In field archery the lightest shaft for a given spine is the better choice, and a thinner one if it is windy
1 study
The summary today
The only work that takes up the question is a calculation, with no shooting and no archers. An engineer works out how the mass of a carbon shaft of fixed spine changes with its diameter: it falls to a shallow minimum and then rises again, because beyond a certain size the wall has to be reinforced so that it does not crush. Laying contours of equal arrow velocity at 50 metres over that curve, calculated for a compound shooting 87.3 m/s, he concludes that in field archery, where targets can sit on slopes at unmarked distances, the shaft with the lowest mass per metre is the better choice, in the Easton range of the time the ACE or the LightSpeed, because a faster arrow reduces sight-setting errors; if the course is exposed to wind, the choice should move towards smaller diameters, as far as the ProTour or the X10 in strong wind. The contours are shown only in a figure, with no values, and the gain in points is not calculated: that a flatter trajectory reduces errors in judging distance is the premise of the argument, not a measurement. The part about wind rests on the same logic as the thin arrow question, where the registry has tests pointing in opposite directions, and the recurve is not calculated: the author says only that a bow with a different stored energy would have similar contours, shifted up or down.
Also phrased as: "light arrows for field archery"; "light shaft for unmarked distances"; "fast arrow for field archery"; "flat trajectory in field archery"; "which arrows to use for field archery"
In practice
Among field archers the usual advice is to shoot the lightest shaft the spine allows, for a flat trajectory that forgives mistakes in judging distance, and a thinner shaft when the course is windy.
Evidence
-
2013
For Model Published later
A desk calculation for 400-spine carbon shafts: shaft mass falls with diameter to a shallow minimum and then rises, because the wall has to stay at least 0.45 mm thick. With contours of equal velocity at 50 m for a Hoyt Maxxis 35 compound at 87.3 m/s (Fig. 6), the author points field archers to the shaft near the minimum mass per metre, the ACE or LightSpeed in the Easton range, and to smaller diameters if the course is exposed to wind, the ACE or, in strong wind, the ProTour and X10. The contours appear only in a figure, with no tabulated values, and the gain in points is not calculated.
The impact of material selection on arrow design and optimal selection for competition · James L Park
Status history
- 1990 Not studied No work in the registry's bibliography had yet looked at shaft choice for field archery in quantitative terms. The advice to shoot light, for a flat trajectory over distances that have to be judged, circulated among archers with no calculation or test behind it: the claim had not been studied.
- 2013 Transferred The first calculation arrives. An engineer works out that for carbon shafts of fixed spine the mass per metre falls with diameter to a shallow minimum and then rises, and lays over it contours of equal velocity at 50 metres for a compound shooting 87.3 m/s: for field archery, with targets on slopes and distances sometimes unmarked, he points to the shaft near the minimum mass, the ACE or the LightSpeed in the Easton range, and to smaller diameters if the course is exposed to wind. No tabulated values, no shooting and no archers: the claim rests on a model, so it is transferred.
Related
Related articles
Research lines
Cite
Campagna, M. (2026). In field archery the lightest shaft for a given spine is the better choice, and a thinner one if it is windy (Version 1). In Evidence Registry. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/equipment/light-shaft-field-archery
@misc{campagna2026_astacampagnaleggera,
author = {Campagna, Matteo},
title = {In field archery the lightest shaft for a given spine is the better choice, and a thinner one if it is windy},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Evidence Registry, matteocampagna.com},
url = {https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/equipment/light-shaft-field-archery},
note = {Version 1; accessed 2026-10-16}
}
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