Aluminum Arrows Vs. Carbon

Aluminum arrow shafts gradually replaced wooden shafts as the first choice for archers during the mid-20th century after their introduction by Easton Archery in 1939. Now there is a new competitor and a new debate: Carbon-shafted arrows debuted in the 1980s and have come to rival aluminum as the premier choice in arrow shafts.

  1. Durability

    • Carbon's biggest advantage over aluminum is that it is more durable. Aluminum arrows tend to become nicked or bent slightly, especially when knocking against other arrows in a target. Although these bends can sometimes be corrected, the shaft is still weakened. Carbon arrows do not sustain such bends, remaining straight until they are broken. The earliest carbon models sometimes broke easily, but newer models are sturdier.

    Flexion

    • Carbon arrows also resist the damage of ordinary use because they are more flexible. During the impact of an arrow into the target, a large amount of energy is transferred into the decelerating arrow and must be absorbed by the shaft. When the vibrations enter the shaft, carbon can wobble and return to its previous shape much more easily than aluminum, which is more likely to sustain damage.

    Use With Compound Bows

    • The bows that archers use have a great effect on the effectiveness of the arrow. For example, wooden arrows would sometimes explode when they were shot from a compound bow if they had any defects. A compound bow exerts force in variable amounts throughout the pullback and shot, exerting much more force closer to the arrow's release, and much less at the maximum draw. As the string straightens, it accelerates drastically. Early carbon models sometimes had problems similar to wooden models, and although newer models are much more consistent, there are still infrequent reports of a carbon arrow rupturing due to the force of the compound bow.

    Weight and Energy

    • Some critics of carbon arrows claim that because carbon arrows are lighter than aluminum arrows, they have less momentum and energy, which compromises their ability to penetrate the target. However, the lighter weight also means that the arrows have a greater initial speed (by about 25 feet per second, depending on weight). This extra speed counteracts the lack of weight, and the energy of both arrow types is approximately equivalent.

    Price

    • Aluminum arrows tend to be cheaper than carbon arrows, but as carbon technology becomes more widely known and employed, the margin is narrowing. According to current trends, the two eventually be equally priced. For now, however, aluminum is still the slight favorite for your checkbook.