Selecting The Correct Archery Equipment
By Martin Evans - martin@audcoarchers.co.uk
Contents In A Nutshell:
- Don't buy kit until you know what you need.
- You need to know your arrow length before you choose a bow.
- You need to know your draw weight before you choose arrows.
- Buy a bow first, then use the clubs arrows before buying your own arrows.
- Think Think Think before you Spend Spend Spend
Introduction
One of the main factors which contributes to people leaving archery is the disillusionment and loss of enjoyment caused by incorrect or poorly set-up equipment.
This was actually identified as a threat to the growth of archery throughout the country in the latest Grand National Archery Society Strategic Development Plan (SDP).
In response to this, the following information offers advice on how to select, set-up and tune your bow to gain maximum performance and enjoyment from your hobby.
Arrow Selection
There are many different types of arrows available on the market today to suit all budgets. The more economical types are generally made of aluminium and are great for those who are just starting out. Aluminium arrows are priced from just under £40 to £60, for 8 arrows fletched, nocked and ready to use.
The more advanced arrows are made of carbon or a mixture of carbon and aluminium. Carbon arrows are normally a much smaller diameter arrow and are much lighter. This results in a much faster arrow, capable of greater consistency over the longer distances. Prices for carbon arrows can go up to over £200 for a set of twelve.
Once you have picked which type and brand you want to buy, there are two fundamental aspects of your arrows that need to be considered before you buy them:
The length of the arrow is very important from a safety perspective, as obviously you don’t want to pull the arrow all the way past the arrow rest. Also, you don't want too much of the arrow in front of the bow, as this will result in the arrow being too heavy and although it may fly, you may have to aim much higher than you need to with an arrow of correct length.
The arrow length can be successfully calculated by using an extra long arrow with inch marks written down the length of the shaft. The arrow length is then calculated by adding 1" onto the length read from the part of the arrow next to the pressure button when the archer is at full draw. An arrow of correct length will look like the picture on the right.
NB THE ARROW LENGTH IS MEASURED FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE NOCK GROOVE TO THE END OF THE ARROW SHAFT - NOT THE END OF THE POINT
Younger Archers
Selection of all archery kit for juniors is about as rewarding for parents as buying them clothes. One minute you’re telling them they'll grow into it, the next minute you’re out shopping for them again. I can only sympathise on this matter and recommend that parents use their best judgement as the budget and situation dictates. Younger archers may have to change their technique as they physically grow as well as their equipment. I'm trying to create a good second-hand archery kit network in the county to enable juniors (and parents) to access quality second hand kit from other clubs, as well as the kit we've got available at Audco.... (Watch this space). As far as the arrow selection goes, if you're expecting a rapid growth period for junior over the coming year, an extra inch on the arrow is acceptable ...they'll grow into them!
Once you have decided what length of arrow, you need to pull, you must then ascertain what spine rating the arrow needs to be. The spine rating of the arrow is an indication of stiffness, which translates to how much power is needed to propel the arrow out of the bow in a straight line.
If too much power is used to propel the arrow, it is said to be too whippy! The arrow will effectively collapse while moving through the air and will generally drift to the right (for a right handed archer).
If too little power is used to propel the arrow, it is said to be too stiff. The arrow will not bend enough when clearing the bow and will generally drift to the left (again for a right handed archer).
Signs and Symptoms of Incorrect Arrow Spine
- Poor arrow flight
- Inconsistent grouping patterns
- Fletchings hitting the arrow rest/shelf, leaving a mark on the riser
- Frustrated archers packing up, going home and selling their kit on e-bay
As you can imagine, choosing an arrow is a pivotal decision that will govern how much enjoyment you will get from your shooting. So the first thing we need to do is to figure out how much weight you'll be using to "launch" your new arrows with. To do this, you must consider the bow you are going to use.
Bow Selection
As you can see, it's a bit of a chicken and egg situation: you must have a bow before you get some arrows and you need to know what arrows you need before you get a bow. So we're going to break the cycle rightly or wrongly by saying don't buy the bow and arrows at the same visit to the archery dealer. Buy the bow first, then bring it to the club. Get some help determining your arrow length and draw weight, then a view can be made on what spine arrows you need.
