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Bows, arrows and the equipment that sets fitment
The equipment that decides which arrow or bolt you need, from the bow type to the spine, point weight and fletching of the arrow itself.
The three bows
Archery is shot with three broad families of bow. The recurve is the Olympic target bow, aimed with a sight and drawn with the fingers. The compound uses cams to hold a light weight at full draw and is the most mechanically precise. The crossbow mounts a bow horizontally and fires a short bolt off a rail.
Each bow sets the arrow differently: a recurve and compound choose arrow spine from the archer's draw weight and length, while a crossbow fixes the bolt by model, which is why the fitment tool treats them separately.
What decides the arrow
Once the bow is chosen, the arrow is set by its spine, the stiffness of the shaft, matched to the bow's energy so it flies straight. Point weight shifts the working spine and the balance, and the fletching steers the shaft and has to clear the rest.
These are not independent choices. A heavier point weakens the spine and can push a setup to the next stiffer shaft, and a crossbow's minimum weight is often reached through the point. The guides here explain how the pieces interact.
From equipment to fitment
The point of understanding the equipment is to choose the right arrow or bolt with confidence. A recurve or compound archer reads a spine chart for their draw weight, length and point weight; a crossbow shooter matches the exact length, nock and minimum weight the maker specifies.
The fitment tool does that matching from manufacturer data. These guides are the background that makes its verdicts make sense.
Get the right part
Open the BoltFitFinder fitment toolGet the exact fitment for your setupRelated
Sources: World Archery ยท Wikipedia: Archery