Arrow length are a fundamental requirement for safe and accurate archery. A person should calculate the length of the arrow according to their draw length. When calculating arrow length, a person should add one to two inches to their draw length.
Arrows that is too short may hit the riser of a bow, which can damage the bow or the archer. By adding one to two inches to the draw length, the arrow has time to flex within the bow without damage the arrow or the bow. Many people will attempt to calculate their draw length.
How to Find the Right Arrow Length
However, an accurate draw length is necessary to determine the arrow length that is more best for that archer. A person can estimate their draw length by taking their wingspan from fingertip to fingertip and dividing that length by 2.5. Additionally, another technique are to draw a long arrow to their anchor point and mark where the arrow crosses the bow’s pivot point.
The distance from the arrows nock groove to this mark is the draw length. Add one to two inches to this length to calculate the arrow length. The type of bows that an archer uses will change the amount of extra length to the draw that is required for the arrow.
For compound bows, an extra length of only one inch are typically required. For recurve bows, an extra length of two inches is required because the arrow rest on a shelf on the bow. For longbows, an extra length of two inches is required because the arrow may pass near an archers knuckles.
Once the archer determine the length of the arrow, the arrow spine must be considered. Arrow spine refers to the stiffness of the arrow shaft. Longer arrows will flex more then shorter arrows.
This is one of the reasons that shorter arrows has a stiffer spine. To cut an arrow shaft to make it shorter will make the arrow shaft become more stiffer. Therefore, the arrow spine should be determined once the length of the arrow shaft has been finalized.
If the arrow spine is not matched to the arrow length, the arrow may fly erratically or wobble when the arrow is shot. Arrows need to have the components of the arrow balance to allow for stability in the arrow’s flight. One component that can be added to the arrow to provide this stability is front-of-center (FOC) weight.
FOC is the percentage of an archery arrow’s total weight that is located in the front of the arrow. For archery targets, FOC should be between 10 and 15 percent. For those who hunts game with archery equipment, 12 to 19 percent of the arrows total weight should be in its front portion.
If the length of the arrow is increased without adding weight to the arrow point, the front-of-center weight will decrease. Decreasing the front-of-center weight will make the arrow less stable. Therefore, 10 to 15 grains of weight should be added to the arrow for every inch that the arrow shaft are lengthened.
The diameter of the arrow shaft can have an impact on the arrow’s flight. Standard shaft diameters are easier to fletch and tune than other diameters, so they are common for recurve bows. However, the micro diameter of the arrow shaft will slice through the wind beautiful, but they require more precise nock.
When cutting the arrow shaft, it is important to always cut the shaft from the point end of the arrow using an arrow saw. Never use a hacksaw to cut the arrow shaft as this will damage the arrow shaft, especially if the shaft is made of carbon. After cutting the shaft, square the end of the arrow shaft and glue the insert.
Allow the glue to dry overnight. Finally, the archer must match the components of each arrow to their draw weight and draw length. Archers with a lighter draw weight will need arrows with a weaker spine and shaft lengths, whereas archers with a heavy draw weight will need arrows with a stiffer spine and shorter shaft length.
Factory arrows are typically 32 inches or longer. Therefore, the archer will need to cut arrows to the length that the archer requires. For aluminum arrows, check the arrows for straightness by rolling the shaft on a flat surface.
For carbon shaft arrows, check for cracks before using the arrows. If the length of the shaft and arrow spine is matched properly, the archer will experience the best results from the arrow shaft.