I'm going to talk about recurve bows in this article, as this is what the majority of the club members shoot. Also, I wouldn’t do the long bow and compound bow shooters any favours if I fed them inaccurate information.
Bows are normally sized in 2" increments from 62" to 72". The length of arrow you shoot governs what length bow you should consider. The following table is a guide for selecting a suitable bow length.
| Draw Length |
Suitable Bow Length |
| 26" and under |
64" |
| 26"-28" |
66" |
| 28"-30" |
68" |
| 30" and over |
70" |
If you shoot a bow that is too short, the bow limbs will be bending a lot more than they were designed to. Although this would result in a fast arrow, the angle that the string makes in your fingers when you pull the string back to full draw will be very acute. This may result in your fingers becoming very sore after a day's shooting. Further to this, the bow will be less forgiving, which means that any slight differences you make in how you shoot an arrow (errors which we all sometimes make!) will become more critical and your groups will open up.
If you shoot a bow which is too long, the limbs will not be bending enough when you pull the arrow back to full draw, and the arrow will not get enough power from the bow to propel it through the air. It won't literally fall out of the bow, but it certainly won't work as hard as it can for you.
Remember, this article is all about equipment that works as efficiently as possible to enable you to get the most from it.
Once a suitable bow length has been decided, we can then move on to bow weight. This is another pivotal decision that governs your arrow selection later on in the process. Bow weight is measured in pounds of pressure and is in effect a measure of the "stiffness" of the bow limbs. A bow with a heavier draw weight will feel stiffer to pull back than a bow with a lighter draw weight. The weight rating of the limb is found written somewhere on the bottom limb along with the limb length.
Pictured on the left is the bottom limb of my bow. As you can see, there are two sets of numbers written on it. The 42 denotes the draw weight and the 70 denotes the bow length in inches when it is assembled in a standard 25" long riser (handle).
The value of 42lbs is calculated as how much pressure is generated when the bow is pulled back 28". i.e. if you pull the bow back 28", you will be pulling 42lbs.
This is where people sometimes go wrong when calculating their draw weight, so take note of this bit if nothing else:
If you pull a bow back more than 28", you will generate more draw weight than written on the limb. Likewise, if you pull a bow back less than 28", you will generate a draw weight lower than the value written on the limb.
We've got some bow scales at the club that will tell you your bow weight. As you can see, it’s very important when matching arrows to your bow.
Back to arrow selection..
Now that we know what length of arrow and draw weight we're shooting, we've got all the information we need to make an educated guess of the spine of arrow we need.
Download the Easton selection chart from here and go to page five. Using the table on the top right hand side of the page, read your bow weight in from the right and look for your arrow length to the nearest inch from the top (pictured right).
I have used my arrow length and draw weight in this instance just to illustrate the point. The corresponding cell gives a T-Value, which you then use to select your recommended arrow size. Look for the respective table lower down the page and note the values in that table: 
Look for the model of arrow you want then read off the size of arrow you need. If there are two values of the arrow type you want, note the lower value one.
Right then, don't go anywhere. Don't pick up the phone to the archery shop, don't get in the car and certainly don't browse to an archery dealer's site and buy a set of arrows online!
The value you have just selected is only a rough guide. The best thing to do now is when you're next down at the club, ask about and see if anyone has a set of the arrows you need and if you can borrow them for a couple of ends. The length doesn't have to be perfect - we're only looking for a pointer to see if we're on the right lines. If no one has any arrows you're after, try the club arrows, as there's quite a selection there.
Once you find a set to try, shoot a few dozen with them and see how your bow reacts and how the shot feels. Seek advice from other club members, but don't get your money out and head for the shops until you're happy that you have an idea of the length and spine of the arrow you need.
If and when you finally have your new bow and arrow, it will be a lot easier to set up and tune if the equipment you have bought is properly selected and matched.