How to Choose the Right Arrow for Your Bow: Spine, Weight, Length & Diameter

How to Choose the Right Arrow: The Quick Answer

If you want the short version, choose your arrow in this order:

Start With Your Bow: Draw Weight and Draw Length

Before we look at an arrow chart, I need to know what the bow is actually doing.

The two starting numbers are your draw weight and draw length.

More draw weight puts more load into the shaft, so as poundage increases we generally need a stiffer arrow.

Longer draw lengths usually mean longer arrows and more energy being transferred into the shaft, which can also push you toward a stiffer spine.

But here's the important part: draw length and arrow length are not the same measurement.

A shooter with a 29-inch draw does not automatically need a 29-inch arrow.

The rest location, riser, broadhead clearance and the amount of shaft you want extending beyond the rest all affect actual arrow length.

Arrow Spine: Get This Right First

Arrow spine is simply a measurement of how stiff the shaft is.

You'll see numbers like:

• 250 spine
• 300 spine
• 340 spine
• 400 spine

The number confuses a lot of people because it's backwards from what they expect.

A lower spine number means a stiffer arrow.

So a 300 spine is stiffer than a 400 spine.

And the number is not the arrow's weight.

A 300 spine arrow does not weigh 300 grains. Spine and arrow weight are two completely different measurements.

An incorrectly spined arrow becomes harder to tune, and one of the places we tend to see that show up is with broadheads.

A bow may look fine shooting field points at 20 yards, but once you put a broadhead on it and start stretching distance, an incorrect spine can make the groups open up quickly.

If somebody falls between two spine recommendations on a modern compound bow, I generally prefer to be slightly on the stiff side rather than slightly weak.

A slightly stiff shaft is usually easier for us to work with than an arrow that is excessively under-spined.

How to Use an Arrow Spine Chart

Every major arrow manufacturer provides a spine-selection chart, and that's where I would start.

But a spine chart is a starting point, not the entire answer.

The chart usually asks for some combination of:

• Bow draw weight
• Actual arrow length
• Point or component weight
• Bow type or cam aggressiveness, depending on the manufacturer

The mistake I see people make is using their draw length in the arrow-length column without measuring the arrow they're actually going to shoot.

If you're shooting a 27.5-inch arrow with a 29-inch draw length, use the arrow length the chart asks for — not automatically your draw length.

We keep several manufacturer charts in one place on our Arrow Spine Charts page.

Arrow Length Changes Spine More Than People Realize

Two arrows with the same printed spine can behave differently simply because one is longer than the other.

Cutting an arrow shorter makes it dynamically stiffer.

Leaving an arrow longer makes it dynamically weaker.

That's why arrow length can sometimes help us rescue a setup that is right on the edge of being too weak.

If somebody comes into the shop with an under-spined arrow and there's enough shaft in front of the rest, we may be able to shorten it and stiffen the setup enough to make it work.

If the arrow is already short and still excessively weak, there's only so much we can do. At that point, the correct answer may simply be moving to the next stiffer spine.

Arrow length also has to leave safe clearance for your broadhead and rest. Don't shorten an arrow just to chase spine without looking at the complete setup.

Point Weight and Components Change Dynamic Spine

This is probably the second-biggest spine mistake we see after people ignoring arrow length.

Somebody picks the correct shaft from a chart using a 100-grain point, then adds a heavy insert, heavier broadhead and collar without reconsidering spine.

Every one of those changes matters.

So if you decide you want a 75-grain insert and a 125-grain broadhead instead of a basic 100-grain point setup, don't assume the same spine recommendation still applies.

You've got to look at the complete system.

How Heavy Should Your Arrow Be?

Once spine is correct, then we can start talking about finished arrow weight.

I don't think there's one magic grain number everybody should shoot.

A 25-inch draw, 50-pound shooter and a 30-inch draw, 75-pound shooter should not necessarily be trying to build the same finished arrow.

Arrow weight needs to match the bow and the application.

For a hybrid hunting and TAC setup, I often end up somewhere around 420–450 grains depending on draw length and draw weight.

For a whitetail-specific setup, I'm comfortable moving heavier when the bow has enough energy to support it and the hunter doesn't need extreme long-range trajectory.

What I don't like is chasing either extreme just because somebody online says every hunting arrow needs to be 600 grains, or every arrow needs to be as fast as possible.

