Thinking about giving wood a try again after many many many years. I shoot 1916 aluminums so what wood arrow would be a good fit? Shooting a 40# slight rf df longbow drawing 27 1/2".

50 #

Maybe 50-55# group would do

1916 are about 53-55# so all other things being equal, woodies in the 50-55# group should work.

Wow! I'm glad that I asked. I would never have thought that it would be that high. Thanks for the help.

Suggest that You try a test kit of wooden shafts from a reputable vendor before going whole hawg. Just sayin

Wood is spined on a 26" span w/2# weight

Aluminum on a 28" span and a 880 gram (1.94#) weight.

Therefore a 29" 1916 spines at around 625 +/-

To get a 625 deflection with wood at 29" you are looking at 40/45# shafts.

Yes, and don't forget the increased diameter of the wood shaft taking you a little more from center.

Wood arrow also react differently to the bow versus other materials, but no way will you need over 50# arrow shafts when pulling 27 1/2" on a 40 pound bow. If you are at center cut you are still looking at 40-45 at 28" or 28 1/2" length arrow.

Let me give you a for instance: I have a center cut Hoyt Pro Hunter recurve at 47#. I pull about the same as you....about 27 1/2" on that bow. I'm shooting 50# spine spruce arrows at 28" long and using a BCY-X string. I'm getting perfect arrow flight with that setup. You will be pulling less than 40#....I'm pulling about 45.

I pull 27.5 and my 46 lb 1/8 cut past center recurve and my 52 lb 1/8 before center longbows like 1916 and 50-54 spined cedars so would start with George's suggestions and in my mind you should be real close there bows also like Easton Axis Traditional carbons with 75 gr. inserts and 175 gr. points but i'm still trying to figure out why so what do I know.

how long are you arrows

The 1916's are 28 1/2". Thanks for the help everyone. I think that I will ask if I can try someones woods at the next shoot I go to. Trad. shooters are usually willing to let you try their stuff. Also I haven't checked the weight of this longbow so it may be slightly more or less then 40# but it is going to be really close I'm sure.

Agree with George. I shot 1916's out of #40 recurve just fine then switched to 40- 45 cedar shafts @ 28" and they were perfect.

George. Why confuse the issue with what Easton spines shafts? Did Easton do that just because people were shooting compounds and using a longer draw length at the time? It just seems like when comparing arrow shafts for traditional bows it would be easier just to stick with the old standard spine tester of 26" and measure deflection with a 2 lb weight.

45/50 looks good

Kind of odd that nobody has asked this yet, but…

What makes you think that a 1916 is the right shaft to begin with? Yes, you could match it… But why match the wrong thing?

I think George has this nailed for you, and I can tell you why…

I've got one R/D long bow rated #55, which I'm drawing to 26.5" or maybe as much as 27", so around #50. And I have another, much more aggressive R/D longbow (Bamboo Viper) rated at #50, which I'm drawing to about #45.

A 2016 (125 gr point) is a bit too stiff for the 55-pounder, and I think a 1916 Is very close to where I need to end up. And that's with an arrow which is a bit over 28.5". It's a little long, but it's also a little weak.

Both of my bows will shoot a 28.5", #50 spine arrow with 145 up front and run it square down the middle (5" shields with a lot of helical), but the one that I'm shooting at #45 also shoots #42-#43 spine woodies (125 points) with no muss, no fuss even using very little fletching at all. I may end up going as light as an 1816 for that one.

So I guess the good news for wood arrow shooters is that the spine charts were worked out to provide the correct answer for a wood arrow and probably a short- of-center sight window... your draw length puts you very close to the nominal spec, so they should be pretty straightforward for you.

I would buy a spine test kit with shafts running 35-40, 40-45, and 45-50. and I would shoot them either bare-shaft or with as absolutely little fletching as possible.

Shoot them all and see what works, but I would be not at all surprised if you were to find that your best bet (based on diligent bare-shaft analysis) turns out to be an arrow at about #38 spine rating.

Bigdog a generic chart like that doesn't work for stickbows. Well actually it works for the amount of centershot the chart was made off of. A bow that's cut to center, a bow cut past center, and a bow cut 3/16 before center all take different spined shafts.

George is right about the spines. An aluminum and a woody both tested at 26" with 2 lbs may have the same deflection, but not the same spine weight and won't shoot the same. That's why two different ways of testing spine. If you use the 28" center on aluminum and 26 on wood, and both have the same deflection they will both shoot the same because their spine weights the same.

