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Home » Learn to Hunt » How to choose your arrows. But, even with that, the choice often comes down to the preferences of the archer themselves. Table of Contents. Parts of an arrow Shaft The shaft is the length of the arrow, which can be made of a few different materials. Each material can be used for a different purpose and will behave differently. Arrow Head This is the point at the end of the shaft that penetrates into the target or animal first.
It usually screws on to the front of the shaft. Each different point or arrow head will have a different use we will discuss this further on in the article. The Fletching Located at the back end of the arrow, fletching consists of three sometimes four pieces called vanes. These can be made of plastic or feathers.
Often two of the vanes will be the same colour and the third will be a different colour to indicate it being the index vane. The Nock Right at the end of the shaft, the nock is a slotted bit of plastic that inserts inside the back of the shaft. Most Common Arrow Heads and their uses Bullet Points As the name suggests, this point is shaped like a bullet and is most commonly used for target practice. The curved sides of the point make it easier to remove from targets.
Field Tips One of the most commonly used target arrows, they are sharper than the bullet points and curve inwards toward the middle of the arrow. In addition to target practice, field tips can also be used for smaller game like rabbits and birds. Blunt Tips Usually cylindrical with a flat tip, blunt tips use blunt force to take down small game as opposed to penetration.
Fish Points As the name implies, fish points are often used for bow fishing. The barbed point, which is sometimes spring loaded, secures the fish until you can land it or bring it onto the boat. Judo Points These arrow heads have a blunt or flat tip, which grabs onto anything they hit and will stick straight up.
Broadheads If you intend to hunt bigger game animals, you are going to need broadheads. They are very sharp — like a razor blade — and lined with blades. There are a few different types of broadheads you can get.
Before shooting, the tip will look similar to a field tip with the blades folded down but, upon hitting an animal, the blades spring open, creating a large, cutting surface area. There is some speculation on whether these fly more accurately because they are more like a field tip with less wind resistance.
It will have a fixed blade at the front and a mechanical blade folded behind this. Like the normal mechanical it will open up upon hitting the animal. Factors to consider when selecting arrows Now that you know the parts of your arrow, you need to know more about the features of your arrow. Length Arrow length is determined by your draw length as your arrow needs to be longer than your draw length Read our article on starting out bow hunting to find out how to measure your draw length.
If your arrow length is too short, the arrow can fall off the arrow rest and shoot you in the hand. If your arrow length is too long, it can fly awkwardly. A good guide is inches longer than your draw. Spine The spine of an arrow is pretty much its bendability. Like many things to do with bow hunting, the explanation on how to choose your spine is quite in-depth.
With me so far? But what happens then is that the arrow shaft is now slightly off centre. This applies mostly for trad bows, as compound bows usually have a bend in the riser that lets the arrow sit almost perfectly straight. Things you should know about spine: — All of your arrows need to have the same spine. A unique type of arrow head, the Judo arrow heads are made for shooting out in the wild. The purpose of the Judo heads is that they grab on to anything that they hit — which makes your arrow far easier to find in the woods.
Unlike normal arrow heads that will just stick into trees or get covered under grass and brush, Judo heads will keep your arrows clearly visible. Only used exclusively in bowfishing, bowfishing points are made to be shot downward. Use this as a number to start out with, you may or may not want to change this as you become more comfortable shooting your bow.
Most archers are shooting lighter arrows these days for a variety of reasons. Lighter arrows will generally shoot faster and more accurately than their heavier counterparts. Heavier arrows tend to be used more for hunting. They have more impact and can shoot straighter with some bows. Heavier arrows have more momentum to penetrate the target, and actually cause less wear and tear on the bow itself.
They also make both the bow and the arrow shoot much quieter than lighter weight arrows. And because of their heavier weight, heavier arrows maintain better velocity than standard arrows. Traditional Arrows Traditional wooden arrows are mainly used by archers that are shooting traditional archery, of course. Flu-Flu Arrows Somewhat of a specialty arrow, flu-flu arrows are made for hunting small game and birds. Fiberglass Arrows Fiberglass arrows are cheap and can be bought in a variety of different draw lengths.
