I've tried to use the search feature and it hasn't helped at all so here goes.

I just recently got a nice bow from a friend, but don't know anything about bow hunting. It's 60lb draw, with a 30" draw length. That's all fine and dandy. It's the arrows that I can't figure out.

Everywhere I look it's just shafts and heads, you can't buy them already assembled? And what about practice arrows? I know I'm not going to shoot broadheads into a target? Or can I? As you can see I'm a total noob and have no idea what's going on.

I searched on Google and that's how I got led here. If somebody could just point me in the right direction with what arrows to buy it'd be fantastic! Do I need to assemble the arrows myself or something? I can't cut carbon without a high speed saw and I don't have one of those? Tips would be great! Thanks in advance!!!

The arrows have a threaded insert that allows you to screw in either a field point (target) or a broadhead (hunting). I suggest that the first thing you do is take the rig into a local proshop and make sure it fits you (proper draw length). That's going to determine the arrow length which in combination with teh draw weight is going to determine the spine of the shaft you need for that bow. Work with the shop to get the right arrows after you get the bow set up for you.

Oh, I see, I thought you had to glue the head of an arrow in or something? [&:]

The bow does fit me well, I have a 75 inch arm span and from what I've read it's supposed to be that divided by 2.5, which is 30? Is that not always the case? It seems perfect when I draw it back.

Mytown doesn't really have a bow shop or anything like that. There's aBass ProShop an hour away and I think they have one, but I was trying to learn up before Idrove an hour and sounded like an idiot.

Thanks a lot for your help! Any other information would be great! This is a really great site, I'm really glad I found it!

The insert gets glued in after the shaft is cut to length so you weren't too far off base...

The wingspan/2.5 formula is accurate to within 1/2" from my experience. It always gets me the right module for a bow but there is sometimes a little tweaking in or out to get the anchor point right on for an individual. It should be good enough to get your arrows. Now you need to draw a full length shaft and mark it about 1" in front of your riser (if you're 100% sure that you aren't going to change the draw you can mark it closer to the rest). Measure from the inside (throat) of the nock to this point and that is your arrow length. Now choose what arrow you want to shoot and knowing the length, head weight (I'd suggest a 125 grain to get good FOC on that length shaft) and draw weight of your bow you should be able to go into the manufacturer's sizing chart and determine which spine weight shaft to get.

Welcome Bowhuntingnoob, Kodiakarcher has already given you good advice. For your draw length and if you are going to be shooting it at 60 lbs. I would say you are going to be needing an arrow with a .340 spine. This is just a guess since we dont know yet exactly how long your arrows are going to be . When you get us the length of arrow that you will need let us know . Also what type of bow . With all the numbers you can give us we can run the numbers through an program an it will give us the correctly spined arrow for your setup. Also here is another great site you can go to for questions also and to learn more. Between both sites there is a wealth of information that will keep you reading for a long time. www.archertalk.com

Hey bowhuntingnoob, After you get your rig set up i think you are going to find out there is alot more about archery than you ever thought there was.Dont be scared though, there is alot of good advice on this forum page but having a local proshop help explain things first will help you sort out the confusingthings about archery. There are alot of termsused that most people dont understand untill they become archers.After getting back into archery since i was a kid it is almost become an obsession. I think i will try to explain some of theprimary thingsyou should know but anyone who knows more about it please feel free to step in. Trying to be vague.

1. Arrows- There are 2 basic types: alluminum(cheaper and straighter?)and carbon (more expensive and more durable) <keep in mind the dollar amount spent on each will determine the quality>.and some madewith both.
To find the proper arrow length a basic rule of thumb is to measure your wing span from the tips of your middle fingers and divide that # by 2.5.
2. Fletching- There a quitea few variations of fletching but right now all you need to know is that it is the feathers or vanes on the back of the arrow that straightens the arrow out in flight.
3. Nock Point- This is the spot on the bow string where you place the arrow it is usually located inline or slightly above the riser restmounting holes.
4. Bow and Cam types- 3 types 1. Single or hard Cams 2. Dual or Soft/Medium Cams 3. Cam & 1/2
Single cam bows have an idler roller on the top limb and a cam on the bottom limb
Dual cam have cams on top and bottom
Cam &1/2 have two cams but cable placement differs from dual cams
Each style bow has different pro's and cons which are debated on the forum
5.Pin Sights Many variations but they are what you use to aim
6 Peep Sights- Device that is put on string to line up with pin sight.
7. Arrow Rest Many types available many types on newer bow are some version of a shoot through or fall away. Basically it is what your arrow rest on when you draw the bow.
8. String Loop. Used for relaese shooters (which is a divice used to fire bow instead of fingers) Small loop of string that is tied to your bow string.
9 Draw length Distance the you have to pull the bow back to anchor (help me out i cant think of anyway else to describe it.)
10 Draw weight The amount of energy to draw the bow ie. 60# , 65# ,45# Adjustable on compound bowsto certain limits


Well i guess that should hit most of the begginer terms but the more you research you'll no doubt learn more than you thought was possible with a simple machine.

Wow guys! I'm kind of feeling in over my head, but I'll keep reading. I'll get some more numbers tonight and we can go from there. Thanks a lot for all your help!

That is how i felt when i first started but know if im not bowhunting, im thinking about bowhunting and if im not thinking about bowhunting then i must be dead. thanks to whoever said that in their signature. Youll keep learning and learning forever, i dont think that there is anyone besides the big guy upstairs, that knows everything there is to know about archery but these guys told you quite a bit. I think the rest is stuff that you will figure out as you progress into the game. good luck and it only gets better .

http://www.huntersfriend.com/ check out the tech articles
http://home.att.net/~sajackson/eastonchart.html this will help with arrow selection
http://www.meta-synthesis.com/archery/archery.htmlsome good info here
and this copied and pasted from the old easton site i did not post the site because it had certificate errors and all kinds of warnings came up about certificate issues... i can deal with that if anything happens but dont want anyone else to wind up with problems so with all that here it is....

The choice between aluminum, carbon or A/C products depends on the experience and shooting style of the archer. While there are some true advantages and disadvantages of each design, ultimately this decision is personal preference.

Aluminum arrows have the highest precision-to-price ratio of any arrow construction. The nature of aluminum allows for extremely precise manufacturing specifications, especially concerning weight and spine, which are the two biggest determinants in arrow accuracy. Aluminum arrows also tend to fly better and tune easier when using fixed-blade broadheads, and because they are heavier and transfer the bow's energy more efficiently at the shot, aluminum arrows are deadly quiet out of hunting bows.

Carbon arrows are generally lighter in weight, which means high velocity and flatter trajectory. This added speed helps overcome errors in range estimation. However carbon is not as precise as aluminum, which inherently means less accuracy. Carbon is also lighter weight, and reduces velocity more quickly, which means less penetration and kinetic energy downrange.

Alloy/Carbon arrows provide the best of both worlds, delivering the strength and durability of a carbon arrow, and the spine consistency, weight tolerances, and accuracy of an aluminum arrow. Because of the enhanced and difficult manufacturing process, A/C arrows tend to be priced higher than all-aluminum or all-carbon counterparts. However, when considering the overall benefits and that the only downside is slightly higher price, A/C arrows are a fantastic buy and the top choice of many pro-level shooters and bowhunters.