Selecting the right arrow is an under-appreciated aspect of archery, but could possibly be the most important to successful shooting. Even though you may have bought a bow with a high IBO speed such as over 300 fps, there is no way it will shoot at that speed if you shoot a heavy fiberglass arrow. That being said, different arrows are made for different circumstances and you will have a need for each at some point or another.

The key to good archery shooting isn’t so much in the quality of the compound bow you use because they are all fitted with many of the same features. Where you will really find your edge is in a judicious selection of arrows, both in the materials they are made from and the quality of the manufacture. Make sure the arrows you buy are straight, that they suit the bow and the type of shooting you will be doing. The length of the arrow you require will also be governed by your draw length.

Arrows are most commonly made from aluminum, wood, fiberglass and carbon. We will look at the benefits and downsides of each as well as the uses for each.

Wood was the original material of choice for arrows when bows were first invented and wooden arrows are still used today. Wood is an easy medium to work with, it’s flexible and reasonably durable, they are also quite inexpensive. It has only been in more recent times that wooden arrows have been replaced with other materials. Wooden arrows can be used for indoor or outdoor shooting with equal performance. They can have a tendency to warp or bend making their flight less true.

Carbon arrows are strong, fast through the air and lightweight. They are meant to be shot by modern bows that can handle the lighter weighted arrows. Although they are called carbon arrows, and there are pure carbon arrows available, the most common kind of carbon arrow is an aluminum/carbon mix that gives the arrow added durability and strength. Carbon arrows are smaller than aluminum arrows which helps make them fast. They are for long distance shooting and maintain their shape well. The downside to using carbon arrows is in the price because they are indeed quite expensive.

Aluminum arrows are popular with indoor target archery with most archers preferring the thicker aluminum shafts to the thinner carbon arrows. They are also used for archery tournaments. Beginner archers should use aluminum arrows because of their resilience if the target is missed. The aluminum arrows are not as expensive as other types and easily replaced if they are broken, damaged or lost. There is also a consistency in their manufacture so you are less likely to get a bent or warped shaft. It’s easy to replace the arrow tips in aluminum arrows allowing you to keep the arrows for a long time

Fiberglass arrows are most commonly used as a training arrow due to their heavier size. Although they are more durable than wooden arrows and can be made to differing sizes to match the archer, they still tend to break quite easily and people tend to prefer aluminum arrows. Fiberglass comes into its own through the fact that the arrows can be made more consistent from one arrow to the next making their flight more reliable.

There is no doubt that choosing a compound bow is crucial when taking up the sport of archery, but just as important are the arrows you use. In fact the features of your new compound bow might be completely negated by the purchase of cheap or arrows that don’t suit you.