Carbon Arrows Carbon arrows are lightweight and fast, making them a great choice for some archers. Traditional Wooden Arrows Used by archers for the past few thousand years, traditional wooden arrows are the only real choice for the traditional archer.
Arrow Heads Arrow heads or points are the piercing point on the dangerous end of the arrow. Bullet points are also great for all around shooting and practice shooting. Field Points Field points sometimes also called combination points are similar to bullet points, but are shaped somewhat differently.
Broadheads Broadheads are designed for hunting, nothing else. Broadheads should always be handled carefully, as they are usually sold and kept razor sharp. Blunt Points Just like the name implies, blunt points are simply blunt arrow heads that are made for hunting small animals.
Grabbing Judo Brand Points A unique type of arrow head, the Judo arrow heads are made for shooting out in the wild. They can get a bit pricey, and are currently sold in packs of two. Bowfishing Spear Points Only used exclusively in bowfishing, bowfishing points are made to be shot downward. Related posts:. Should You Buy a Used Bow? Read This First! Should I Buy a Bow or a Crossbow? This site uses cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience possible. Fixed blade broadheads have greater surface area and more weight.
Smaller fletching works better with mechanical and small fixed blade broadheads. The heavier the broadhead, the larger the fletching. The biggest key to purchasing field tips is shooting the same grain as your broadheads. Also, make sure that you shoot the same arrow and the same setup during practice. Doing this will improve your odds of executing the shot when it matters the most.
Having a strong understanding of your archery setup and your goals can not only improve your accuracy but completely modify your shooting experience. It will change the way you make purchases. However, now that you know what to look for when purchasing your arrow equipment, you can make the best possible purchase for your performance and your wallet. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
Hunting Arrow Basics An arrow has four main parts: a nock, fletching, a shaft, and a tip. Draw Weight The next important factor to consider is draw weight. Photo: Flatline Whitetails Hunting Arrow Length Many people will use their draw length as a standard for their arrow length. Hunting Arrow Weight As a general rule of thumb, medium to heavy weighted arrows serve hunters better for two main reasons.
A heavier arrow will penetrate the deer better Heavier arrows reduce noise and vibration However, many archers still choose to shoot lighter arrows because they are faster. Lighter arrows are sufficient for competition Heavier arrows are better for hunting Hunters should use between 6 to 8 grain per pound of draw weight Never shoot an arrow lighter than 5-grains per pound of draw weight.
Arrow Spine Rating The spine rating could be considered the most important aspect of an arrow. Arrow Fletching There are three common types of vane lengths. Here are the biggest considerations: A longer vane allows greater broadhead stabilization. A shorter vane is more forgiving in the wind. Longer vanes work better with large, fixed blade broadheads. Mechanical broadheads will allow you to shoot nearly any vanes. There are three standards: Straight A straight position allows for an arrow to have the least resistance during flight.
Helical The helical position is the most forgiving. Offset An offset is a mix of the two. You can read reviews from people who've already purchased the arrows, and you can ask questions, as well, and find out if an arrow is the right size and type for you.
You can always go to a pro shop or archery store and ask specific questions to a trained professional. There are a lot of pro shop workers who don't know their head from a hole in the ground, but there are also a lot of pro shop workers who are highly trained and really know what they're talking about. Can't hurt to go and ask questions! Here are some "Buying Guide"-style tips that we couldn't figure out how to add to the other sections:.
There are a LOT of arrows for hunters to choose from, and the longer we're in archery, the more we realize that it's the hunters who truly keep the archery industry afloat. There are a lot of happy target archers out there, but there are a LOT of happy hunters out there. We've published a lot of different posts where we give in-depth reviews of arrows, but here's a quick rundown of our favorites. Please note the following links are affiliate links :. They're offered in a range of spines for bows with draw weights from 40 pounds all the way up to 92 pounds which is not too common—that's pretty darn heavy , and they're designed for use with a range of broadheads.
Our all-time favorite arrow for target shooting is the Easton Genesis V2 Arrow. That's pretty good for session arrows, and they're also great for younger archers—the only arrow that the NASP the National Archery in Schools Program allows at competitions. Easton makes a lot—a lot a lot—of archery products, and we've used a lot of it over the years, and we've almost always been pleased with their products. There are fancier arrows out there—and we've discussed those in other posts—but these are our go-to target arrows.
