Arrow Selection

[MedFlyPost]

#4151

I am sure this in an old topic but I have a few questions.
I have been hunting with a compound bow since I was 15, now at 33 it has lost its appeal. So i have decided to reclaim some of my lost youth of running through the creek bottoms and fields with a green fiberglass Shakespere bow shooting at anything moving or not. The Shakespere is long gone but the Martin ML-14 is hanging on the wall. I have had it for a couple years and keep putting off doing anything with it. Well, No Longer!

Arrow selection for traditional archery seems to be stumping me. Not quite as idiot proof as just knowing your draw weight and length and choosing accordingly.

So if you have made it this far through my ramblings maby you can help me out. I am thinking aluminum arrows just for ease of straigtening and durability but may conscider cedar after I stop loseing a few dozen at a time stump shooting.

ML-14, 60#@29, AMO-68…. <---- There are the specs if someone smarter than me could make a suggestion or two I would be grateful. Thanks

[Mark Turton]

#27389

For what it’s worth I got so frustrated I just pitched up at an archery shop had them check my draw length and suggest an arrow, cut it to length and fit a 125 gr. field point and went out the back to see how it flew. Ended up with them making me a second arrow about 1/2″ longer and all was well, much easier than trawling through charts.

Don’t suggest going on a Saturday morning though they got a bit impatient when the shop started to fill up.

Mark.

[SteveMcD]

#27851

Or you could call 3Rivers and talk with them. 60@29 means you need a 30 inch arrow, add 5# spine for every each inch over 28 inches, plus 5# for a 125 gr head…. I would think 70-75 spine would get you there, 75-80 probably too stiff for an ML 14. You can get a 3 arrow test pack from 3Rivers and try different spined arrows.

[LimbLover]

#30734

If you are going aluminum: I would suggest a 31″ XX75 2216 or a 2219 with a 145g point.

I would buy one of each, fletch it up and see which shoot better.

-LL

[Patrick]

#31653

LimbLover wrote: If you are going aluminum: I would suggest a 31″ XX75 2216 or a 2219 with a 145g point.

I would buy one of each, fletch it up and see which shoot better.

-LL

I’ve gotta say that I think you’d be setting yourself up for some frustration using only 1 arrow of each. I would not recommend doing that.

[LimbLover]

#31769

Patrick wrote: [quote=LimbLover]If you are going aluminum: I would suggest a 31″ XX75 2216 or a 2219 with a 145g point.

I would buy one of each, fletch it up and see which shoot better.

-LL

I’ve gotta say that I think you’d be setting yourself up for some frustration using only 1 arrow of each. I would not recommend doing that.

Well I would recommend buying 3 of each and shooting them in groups to look at how they group but I wanted to save you some money.

[Chris Shelton]

#31792

I absoluetly hate aluminum. For several reasons. First it bends, I hate that, after it bends it is useless. Third it clinks, if you bump them with something else metal, zippers, backpacks buttons. The do fletch easier than carbon. But seriously carbon is like my go to. I have shot everything modern, basically. Shot 2216’s, and xx75’s. That was before realizing this was a waste of money. Then I went to Easton axis, great shafts, but too light. Then beeman ICS bowhunter, then to Beeman MFX classics, and the classics are by far the best shaft I have ever shot(never shot grizzly sticks) but now I am shooting Beeman ICS bowhunters again. They are better than aluminum, and wood together and are cheaper. They are 53 buck a dozen bare. And they are effective. Carbon is the only shaft, I repeat the ONLY shaft I have ever shot that hold up to actual hunting. Coming from a guy that spent every single day of rabbit season(minus like a week all together) chasing them with my recurve. Lets just say I tested them vigorusly. I suppose it depends mainly on where you hunt. I know that if you miss and hit was looks like dirt, there is definaly rocks. So while missing at least a rabbit a day for the entire four month season. I went through aluminum arrows by the dozens. I totally understand why you would not want to spen 114 for a dozen MFX classics, that is why I dont shoot them anymore, althought they were tought as nails. I have missed wabbits, and hit pure concrete blocks before, and the arrow came away clean. Try doing that with aluminum or wood. I know that wood likes to break when you hit a piece of hard wood! And aluminum shatters when you hit rock. Just speaking from experience.

[Lousyhunter]

#32912

Carbon Express Heritage arrows. Use 250’s, or if you like a heavier arrow(Like I do) use 350’s. I use 5.5 inch fletchings and a 125gr point or broadhead. I don’t trim them at all, since my draw is 30.5″. They fly fine and are super tough-I know, because I’ve bounced them off of many a tree and rock!! Nice & quiet too, no clicking, and they have a nice cedar color. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed if you try these.

[Chris Shelton]

#33000

O I forgot about those, the Heritage shafts are great but one thing I would recomend for them is either you buy extra inserts or you buy different ones to go with them. I must have lost a dozen inserts while I had them. But they were alright! Like Lousy hunter said they are strong and they have that cedar print, so they look good.

