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When it comes to hunting, there are few thrills to match the exhilaration of taking on wild game with a bow and arrow.
Yes, to shoot the target perfectly, not always the perfect ability or knowledge can do the most without the right bow and best hunting arrows.
That’s why you need to head out into the wild with the best equipment you can get your hands on.
This is especially the case when it comes to your choice of hunting arrows.
Table could not be displayed.In this article, we review the five best hunting arrows on the current market.
We’ve also got a comprehensive FAQ section to provide answers to all of your hunting arrow questions.
Our Reviews Of The Best Hunting Arrows
#1 Summit Archery Products Victory Buck Buster Carbon Arrow
Benefits
The Victory Buck Buster is a carbon arrow that is unusually hardy and very well priced. The shaft of this arrow has been dipped in three coats of lacquer and anti-moisture spray.
The Victory Buck Buster is suitable for all types of archery including hunting. These arrows look very smart with their orange and white vanes on top of a black shaft.
This is a lightweight arrow, which means that it will not weight down your quiver when you’re in the wild.
Drawbacks
The Victory Buck Buster generally gets great reviews. However, one recent purchaser noted that on one arrow the nock came off after the first shot into a foam target.
Extra Features
The Victory Buck Buster is a very fast arrow. This ensures maximum target penetration. The fletches on these arrows are constructed from plastic. The triple lacquer finish and high-density carbon material will keep your shaft intact if it hits a solid object.
The Victory Buck Buster has a 400 spine and is suitable for bows with draw strengths of between 45 and 60 pounds. These arrows come with adjustable and removable nocks.
The inside diameter is .245, so they take a standard 5/16 point. The arrows will come in the exact cut length that you request.
These arrows come in an extremely attractive price point, allowing you to buy more to fill your quiver.
Buying Advice
The Victory Buck Buster is a very accurate, lightweight arrow that is also strong and durable. Best of all it comes in at a terrific price point. That combination makes it a natural choice as our best hunting arrow on the market right now.
Technical specifications
- Number of Arrows: 6
- Length: Cut to length
- Weight: 6.4 ounces
- Materials: Carbon
- Type of Fletching: Plastic
#2 REEGOX Archery Arrows
Benefits
Reegox Archery arrows are made from 100 percent extreme carbon fiber to provide a high level of durability and flight path reliability. These arrows are sorted and matched by weight and spine for maximum consistency.
Drawbacks
Reegox archery arrows fletching vanes have a tendency to detach at the tip if they pass completely through a target.
Extra Features
Reegox Archery arrows have a shaft length of 31 inches, and an inner diameter of 6.2 mm. The nocks on these arrows are pre-assembled for compound bows rather than being glued in place.
This allows you to rotate the nock with a coin when you are using the arrows with a recurve bow.
These arrows are fixed with inserts and come with 100 grain field points. They are made with a high precision CNC 4-axis carbon prepreg cutting machine, which can cut +/-45 and +/-75-degree carbon fiber.
One of the great things about the Reegox carbon arrows is the consistency in production. Each shaft is checked for perfect laser straightness as well as being some checked for consistency.
Each dozen shafts are matched within a weight tolerance of n+/- 2 grains and spine tolerance of +/- 15 percent.
The Reegox arrows have been impregnated with a high strength Epoxy Resin system that ensures perfect saturation on every single shaft. The result is one of the highest strength carbon shafts on the market today.
Your purchase of the Reegox arrow comes in a pack of six.
Buying Advice
Reegox archery arrows fletching vanes have a tendency to detach at the tip if they pass completely through a target.
Technical specifications
- Number of Arrows: 6
- Length: 31 inches
- Weight: 6.4 ounces
- Materials: Carbon
- Type of Fletching: Plastic
#3 NIKA ARCHERY Crossbow Bolts
Benefits
Nika Archery crossbow bolts are made from aluminum and range in length between 16 and 22 inches. They feature black shafts with a green and white fletching.
Drawbacks
Some Nika Archery crossbow bolt reviewers have noted that some of the vanes may start to detach after several month’s use.
Extra Features
The aluminum construction of the shaft of the Nika Archery crossbow bolt makes it stronger and more durable than most carbon competitors.
This construction material is also very lightweight and can be machined to meet the ideal tolerance. It is heavier than a carbon shaft, which helps with shooting accuracy.
The vanes and nock are very securely attached, adding to ruggedness of this bolt. The availability of a range of bolt lengths between 16 and 22 inches make it possible to get the ideal bolt length to suit your needs.
The nock on the Nika Archery crossbow bolt is made of a durable plastic. The fletching vanes are likewise made of plastic, providing a true flight path with very little variance.
Nika Archery crossbow bolts are among the best value cross bolts that we have seen.
Buying Advice
Nika Archery crossbow bolts come in a range of lengths and are made from sturdy aluminum. This is quality bolt that will provide you with the accuracy and penetration that you need in order to get that kill shot.
