Wood arrow spine

[Formby]

I am looking for a wood hunting arrow something of good weight but not to heavy my bow is 55#@29" I like shooting full length arrows and 125grain points what spine arrow do I need and what is a good hunting wood?

[Roy from Pa]

Here is what you want. Your spine answer will be under the mass weight link at the top.

  http://surewoodshafts.com/index.html

[Orion]

65#-70# should do.  Surewood makes excellent Doug fir shafts.  It runs a little heavier than Sitka spruce or Port Orford cedar and is stronger than either, IMO.  Spruce is usually the lightest of the bunch.  I still prefer POC.

Because any wood varies in weight, it's possible to get any of these in the same weight range.  For example, a midrange POC weight would likely compare to a light range Doug fir and a slightly heavy Sitka spruce range.  Hope that makes sense.

You can order the physical weight you want in any of the shaft material, within limits, of course.  Start with the finished arrow weight you want and work back from there.  For example, if you want a 550 grain arrow, subtract 125 grains for the point, about 20 grains for feathers and nock. About 25 grains for finish.  550 - 170  = 380.  Nock and point tapering will remove about 10 grains, so you want to add this in.  Thus, you would want raw shafts in the 385-390  or 390-395  range.  This weight should be available in any of the wood materials mentioned. Good luck.

[jsweka]

What kind of bow do you shoot and how close to center shot is it?

If it's somethingthing similar to a Hill style longbow that's not anywhere close to center shot you'll need a lighter spine than a recurve that is center shot.

[lpcjon2]

What Orion said, he is on the money.

[cedar]

I shoot a recurve which is cut 3/16 past center, it is 55@29.  I use 70-74 or 75-79 spine cut to 30".  I have a longbow which is 1/16 of center and is 51@29.  I use 60-64 spine cut to 30".  All have 125 gr points.  I start with a raw shaft that is 150 to 160 gr lighter than what I want my finished shaft to be.

[Formby]

My bow is a Martin savannah Im not sure how close to center it is

[lpcjon2]

With a longbow I was helped out by Bjorn who recommended going 10 or more pounds over for wood. This has been the way I have done it since, and it works every time. It also gives you the ability to leave them full length and add head weight.

[AkDan]

every bow and shooter is different...the best answer?  Get a set of test shafts and let the shoosting begin!   So use the references as a good starting point.  YOu may find you personally need more or less spine that I or another would with the exact same bow!  

A good example would be the bow I'm shooting longbow not cut to center needs 15-20lbs more in spine for me to get perfect arrow flight.   a hill bow may like the same spine or possibly even less than the market weight, in spine to shoot for you.  

I know widow has a good or did, set of alum test shafts.   Most wood arrow suppliers will also be able to help you out here and give you a window of what should plus or minus a few groups so you can dial in what you need for your particular bow and your style of shooting!

I like doug fir, I really LOVE ash, Poc is nice but I cant get the spines anymore I need (seems to be a ever reoccuring thing with cedar these days), sitka spruce is nice but I didnt care for its lack of durability though it could have been the shafts I was shooting, they do make a stunning arrow.   You'll find quickly that a LOT of woods have served as shafts over time...birch, maple, ash, hickory, poc, fir, and a host of others.   Some are more durable than others, some you can find in stiffer spine than others, but the most important pick is finding the one that flies perfect!  Thats my buck-50