Glf if you look at the chart and poundage 40 # at 28 they are exactly what George is saying 40-45#, and also showing his 1916 could be on the stiff side

with a 125 head start with 45-50, with a 160 head start with 160, that is based on a 28&1/4" bop for your 27.5" draw. You don't want a wood shaft to be any longer than needed in my experience. leaving them much longer opens up a can of variables that only having the hands on the bow and arrow could answer.

If you want an arrow @ 28.5" and using a 125gr point weight, then have a test kit made with a range from 35-40 up to 55-60 of 28.5" arrows tipped with 125gr points. You will likely never have to ask a wood arrow spine question again. Just consider having a wide enough range to cover all your bows. Do sideplate and brace adjustments to fine tune the close ones.

There is good advice above, even if conflicting. Your release and form have much to contribute towards one person's reasoning or another and what will actually work. The test kit can allow you to make the best choice for you.

Listen to George D. :o)

Yes Big dog but anyone who's owned both can tell you that a hill longbow won't tune with the same arrow as a recurve or longbow cut past center. That's why even easton charts have different charts for the two. The less a bows center cut the weaker the arrow it needs. He's shooting an rd probably cut to center they going off that and the fact he told what arrow he's using.

Getting the same deflection with a 2# weight at 28 inches (actually Easton uses 1.94#) as a 2# weight at 26 inches does not yield the same spine. The measurement at 28 inches is a stiffer spine.

I don't know when Easton developed it's system of 1.94# at 28 inches. Not certain it was being used for aluminum arrows in the past, though it has become the way to spine carbon arrows.

There are conversion charts available. For example, according to a conversion chart supplied by RangerArchery.com, a 50# spine measured with a 2# weight at 26 inches, yields a .51 deflection. 50# using a 1/94# weight at 28 inches yields a .63 deflection. A .51 deflection using 1.94#@28n inches actually produces a 62# spine. So the same deflection using the two different measurement parameters yield different results, the aluminum/carbon measurement system producing results that indicate stiffer spine.

I agree that George is probably right, but since the 1916s are already working, woodies in the 50-55# range would probably also work, particularly because most bows will shoot a range of spines, particularly spines stiffer than the minimum required.

A lot of great info. Thanks to everyone.

I'd bet on 40/45's 1st, or possibly 45/50's @ 28.5-29". I think you could get either to work, but start with 29"BOP and cut from there if necessary.

(Wood arrows out of 40-45" R/D's is all I've shot for the last 7 years or so.)

Go to oakcreekarchery.com. At the top of the home page select spine testers. At the bottom of the spine tester page there are three charts. Three boxes to click on. They will tell you everything you need to know about spine, deflection, testing standards you could possibly want to know.

1916 XX75 = 53#

Makes me think I'm pretty on-track with a 1916 for the #55@28" RER and an 1816 for the #50@28" Viper... and of course that's what Stu's calculator says...

Interesting observation on keeping woodies as long as they need to be, and no more.... When I first got the Viper, I was shooting #40-#43 cedars full-length, and with just 2" straight-fletch, they were humming right down the middle all the way out to about 20 yards. A shaft like that with 125 upfront probably spines around #25, or so I'm told by guys who know an awful lot more about this stuff than I do…

There is a huge effective difference between a full length shaft of a given spine being shot with a 28" draw compared to a 31" draw.

There is also a huge difference between a 1916, 19/64" in diameter and an 11/32", 22/64" diameter wood shaft when it comes to spine needed out of a particular bow. The 1916 because of its very small diameter will effectively shoot out of a wider range of bows and bow weighs than the same spiked, larger diameter wood shaft.

Well, that certainly clears that up - - not!

Actually all the confusion is pretty much the right answer. There as so many variables in shafts, points, bows, strings and the many variables among shooters, that the answer cannot be calculated with high accuracy. The best you can expect is a fair guess.

The test of the arrow is in the shooting. Trial and error. Have several different point weights on hand and a means to trim shaft lengths. Have several different tabs or gloves, Then start shooting. Expect that it will take several weeks, or months, until you are satisfied. Actually, takes years and I am still working on it for various bow and arrow combinations.

Don't like that answer? Here is another: from that bow try 40-44# narrow cedar shafts with 100 grain points.- lbg

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