Compound Bows photo
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Photograph by Patrik Giardino

Shaft: Gold Tip Name the Game Velocity
“I shoot a 420-grain, 28-inch finished arrow for hunting. I start with a 32-inch shaft and put that on a Ram Arrow Spine Tester to find and mark the straightest 28 inches of each blank, and then I cut that portion of it out to make my arrows.”

Nock: Lumenok
“The nock end of the arrow has to be perfectly square because it drives the arrow. I put both ends on the spine tester, which has a gauge that tells me if one is slightly more square than the other—then I use that end for the nock and vanes.”

Vanes: 2-inch Blazer
“For hunting, I want the smallest vane I can use that’ll still guide my arrow, because it’ll have less noise and drag. I’ve never seen any advantage to fletching to spine, so I don’t bother with that.” He uses a 2-​-degree offset. “If your max practice distance is 50 or 60 yards, a little helical can boost accuracy; beyond that it has a parachute effect.”

Head: 100-grain two-blade Swhacker; 100-grain Solid or Slick Trick
“With a fixed-blade, I screw the broadhead into the insert and glue it into the shaft so I can align the blades with the vanes. With mechanicals, I don’t worry. Either way, I put them on the spin tester. If they have any wobble, I turn the shaft until the head is at the top of the wobble, then I bend it down until it spins perfectly. I take a silver Sharpie and mark that broadhead for that arrow.”

Front of Center (F.O.C.): 7 to 14 percent
“You hear a ton of talk on forums about F.O.C. Don’t pay any attention. As long as you’re in the normal range of 7 to 14, you’re fine—and any typical hunting setup will be.”