MAtching wood arrows, spine vs weight

[LittleBen]

Just wondering what you all think. I bought 100 surewoods a while back in 50-55# spine (electronically spined). I weighed them (digital) and spined them all by hand.

They range from about 45# to 55# or so across the 100. Mainly in the 50-52# range.

When I'm matching groups of shafts I'm trying to get groups of a dozen or so ... dont care much if its 10 or 14 in the group. I tried to match them within maybe 2# of spine, but this leaves groups that can vary by around 40 grains (10%) or so.

Should I try wider spine ranges (5#) and go for closer weights? or am I better off with closer spine rating and wider weight range?

Only thing I can figure out to do is buy another 100 and make really closely matched groups .... but I need executive approval from Dana (the home boss) to do that.

[arrowslinger22]

Depends on your bow, if center shot it will be less critical of spine, so weight matching would make sense.  If you shoot self bows like I do, spine is the most important thing.  In my case spine matching to the bow is everything.

[m midd]

I would go 3# of spine and match weights closer

[bigbadjon]

Spine is much more critical than weight. Center shot also might make a difference in what spines your bow will shoot but your spine must still match with in the set you are shooting.

[monterey]

I tend to favor matching spine over weight.  As your range increases your weight becomes more critical.  Me being a 20 yard or less hunting shot makes weight the less important.  If you can shoot well at longer ranges you will probably want to match weight more closely.

[Flying Dutchman]

I shoot wood for 5 years now and I am in the same process as you are. I found out that weight is more important then spine. For me that is. I can' t tell the difference between 3 lbs more or less. However, if the weight differs in a set of arra's , I sure can tell the difference.
So I order batches like 50 shafts. After I made arrows out of them, I weigh them on a digital grain scale.  For one batch of arrows, the weight should differ no more then 10 grains.
With a batch of 50, I mostly end with 4 groups, in different weights.
But maybe my bows are spine tolerant. If you want perfection, you could consider to hand spine the shafts, and cut them on slightly different lengths in order to get the same dynamic spine value.
If you want absolute perfection, you could think about bare shafting and cutting each shaft to the right length. Once you made arrows out of them, you weigh them and make different classes.
You could also think about finding a supplier who hand spines and weights the shaft for you. Some suppliers do so. You pay a little bit more ( like one dollar per shaft) for this service. But you end up with great batches.
I should add that I use Sitka spruce shafts only and that I am a target shooter. I shoot till 60 yards. At this distances I found out that spine is' t important as weight.

[bigbadjon]

There is no such thing as spine tolerance. If your arrows are not the same stiffness then they will not recover at the same rate and will not fly the same. It is critical that spine be matched.

[gringol]

This is great.  Some say spine, some say weight.  Very helpful.

If you can match both, do it.  If not, there are some trade offs you can make.  Inside 15 yds, small differences in weight won't make a difference you will notice.  Outside 15, all bets are off, but generally 10 grain differences will be so minute you won't notice unless you shoot like byron ferguson.  For fletched arrows, spine differences within 5# are going to be just fine.  Some guys say that is too much variation, but 99% of guys won't see any difference in flight.

[bigbadjon]

Matching both would be ideal, spine is just more important. Mine are spined to the pound and within 5 grains of eachother. Worrying about straightness is bad enough without having variances in other areas.

[SlowBowinMO]

I like both but if I can only have one it will be SPINE matched every day of the week and twice on Sunday.  

[Bjorn]

For me it is 5# spine and 10 gns weigh; once the feathers are on that is plenty close especially for an instinctive shooter and hunter, and that's me.
If you are a gapper  or string walker or a sights and clicker person  shooting 60 yards that's a different story, especially if you want rifle accuracy.
We are all individuals and hooting style and personal preference will always play a big role.  

[SuperK]

I agree 100% with Braveheart. I have seen better broadhead accuracy with my arrows that have been closer spine matched.  I got some shafts from a fellow a couple of years ago that were within #2 spine. When I mounted some big broadheads on them, there was a noticeable improvement in accuracy compared to another batch of arrows (6# grouping in spine)with the same broadhead.  Remember, when you buy shafts that are 50-55 pounds spine, you're getting a 6# spread in spine...not 5.  Lots of other factors figure in too, but you didn't ask about them.

[dnovo]

It takes a pretty significant weight difference to notice out to about 25 yards or so. I'm talking 50 grains or more. So I would match spine as close as possible and not worry if there is a 20 or 25 grain variance

[LittleBen]

All very interesting. I think I'm going to keep matching the spine as closely as I can, and not worry as much about weight. I've got to get me another 100 shafts and really get some closely matched bundles ...

[awbowman]

I am FAR from an expert having just started shooting wood arrows this month, but I can tell you about my ONE experience with them.

I just got some "test" arrows a couple of weeks ago from snag to "field check" them before I ordered a dozen. Since they were just for trial, snag didn't try and match weight, just spine.  I weighed them after I shot them (because one was noticeably heavier) and two were within 5 grains of each other and one was 30+ grains heavier.  They all shot pretty dang good with no big change inside 20 yards.  Certainly not enough for me to miss the vitals of a deer. So, in my limited opinion, I would think you should choose spine over weight.

Oh, BTW, the same arrows weighted with 160 grain heads (weakened arrow) shot about 2"-3" off from the ones weighted with 145 grain heads at less than 15 yards.  They grouped well, just shot off of center.  These were field tips.

Like I said, just my one observation.  Obviously it's better to get close on both.

[m midd]

Why do manufacturers and distributors even bother to sell weight matched set if it doesnt matter?

[Knawbone]

Spine, then weight  

[macbow]

Once you get the spine matched the weight can be fixed by dipping in a oil finish in a tube. The lighter ones stay in longer to absorb more oil (weight).

[kevsurf]

Yes I agree that weight is far more important as long as you have enough spine. I would often sand off 20 grains of weight from 6" off both ends which has little difference on spine.
Kevin Forrester

[awbowman]

Originally posted by m midd:
Why do manufacturers and distributors even bother to sell weight matched set if it doesnt matter?

I think the consensus is that it matters LESS.  I don't think anyone said that closer weights are not a good thing.