[LimbLover]

#33052

Greatreearcher wrote: I absoluetly hate aluminum. For several reasons. First it bends, I hate that, after it bends it is useless. Third it clinks, if you bump them with something else metal, zippers, backpacks buttons. The do fletch easier than carbon. But seriously carbon is like my go to. I have shot everything modern, basically. Shot 2216’s, and xx75’s. That was before realizing this was a waste of money. Then I went to Easton axis, great shafts, but too light. Then beeman ICS bowhunter, then to Beeman MFX classics, and the classics are by far the best shaft I have ever shot(never shot grizzly sticks) but now I am shooting Beeman ICS bowhunters again. They are better than aluminum, and wood together and are cheaper. They are 53 buck a dozen bare. And they are effective. Carbon is the only shaft, I repeat the ONLY shaft I have ever shot that hold up to actual hunting. Coming from a guy that spent every single day of rabbit season(minus like a week all together) chasing them with my recurve. Lets just say I tested them vigorusly. I suppose it depends mainly on where you hunt. I know that if you miss and hit was looks like dirt, there is definaly rocks. So while missing at least a rabbit a day for the entire four month season. I went through aluminum arrows by the dozens. I totally understand why you would not want to spen 114 for a dozen MFX classics, that is why I dont shoot them anymore, althought they were tought as nails. I have missed wabbits, and hit pure concrete blocks before, and the arrow came away clean. Try doing that with aluminum or wood. I know that wood likes to break when you hit a piece of hard wood! And aluminum shatters when you hit rock. Just speaking from experience.

To each his own. You obviously have your experiences. Here are mine.

I started out with Carbons. Gold Tips, ICS Hunters, Carbon Express Terminators, and my Dad shoots Easton Axis.

I am an aluminum guy. I’ve been stumping and squirrel hunting with the same 3 XX75 2117 Eastons since October. I have yet to bend or shatter one out of a 50# bow and I’ve put them into petrified birch trees with a judo.

I’ve bent one aluminum shaft and shattered one on a piece of granite in a riverbed at a 3D shoot. I’ve shattered 3 Carbons.

I will agree that aluminums make more noise…I just don’t carry them anywhere but my rest. If you have a bowquiver than there is no problem. A waste of money? Definitely not. You pay $5.29 for a XX75 shaft most places. You pay $8.00 a shaft for most Carbons. I can get 12 Eastons for the price of 6 Carbons and I personally haven’t busted enough arrows to justify paying the extra money. However…that is just me.

I DO like the fact that carbons are either perfectly straight or they SHATTER rather than bend. BUT..broke is broke to me. Don’t make it sound like they bend like a piece of licorice though. That isn’t the case. Give Easton more credit than that 🙂

I do agree with you that the Beman ICS are the best Carbon for the money. A SOLID shaft and cheaper than the CE. That was the last shaft I shot and I put one THROUGH a sapling tree and was able to retrieve it without any damage.

[Konrad]

#34659

http://www.eastonarchery.com/products/selection

Find your actual arrow length and then plug in the numbers.

I think for every 1 inch of draw length differing from the marked weight on your bow is 2 pounds (added or subtracted). You may want to put a scale on it with a marked arrow for accuracy.

If you calculate a point more than 150 grains, extrapolation by substitution of the next range higher bow poundage works for every 25 grains added.

Now I’ll bet you’re really confused! I hope you can make sense of this.
PS I have also found carbon composite shafts can crack, chip, crush and splinter without breaking in two.

[Danny Klee]

#35705

MedFlyPos,

I have a Martin ML-14 too. It’s 70# at 28″. I love that bow. I have tried wood, aluminum, and carbon. My favorites are the Carbon Express Terminators 4560’s. They fly straight and very flat. I’m not much of a fan of aluminum but that’s only personal preferance. I love wood but because I have about 4 dozen spined for the bow, they are quite big in diameter so they don’t fly quite s flat as the carbons at anything further than 15 yards. But…nothing is as beautiful as some crowned, crested and well made wood arrows. In fact I am thinking about making some nice wood arrows and next year practicing with only them to use for hunting next year. I would love to harvest a white tail using my own hand-made wood arrows. By the way, making your own wood arrows can be very addictive!!

Dan

[LimbLover]

#36495

Danny Klee wrote: MedFlyPos,

I have a Martin ML-14 too. It’s 70# at 28″. I love that bow. I have tried wood, aluminum, and carbon. My favorites are the Carbon Express Terminators 4560’s. They fly straight and very flat. I’m not much of a fan of aluminum but that’s only personal preferance. I love wood but because I have about 4 dozen spined for the bow, they are quite big in diameter so they don’t fly quite s flat as the carbons at anything further than 15 yards. But…nothing is as beautiful as some crowned, crested and well made wood arrows. In fact I am thinking about making some nice wood arrows and next year practicing with only them to use for hunting next year. I would love to harvest a white tail using my own hand-made wood arrows. By the way, making your own wood arrows can be very addictive!!

