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Choosing a Carbon Hunting Arrow in New Zealand
Factors to consider when buying carbon hunting arrows.
If you’re serious about bowhunting, you need to be very thorough in choosing and maintaining your hunting arrows. Be very fussy about your hunting arrows, you usually only get a few shots a year at big game, and there are only a few competitions so you want to be confident of two things:
• That the hunting arrow hits where you aim it.
• That it arrives there with plenty of energy to get the job done.
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It’s also important for your hunting arrow to be quiet in flight, because deer, Chamois, even Wapiti will “jump the string” (unfortunately, I know this from my personal experiences).
So, avoid feathers unless you use traditional gear, because they are noisy in flight and noisy in your quiver. For the same reason, use the smallest fletching and the smallest broadhead that will get the job done well.
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The smaller the turbulence-creating hunting arrow accessories are, the quieter the hunting arrow will be in flight.
Also, don’t use broadheads that rattle in the quiver. Lastly, use a heavy hunting arrow. Using a heavy hunting arrow will do more to silence your bow than anything else, as it transfers more energy from you bow to the arrow flight.
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“How do I pick the proper hunting arrow?”
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There are three common mistakes archers make when choosing hunting arrows.
1. Archers spend a lot of money on a high-performance bow, and then they go buy cheap, low performance hunting arrows to save money. Many cheap hunting arrows will never allow that expensive bow to perform near its capability.
2. Archers choose their hunting arrows without considering the conditions they will be shooting in. Wind, foliage rain all are factors that will have a higher affect on a light arrow.
3. Many archers choose a hunting arrow that is simply too light because all they care about is speed. These hunting arrows can be unforgiving on poor form but also, they do not use the bows energy effectively. Why have all that awesome power and not use it?
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There’s a process involved in selecting the right hunting arrow, these are the factors to consider.
• Know the spine you need for your bow- (if you are not sure read this)
• Your draw weight(pounds) and length - longer draw reduces spine & higher poundage needs stiffer spine.
• Your hunting arrow head and insert weight. - the more weight up front the more you reduce spine so you may need a higher rated spine.
• What weather conditions are you often shooting - rough conditions need a heavier hunting arrow.
• What game are you targeting? the bigger the game the heavier the hunting arrow needed. look for the GPI (grains per inch) on the arrow. We recommend a minimum 10 GPI for mid to large game.
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Hunting arrow Weight
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Hunting arrows are specifically made for impact and speed. Depending on your desired effect you can choose between a heavier and lighter hunting arrow. You find that, lighter hunting arrows are selected due to their increased speed at longer ranges. Heavier hunting arrows are designed to carry more energy and deliver more punch and penetration which increases the striking impact.
Hunting arrow Spine
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Spine is the hunting arrows resistance to bending. This is usually measured in static spine which is the flex of a resting hunting arrow. In most cases, the less the recorded number on the hunting arrow, the stiffer the hunting arrow. (400 is more flexible than 300)
Hunting arrow Material
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When selecting your best hunting arrows, you will come across options with a carbon, aluminium and carbon-aluminium type of hunting arrow. They tend to differ depending on the speed, durability and weight. Carbon made hunting arrows dominate the market unlike other types of hunting arrows. The reason why it is loved by lots of archers is its lighter material, faster flight and better penetration. These days most Aluminium arrows tend to be the low-cost option, with a couple of very good expections like FMJs.
Hunting arrow Diameter
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A micro-diameter hunting arrow is considered as the best selection for your hunting due to a number of reasons one being increased penetration.
The less surface area and friction at the back of the broadhead enhances your hunting arrow to maintain its momentum for long period.
Small sized hunting arrow decreases the amount of drift on a windy day.
If you want accuracy and ample speed, then proper hunting arrow is extremely important at this point.
Get the right combination of hunting arrow diameter, straightness, spine and weight.
There are lots of perfect hunting arrows in the market, but as mentioned earlier they are also selected depending on the type of animal you are trying to pursue.