Archery Hunting Equipment - Choosing The Right Arrow

When buying archery hunting equipment, so much emphasis is put on choosing the right bow. Don't get me wrong, the bow is very important, but don't forget to be selective when buying arrows!

There are two very important things to take into consideration when choosing an arrow. The stiffness of the shaft, and the arrow weight.

First, I will talk about the stiffness of the shaft. If you use a mechanical release bow, the stiffness of the arrow is not much of a factor. There is less flexing involved, so you have a lot more arrows that you can choose from. However, when using a finger released bow, when you let go of the string, it is important to have perfect timing so that the arrow passes the bow, and avoids the riser. So, when taking into consideration the stiffness of the shaft, remember that your release, and the shaft's strength have to go hand in hand.

As far as the weight of the arrow goes, there are a lot of common misconceptions that choosing the lightest possible arrow is the best way to go, if you are looking for the best possible arrow speed. This is very far from the truth! Shooting lighter arrows will make the arrows shoot faster, but they can really mess your bow up. The vibrations absorbed by the bow are much stronger with lighter arrows, and too much vibration over an extended period of time is a recipe for disaster!

To find out the recommended weight of the arrow for your bow, you only have to do a little bit of simple math. Take the weight of your bow, and multiply it by six. The Archery Manufacturers Organization recommends about six grains for every single pound that your bow weighs. So, if you have a 70 pound bow, multiply 70 x 6, which gives you 420. A 420 grain arrow would be the best choice for your bow!

If you want to take the risk of getting a lighter arrow, use the same formula, but don't go below 5 grains per pound of your bow. So, 70 x 5- giving you 350 grains

Choosing the right archery hunting equipment can mean the difference between getting that kill because you shot accurately, or missing the biggest game you have ever seen in your life, even when you are an accurate shooter!