arrow length

aljo · 06-23-2009, 07:39 PM

i just shortened my dl drom 29" to 28". best move i ever made. i'm ripping the vanes off my arrows. my best groups ever. here's my question. i noticed my arrow is extending a good 3" past my qad dropaway rest. i'm going to cut them down, but how much? is there a rule of thumb on how far it should extend past the rest? right now the total length is 28 7/16" from end of nock to end of insert.

sgmathews92 · 06-23-2009, 08:30 PM

well 3 inches will lighten the arrow by however the gpi x 3 is. It will make the shaft slightly stiffer. What type of arrows and what are you pulling?

SG

skycomag · 06-23-2009, 08:44 PM

if you are going to shot a broad head the arrow should stick out place the riser about 1" or so. any closer the broad head is close to you bow hand.
my arrows are 1/2" longer than my draw length but i shot target pts.
so my draw length is 27 my arrows are 27 1/2".

aljo · 06-23-2009, 08:47 PM

right now i'm using beman ics bow hunters. spine is 340 with a weight of 9.3 gpi. total weight w/100 gr tips is 422gr. i'm not really worried about weight as much as i am the 3" sticking out past my rest. just wondering if there is a min. needed beyond the rest.

Bob4 · 06-24-2009, 06:28 AM

I think it's mostly a personal safety issue. 1.5 to 2 inches should be safe. You shortened your DL by an inch.. If everything was working OK at the time I would just shorten my arrows by the same 1 inch.

JAVI · 06-24-2009, 06:37 AM

While you may want to shorten your arrows a bit, it isn't always the best course of action. You must take the spine of the arrow into consideration, since you have already shortened your draw length the effective spine is now stiffer and to shorten the shaft further stiffens the reaction..

You may need to increase point weight or even buy new arrows to establish proper spine.

Allen · 06-24-2009, 06:57 AM

If you are shooting good, why mess with it?

Javi is right about the effect on spine. Small length changes can have a big effect on "dynamic" spine, even more than point weight.

J.Blay · 06-24-2009, 09:38 AM

I'm a hunter that also shoots a little 3D. I practice year round in my back yard. My standards may be different than yours but here's my experience. I shoot a Hoyt Vectrix with a Copper John 5 pin hunting sight, a 29 1/2" draw at #63, and a kisser button but no peep. I use the same set up and arrows for 3D and hunting; no fancy accessories. I make my arrows an inch long on purpose. When I crack the nock end I usually can trim it and continue using it. I'm not even close to a top target shooter but I often shoot 1" groups at 20 yards and 4" groups out to 60. I shoot Carbon Express and Victory arrows togeather with 300 and 350 spines weighing from 340 to 400grains. Arrow lenghts vary from 27 3/4' to 29 " lengths. I do all my own bow tuning and maintainance so I'm a stickler for keeping my bow shooting well. I'm not a good enough archer to tell any difference between the various lenghts, weights and spines except the lighter arrow drops slightly less beyond 40 yards and also drifts more when it's windy. My bow paper tunes and group tunes well with all these arrows.I've never missed a deer because of my equipment. It's been me, every time.

aljo · 06-24-2009, 10:13 PM

i understand shortening an arrow will make it stiffer. since i'm shooting a pretty stiff arrow now (340) may i'll drop to a 400. i'll talk to my pro shop this weekend.while i'm on the subject, here's one more thing. i undrstand the danger of being underspined, but what are the drawbacks of being overspined. no one, not even my dealer has really explained this to me clearly. remember, i'm not very bright, so type slowly.

madmike1735 · 06-25-2009, 09:22 PM

just curious, you said you were shooting good tight groups.... why did you rip the vanes off???? in my opinion, you should have just shortened the arrows 1 inch..... then re-sight accordingly.

grizz49 · 06-29-2009, 12:24 AM

I asked EASTON these same question last year. You see many rest companies
are suggesting for best performance with a broadhead that the arrow be a 1/2" to 1" past the rest at full draw. Easton stated that as long as the arrows are the right spine, that good performace will be found. They incourage arrows length to be just past the face of the rizer, for many safety reasons.