Recurve Arrows

What makes recurve arrows their own thing

A recurve arrow is built from the same five parts as any arrow, and the shared basics are on the hunting arrows page. What changes is how it leaves the bow.

Easton's tuning guide describes it. With a finger release, the arrow bends horizontally: first in toward the bow, then away from it, and that bending is what carries the shaft clear of the rest. A release aid on a compound makes the arrow flex up and down instead. So a recurve arrow has to bend the right amount sideways, and its fletching has to survive brushing the bow on the way past.

Two things follow from that, and they drive everything else on this page. The spine has to match the weight your fingers actually hold. And the fletching usually has to be feathers.

The table on this page lists arrows their maker sells for traditional bows or fletches with feathers, the setup that flies off a recurve shelf. It shows shaft material, spine, diameter, straightness, arrows per pack and fletching, as the maker or the Amazon listing states them (the table marks listing values). When neither states a value, you get a dash.

What to look at when you pick recurve arrows

Here's what actually changes from one pack of traditional arrows to the next.

Pick spine from the weight on your fingers

The weight printed on a recurve limb is measured at one draw length. One bow maker's traditional recurve manual says it's the Archery Trade Association standard of 28 inches, and notes that actual limb weight depends on draw length, brace height, riser length and limb bolt setting. Archery 360's compound-versus-recurve article adds the part that matters for arrows: the farther you draw a recurve, the heavier it gets, and it never lets off.

So the weight the arrow feels is the weight at your anchor, not the sticker. If you draw past 28 inches, your bow is heavier than marked; if you draw shorter, it's lighter. A bow scale at a shop will tell you the real number at your draw.

Then the usual chart logic applies. Archery 360's primer says a heavier draw weight needs a stiffer arrow and a lighter one needs a softer arrow, and that on the label a higher spine number means more flex. Spine also depends on bow design, arrow length and point weight.

There's a practical shortcut too. Archery 360's wood arrow guide suggests buying a test kit of shafts in various sizes and stiffness, then shooting them to see which flies best from your bow. (The number on the limb is like the number on a bathroom scale at the cabin. Accurate for someone, at some point.)

Feathers for the shelf, vanes for a raised rest

This is the spec that splits recurve arrows from compound arrows.

Archery 360's fletching guide says feathers are the pick for shooting off the shelf because they flex and lie flat as they cross its flat, unforgiving surface. It calls vanes a poor option for that style.

Two exceptions:

• Modern recurve with a raised rest: Archery 360's primer says vanes are usually preferred here, since the fletching passes over a rest instead of the shelf.
• Wet weather: feathers don't shed water and can fly inconsistently when soaked, Archery 360 says, but powders and sprays can make them water resistant.

Feathers are also usually longer than vanes, which makes them prone to wind drift at long distances. On a recurve inside typical bowhunting range, that's a fair trade for clean flight off the shelf.

Wood, carbon or aluminum for a stick bow

All three show up on recurves. Here's how Archery 360 compares them:

• Wood: mainly for barebow and traditional recurve shooting, usually with feathers. No performance advantage, because wood varies naturally, and it can warp.
• Carbon: extremely durable, and returns to its original shape when it bends. Hard hits can leave small cracks you can't see without a close look.
• Aluminum: as straight and consistent as carbon for less money, but it bends from hard hits. Archery 360 says it's mainly for high-level indoor shooters and beginners who need a durable arrow.

Wood has one more chore. Archery 360's arrow-building guide says to stain and seal wood shafts so they don't absorb moisture. The full wood story is on the wood arrows page.

If you like the look of wood and enjoy the upkeep, shoot wood. If you'd rather spend the evening on something else, carbon with feathers flies off the same shelf.

Know the weight floor, then decide how heavy to go

A recurve has a minimum arrow weight, like any bow. The traditional recurve manual mentioned above says not to shoot an arrow under 5 grains for every pound of peak draw weight. Its own example: a 40-lb bow needs at least 200 grains. Going lighter can damage the bow and hurt the shooter or people nearby.

The older AMO minimum chart in Easton's guide has a recurve column too. Quick math from it, at a 28-inch draw length: a 60-lb recurve calls for at least 240 grains, which is 4 grains per pound. Where the two disagree, use the higher number, and the one in your own bow's manual first.