Dan

I really want to start making my own wood arrows too. BTW, the Terminator 4560 is an AMAZING shaft and is stiff enough to cover a lot of different #. I had six of them and they were rock solid. Expensive as hell though.

[Chris Shelton]

#36561

LimbLover wrote: Give Easton more credit than that 🙂
I do agree with you that the Beman ICS are the best Carbon for the money. A SOLID shaft and cheaper than the CE. That was the last shaft I shot and I put one THROUGH a sapling tree and was able to retrieve it without any damage.

Easton and Beeman are the same company! And out of the other aluminum shafts, easton aluminum is the best, but the best of aluminum is still not as good as the worst carbon in my opinion!:D

[Hiram]

#38653

Assuming that you draw to 29 inchs as your post indicates, you will be shooting a 30 inch arrow. In aluminum you will need a 2018 and in carbon you will need a 500 spine.The 2216 will be too stiff for your Bow because if I remember right, the ML-14 is pretty much a straight longbow with little reflex in the limbs. These recomendations are based on a FF string being used on your Bow. If you are using Dacron, I would cut them at 31 long to start.

[MedFlyPost]

#39855

Thanks for all the input and suggestions guys. I see the carbon aluminium debate continues. I sat down and did some chart review and a little educated guessing and settled on some 2219’s. Gonna play with those for a bit and see what happens. I looked at some carbons and just could not justify stepping up the spectrum when my goal all along was to step back. I love my CE Maxima Hunters out of my compound but my ultimate goal is a self bow with cedar arrows. Gonna be a min or two on that though. For now I am happy to break out the Bitz and fletch up a doz or two and just shoot. So now I just have to rig up the rabbit on my sons remote controled car and give it hell. Look out woodland creatures, 33yo pree teen with a new toy on the loose and all of you are on the menu.

[Hiram]

#40439

Your 2219s will work if they are 31 long and a 175 grain point. This is with FF string. Dacron they should be 32 long.Way too stiff otherwise! You will shoot to the left and bump off your riser. Seriuos about your Longbow? Correctly spined arrows are a must!

[LimbLover]

#41569

Hiram wrote: Your 2219s will work if they are 31 long and a 175 grain point. This is with FF string. Dacron they should be 32 long.Way too stiff otherwise! You will shoot to the left and bump off your riser. Seriuos about your Longbow? Correctly spined arrows are a must!

I take back my statement about the 2216 and 2219 as well. I should have read more carefully and paid more attention to the OPs bow…I apologize!!!

I’ve got a 60# longbow now and I’m still shooting my 31″ Easton 2117 with 145g tips. A little fast but they shoot fine. I shoot the same setup out of my 45# recurve. My longbow is not a reflex deflex.

[Hiram]

#42106

Hey Limb, here is the SECRET! STU MILLERS DYNAMIC SPINE CALCULATOR. Google it up and use it, its great, and very accurate. Now you know!:lol:

[aeronut]

#43247

Greatreearcher wrote: They are better than aluminum, and wood together and are cheaper. They are 53 buck a dozen bare. I have missed wabbits, and hit pure concrete blocks before, and the arrow came away clean. Try doing that with aluminum or wood. I know that wood likes to break when you hit a piece of hard wood! Just speaking from experience.

Wow. I was selling hardwood shafts waaaayyy to cheap. I don’t know what kind of wood shafts you were shooting but I have never broken a Hickory shaft.

Dennis

[Jason Wesbrock]

#44006

Aeronut wrote:
Wow. I was selling hardwood shafts waaaayyy to cheap. I don’t know what kind of wood shafts you were shooting but I have never broken a Hickory shaft.

Dennis

A few years ago I was stump shooting with Bob Mayo (Ace Archery Tackle owner). He shoots mid-70s poundage. I thought my arrows were tough until I watched what he slammed his hickory shafts into. I’ve still never seen a wood arrow as tough as his. To be honest, I’d be hard pressed to think of a tougher shaft at all — wood, carbon, or aluminum — and I used to shoot 2419s.

[William Warren]

#44023

Sure I’ve bent a few XX75’s, even split some on rock. Will I stop using them? No. Have I broken any cedar shafts? Yes but I still shoot them too. As others have noted here, hickory is nearly indestructible, unless you shoot one into the campfire :D. The only wood shaft I have used that can equal hickory is natural viburnum. Very tough stuff. My go to stump shooting arrow.

[aeronut]

#44128

I also have a small supply of Ipe shafts. If the broadhead doesn’t do the job the sheer weight of the shaft will knock out whatever it hits.

Dennis

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