Choosing arrows and shafts

An arrow shaft links your bow’s draw setup to the point of impact, so its stiffness and finished build need to agree with how you shoot.

The short answer

Arrows start with the bow

Spine and shaft stiffness

Spine is the shaft’s stiffness. A shaft that is too weak or too stiff for the bow and draw setup can make tuning harder, so use the spine shown in the listing’s size field as a starting point rather than treating it as a cosmetic variant.

Grains per inch

Grains per inch tells you how much mass the bare shaft adds along its length. It helps distinguish two shafts that share a spine but build into different finished-arrow weights.

Straightness grade

Straightness describes how closely the shaft tracks a true line. For a matched set, keep the listed straightness grade consistent across the arrows you build or replace.

Points, inserts, and nocks

Points, inserts, vanes, and nocks all become part of the finished arrow. Keep their fit specific to the shaft family instead of mixing parts by appearance.

What the listings actually show

The current catalog includes 1224 arrows from 18 brands. Nearly every listing states spine, GPI, and straightness details.

Before you buy

Inspect carbon shafts after every impact; retire splintered or cracked arrows.