hunting, I have a few more questions for you. What is your draw length
and draw weight? What weight of broad heads are you planning to
shoot? And what bow are you shooting? If you are shooting a 29" draw
length and 70 pound bow, I can eliminate all of the 500 spine arrows
as they are going to be too weak and probably weigh less than the 350
grain minimum. If you want to shoot 125 grain heads, I would probably
steer you towards a 340 spine that will be stiff enough to handle the
heavier weight up front. If you plan to shoot 100 grain heads, than
I need the follow up question of what bow are you shooting. The
reason here is that some bows shoot and tune better with a weaker
spined arrow. Xpedition and PSE hybrid cam bows, for example, tend
to shoot 400 spine arrows much better than 340s because the cam
design allows the arrow to flex a little more during the shot cycle,
whereas Hoyt and Mathews tend to prefer the stiffer 340 because they
aren't as radical of a cam.
PRACTICAL USE
Now that we have narrowed your search down to a spine selection,
I want to know what type of game you are planning on hunting. If
you're a dedicated spot-and-stalk antelope hunter looking for flatter
trajectory at longer range, I would recommend a lighter weight arrow
with a higher FOC. The HEXX arrow from Easton or Blue Streaks from
Carbon Express would be great for this application as their 340 spine
arrows weigh in at under 375 grains for a 29" arrow. If you're an
elk hunter who's looking for a hard hitting arrow, I would steer you
towards the Pile Driver Pass-Thru Extreme from Carbon Express. This
arrow has a very thick wall and is on the heavier side - a whopping
10.3 GPI in a 350 and 9.36 in their 250. The Pile Driver also delivers
great FOC by utilizing a 40 grain half-outsert which allows you to use
100 grain broad heads instead of changing over to 125s. If you are
a multi-species hunter that wants an all-around good arrow that has
some speed but still delivers momentum, I would recommend either
an Easton Axis, Gold Tip Hunter, or Easton Bloodline. All three of these
options give you a mid-weight arrow that maintains momentum to
ensure good penetration at any hunting range.
Making sure that your arrows match your bow, and your intended
use, is an important step towards better shooting. I hope that this
article has left you with more answers than question. If you do have
questions, however, please feel free to call your local North 40 archery
shop for advice. Better yet... stop in and visit with us!