That's because it's wildly confusing. Honestly, it really is. It takes a little while to figure all this out, but eventually—honestly, we promise—eventually it'll all start to make sense. If you've come away from this post and you have developed only a small inkling of how to choose an arrow, we've done a great job! Table of Contents Parts of an Arrow. A Note About These Materials How to Read Arrow Measurements. Measurements for Wood Arrows. Measurements for Aluminum Arrows.
Measurements for Carbon Arrows. Go to An Online Retailer. Buying Guide: Tips and Considerations. Some Arrow-Selecting Tips for Hunters. Arrows Are Really, Really Important.
Parts of an Arrow First things first: the actual parts of an arrow. You've got:. The Shaft. This is the length of the arrow, and they're made from different types of materials—usually wood, aluminum, carbon, or an aluminum-carbon mix—and each material behaves differently and is used for different purposes more on that below ; The Arrow Head aka "Points".
This is the sharp point at the end of the arrow. There are different types, which we describe below; The Fletching. These are the three vanes at the back of the arrow, and they're usually made of feathers or plastic. Very often, two of the vanes are one color, and the third vane is a different color; the vane of a different color is called the "index vane"; and finally The Nock. This is the slotted tip at the back end of the arrow. It's usually plastic, and it fits snugly on the bow string, at a strategic place called the "nocking point.
Bullet points are moderately sharp, and these are commonly used for target practice at archery ranges or for hunting small game; Field points are sharper than bullet points, and are also used for target practice and hunting small game; Blunt points have a flat tip and are used solely for small game—they kill the animal with blunt force, instead of through penetration; Judo points are a blunt or flat arrow used for small game, and have "legs" on them that clasp onto whatever they hit, to keep them from getting lost on the hunt; and Broadheads are VERY sharp—they're lined with razor blades—and these are specifically designed for hunting.
Spine You wouldn't believe it, but your arrow wiggles like a snake when it is shot. The Weight of the Bow. If you're using a bow with a very high draw weight, you're generally going to want to use a stiffer arrow, and if you're using a bow with a low draw weight, you can use a weaker arrow. Try to close your eyes and imagine it—if you were to use a high-poundage bow and shoot a very weak arrow, the arrow would wiggle like crazy and shoot inaccurately and be pretty dangerous to you when you're shooting it.
If you were to use a low-poundage bow and shoot a very stiff arrow, the arrow wouldn't bend very much, and it wouldn't go very far. The Length of the Arrow.
The longer an arrow gets, the stiffer it's going to need to be. Imagine you have a wooden pointer—the kind that teachers used to use when they pointed at a chalk board. If that wooden point was three feet long, it probably wouldn't bend if you held it up. Now imagine that it's feet long—it's much easier to imagine it bending if you held it. Length of the arrow has a strong correlation to how bendable it is.
The Weight of the Point on the End of the Arrow. This is kind of fascinating. The weight of the tip of your arrow has a lot to do with how much your arrow bends. Imagine it like this: you're holding one of those styrofoam pool noodles, and you use it to push over a paper cup that's half-full of water.
The cup would fall over, right? Now imagine you're using that same pool noodle, but this time you're trying to push a bowling ball. That bowling ball isn't going anywhere, and your pool noodle is going to bend.
The same concept goes for the point on your arrow. This is actually a really important part of an arrow purchase—especially if you're a hunter and you've put a heavy broadhead on the end of your arrow—and we discuss it further in one of the sections below. The Material and Size of the Arrow. We talk about this more in the "Materials" section, so we won't get into it here, but the material that the arrow is made of—wood, aluminum, or carbon—affects the spine of the arrow.
Stiffer arrows are needed on compound bows that have more aggressive cams, because aggressive cams put a lot of force on an arrow. You need to shot arrows that have the same spine. This is very important—it doesn't matter how good you are, and how much you've mastered your form—if the spines on your arrows are not identical, you will not get good groupings. Variation in spine affects your performance—even when you're using the same arrows. In other words, you can buy the same brand of arrows with the same spine, but because no two arrows are exactly similar, there will be slight variations between arrows, and that can affect your performance.
Arrow manufacturers have done a good job in minimizing deviations, but they still exist.
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