A thinner arrow drifts less in the wind
8 studies
The summary today
The only measurement, made with machine-shot arrows, points the same way as the claim. In a wind tunnel five arrows drift in order of their diameters, from 9 mm for the thinnest to 18 for the thickest, and the thickest is also the heaviest; outdoors at seventy metres, in gusty wind, the thin arrow has a lateral spread of 44.6 mm against 58.6 for a thicker and slightly lighter one. Three models by the same author reach the same point, and in the fullest of them an X7 of almost 8 mm drifts more than an X10 of under 5 even though it weighs more. A Japanese calculation that seemed to say the opposite was in fact comparing a shot at 18 m with one at 70 m: in the same wind it gave the thin arrow two thirds of the sideways push. The limits are clear: a single direct test, by a single author, no archers, and diameter always changing along with mass. And a thin but very light shaft risks losing in mass what it gains in cross-section.
Also phrased as: "thin shafts in the wind"; "arrow diameter and wind"; "thin arrows catch less wind"; "which shaft diameter for outdoors"; "arrow cross-section and drift"
In practice
For outdoor shooting archers are advised to move to shafts of smaller diameter, because they catch less wind.
Evidence
-
1933
Context Model Published later
The first theoretical model of arrow flight: a 10% change in diameter, as in each of the other drag factors, shifts the maximum range by about 30 feet, or 4.5%. It is about range in flight shooting, not about drift in the wind.
The aerodynamics of an arrow · George Judson Higgins
-
2011
For Equipment tests Published later
Five Easton arrows shot from a machine through a wind tunnel over 10.3 m: in a 4.41 m/s crosswind they drift in order of diameter, 9 mm for the Protour 470 (5.04 mm), 13 for the Axis FMJ (6.71 mm) and the LightSpeed (7.44 mm), 16 for the FatBoy (8.73 mm) and 18 for the X7 2512 (9.92 mm), which is also the heaviest of the five (29.35 g); at 8.49 m/s 20, 24, 25, 30 and 35 mm. Outdoors at 70 m, with gusts of over 10 m/s and 36 machine shots per type, the Protour has a lateral standard deviation of 44.6 mm against 58.6 for the LightSpeed, in the ratio the calculation predicts (1.41 against 1.45). Mass changes along with diameter, but the heaviest and thickest arrow drifts most of all.
Minimizing wind drift of an arrow · J L Park
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2011
For Model Published later
In a paper on arrow drag the author notes that wind drift is roughly proportional to longitudinal drag, which for compound arrows runs from about 0.8 to 2 times the arrow's weight and comes mostly from friction on the shaft, and infers that small-diameter arrows drift less than thick ones. It is an inference from the calculation, with no measurement of drift.
The aerodynamic drag and axial rotation of an arrow · J L Park
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2013
For Model Published later
A model of carbon shafts with contours of equal drift at 70 m, for a Hoyt Maxxis 35 compound at 87.3 m/s and a 23.6 g arrow: for outdoor target archery the best shaft is the one with the smallest possible outside diameter. The same model warns that a stiffer carbon, allowing even thinner but also lighter shafts, would leave drift almost unchanged.
The impact of material selection on arrow design and optimal selection for competition · James L Park
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2018
Context Model Published later
A numerical simulation of the trajectory and attitude of a recurve arrow in a background wind: the authors confirm that the sideways deviation falls as launch speed rises, without reporting values. It says nothing about diameter, but it does say that in the wind how fast the arrow travels counts too.
Trajectory and attitude of an archery arrow in free flight:: estimation of the influence of the background wind. · Julio Ortiz, Masato Ando, Takeshi Miyazaki
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2019
For Review Published later
A review of the effect of the atmosphere on target archery. It summarises tests by the same author from 2011, shots through a wind tunnel and lateral groups at long range in gusty wind, and concludes that other things being equal the arrow of smaller diameter drifts less. It reports no values: the figures are in the 2011 paper, which the registry cites separately, and a review does not count as a second test.
