Compare arrow shafts side by side

How much do hunting shafts at the same spine differ once they're built?

Built to the same 28.5-inch arrow with a 100-grain point, the 42 hunting shafts in the library with a published 300-spine GPI finish between 348 and 511 grains. Weight per inch drives that 163-grain spread, and because the front end stays the same, the lighter shafts also carry more FOC: 13.2% on the Victory RIP XV Elite V1 build against 9.0% on the Carbon Express D-Stroyer PileDriver. Load your own cut length and components into the engine above to get the numbers for your arrow.

Inputs for every row: 28.5″ cut length, 100 gr field point, 16 gr insert, 9 gr nock, three 7 gr vanes. GPI and OD are each maker's published figure for the 300 size. Finished weight and FOC come from the same balance-point model as the FOC & Balance Point Optimizer. "n/p" means the maker doesn't publish that number for this size.

Why does the engine split bowhunting and target shafts?

Because the two groups get bought on different numbers. A bowhunter usually starts from weight per inch, since it sets finished weight and with it the momentum and energy a broadhead carries, and then checks the inside diameter, because the .166″ and .204″ families take different inserts, outserts and broadhead adapters. You'll find the full fitment picture in the nock and insert fitment finder.

Target archers read outside diameter as a spec on its own. Indoor line-cutters like the Victory V-TAC 23 run a .350″ OD on purpose, and Victory says it sized that shaft with World Archery rules in mind. Target lines also cover far wider spine runs: the Easton X10 entry goes from 325 to 1000. Keep target shafts with target shafts when you can. The engine flags any comparison that mixes the two, because its default build parts are hunting parts.

Which shaft lines are in the library right now?

The table below is generated from the same file the engine reads, so it always matches what you can drag into the tray. "Partial" marks a line whose spec sheet lists more sizes than the entry carries so far.

Where do the engine's numbers come from?

The engine doesn't recommend a spine or rank shafts against your bow. That's the Arrow Shaft Finder's job: it takes your draw weight, cam and front weight and returns the spines that fit. The Compare Engine starts once you know what you're looking at, and only lines up what the makers publish.

Each spec traces to the manufacturer's page for that exact spine size. When the maker's page doesn't show a figure, I use an authorized retailer's listing and name it under the comparison, so you can see which number came from where. Hunting shafts share one data file with the finder and the hunting arrow roundup, so a correction in one place reaches all three pages.

Blanks are deliberate. Victory doesn't list a per-spine outside diameter for the VAP, RIP XV or VForce on the pages I read, and I won't fill that gap with an estimate. Neither will the engine.

The next layer is shooters' own measurements. Forum regulars weigh shafts on reloading scales and post the results; one Rokslide member wrote that his 400-spine 4mm Axis shafts measured "right at 7.8 GPI" against an advertised 7.4. Reports like that will sit next to the maker's number, credited and linked, and never get blended into it.

If a number here doesn't match the spec sheet or the shaft in your hands, send me the line, the spine size and a link or photo and I'll check it against the source.

Arrow Comparison Engine questions

Is the Arrow Comparison Engine free?

Yes. There's no account and no sign-up. A comparison lives in the page link, so you can copy it and send the exact same table to a hunting partner or your pro shop.

Why do some cells say "not published"?

The maker doesn't list that number for that spine size on the page the entry was built from. The engine leaves it blank instead of guessing, and it skips the build rows for any shaft without a published GPI.

Does a lower GPI mean a better arrow?

No. Lighter shafts build faster, flatter arrows; heavier ones build arrows with more momentum and, with the same front end, less FOC. The table tags values as lightest or heaviest, thinnest or thickest, and leaves the call to you and your setup.

Can I compare more than four shafts?

Four at a time keeps the table readable on a phone. Drag a shaft out of the tray, or tap its × and add the next one; the share link updates as you go.