used to shoot beman aarrows with outserts back in the day to improve speed as bows wernt super fast. Now im shooting a mathews switchback xt and have been shooting standard size arrows . everything seems to be going back to smaller diameter shafts , any pros or cons from anyone?
I have 5mm and "standard" diameter arrows. The pro based on the average archers shooting ability at average hunting distances is negligible. Now I fully support a "pro" of just liking to try things and tinker and build. The thought behind smaller diameter arrows, at least in my head, is less area for wind to push it, and better penetration. Its not weight, my 5mm arrows weight more than my 6.5mm arrows by 1 gpi, but there is less surface arrow to be moved by wind (same head and fletching though...... so I'm not convinced that there is much difference at all) Easton Axis 4mm's have an outside diameter of 0.241 in a 300 spine Easton Axis 5mm's have an outside diameter of 0.275 in a 300 spine Easton Sonic 6mm's have an outside diameter of 0.286 in a 300 spine Easton 6.5 Bowhunter's have an outside diameter of 0.300 in 300 spine So if you're shooting in a crosswind with a 4mm arrow the wind will have 0.059" less of surface to contact. But you'll still have a big ole' fletch on the back of it. On penetration, the same head is going through whatever you shot so how much difference in a deer will you see with 0.059 shaft diameter difference? None in real life measurable ways. If you're not getting penetration with a "normal" hunting arrow getting a tiny bit smaller diameter arrow isn't going to make a huge difference. That said, I think it would be fun to build out some 4mm light weight arrows with some nice FOC just to try, but I don't think that all the sudden deer will just drop over head with them.
In my opinion smaller diameter arrows in average hunting makes no difference. I used to shoot 5 mm axis because they are so durable. Not any other reason. I now shoot kinetic kaos gold tips because they are heavy in the 300 spine. Most whitetail hunters won’t benefit from one over the other
^ this is the key takeaway here. However- a Mathews Switchback XT is a very slow bow by modern standards. A very fine bow by all accounts and one many people on this forum regret getting rid of, but facts are facts: If the OP here is primarily a whitetail/midwestern/eastern woods hunter, probably won't see any difference in performance using a small diameter arrow at 30 yards or less. On longer shots over open terrain, completely different story. The slower speeds + larger surface area is going to wind shear noticeably compared to a small diameter arrow in the same environment.