The impact of the atmosphere on target archery · James L Park
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2019
Context Equipment tests Published later
A calculation alongside a test with a shooting robot: in the same wind the competition arrow (5.24 mm, 17.57 g) takes about 0.67 times the sideways push of the training arrow (7.5 mm, 26.22 g), but the drift comparison, 3.8 times as much, puts the training arrow at 18 m, with 0.81 s of flight, and the competition arrow at 70 m, with 1.58 s: the difference comes from distance and time of flight, not from diameter. The two arrows also differ in mass and length.
Statics Investigation about Archery Robot in Drawing a Bow · Takuto Nakamura, Yogo Takada, Hitoshi Watanabe
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2020
For Model Published later
A model of drift in a 3 m/s crosswind for fifteen combinations of Easton arrows. For recurve at 70 m the X10 (4.92 mm) drifts 245 to 261 mm depending on the point, the Carbon One (5.34 mm, 19.9 g) 297, the ACE (5.41 mm, 18.8 g) 311 and the X7 (7.94 mm) 441 despite weighing 23.1 g, more than the Carbon One and the ACE; for compound at 50 m it runs from 75 mm for the X10 and Protour (5.18 mm) to 160 for the FatBoy (8.94 mm). Masses are not equal, from 20.8 to 27.6 g, but drift follows diameter.
The dynamic behaviour of an arrow in wind · James L Park
Status history
- 1933 Not studied The first model of arrow flight lists diameter among the drag factors, and a 10% change in it shifts range by about 4.5%. But the calculation concerns the distance reached in flight shooting, not sideways displacement in the wind, and there is still nothing on drift.
- 2011 Reported The first measurement arrives. In a wind tunnel five machine-shot arrows drift in order of their diameters, from 9 mm for the thinnest to 18 for the thickest, which is also the heaviest; outdoors at seventy metres, in gusty wind, the thin arrow has a lateral spread of 44.6 mm against 58.6, as the calculation predicts. It is a test on equipment, direct for this claim, but a single one by a single author: reported.
- 2013 Reported The same author carries the result into shaft selection: for outdoor target archery the smallest possible outside diameter is best, but a stiffer carbon, giving shafts that are thinner and lighter at the same time, would hardly reduce drift. It is a model and adds no measurements, so the status stays.
- 2018 Reported A Japanese calculation of the effect of wind follows a single arrow and shows that a higher launch speed reduces the sideways displacement. It says nothing about diameter, and the picture stays as it was in 2011.
- 2019 Reported A review summarises the 2011 tests and confirms that, other things being equal, the thinner arrow drifts less, without adding data. A calculation alongside a robot test gives the thin arrow two thirds of the sideways push, and its drift of almost four times as much comes from comparing a shot at 18 m with one at 70 m, not two diameters. No study goes against, and the direct evidence is still a single one.
- 2020 Reported A model of fifteen arrow combinations lines drift up with diameter: at seventy metres in a three metre per second wind a 4.92 mm X10 drifts about 25 cm and a 7.94 mm X7 44, even though it weighs more than thin arrows that drift less. The calculation confirms the direction; the measurement is still the 2011 one.
Related
Related articles
- 3D archery vs target archery: technical and tactical differences3D and target archery compared: unmarked distances and judging them, walking between stations, equipment, the mental side and fitness, with registry data.
- Which arrow drifts least in the windA thinner shaft or a heavier arrow for windy competitions? What the models say about diameter, mass, speed and a clean exit, and what is still unmeasured.
- Indoor vs outdoor archery: key differences and seasonal adaptationsIndoor vs outdoor archery: what changes between 18 and 70 metres, what the only study of the shot at both distances found, and what research says about moving between distances.
Research lines
Cite
Campagna, M. (2026). A thinner arrow drifts less in the wind (Version 2). In Evidence Registry. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/equipment/thinner-arrow-wind
@misc{campagna2026_frecciasottilevento,
author = {Campagna, Matteo},
title = {A thinner arrow drifts less in the wind},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Evidence Registry, matteocampagna.com},
url = {https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/equipment/thinner-arrow-wind},
note = {Version 2; accessed 2026-10-16}
}
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