Target Arrows

There are a huge variety of target arrows available today to suit everything from 3D archery, field archery, traditional competitions to target archery.

Here is a comparison of some common materials used to make target arrows and their characteristics.


Carbon Fibre Arrows

Carbon fibre arrows are extremely popular for target arrows as their light weight and exacting specifications make accuracy more obtainable.

Carbon arrows have a wide range of brands, style and designs suitable for target archery. They are made of carbon or carbon composite materials and suit different draw weights and lengths.

The great thing about carbon fibre arrows is that they are very light although they have thicker walls compared to other target arrows. Depending on the brand, they usually come in 250s and 350s. 250s measure 8.0 grains per inch while 350s measure 8.9 grains per inch.

Carbon arrows also come in various colours and designs, like camouflage colours for the bowhunters and some nice designs for the target archer.

Beman carbon arrows are popular and used by professional target shooters and sports participants because of the speed and durability of their shafts.

Easton archery is at the present, the only company who produces composite arrow shafts, which are aluminium inside and carbon-wrapped on the outside. They are used for competitions and are preferred by serious archers.


Aluminium Arrows

Aluminium arrows have had a long track record when it comes to popular target arrows. They have been used to replace wooden arrows because of the disadvantages of wooden arrows such as easy-breakage and less durability.

Alloy target arrows are flexible to use because they are available in many sizes with stiffer or lighter spines that will suit different types of bows, and easy to adjust arrow shafts.

Most aluminium arrows have shafts that are spaced at over a hundred grain weight range and lengths up to 31 inches. With regards to price, aluminium arrows can be cheaper then carbon arrows, although carbon arrows are the most popular material at the moment, especially when it comes to target archery.


Wooden Arrows

Wooden arrows are usually manufactured from cedar wood and take the lighter beige or yellow colour of cedar wood. These arrows are probably the most common arrow that is used by traditional target archers, like longbow shooters. While wooden arrows are still not as consistent as top of the line target carbon arrows, the ones produced by master craftsman are quality arrows.

For junior target archery, the wooden arrow is ideal as they are relatively cheap and will suit the lower poundage bows, however, the right spined arrow still should be used for safety.

Popular wooden arrow brands would include Easton archery that sell premium hunter and target arrows with fletching or vanes and can come in different sizes.

The positives to the wooden arrow are that they are cheaper than most arrows if all you want is to do some basic target practice. However, cedar wood arrows can diminish its original quality over time or over use. They can warp after some time, especially if untreated, but with proper care and storage, wooden arrows can withstand time and use.


Archery Safety

As with any archery equipment, safety should be paramount, so make sure the target arrow is correctly spined for the bow poundage. Cracked, splintered or incorrect spined target arrows should never be fired.

It pays well to have a good hand and a perfect shot, but having the right target arrows for the job is important. Whether 3D archery, kids having a shot with the bow or Olympic archery, the correct type and design arrow will ensures that you will have the best shooting with fewer mistakes.