.00
V6 65.00

Thats cut, squared, inserts installed, nocks installed, fletched and shipped to your door.

The CE Piledrivers are +/-.005 and +/- 1 grain per dozen. Will be to weak for your bow and cost 100.00 a dozen! Just offering my service and I can save you money. The V3's are a really great hunting arrow. Are straighter than the CE's and have a closer weight tolerance. Plus I will get you the right spine.


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