I’m wanting to venture into wood arrows for my ASL. I’ve never shot them before, so I do not know what spine to choose. I will provide this info:

NM Classic 68” and 51#@28-1/4” draw. I plan to shoot 175- 190 heads as I already have that weight in glue on broadheads.

If I was to buy a test kit, what range would be recommended? 50-55, 55-60, 60-65 or 55-60, 60-65, 65- 70? Or am I way off?

I’d prefer to buy finished shafts, I can fletch and nock them etc. and in the future perhaps get more equipment to make them.

I would go with the first grouping. Your ASL is less center shot so most likely the lighter spine kit would work.

I agree with JusPassin but it wouldn't hurt to have more than one kit to cover more than one range as you progress.

It also depends on what overall length you are planning to shoot and how you plan to tune. I pick the spine based on my desired overall length and point weight, and then tune the bow, but that isn't how everybody does it.

If you are going to start long and cut to tune (which isn't my way) then it's difficult to say definitively.

50-55, 55-60, 60-65 if you are using B50 string. If your using a low stretch string then a 60-65 or 55-60, 60-65, 65- 70.

I am not sure how all the other vendors work this kind of request, but at our shop you can get a test kit custom selected for your situation if you call and talk to us. There is no reasonable way to list all possible options on a web order page so we don't even list test kits. We often discuss a customer's parameters with them and come up with what they need via a phone call.

I would recommend you call a dealer. Don't count on ordering via the web.

Great advice Larry.

Yep......

Great advice. Those are pretty heavy heads which knock your dynamic spine way down. You may be at 45-50 or even 40-45. Tough to say. I think previous posters may have missed that. Jawge

Your drawing 28 1/4", but how long are you planning to cut the shaft to BOP? if 29" I would suggest 60/64 with B50 string, with a non-stretch 65/69

Bob

Thanks guys. @fdp how do you tune wood shafts? My understanding is bareshaft can be tricky because you can break them. I don’t think I have much bow side adjustment since it’s an ASL

Also, since I’m new to wood arrows I was thinking of just having them pre-cut. Figuring 29” would be adequate.

Josh I pick the spine that I have decided will work based on my arrow length, draw weight, and point weight. I RARELY ever bareshaft ANY material and less often with wood. But I use the same process when I do bareshaft regardless of the shaft material.

I start my tuning with nothing on the site window but a piece of masking tape. That means that I have the bow set up to handle the stiffest spine that it can handle.

Then I start shooting. Hopefully (and in most instances it turns out to be true) the arrow will be slightly weak. At that point I add material to the site window to move the POI to center. I also make "fine" adjustments with brace height.

If by chance the arrow is stiff, and it is too far out of range to tune with brace height, then I drop down one spine group.

Frank, what about with a NM classic that has almost no shelf to begin with? Would I be limited to point weight and brace height to tune if I choose to have arrows pre-cut?

Nope.not if you are buying a test kit....you'd do it the same way. If the arrow is weak and you can't comfortably move it enough to tune, then you would go UP one spine group and try that spine.

Folks forget that in the past it was VERY common for Hill, Brown, and all those guys to stick a leather or wooden wedge in the grip wrap on their bow. One of the reasons that they did that was to increase the width of the shelf. And what did that do? It gave them more choices in tuning.

Go with the spine range that Bob Burton suggested, and tune like we are talking about now.

That is not a test kit but the normal variance in spine for a set of arrows. A test kit would give you 3 shafts from at least 3 of those groups you mentioned. Other wise you need to be more specific with the length of arrow you want, the center shot of the bow, & thickness of the strike plate. Then we might get lucky and pick the right group. >>>----> Ken

This is the spine range the OP is talking about in the test kit/kits;

50-55, 55-60, 60-65 (one test kit)

55-60, 60-65, 65- 70 (another test kit)

Thanks, Sorry I misread. I would go with the first one. >>>----> Ken

Regarding bare shafts and breakage (because I have direct experience with this bit! LOL @ myself…).

If you’re not pretty sure that you’re pretty close (in spine) you need to start pretty close (in range). I have busted woodies (foam block targets) when they hit the target while flying at an angle. If you have an issue, it’ll show up before it gets bad enough to break the shaft, PROVIDED that you start close enough (range) and work back in small increments. Yes, this involves more shooting.

I have no problem with that.

On my SECOND test kit, I started very close at full-length; started cutting down lengths & swapping out points. I had about 50 feet of yard to work with, and I got tuned well enough that I did end up busting up all of my woodies…. But because I was slapping shafts and splitting nocks.

The good news on breaking shafts because they’re flying sideways… the spine on that shaft is probably far enough off that it wouldn’t have tuned for you anyway ;)

If you think you’re tuned, back up 3 steps and shoot again. I had one bow “perfectly” tuned at 20 yards but then the flight went to hell at around 25 and I was missing the line by a couple of feet at 30.

But I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that if an arrow is tuned well enough to behave itself for the first 20 yards, it might not be quite as forgiving as one that behaves out to 30, but it’s not ever going to Cause a problem.

Thanks folks. I’m going to go sell some old carbon arrows and buy a test kit.

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