Above the floor, it's a trade. Archery 360's arrow weight article calls anything over 8 grains per pound heavy: slower, quieter, less wind drift. Lighter arrows leave faster and drop less. Archery 360 also lists too-light arrows among the ways a bow can be dry-fired, so the floor is not a suggestion.

Use point weight to tune, not just to hit hard

On a stick bow, point weight is a tuning tool. Archery 360's primer lists point weight among the things that change spine. Easton's guide gives the direction: if the arrow acts too weak, go to a lighter point or insert; too stiff, go heavier, staying within a balance range of 7 to 16% FOC (front of center).

For hunting arrows, Easton's FAQ suggests 10 to 15% FOC. Whatever you pick, Easton's FAQ also says each shaft has its own components, so size points, inserts and broadheads to the shaft.

Leave the arrows a little long

Archery 360 measures arrow length from the back of the point to the throat of the nock, and says arrows can be left longer to weaken the spine. It also says, for safety, arrows shouldn't be cut too short.

Traditional archers get extra slack. Easton's guide suggests beginners with recurves add an extra half inch to an inch, so the arrow isn't too short once they get stronger and their form improves. (Every recurve shooter's draw grows a little in the first year. Mine grew, then shrank in November when I put the heavy coat on.)

Nock fit is critical on light bows

Easton's guide says nock tension, the snap fit on the string, can be very critical on light draw-weight bows of 30 lb and under. The test: hang the arrow from the string by its nock, then tap the string sharply about 1 to 2 inches from the nock. The arrow should drop off. For hunting, Easton says a slightly tighter fit is often preferred. More on nock sizes is on the nocks page.

Traditional arrows for a longbow, a hunting recurve or a target recurve

Recurve bow arrows don't all look the same, because recurves don't.

• Hunting recurve or longbow off the shelf: feathers, a heavy finished weight, wood or carbon. Bows are on the hunting recurve bow page.
• Modern target recurve with a raised rest: vanes are usually preferred, per Archery 360. Light, stiff carbon is common.
• Beginner's takedown on the range: durable shafts, cut a little long, and a spine for the actual pull weight.

The one rule that never changes: wood arrows belong on traditional bows only. Archery 360 says plainly that wooden arrows are not for compounds. Compound shafts are on the compound bow arrows page.

Tune the arrow on the bow you have

A recurve gives you a tuning knob a compound mostly doesn't: brace height, the distance from the string to the grip. Easton's guide says raising brace height makes the arrow shoot weaker, and lowering it makes the arrow shoot stiffer. You change it by twisting the string shorter or longer, within the maker's range.

So the order goes like this:

1. Pick spine from your real pull weight and length.
2. Set brace height at the low end of the maker's range.
3. Shoot fletched arrows and adjust brace height, point weight or nocking point, one change at a time.
4. Only then move to broadheads.

The bow side of this is on the recurve bow page, and the string on the recurve bow string page.

Write every change down as you make it. I keep an index card in the bow case with three lines on it: spine, point weight, brace height. When a group goes sideways in October, the card tells me what I changed in September. (The card is boring. Boring is the point.)

Carry them in a quiver that suits a stick bow

Archery 360's traditional archery primer lists three ways to carry recurve arrows: a back quiver like the one Robin Hood made famous, a waist quiver on your belt, and a bow quiver, which is popular with bowhunters. Long feathers need room, so whichever you pick, make sure it doesn't crush them. Options are on the recurve bow quiver page and the back quiver page.

Who should skip recurve arrows

If you shoot a compound with a release, recurve arrows with long feathers aren't built for your bow. If your recurve has a raised rest and you never shoot off the shelf, a vane-fletched target arrow may suit you better; those are on the target arrows page. And if you're outfitting a child with a light bow, start on the youth bow arrows page.

Check every shaft before you shoot it

Oregon's wildlife department says to check arrows regularly for nicks, splits and fragments, and never to shoot a questionable arrow. Wood splits and carbon cracks both count. Keep broadheads covered in a quiver, and never dry-fire a recurve.

Broadhead rules, including minimum widths and draw weights for deer, vary by state. Check your state wildlife agency before the season.

Spine for the weight you hold, feathers for the shelf, a little extra length, and all of it on the index card. Walt says he can remember his. I've watched him hunt for his reading glasses while wearing them.