There is always a trade-off between trajectory, finished mass and the amount of momentum you're trying to carry through the target.

And regardless of the number you're chasing, never build below the minimum arrow-weight requirement specified by your bow manufacturer.

For a deeper look at a balanced do-all setup, read our Hybrid Arrow Build guide.

What About FOC?

FOC, or front of center, is another variable — but I don't choose an arrow based on FOC by itself.

Lower-GPI shafts can give you more room to move weight forward without making the finished arrow excessively heavy.

But low GPI does not automatically mean high FOC.

You still have to physically move mass toward the front of the arrow with the insert, outsert, half-out or point.

And remember what we just covered: adding front weight changes dynamic spine.

That's why I don't build around one number. Spine, finished weight, FOC, trajectory and broadhead flight all have to work together.

4mm vs 5mm vs 6.5mm: Which Arrow Diameter Should You Choose?

Diameter comes after spine for me.

The three common categories are roughly:

I would not tell somebody 4mm automatically penetrates better or 6.5mm automatically has better durability.

Construction, wall thickness, component design and finished arrow setup matter too much to make diameter alone the answer.

Our 4mm vs 5mm vs 6.5mm Arrow Guide goes deeper into that comparison.

Choose the Shaft Around What You're Actually Doing

Once we've got the correct spine range, now application becomes important.

Whitetail Hunting

For normal whitetail distances, I care more about durability, correct spine, broadhead flight and a sensible finished weight than I do about squeezing out every foot per second.

Western Hunting

As shots get longer, trajectory and wind become more relevant. That may push us toward a lower-GPI 5mm or a good 4mm platform.

TAC and Long-Range 3D

Sight travel becomes a major part of the build. An arrow that's perfect at 25 yards can become frustrating when you're trying to dial 100-plus yards and the sight housing runs into the arrow.

Beginner and Recreational Shooting

You don't need the most expensive shaft available.

A durable, correctly spined arrow that you can afford to replace is more useful than an ultra-premium shaft you're afraid to lose.

The Easton 6.5 Bowhunter and Gold Tip Hunter XT are examples of simple, proven starting points.

Changing Arrows Means You Need to Recheck Your Tune

Once you change arrows, don't assume the bow is still perfectly tuned just because the old setup worked.

Changing shaft spine, finished weight, diameter or component configuration can change how the arrow reacts coming out of the bow.

Whenever I make a significant arrow change, I'm going back through the basics:

• Check center shot
• Verify cam timing
• Paper tune
• Confirm field-point groups
• Broadhead tune the hunting setup

And tune with the components you're actually going to use.

If you're hunting with lighted nocks, a different broadhead or a different front-end component, test the complete hunting arrow — not some other version of it.

Practice With the Arrow Setup You Plan to Hunt With

This sounds obvious, but we see people sight their bow in with one arrow and then change something right before season.

A different shaft or component can change:

• Finished arrow weight
• Speed and trajectory
• Point of impact
• Nock fit
• Dynamic spine
• Broadhead flight

Set the bow up around the arrow you're actually going to use and verify everything before hunting season.

The Most Common Arrow-Selection Mistakes We See

When It Makes Sense to Ask a Pro Shop for Help

If you're buying your first set of arrows, changing draw weight, moving to a heavier broadhead or trying to build a very specific hunting setup, this is one place where getting help can save a lot of money.

A good shop should be looking at the complete system:

• Draw length
• Actual draw weight
• Arrow length
• Point and insert weight
• Desired finished weight
• Intended use
• Broadhead and tuning requirements

The answer shouldn't just be, "This is the arrow everybody is shooting."

The correct arrow is the one that fits your bow and your application.

Bottom Line

Choosing the right arrow doesn't have to be complicated, but the order matters.

Start with the bow.

Know your draw weight, actual arrow length and how much weight you're putting in the front.

Use that information to choose the correct spine.

Then decide how heavy you want the finished arrow, what diameter makes sense, and what shaft construction fits what you're actually doing.

Don't pick an arrow because it's the lightest, heaviest, smallest or most expensive option.

And don't chase one number like FOC or speed while ignoring the rest of the system.

Get the spine right, build the complete arrow correctly, tune the bow around it and then go shoot it.