Technical specifications
- Number of Arrows: 16
- Length: 16-22 inches
- Weight: 6.4 ounces
- Materials: Aluminum
- Type of Fletching: Plastic
#4 Summit Archery Products Victory Buck Buster
Benefits
The Summit Archery Victory Buck Buster 350 spine is a slightly lighter weight arrow than our most popular arrow, the 400 spine Victory Bick Buster. This makes the arrow suitable for bows with draw lengths of between 55 and 70 pounds.
Drawbacks
The field points on the Summit Archery Victory Buck Buster 350 spine are not as secure as they could be. Some online reviewers have mentioned that they have lost field points when pulling relatively new arrows from a target.
The fletchings are also suspect, so you might want to add a drop of glue to the tip and tail of each vane when you first purchase them.
Extra Features
The Summit Archery Victory Buck Buster 350 spine comes in green and white with a black spine. These arrows will be cut to your specific length requirements and inserts will be installed unless you request the full-length option without inserts.
This arrow has a great feel and flight. You will experience a true flight path with minimal displacement.
Buying Advice
The Summit Archery Victory Buck Buster 350 spine arrow is an accurate arrow that is available to be custom cut to your length requirements.
However, the durability of this arrow is questionable, with some users mentioning detachment problems relating to vanes and field points.
Technical specifications
- Number of Arrows: 6
- Length: 31 inches
- Weight: 6.4 ounces
- Materials: Carbon
- Type of Fletching: Plastic
#5 Carbon Express PileDriver Fletched Carbon Crossbolts
Benefits
The Carbon Express Pile Driver Fletched Carbon Cross-bolt comes with 4-inch vanes to ensure the most accurate flight path. This bolt is known for its depth of penetration.
This is thanks to its heavy grain weight to create the maximum amount of kinetic energy to knock over that big game.
Drawbacks
The Carbon Express Pile Driver Fletched Carbon Cross-bolt is advertised as coming with field tips. However, this is not the case. Some users may also find these bolts to be too heavy for them.
Some reviewers have also mentioned that the vanes start to come off after repeated use.
Extra Features
The Carbon Express Pile Driver Fletched Carbon Cross-bolt is made from a composite carbon/ aluminum material. This ensures spine consistency for a very level of reliability.
Precision straightness is guaranteed with sorting for straightness to +/- 0.004″ for repeat maximum consistency.
This crossbow bolt is 20 inches in length, has 442 grains, a diameter of 0.348 inches diameter. The nocks are universal flat nock and come in a six pack.
The bolts are heavier than you would normally find in a carbon crossbow bolt. Your purchase comes with four different types of nock, including c-nocks.
These nocks are designed for the hunter who wants the ultimate in penetration when going up against the biggest game in the woods.
Buying Advice
The Carbon Express Pile Driver Fletched Carbon Cross-bolt is our pick for the best penetrating crossbow bolt on the market. This is a low-cost bolt that is relatively heavy. It lacks a little in terms of durability, however.
Technical specifications
- Number of Arrows: 6
- Length: 20 inches
- Weight: 8 ounces
- Materials: Composite carbon/Aluminum
- Type of Fletching: Plastic
Hunting Arrows FAQ
What are hunting arrows made of?
For a long time, hunting arrows were made from aluminum shafts.
They were popular due to their durability, their ability to hold heavy broadheads and their penetration ability.
Modern bowhunters have a greater choice of shaft materials. Shorter, lighter carbon shafts are very popular.
These lighter arrows will travel at higher speeds with consequent greater levels of penetration.
Hunting shafts on the current market include aluminum, carbon fiber bonded to an aluminum core tube, wrapped carbon and carbon composite.
You should be aware that carbon shafts damage more easily than aluminum shafts. If you buy carbon shafts, be sure to regularly check them for damage.
A damaged arrow could break upon release or shatter when shot into a big game animal.
What is the difference between hunting arrows and ordinary arrows?
Hunting arrows will be fitted with a broadhead tip.
A broadhead is able to be screwed into the shaft when hunting and then replaced with a target or practice tip when not hunting.
When practicing in the field, you should use tips that are called field points.
These points are closer in weight to broadheads that target points.
When hunting they can easily be replaced by a broadhead which will screw into the same insert.
Broadheads are available in the traditional two-blade or multi-blade versions.
Expandable broadheads will expand on impact with the target animal.
These will create less air resistance in flight are less likely to wind-plane.
When installing a broadhead on an arrow shaft, align the shaft of the broadhead (called the ferrule) with the shaft of the arrow.
You don’t want it to be crooked or it will drift in its flight path and, possibly, miss the target.
Bowhunters will use a blunt rubber or metal tip when hunting small game like rabbits or squirrels.
These types of tips will kill by impact force very quickly. If a broadhead were used on such small game, it would cause too much destruction to edible meat.
For indoor shooting, there are two basic types of arrow:
- Large diameter aluminum
- Large diameter carbon
Large diameter aluminum is preferable because it has a heavier weight over carbon arrows.
