Wooden Arrows – Guide to Find The best Wood Arrows
Archers that use a traditional longbow generally neither need not want arrows made from such modern materials as carbon fiber or aluminum. Traditional archery is still very much the home of the wooden arrow. However, not all wooden arrows are the same, and there are certain things to consider when buying wooden arrows so that you can enjoy archery as much as possible. We tell you what’s important when buying wooden arrows and how you can even build arrows from wood yourself in our wooden arrows guide.
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Archery with Wooden Arrows
First of all, it should be said that wooden archery arrows are not necessarily the arrows of choice when it comes to precision. They have too many disadvantages. However, they are indispensable for the traditional archer who cannot walk around with aluminum arrows. They quite simply have a great look.
Very experienced shooters can certainly achieve good results with wooden arrows. However, for beginners they are not so easy to handle, especially in combination with an English Longbow.
By the way, wooden arrows should never be stored upright, as this may cause them to bend over time. If your wooden arrows have warped, store them horizontally on a straight wooden board for a few days.
Pros and Cons of Wooden Arrows
To be fair, it has to be said that the cons of wooden arrows outweigh the pros. However, wooden arrows are not to be considered completely useless. The following are the pros and cons of wooden arrows:
Pros
- Wooden archery arrows are very cheap to buy
- With a little skill and craftsmanship, they can be made
- They have a traditional appearance and are the most original type of arrows there are – so they are especially good for medieval re-enactments
Cons
- Traditional wooden arrows are not very weather resistant and tend to swell or warp in humid conditions – as such the flight characteristics suffer massively
- Since wood is a natural product, it is not possible to predict exactly what the flight characteristics of each wood arrow will be
- Wood arrows are in principle only suitable for longbows; all other bow types such as straight recurve bows as well as compound bows, would transfer too much energy to the arrow, causing the wooden arrow to break
- Each wood species has its own spine value which can be confusing, especially for beginners
- The thinner the arrow, the faster it flies – although this makes it all the more fragile; the opposite applies to thicker arrows
Our Recommendation – HUNTINGDOOR Turkey Feather Fletching Wooden Arrows
These Huntingdoor wooden arrows are carefully handcrafted with turkey feather fletching to produce high-performance arrows. These are ideal for use with 40lbs-60lbs longbows, recurves and traditional bows. The arrows feature 100 grain field points and fixed classic nocks. With their smooth polish and handsome fletching, they are as pleasurable to look at as they are to shoot. Use them for target practice, but take care that as they are wood, they may not survive an impact with a particularly hard surface. If traditional bowhunting is your passion, and you want to have these fitted with hunting points, Huntingdoor is happy to oblige.
- Handmade arrows for longbows, recurves, and some compound bows
- Feather length of 3 pieces of 5 inch-long turkey feathers
- 100 grain field points and fixed classic nocks, for draw weight of 40-60lbs
- Traditional wooden handcrafted arrows
- Good feel, balance, and weight
- Well-made and thoroughly glued turkey feather fletching
- Attractive retro style for traditional archery
- Slippery when wet
- Natural wood color makes them hard to find in woodland
- As the nock is cut into the wooden shaft, it may splinter over time
What to Consider When Buying Wooden Arrows
As with all types of arrows, you should pay attention to the correct spine value for wood arrows. This indicates the hardness of the arrow and depends on various factors, such as the length of the arrow and the material.
The length of the arrow also plays a major role in the purchase. If the arrow is too long, you overstretch with every shot, which can lead to painful muscular tears; and an arrow that is too short carries a high risk of injury as it can slip off the shaft when shooting.
If in doubt, you can also fall back on beginner archery sets, where you’ll find the right arrows.
Making Wooden Arrows Yourself
As an alternative to buying traditional wooden arrows you can also build them yourself. To build a wooden arrow yourself, you have to consider several things:
The flight characteristics of an arrow depend to a large extent on its precise manufacture, i.e. the shaft. If you are lacking in craftsmanship, you can buy wooden arrow shafts to build yourself. Often there are complete arrow making sets, which you only have to assemble according to instructions. This assembly is also easy to do for beginners. The advantage is that with a little experience you can change the arrowhead and the feathering. But you should only do this if you are already familiar with the construction of arrows.
As you can see, there are some things you will have to consider when buying wooden arrows. However, the reason why buying archery equipment is so pleasant is that you will know your way around almost immediately after reading it. With our archery guides nothing can go wrong.
