The type of arrow you use will have a profound effect on the speed with which your bow will shoot. Even though you may have bought a bow with a high IBO speed such as 300 plus fps, it won’t be capable of reaching those speeds if you shoot a heavy fiberglass arrow. That being said, the arrow you need will change with your circumstances and you will have a need for each at some point or another.
The key to good archery shooting isn’t so much in the quality of the compound bow you use because they are all fitted with many of the same features. Where you will really find your edge is in a judicious selection of arrows, both in the materials they are made from and the quality of the manufacture. Make sure the arrows you buy suit the bow and the type of shooting you will be doing and are straight. The length of the arrow you require will also be influenced by your draw length.
Arrows are most commonly made from aluminum, wood, fiberglass and carbon. We will look at the advantages and disadvantages of each as well as the uses for each.
The original material used to make arrows was wood and it is still in use today. Wood is an easy medium to work with and is flexible and reasonably durable, they are also quite inexpensive. It has only been in more recent times that wooden arrows have been replaced with other materials. Wooden arrows can be used for indoor or outdoor shooting with equal performance. No matter how well made wooden arrows are they have flaws.
Carbon arrows are lightweight, strong and fast through the air. They are designed for modern bows that can handle the lighter weighted arrows. Although they are called carbon arrows, and there are pure carbon arrows available, the most common kind of carbon arrow is an aluminum/carbon mix that gives the arrow added durability and strength. Carbon arrows are not as long than aluminum arrows which give them their greater speed. They are for long distance shooting and maintain their shape well. The downside to using carbon arrows is in the price because they are indeed quite expensive.
Aluminum arrows are popular with indoor target archery with most archers preferring the thicker aluminum shafts to the thinner carbon arrows. They are also used for archery tournaments. Aluminum arrows are also suited to beginner archers because of their resilience if the target is missed. The aluminum arrows are not as expensive as other types and easily replaced if they are broken, damaged or lost. There is also a consistency in their manufacture so you are less likely to get a bent or warped shaft. It’s easy to replace the arrow tips in aluminum arrows allowing you to keep the arrows for a long time
Fiberglass arrows are mainly used as a training arrow due to their heavier size. Although they are more durable than wooden arrows and can be made to differing sizes to match the archer, they still tend to break quite easily and people tend to prefer aluminum arrows. You find, too that fiberglass arrows are more consistent from one arrow to the next making their flight more reliable.
There is no doubt that choosing a compound bow is crucial when taking up the sport of archery, but just as important are the arrows you use. Purchasing inferior or unsuitable arrows may negate many of the key features of your compound bow.