Gear & Guides · Pillar one

Arrows

Shaft material, spine, weight and what actually flies straight out of your bow.

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Ten arrows in a row, from wood-and-feather to carbon target and hunting shafts

Types of Arrows

The five shaft families and which bow each one belongs on.

A dozen carbon hunting arrows with white and orange vanes, fanned out

Best Arrows

How to actually pick a shaft instead of buying by brand.

Diagram comparing AMO draw length, carbon-to-carbon cut length and total arrow length on an arrow shaft

Arrow Length vs Draw Length

AMO measurement, safe clearance and how trimming shaft length changes spine, KE and FOC.

A recurve archer at full draw in competition, bow arm extended toward the target

Arrow Weight vs Speed

The 5-grain speed-loss rule, verified KE/momentum math and a benchmark table from 350 to 650 grains.

A carbon shaft with a yellow vane above an aluminium shaft with red and yellow vanes

Carbon vs Aluminum Arrows

Cost, durability and tune-ability, decided by how you shoot.

Two hunting shafts nock to nock, one green-vaned and one blue-vaned, lit against black

Easton Axis vs FMJ

Two hunting shafts, one micro-diameter question: penetration or toughness?

Split comparison illustration of a fixed blade broadhead and a mechanical broadhead, each mounted on an arrow shaft

Mechanical vs. Fixed Broadheads

Kinetic energy, momentum and failure-mode data behind the pick.

A fletching bench with insert glues, epoxy, a jig and shaft squares

Best Glue for Arrow Inserts

Epoxy, hot-melt or superglue — matched to shaft and temperature.

A compound bow with two fletched carbon arrows on a dark wood surface

How to Cut Carbon Arrows

The Easton-standard tool, cut method and insert glue that keep the shaft intact.

A row of fletched carbon arrow shafts lined up on a wood surface, ready for spine matching

Arrow Shaft Selector

Dynamic spine physics, a 2026 brand tolerance matrix and the paper-tune fixes that catch a bad match.

HHA Optimizer Lite sight mounted on a compound bow riser, showing the pre-printed setup tape with yardage marks

HHA Optimizer Lite Sight Tapes

The 20-to-60 yard method explained, a free scale-differential calculator, and where to buy the real tape.

How to actually choose a shaft

Spine is the number that decides whether an arrow flies straight, and it's the one people skip. A shaft that's too stiff or too weak for your draw weight, arrow length and point weight won't recover cleanly off the rest — you'll see it in a wide group at the target long before you see it in your form. Start from the manufacturer's spine chart for your setup, then confirm it by paper tuning the finished arrows.

Weight is a trade-off, not a single right answer. Heavier shafts carry more kinetic energy and momentum downrange — the numbers that matter for penetration on game — but they cost you speed and a flatter trajectory. Total arrow weight, front-of-center balance and the point you pair it with all move together, so the five guides below work through shaft material, spine, FOC and glue one piece at a time instead of treating "best arrow" as one product.