The carbon arrow will fly faster, but this doesn’t really matter when you are target shooting indoors.
A heavy arrow is easier to shoot and is more forgiving than a lighter arrow.
It also more hardy. A lighter carbon arrow could bend when hitting the target ort when pulling the arrow out of the target.
Carbon arrows are a good option for shorter draw-length archers and those who are not drawing very much poundage.
However, you should check your carbon arrow after every shot to see whether the carbon is cracked or damaged.
You may also choose a parallel arrow which is made of aluminum and carbon.
These can be used for a variety of archery events, including field shooting. These arrows are very fast at high poundage.
How to repair a hunting arrow?
The vast majority of damage to hunting arrows will be to the fletchings or the nock.
In order to repair fletchings you will need a fletching jig. Go here for our review of the 5 best fletching jigs on the current market.
To replace a broken nock, you will need a nock turning tool.
Remove the vanes with a stripping tool. Then use sandpaper to remove any glue that is left behind.
You are now ready to use your fletching jig to replace the vanes on the arrow.
If your arrow has a broken nock, you can remove it by gripping it with a pair of pliers to pull it from the shaft of the arrow.
Twisting the nock while pulling it will help to get it out.
Now insert a piece of rolled up sandpaper into the shaft and spin it around several times in order to remove any left over glue.
Now insert your new nock into a nock turning tool. Then apply a thin film of nock setting glue to the end of the nock.
You are now ready to insert the new nock onto the shaft.
Find the raised bump on the nock. This is your index marker. Line this up with the index fletching.
Check your other arrows to see how the indexes line up and follow the same pattern.
Once you have positioned the nock correctly onto the shaft, turn it with the nock turning tool.
What length of hunting arrow should I choose?
To figure out the correct bow hunting arrow length for shafts that are to be shot with a broadhead, you first need to determine whether or not your bow has a broadhead cutout sight window.
If you are using a bow with a cutout window, your shaft for broadheads should be one to two inches longer than the front of the bow handle.
If your bow does not have a broadhead cutout window, you will not be able to draw a fixed blade broadhead past the back of the bow.
It could actually bump against the bow if the shaft is too short.
What grain arrow should I shoot?
Bow manufacturers recommend minimum arrow weight based on the peak weight of the bow and the wheel type if you are using a compound bow.
You should know what this minimum arrow weight is for your bow and choose arrow shafts and tips that at least meet this minimum requirement.
The weight of an arrow is measured in grains per inch.
This determines the weight of the shaft. It includes the arrow’s length, diameter, wall thickness and shaft material.
GPI does not include the nock, insertion point, or the fletchings. You can find information on the GPI in the website of the arrow manufacturer.
Grains Per Pound (GPP) is another calculation. This is the arrow’s total weight divided by the bow’s poundage for shooting the arrow.
The GPP total includes the weight of the shaft, nock, insert, point and fletchings.
When it comes to GPP, light arrows will have a GPP of between 5 and 6.5 grains.
A midweight arrow will have a GPP of between 6.5 and 8. An arrow with a GPP over 8.0 will be considered to be heavy.
How do I tune my broadheads?
When you install a broadhead, it is necessary to tune and sight it.
The first step in tuning is to tune your hunting shafts that are equipped with field points before swapping over with broadheads.
You want your field points to be as close as possible in weight to the broadheads that you will be using.
Shoot a half dozen field tip arrows into a Styrofoam target from 20 to 30 yards distance. Then, shoot a half dozen arrows with broadheads attached.
Compare your two groups of arrows by answering the following questions:
Compared to that of the field points, was your broadhead group higher or lower? What adjustments would you make?
Compared to that of the field points, was your broadhead group left or right? What adjustments would you make?
If the broadhead group is to the left of the field group, you can adjust by increasing the bow poundage, using heavier broadheads, decreasing the tension of a cushion plunger if you are using one, or moving the arrow rest slightly toward the bow.
If the broadhead group is to the right of the field group, adjust in the opposite way.
Be sure to only make one adjustment at a time before you retest your broadhead arrows.
What type of arrow rest should I use?
The two most commonly sued types of arrow rest are fixed blade and fall away.
Most target archers will use a fixed blade type, while hunters will opt for the fall away variety.
A fixed blade rest will hold the arrow at a set position. The bottom of the arrow has little contact with the arrow rest blade.
The blades are usually made in various thicknesses, which allow you to tune a rest for a specific size and weight of arrow.
A fall away arrow rest is a rest with zero arrow contact after the shot.
The fall away rest is designed to hold the arrow in place for about two to three inches before it falls out of the way and has zero arrow shaft and vane contact.
Conclusion
The best hunting arrows on the market right now are Summit Archery Products Victory Buck Buster Carbon Arrow.
It is also the best hunting arrow for the money. Our second favorite arrows for hunting are REEGOX Archery Arrows.
Rounding out our top three hunting arrows are NIKA ARCHERY Crossbow Bolts.
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