Bear with me,never figured I'd make a post like this but old age and being out of the game awhile makes it necessary....and I can't find my reams of notes! I need a ballpark guess on arrows for my wife...alum or carbon. She has a 25" draw max and is shooting 38-42 # recurves and longbows. We want 26" arrows w/100 gr points. .....what research I've been able to do suggests something in the .800 spine range. That sound about right? I USED to know all this stuff...but I'm kinda lost now. Any ideas/suggestions? Thanks guys,..Steve

I just plugged some numbers into Stu's calculator.... Easton Redline or Carbon One in a 900 looks to be about right, but there are those who say that the calculator always leaves carbon shooters seriously overspined......

GT 1535 Trad is WAY over (calculator says you need #55-ish spine).

I tried a few sizes of aluminum in there as well... looks like maybe 1716s?

But really, the bow model/degree of centershot and the sideplate and the type of string that you're using all figure in so heavily....

And speaking of "heavy".... the 900-spine carbons and 100-grain points would probably put your arrows way down under 7 GPP; the 1716s would be closer to 9....

P.S.....Spine charts I've consulted all suggest arrows that my experience has shown to be WAY too stiff. One of them was actually the same shaft I shoot out of a 45# recurve 29" long with a 145 gr. Point. So OBVIOUSLY that's gonna be WAY over spined for her draw length and bow poundage. I don't put much faith in those spine charts!

Are the bows going to be 38-42lbs. at her draw length?

Yes...38-42 lbs.at her draw of 25" point weight and arrow length is a variable we can deal with somewhat. Don't want ferociously long arrows or too heavy points. She hunts with 26" cedar arrows with Zwicky Eskilites. These are for target/league use. (Hard on wood!). :)

She shoots a Howard Hill longbow,and a warfed recurve the most. Sometimes an old Bear Grizzly.

I'm not a carbon guru, but in aluminum you could go with 1714, 1716, 1812, 1813, 1814, or 1816 as long as you leave them 28". Brace height, string type, and centershot will be the deciding factors.

Yes the options open up with a 28" arrow. That's a lot of overhang with her short draw. She's a "picky" sort and dosn't like too long arrows! (You should go gun shopping with her...sheesh! )

I was thinking 27-28" 1816. There was a gal at the range shooting a 40# longbow with 26" 1816's but she was drawing a full 26".....I don't know....

LOL!, Well, actually when you shorten the arrows you have a large selection as well. For indoors with 26" arrows I would look hard at 1712's if you can find them. I haven't looked for them in a long time.

Man that's skinny!....where would you find inserts points and nocks that actually fit the string that small? I think we will rule out "knitting needles" !

40# draw weight is impressive for a woman shooting traditional. A 26" arrow is tuff to figure. Carbon is going to be way stiff cut that short. I cut some 600 spine arrows 26" for a woman compound shooter, shooting a new hoyt compound 45# at her draw. They shot great, cause carbon arrows are so stiff at that length. It would be nice if you could try some first, Maybe order/buy two arrows each 800 spine and 700 spine and try them. Bare shaft should tell you, you will absolutely have to cut them first to see how they fly.

I’d go with 1716’s, buy the ones that come with jocks and target points.

Yeah...I shoot 600 spine carbons out of a 40# Super Kodiak but had to leave them full length and add an aluminum footing and 145 gr. point...drawn 28". I've had a heck of a time with carbons. Got it worked out with Stus calculater back when I could figure out the early version.

SB -

"I’d go with 1716’s, buy the ones that come with jocks and target points."

Your wife should be happy with the above.

BTW, the difference between a 28" arrow and a 26" arrow, is 10# of dynamic spine (or 0.1" deflection, actual spine), so yeah, 1716s to start. Since you have a Hill LB in the mix, the same arrow might work on that "and" the recurves, but odds are won't be optimal for either.

Viper out.

Try the cx predator ii in 800 spine. My advice is to start full length--- if you cut it to 26" you may end up too stiff. W the 38 gr outsert and 100 gr tip this nets me 338grs--- great weight for 3d. If you go to aluminum i believe you will end up w somewhere around 12-13 gpp w low foc. This may present a challenge for her trajectory-wise. If 26" length is a must have contact Lancaster archery and ask about 900 or even 1000 target shafts. I really like the cx800s full length. For hunting i use heritage 75s w 200 up front, but my shots at deer are very close. Good luck.

Those two bows are miles apart in centershot capability. I agree with a 28" 1816 with the recurve. But with the Hill, I would suggest a 1716. I don't use carbon but I would go even softer spine with them due to their different dynamic response.

Thanks guys....some food for thought. I'm leaning towards slightly long 1816's,or probably slightly long CX Predator II'S .800 spine. I'm sure we'll have to start slightly long! And yeah ...tough to find one arrow for both a longbow and a recurve,but the recurve is NOT center shot with the flipper rest on it.

A little update on what we came up with. 28" 1716 Easton Tributes with 100 gr. points. 3 4"parabolic feathers. Perfect match for ALL of the wife's bows.We had to leave them a bit longer than she wanted but arrow flight is perfect! BONUS they also shoot perfect out of my 40# Super Kodiak! Glad they were left long! :). Near perfect match according to Stus' calculater also.. who knew? Thanks again guys!

Everybody wins!

Oh...And a big thanks to Terry at the Footed Shaft for getting us dialed in!

And it looks like you were spot on too Matt! Thanks again. Maybe some of this stuff will start coming back to me as I get "reinvolved" !

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