Arrows & Points

Arrows & Shafts

Arrows matter as much as the bow. Learn how to read a spine chart, choose arrow length and point weight, understand carbon, aluminium and composite shafts, and set up nocks and fletching for consistent flight.

Bundle of arrows with bright fletchings in front of an indoor archery range — Photo: Martin Michlmayr

Arrows & Shafts articles (28)

Two target faces: broadheads grouping away from field points before tuning, and both grouping together after tuning

Training

Field Points vs Broadheads: Why Impact Changes

Why broadheads hit differently from field points, and how to fix it: paper tuning, spin-testing, micro-tuning the rest at 30 yards, FOC and re-sighting.

October 14, 2026 · 9 min read

Labelled diagram of a crossbow bolt showing the point, insert, shaft, vanes, index vane and nock, with typical length

Gear

Crossbow Bolts Explained: Length, Weight, Nocks

Crossbow bolts explained: carbon vs aluminium, length, minimum weight, front-of-centre balance, nock types, lighted nocks, inspection and how to choose.

October 13, 2026 · 10 min read

Archery shop wall lined with compound and recurve bows, arrows and accessories

Guides

Archery Equipment List: What Beginners Really Need

A beginner archery equipment list by discipline: what you need for recurve, barebow, compound, traditional and bowhunting, what can wait, and what to skip.

October 10, 2026 · 11 min read

Compound bow standing upright with a sight, arrow rest and stabilizer fitted to the riser

Training

Paper Tuning a Bow: How to Read Tears and Fix Them

How to paper tune a bow: what it shows, frame setup, reading nock-high, low, left and right tears, the order of fixes, and when to see a pro shop.

October 8, 2026 · 10 min read

Simplified diagram of four bowfishing points, a carp point with a six-sided tip, a gar point with a sharper three-sided tip, a four-barb point whose barbs fold on the shot, and a big game point with line tied to the point and a ring, above a complete fibreglass fish arrow showing the nock, cross-hole, safety slide, shaft with no vanes and barbed point

Gear

Bowfishing Arrows and Points Explained

What are bowfishing arrows made of? Mostly fiberglass, with barbed points, a safety slide or ring for the line and no vanes. What makers list, and why.

August 6, 2026 · 5 min read

Simplified diagram of two lighted nock designs: a contact nock that stays off with a small gap and lights when the string drives it fully against the shaft end, and a string-activated switch nock with a piston, beside maker-listed weights of 15 to 34 grains and a pre-hunt checklist

Gear

Lighted Nocks: How They Work and Where They're Legal

Crossbow lighted nocks and lighted nocks for arrows: how they switch on, what they weigh, why to re-check your sight, and where they're legal.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 5 min read

Simplified diagram comparing right helical fletching, which uses right-wing feathers in a right helical clamp and spins the arrow clockwise seen from the nock end, with left helical, which uses left-wing feathers in a left helical clamp and spins it anticlockwise, plus four rules: match wing to clamp, never mix directions in a set, either direction works, and use a small consistent amount of helical

Guides

Left vs Right Helical Fletching: Does It Matter?

Left vs right helical fletching explained: left-wing and right-wing feathers, matching your fletching jig clamp, and why consistency matters most.

May 26, 2026 · 5 min read

Close-up of four wooden arrows with orange, blue and black feather fletching and coloured thread bindings at the front of the feathers

Training

How to Straighten Crushed Feather Fletching

How to straighten arrow fletchings: the steam-and-finger method a feather maker recommends, how to avoid scalds, when to re-fletch, and how to store arrows.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 5 min read

Fan of archery fletching feathers in different sizes and colours

Comparisons

Feathers vs Vanes: Which Arrow Fletching Should You Use?

Feathers vs vanes compared: weight, forgiveness off the shelf, speed, drag, weather, durability, noise, rests, broadheads and which fletching suits your bow.

Updated September 30, 2026 · 5 min read

Simplified diagram of spin vanes: an end view comparing flat standard vanes with strongly curled spin vanes, a side view of a curled vane pressed onto double-sided fletching tape on the shaft, and five fitting steps from World Archery's guide: clean, mark three lines, tape and press, wrap lining tape over the vane ends, shoot with no glue to cure

Gear

Spin Vanes Explained: Curled Vanes for Target Arrows

Spin vanes explained: what curled spin wing vanes do, why recurve target archers use them, rest clearance, and why they're taped on rather than glued in a jig.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 4 min read

Close-up of carbon arrows with fletching stuck in a straw target boss

Comparisons

Carbon vs Aluminium Arrows: Which Should You Shoot?

Carbon vs aluminium arrows compared: weight, stiffness, durability, straightness, consistency, safety checks, cost and which suits target, hunting or youth.

Updated May 14, 2026 · 7 min read

Table from Easton's target arrow chart for recurve bows of 27 to 47 lb and arrow lengths of 26 to 30 inches, highlighting a 640 to 570 spine range for 40 to 43 lb at 28 inches, with the chart's limb and point weight adjustments

Guides

Arrow Spine for 30–45 lb Recurve Bows

Arrow spine for 40 lb, 35 lb and 45 lb recurves: starting ranges read from Easton's target chart, the inputs that shift them, and the bare-shaft check.

January 8, 2026 · 5 min read

Simplified cut-away diagram comparing a glue-on broadhead seated on a five-degree tapered wooden shaft with heated ferrule cement, and a screw-in broadhead threaded into an insert glued inside a carbon shaft with an optional adapter ring, plus a reminder to spin-test every arrow

Gear

Glue-On vs Screw-In Broadheads

Glue-on vs screw-in broadheads: how glue on broadheads fit tapered wood arrows, how screw-ins use inserts, hot-melt safety, carbon cautions and spin testing.

