BenPearson Hunter 709

[3seasons]

Took it down from the pegs where it has been sitting for far,far too long gathering dust.
IIRC I paid $50 for it in 2000 or so when introducing a youngster to archery; I gave him a nice little Martin that Christmas- we had a lot of fun back then. Well, that was a long time ago now... Cleaned it up, waxed the string & strung it. Now all I need are some arrows.
One reason it's been hung up,honestly, is that I have little faith( born out by experiences) in the only truly local shop. My last attempt at purchasing arrows yielded 6 cedar shafts which may have been assembled by a drunk monkey; granted there was no charge but they were better suited for kindling.
So, this bow is 50#@ 28". My preference would be to shoot cedar, previously shot aluminum arrows, but I would appreciate suggestions, opinions, etc.

[Bernie P.]

Cedar shoots well but they're pathetically weak so you'll go broke buying them,If you want to shoot wood try sitka spruce,douglas fir,or for more weight/strength hardwood like maple or whatever.Depending on what the draw weight is at your draw length will help find the best spine.

[LBR]

It is very difficult to get good POC anymore. Good, tight, straight grained POC is pretty tough--not as tough as aluminum or carbon, but keep them in the target and they last a long time.

Spruce is probably going the closest to POC as far as weight goes. Douglas Fir is generally a little heavier.

I've shot those, plus Pine (chundoo, lodgepole, etc.), laminated shafts, Maple, and Ash.

You can get good and bad in most any of them. I got some Maple shafts once that broke easier than anything I've ever shot, including POC.

The toughest shaft I ever shot was Ash, but they wouldn't stay straight for anything. They had been heat-straightened and sealed. Shoot, straighten, repeat. That was my experience with hardwood shafting in general.

Like Bernie said, you'll need more info. to choose the right spine. I had to go up a spine group or two with hardwood vs. POC, Spruce, Doug Fir, etc.

Chad