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Making the lightest arrow

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JackCrafty:
Personally, I like phragmites, but it is hard to keep straight (like jamie said).  Phrag is the lightest material that I've ever worked with.  With a short forshaft and small arrowhead, it makes the lightest arrow IMO.

That said, I think I would choose Douglas fur as the overall best lightweight arrow material.  POC is very good, but I guess I'm one of the few people who doesn't like the smell of the wood.  I've tried spruce, but it is a bit weak on impact...lots of broken arrows.

Pat B:
Thanks xin. We all need levity. A little drift off topic isn't a problem either. When it seems like misunderstandings are about to happen we, the mods, try to break it up before it goes too far. If I misread your intentions I apologize.      Pat'ster ;)

xin:
Pat'ster, no problem. Looking forward to some of your bows and arrows.  I believe I recall you saying you didn't knap; with the beautiful arrows you make it would be a natural progression if you did.  Again, keep those pictures coming.

mullet:
 I've gotten a couple of arrows made by Art that were Poplar. Those were really light and splined at 55#.

1/2primitive:
I was in this exact predicament a little while ago. What I found was that when I focused on the performance of my bows (getting the speed and flat trajectory from there), the arrows were no longer a problem. Most of the arrows I made were from 5/16" dowels, and were slightly too heavy for my slower shooting shortbows. With a slightly stronger bow, and revised building techniques and bow design (and more practice), I can shoot my 5/16" arrows with plenty of spped and acuracy. Let me stress this, small bow tips. A ton of perfomance can be picked up when bow tips are made very small. Most of my bow's tips are only slightly over 1/4" wide for 50lb (with Osage).
So, I would say, focus on bow performance.
     Sean

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