Hey Everyone, I've been wanting to build myself some new arrows and I'm sure many of you have lots of experience so I was wondering if I could get your thoughts. Currently I am shooting carbon express maxima 350's with a 100 grain head with 2 inch blazers. My arrow with a lighted nock weighs about 420. I'd like to go to carbon express pile driver 350's with same 100 grain head and 2 inch blazers. I am a 30 inch DL so it does add a bit of weight for my arrow. The overall goal is to be around a 480 to 510 grain arrow. Should I be looking into inserts, worry about FOC, and are there any tips or tricks that I should be aware of when attempting my own arrows? Any advice is welcome and let me know if you got any questions! Thanks in advance!
It depends in what you're looking for. There will be tradeoffs when looking for specific arrow characteristics when playing with things such as weight, spine, FOC, speed, etc. More weight, of course, gives more momentum but less flatline trajectory (speed). A higher FOC can effectively add some rigidity to the spine at impact, but may take a little longer for the arrow to stabilize (flexing back and forth) in flight taking away some mechanical efficiency. For most anything in NA, any arrow between 420 to 470 grains would not be a bad setup. I recently went to Easton HEXX 330's with brass inserts to get more FOC and speed and have found that I get pretty much the same outcome as a 435 gr arrow I've shot out to 40 yards, which is what most real world shot distances are.
I was looking for some new arrows and went to 3 different pro shops and they all said they highly recommend Easton axis's over what I was thinking about which was carbon express maxima blu rz, granted I'm only going to be hunting and maybe a 3D or two. I got the 340's which are 9.5 GPI. Ordered some off Amazon with custom wraps for a good price, they look sweet.
I am an Easton fan. I currently shoot Bloodlines but they would never get the weight you want. The new 6mm FMJ might be worth a look, since so many dislike the HIT it uses H components just like the Bloodlines. I did build some 330 Bloodlines with a 45 grain brass insert and 125 grain head to get 18% FOC, but they still only weigh 430 or so.
I've heard about Easton arrows, but no shop around me has ever carried them. Mostly around me are goldtip/carbon express retailers. I'm not sure which arrow I would go with, with my current setup. Currently I shoot a Mathews No Cam at 65 pounds with a 30 inch draw length. I will use a 100 grain broadhead. Does anyone know which correct spine would match my setup?
I would go with a 300 spine even with the low ibo and 65lbs. According to the gold tip chart and how I was told to use it I'm right at a 300 spine. Tim said go up a box or two of what the chart says and that should be the perfect spine for me because slightly over spined is better than under spined.
I just fletched up some FMJ 340's tonight. I too was shooting the maxima. My new arrows weigh 470grn now. Put some 3" vantecs on them with a right helical. Excited to get to the range tomorrow Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Yeah I know it's the same thing when I look on Eastons too. They're all I little different but my 300's tuned great with my bow so I would have no doubt you could do the same with your bow too. In most cases stiffer is better and I know someone is going to say that's what she said
I emailed Easton asking them questions on what they would recommend for my setup. I would like to go with FMJ's but I definitely have to research a little more on the process of making arrows. Don't wanna screw up an expensive arrow.
I'm looking into a thumb release and if I get one I'm going to lower my draw weight to 60-65lbs so I'm wondering what spine I should go with. Tim said Easton tends to be weak for a lot of guys. I thought that might help you when choosing a spine if you decide to buy Easton arrows.
I simply go for an arrow that weighs no less than 6 grains of total weight per pound of draw weight. My bow draws 60# and my arrows weigh in at about 385. 25 grains over minimum. They give me a nice balance of weight and speed.
Sorry I'm just now seeing this. 1. Right now, you're at 65# and 30 inch draw. A 330-350 spine will be just fine with a 100 grain head. 2. Your goal is to gain about 50-60 grains overall. We can assume the back of the arrow will stay constant (18 grains worth of blazers and 20 grains worth of knock). This means you want the arrow/insert/head to be 462 grains. You just have to answer a few questions in order to arrive at your arrow: a. Do you want to change broadhead weight? You may not if you have a lot of points and heads already b. What FOC do you want? Most out of the box arrows/combinations run 8-10% FOC. If you're building custom, you should probably shoot for 12-15%. That said, If you go with a 125 head, you will need to go to a .300 spine. A heavier front weight will give you more FOC, which in turn will be too much flex for a .350 to be consistent. Doing the math, taking into account all pieces: Arrow: 10.7 gpi Vanes: 18 gr Knock: 20 gr Insert: 10 gr Tip: 125 gr This gives you 480 grains and 10% FOC, a really nice flying arrow. If you want to add more weight and gain FOC, add 20 grains to your insert and you'll be at 500 grains and 11.5% FOC. Now arrows: The easton axis .300 is 10.7 grains per inch. I'm sure there are more but I haven't looked at arrows in a while so I'm not sure which ones, but look at every manufacturer. We're to the point where any good name brand will yield consistent results. Again, I have some axis and love them. I've never seen a bad review.
