arrows??

[chasinracks]

I bought a recurve this past spring. What arrows should I be using. The bow is set at 50lbs right now. Im assuming the heavier the better??

[jerp]

Welcome to the trad side. Yours is a seemingly simple question with a quite complicated answer. (as I found when I asked the same thing 1 1/2 years ago) For me, getting the right arrows was a bit frustrating and it took quite a bit of experimenting. There are a lot of variables in that equation.

The bow variables include (but are not limited to):
Draw weight at your draw length
Center cut of your shelf
Type of string

The arrow variables effecting spine include:
BOP (back of point) length
Shaft spine
Point weight

There are also variables due to your form.

Even small changes in any of these variables makes a noticable difference in arrow flight. My suggestion is to get with an experienced trad archer to help you find the right combination. There is a popular calculator you can download (Stu Miller) that will get you close and is a good place to start. I wish I had done that early on, it would have saved me a lot of frustration and quite a few dollars - trial and error can get expensive.

[Ron]

What Jerp said ^^^

I shoot a 400 spine arrow from my 49 - 52 pound bows and vary the tip weights for each bow. This will change the spines for my various weight differentials, at my 28 inch draw.

[jerp]

Here's what ended up working for me, just to give you an idea. I shoot a Sarrels longbow which pulls 50# at my draw of 28"
* 400 spine "Trad Only" arrows bought from Three Rivers Archery
* Back-of-Point length is 29.75"
* I use a 100 grain brass insert and a 150 grain point
This gives me a total arrow weight of 547 grains, or 10.9 GPP (grains per pound)
When I do my job and release cleanly they fly like darts. When I don't do my job and release cleanly they still fly like darts, but more like darts thrown by a drunk guy in a neighborhood bar at 2:00 in the morning.

[bountyhunter]

One of the first things you need to do is get your draw length measured for that bow. It will likely be different than you draw length for your compound. If you change anchor points you also may effect your draw length, so you will need to decide on an anchor that feel comfortable and one that you can reach every draw.

Some other things that will affect your arrows that wasn't mentioned above are;
Brace Height
If you are shoot split finger or 3 under
nock point setting

It is hard to tune a bow and arrow setup if you don't have your technique down, so I generally recommend to new folks is get some arrows that are close (carbons) and make contact with traditional folks in your location. Work on your form and release, even if the arrows are under or over spined you will start to see some consistent patterns form in your grouping. Even if those groups aren't where you are aiming. Once you can shoot some decent groups you are ready to start tuning your bow and arrows. Having someone there to help you through this process makes it a lot less frustrating.

[jerp]

Really good advice from bountyhunter. One reason it took me so long to figure it out was I kept changing arrow components trying to get the right combination when in fact, the biggest variable was me - inconsistent draw, anchor and release. Until you get to where you are doing those things the same way pretty much every time, changing the other stuff is kinda pointless.

[chasinracks]

great advise. thanks for the input

[SMOOTHboar]

I played with spine and arrow length for several days. I finally found a set up that worked for me. Good luck and stick with it! Once you get the right set up, you will have lots of fun.

[TWP]

Welcome to the fun side. You just thought it was going to be less complicated. ha ha ha