Pennsylvania Game News - February 2010 - 57

criteria against which all carbon arrows are judged. A single carbon shaft in a dozen premium shafts typically weighs within a grain of the other shafts making up that dozen. Shafts with more variation in their grain weight are still good but, because of their slightly greater disparity in weight and straightness, command a lower price. Some shooters may believe shaft straightness is the most important consideration for consistent accuracy and, given the amount of advertising touting the straightness of certain shafts, who could argue? In truth, the straighter the arrow shaft, the more inherently accurate it will be — and the more expensive it is. Human hair varies in thickness from .002 to .006 of an inch, while a high quality carbon arrow shaft varies only .001 inch from perfectly straight. What’s more, these qualities of straightness and weight are held to incredibly tight specifications throughout the entire dozen. Even more astounding is that some manufacturers are offering shafts that are within .0025 of an inch of perfectly straight. As important as consistent shaft weight and straightness are to shooting accuracy, however, they are only two of the contributing factors. What most hunters fail to realize is that a third consideration, arrow spine, particularly the spine around the shaft, is perhaps the most important factor in achieving superior accuracy. Arrow spine is not a difficult concept to understand but one many shooters will overlook because it is the most difficult to measure without sophisticated testing equipment. Spine is basically the amount of bend or flex in an arrow shaft immediately after it is shot. In essence, arrows with consistent spine fly more accurately and ensure tighter groups. Competitive shooters understand this, but the average hunter may not. Once again, with premium carbon arrows, spine is held to an extremely close tolerance, and this contributes not only to their accuracy, but also to their cost. Aluminum arrows have a consistent FEBRUARY 2010 weight, straightness and spine because they are made from aluminum tubing of unfailing metallurgical composition, diameter and wall thickness, thus making them identical throughout the dozen. Carbon arrows, on the other hand, have to be sorted in order to achieve this type of consistency, and this process also adds to their cost. Even so, carbon arrows continue to grow in popularity among bowhunters. Rick Kinsey, of Kinsey’s Archery Products Inc., one of the country’s largest archery distributors, located in Mt. Joy, says carbon arrows account for about 80 percent of the company’s total arrow sales. “I think people prefer the technology of carbon arrows. They are stronger, faster and more durable than aluminum, and their price doesn’t seem to be as big a factor as it once was,” he told us. Aluminum arrows may not be going the way of the Edsel, but it’s clear today’s bow hunters know that manufacturers have solved many of the problems formerly associated with carbon arrows, which now offer superior performance under just about all hunting conditions. Faster, straighter and more durable, carbon arrows are gaining market share every year. The innovations and technology that ensure such quality are getting the attention of shooters across the country, and they are willing to pay a little more to gain a huge advantage. By taking a look at several brands of premium carbon arrows and how they are made, we can see what separates premium shafts from the run-of-the-mill variety. Easton’s AXIS N-Fused carbon arrow was introduced a few years ago and it has proven to be a favorite among hunters as well as competition shooters. In 2008, Easton enlisted the world’s leading nanotechnology experts to develop an epoxy material that would molecularly bond with carbon nanotubes. Carbon nanotubes are extraordinarily strong and light, and they are the key to the AXIS N-Fused arrow shafts. A nano-fused epoxy composite

Pennsylvania Game News - February 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Game News - February 2010