One of the changes I have made to my arsenal this year was to slightly shift my arrow choice.  In this post I am going to discuss the two main genres of arrow shafts and why you should choose them.  I will also go into some detail on technical information about arrow shafts.

I classify arrow shafts into 2 main categories:

1.) Lighweight, Super fast

2.) Heavy, Hard hitting

When choosing what type of arrow to buy you must ask yourself a few questions first:

What type of animal am I attempting to take?

How far do I plan on shooting?

What is my bow speed?

When I chose my setup I wanted something good for shooting deer at around 10-30 yards with a 60lb bow shooting about 305fps (feet per second). I have been shooting Gold Tip Hunter Expedition 5575's with feathers for the past 4 years and had very good luck (taking at least a deer per year with them).  This year I have shifted to Gold Tip Ted Nugent 5575's with blazers (pictured below).  I chose this arrow because it is slightly heavier (providing more inertia at impact) and because it looks flat out awesome!

Pink and Zebra Blazers. Don't laugh, they look awesome

Another good example of a hard hitting arrow would be the shaft my brother is shooting.  He chose Easton's Axis Full Metal Jacket, a carbon shaft wrapped in aluminum to add toughness and weight.  This arrow comes in 4 different weight categories with the heaviest one weighing in at 12 grains.

One more thing you should recognize when choosing arrows are the tolerances.  I work in a field where tolerances define quality, and I think the same can be said about arrows. Tolerances are defined as the acceptable deviation from the target dimension.  Typically arrow manufacturers provide two tolerances, weight and straightness.  The weight tolerance basically states that if an arrow weighs more or less than the acceptable limits, it is scrap! This measurement usually relates to the weight of a dozen arrows. The straightness tolerance is measured using a machine called an optical comparator.  This machine projects a profile of the arrow next to a perfectly straight line.  If the arrow shaft deviates more than the tolerance limits, it is also scrap.

Let's face it, when you get to the woods it is too late to wonder if your arrows are right for you and your rig.  Now is the time to test new things and make a correct choice.