With a compound and a release aid, arrows stiffer than recommended group like the recommended one
1 study
The summary today
It rests on a single piece of work, from 2011, which nonetheless combines two different tests. In the model, on a single-cam compound with a release aid, the recommended arrow, the ProTour 470, and two stiffer sizes, the 420 and 380, flex and take their angle of attack in almost the same way, and the difference stays minimal even when a typical archer error such as twisting the bow is simulated. On the shooting machine, at 35 metres, twelve arrows of each size shot three times all land in small, similar groups, well within a 40-millimetre circle, with only the sight setting changed for the difference in mass. From this the author concludes that with a compound and a release aid the archer has more freedom in choosing the arrow than with a recurve, but that second part is his inference rather than a measurement. The limits are plain: one bow, one shaft model, arrows only stiffer and never weaker than recommended, a distance of 35 metres and the machine in place of the archer; and the comparison with the recurve is not measured but inferred from what is known about the finger release.
Also phrased as: "arrow spine on a compound"; "spine matters less with a release aid"; "stiffer arrow on a compound"; "compound spine chart"; "choosing compound arrows"
In practice
With a compound, spine is said to leave more room for choice: you can go one size stiffer to gain weight or wind resistance, because a release aid does not bend the arrow the way fingers do.
Evidence
-
2011
For Equipment tests Published later
Single-cam compound on a shooting machine, mechanical release: ProTour 470 (recommended), 420 and 380 arrows, twelve of each shot three times in succession at 35 metres. With only the sight setting changed for the difference in mass (23.0, 23.7 and 24.4 grams), every group is small, similar to the others and well within a 40-millimetre circle; flight is judged excellent, subjectively. No arrows weaker than recommended were tested.
The Behaviour of An Arrow Shot from a Compound Archery Bow · J L Park
-
2011
For Model Published later
In the model from the same work, the three arrow sizes have almost the same flex and angle of attack throughout the power stroke; with the stiffer shafts both fall slightly. The difference stays minimal even when the archer twisting the bow is simulated, and other shafts and sizes analysed give equally small differences. The author infers that with a compound and a release aid the choice of arrow is freer than with a recurve, where it would be confined to a few sizes.
The Behaviour of An Arrow Shot from a Compound Archery Bow · J L Park
Status history
- 2011 Reported With the bow mounted on a machine, twelve arrows of each of three spines, the recommended ProTour 470 and the stiffer 420 and 380, shot three times at 35 metres, all land within a 40-millimetre circle, with only the sight setting changed for the difference in mass. In the model, flex and angle of attack change little when going one or two spines stiffer than recommended, even with bow twist simulated. A single test, one bow, arrows only stiffer, and the machine in place of the archer: reported.
Related
Related articles
- The archer's paradox: the physics of the flexing arrowAt full draw the arrow points to one side and still reaches the centre: how it flexes and clears the riser in the first twenty milliseconds, and how spine matches it to the bow.
- How to choose arrow spine and read the manufacturer's chartHow to choose arrow spine: what it is, why draw weight at your draw length matters, how to read a manufacturer's chart and how to check it by shooting.
- Bow tuning in archery: how to tune your bow, backed by scienceBow tuning and the research: spine, centre shot, button, nocking point, brace height and tiller. What models and machine tests show, and how precise you need to be.
Research lines
Cite
Campagna, M. (2026). With a compound and a release aid, arrows stiffer than recommended group like the recommended one (Version 2). In Evidence Registry. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/equipment/compound-spine-tolerance
@misc{campagna2026_compoundspinetolleranza,
author = {Campagna, Matteo},
title = {With a compound and a release aid, arrows stiffer than recommended group like the recommended one},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Evidence Registry, matteocampagna.com},
url = {https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/equipment/compound-spine-tolerance},
note = {Version 2; accessed 2026-10-16}
}
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