DON'T PANIC
Buying your first arrows may seem simple, but it can quickly turn into an abyssal rabbit hole. This guide should hopefully tell you enough to get started without going too crazy.
Materials:
Fiberglass - is common at youth camps and with kiddie bow sets because they're cheap and durable. Don't buy these for any other purpose because that's not what they're meant for.
Wood - was very popular for less expensive arrows before the price of carbon went down. It's also very popular among trad archers despite the inherent inconsistencies of using a natural material. **DO NOT USE WOOD ARROWS WITH A COMPOUND**. The spine charts are not made for the extra forces involved and you could get half an arrow through the hand.
Aluminum - is typically less expensive than carbon, but when it bends, it tends to stay bent, unlike carbon, wood, or even fiberglass. Aluminum can be a great choice for beginners because of the reduced cost, and most beginners do fine with the straightness you get from eyeballing or the roll test on a flat surface when bending them back(carefully) by hand. About 3-5USD per arrow is probably a good budget for aluminum.
Carbon - is strong, light, and resilient. It's pretty much the gold standard these days, but it can be a little pricey. 5-7USD each is a good budget for carbon.
What length:
Your arrows should be at least 1-2in longer than your draw length so that you don't pull them too far back and they fall off the rest/shelf. If you don't know your draw length, stand with a wall directly to your left or right and put your bow hand in a fist against the wall with your arm out straight, look straight at the wall, and have someone use a tape measure to measure from where your top knuckle meets the wall to the corner of your mouth. That is your draw length. For most beginning archers it's best to use the uncut length unless you have a really short draw length so that you have room to cut them down later. A sight mounted or string clicker is a great way for new target recurve shooters to get around the challenges of extra long arrows, but most other disciplines won't have an issue.
Feathers vs Vanes:
If you rest the arrow on the shelf of the bow or your hand, you will need to use feathers. Feathers are also popular for very large diameter aluminum arrows that some archers use for indoor tournaments, but if you use a rest it doesn't really matter. Spin wings are the gold standard for top level competitions, but they aren't the most durable, so it might be best to hold off for your first set or two.
Arrow thickness:
Very small diameter arrows are best for outdoor competition and hunting because they're heavier and offer less wind resistance. Very large diameters are great for indoor shoots because the extra width helps the odds of breaking lines. Don't worry about either of these for your first set. Most budget arrows are a happy middle ground of around 1/4in or 6.5mm.
Tolerances:
You want the manufacturer to list their toperances because it shows that they're doing quality control checks. A straightness tolerance of +/- 0.006in and a weight tolerance of +/- 3 grains will be fine. You won't outperform them for quite a while.
What is spine:
Arrow spine is essentially a measure of how much an arrow bends when you hold it at each end and hang a small weight from the middle. This is important because too stiff of an arrow will bounce off the bow and fly erratically and too flexible of an arrow will bend like a wet noodle and fly erratically. The right arrow spine depends on three important things: arrow length, peak draw weight, and point weight. Spine for carbon arrows is usually denoted by a measure of how much the arrow flexes under a given load while aluminum arrows are often denoted by a combination of diameter and wall thickness. Sometimes you will see the chart list a group such as "T6" and there will be a table at the bottom which shows what sizes of which arrows fit into that group.
Arrow length as used on a chart is measured from the deepest part of the nock to the front end of the shaft, not including the point.
Peak draw weight on compounds is the hardest point before you hit the letoff, which can be measured with a bow scale at a shop or (carefully)at home. Sometimes it can be estimated based on bolt turns and such, but really just get a cheap scale or take it in. Peak draw weight on a recurve, longbow, etc can be estimated by marked weight on the bow/limbs + marked weight*(your draw length in inches - 28)/20 or you can measure it by using a marked arrow to draw the bow back the same distance.
Point weight is often used to fine tune arrow spine, but most charts assume a 100gr point and the stock inserts(if applicable) supplied with their arrows, so that's a good place to start. Different manufacturers supply different weight inserts, so always use the manufacturer's charts if possible. If you change the insert to a heavier or lighter insert, you have to take that into account. If hunting is a goal, plan to use the same weight field points as broadheads.
It's not uncommon to get a stiffer arrow and use heavier points or extra length to make it act "softer" until you're ready to go up in weight.
Let's do an example:
Say I have a 28in draw and feel good starting at 30lbs compound, and I get a Mission Switch. If I want carbon arrows by Easton, like Bowhunters or something, I'd look at [their chart](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://eastonarchery.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Hunting-Arrow-Chart-2019-2-1.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiX3ZX6zs3xAhWUPM0KHd0rBy4QFjAKegQIEhAC&usg=AOvVaw2sMzBIuDdz420eE-sRdmsX&cshid=1625546501440) look up the IBO rating of the bow which is 305fps, so no adjustment necessary since it's in 301-340fps. I want to save money, so I plan to use a 150gr point for now so that I can change them later which means that I look for 36lbs according to the adjustments on the chart. The arrows I want to order have an uncut length of 30in, so I follow the 32-36lb row over to the 30in column which suggests 460 spine, but since it's right on the edge and this is a compound 400 spine should be fine. Now I can just go from 150gr to 125gr to 100gr when I make 3lbs increases as I get stronger, and there could be room to cut them down later.
Another example:
If I want to shoot barebow or target recurve with a 29in draw length and feel comfortable getting 26lb limbs, I'll start by estimating my off-the fingers draw weight. Using the formula from earlier 26+26(29-28)/20 = 27.3, so I can expect 27-28lbs. If I want to order Carbon Express Predators, but just using 100gr points because heavy arrows won't fly as far, I'll look at [their chart](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://media.mwstatic.com/productdocuments/arrow%2520selection%2520chart/460/carbon\_express\_arrow\_selection\_guide.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjvoYuc2M3xAhWLmGoFHZCFBQMQFjAUegQIHxAC&usg=AOvVaw0bTX5Ri8nUwkIKJ\_7a2azI). Using the recurve draw weight categories from the right side of the chart, I see that one of my options is the PT2040 in its stock length of 31in. That gives me a little room to have a shop cut them down later if I need to make them act stiffer as I go up in draw weight, and they should be close enough to tune them into flying straight with the plunger.
If you shoot historical bows with no shelf, you have to go a little softer than most charts(or use the longbow column on some charts). Thumb draw with khatra might need slightly stiffer arrows, and trad bows with a cutout should be close enough to tune by trying different weight points.
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