December 2, 2025 · 5 min read

Diagram comparing a fiberglass youth arrow with vanes and a thicker fiberglass bowfishing arrow with a barbed point and line slide

Gear

Fiberglass Arrows: Who Should Use Them?

Carbon arrows vs fiberglass: why fiberglass arrows suit kids' sets, camps and bowfishing rather than target or hunting, and how to inspect them safely.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 4 min read

An eastern cottontail rabbit feeding in grass at the edge of a wood

Gear

Small Game Bowhunting: Judo Points and Blunts

Arrows for squirrel and rabbit hunting: why field points skip and bury, how Judo points, blunts and small-game heads differ, and what to check on legality.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 5 min read

A ruffed grouse standing on bare sandy ground scattered with twigs

Gear

Flu-Flu Arrows for Bird Hunting: How They Work

Arrows for grouse and other birds: how flu-flu fletching slows an arrow, spiral vs multi-feather builds, points for birds, and the legal checks to make first.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 5 min read

A wooden arrow shaft with a tapered end beside a metal glue-on arrow point

Gear

Wood Arrows: Pros, Cons and Who Shoots Them

Carbon arrows vs wood arrows: what cedar and other wooden arrows do well, where spine and weight vary, how to inspect them, and who should shoot them.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 5 min read

A bowhunter in camouflage holding a compound bow fitted with sight and quiver

Comparisons

Fixed-Blade vs Mechanical Broadheads: Pros, Cons and Rules

Fixed-blade vs mechanical broadheads compared: flight, tuning, cutting diameter, energy needs, durability, hybrid designs, regulations and which suits your bow.

Updated October 9, 2026 · 6 min read

Archers walking a 3D field course toward a foam bison target in an alpine meadow

Reviews

Gold Tip Hunter XT Arrows Review: A Workhorse Hunting Shaft Explained

Research-based Gold Tip Hunter XT review: ±.003 in straightness, .246 in bore, spines 250 to 500, how to pick a spine for your compound, and who these.

August 6, 2025 · 4 min read

Diagram of arrow spine numbers on a ruler: under Easton's static test a 300 shaft bends 0.300 in, a 350 bends 0.350 in, a 400 bends 0.400 in and a 500 bends 0.500 in, so lower numbers are stiffer; an Easton 1816 aluminium shaft bends 0.759 in, and aluminium codes like 2213 give diameter in 64ths and wall thickness

Guides

Arrow Spine Numbers: 300 vs 350 vs 400 vs 500

Arrow spine 400 vs 500, 300 vs 350: what the numbers on a shaft mean, why lower is stiffer, and how aluminium size codes like 2213 differ.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 5 min read

Close-up of red feather fletching being fixed to a wooden arrow shaft with thread

Reviews

Bohning Tower Jig Review: Fletch Three Vanes at Once

Bohning Tower Jig review: fletching three vanes at 120 degrees, straight, offset and helical arms, clamps and centring pins, shaft sizes, and how to use it.

June 4, 2025 · 6 min read

Two Easton X10 competition arrows with yellow fletchings lying on a table

Reviews

Easton XX75 Jazz Arrows Review: The Beginner Aluminium Standard

Research-based Easton XX75 Jazz review: 7075 alloy, ±.005 in straightness, sizes 1214 to 2016, how to pick a size for your recurve, and when to move to carbon.

Updated August 6, 2025 · 4 min read

Diagram of a static spine test: an arrow shaft on two supports 28 inches apart bends under an 880 g (1.94 lb) weight hung at its centre, and the deflection in inches times 1000 gives the spine number

Guides

How Arrow Spine Is Measured: The Static Test

How arrow spine is measured: the 28-inch, 1.94 lb static test Easton and ASTM F2031 describe, how the number is read, and why dynamic spine differs.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 4 min read

Diagram of nock tuning: numbered arrows, a group with one flyer, and a rear view of a nock rotated 120 degrees so the next vane sits on top

Training

Nock Tuning: Rotating Nocks for Tighter Groups

How to nock tune arrows: number and shoot each shaft, rotate a flyer's nock one vane position, re-test, and avoid the vane clearance trap.

Updated October 8, 2026 · 5 min read

Diagram showing how to size an arrow wrap to the shaft diameter, roll it on, and fletch vanes on top of it

Gear

Arrow Wraps: What They Do and How to Apply Them

Arrow wraps explained: what they add to arrow fletching, how to size wraps to your shaft, the weight they add in grains, and how to apply them step by step.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 5 min read

Many arrows with coloured fletchings grouped in the centre of a target face

Guides

How to Choose Arrows: Spine, Length, Weight and Spine Charts

How to choose arrows: what spine means, reading a spine chart, measuring arrow length, arrow weight and FOC, fletching, and bare-shaft tuning to confirm it.

Updated June 26, 2026 · 9 min read

Archer drawing a recurve bow without sights at a 3D animal target in an open meadow

Guides

How to Choose Your First Recurve Bow: A Beginner's Guide

How to choose a first recurve bow: takedown vs one-piece, draw weight, bow length for your draw length, riser types, eye dominance, and essential accessories.

Updated February 6, 2025 · 11 min read

Training

Archery Draw Length: How to Measure It and Why It Matters

How to measure archery draw length with the wingspan method or at full draw, what the AMO standard means, and how it affects bow size, draw weight, and arrows.

Updated February 6, 2025 · 8 min read

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