ARROW PLANNER LESSON 1

Start With Your Bow and Arrow Length

The Planner begins with the bow because the arrow must fit the bow before it can fit a target weight or component list. Use the best measured information you have, not the number printed on a limb bolt, module, or old setup sheet when the real bow differs.

Arrow length also needs to be established early. It affects safe clearance, how much the shaft weighs, where the arrow balances, and how stiff the shaft acts when shot.

Begin With the Bow

Published IBO or ATA Speed

IBO or ATA speed is the advertised speed the bow maker measured under a standard test setup. Enter the published number for your bow model.

The Planner uses it as a starting reference and then adjusts for your real setup. It is not a promise that your hunting arrow will leave the bow at the advertised speed.

Actual Peak Draw Weight

Use the highest draw weight the bow reaches as you pull it back, measured with a reliable bow scale. A bow marked 70 pounds may be set lower, and the actual measured value is what matters to the plan.

Actual Draw Length

Draw length is how far the bow is set to travel through your draw cycle. Use the setting that fits you on the bow you are shooting.

It affects the performance estimate and helps establish the starting arrow-length choices.

If you are unsure, use the Draw Length Calculator as a starting estimate and verify the fit with your bow or a qualified pro shop.

Weight Added to the Bowstring

Parts installed on the bowstring can reduce real arrow speed. Enter the added weight requested by the Planner, such as the peep, extra serving, or string silencers included by the field.

Arrow Planner bow-fact fields for IBO speed, peak draw weight, draw length, string accessory weight, and hunting distances. — Start with the bow’s published speed, measured draw weight, actual draw length, string setup, and the distances that describe the hunt.

Normal Hunting Distance and Maximum Shot Distance

Normal Hunting Distance is the distance where you expect most real opportunities. The Planner uses it when showing downrange performance and the practical trajectory result that matters most often.

Maximum Shot Distance is the farthest distance you are willing and able to shoot under the conditions you define. It gives the Planner a wider analysis boundary, but it should not turn an occasional long shot into the center of the arrow plan

For Example: I normally don’t take shots outside of a 30 yard window (Normal), but give the opportunity in the right situation, I might take a shot out to 40 yards (Maximum).

Use honest distances. They describe how you hunt, not how far the bow can send an arrow.

Understand the Three Length Measurements

The Planner separates three measurements because they do different jobs.

Planned Arrow Length

The nock throat is the bottom of the groove where the bowstring sits. Planned Arrow Length is the intended measurement from that point to the end of the shaft.

This establishes the starting clearance plan before a physical cut is chosen.

Prepared Shaft Cut Length

This is the physical carbon or aluminum shaft by itself, measured from one cut end to the other before the nock-throat offset is added.

Shaft makers list weight as GPI, or grains per inch. The Planner multiplies GPI by the Prepared Shaft Cut Length to estimate shaft weight.

Finished Arrow Length

The nock throat normally sits a short distance behind the cut end of the shaft. Finished Arrow Length adds that actual offset to the Prepared Shaft Cut Length.

The Planner uses the resulting nock-throat-to-shaft-end measurement when estimating balance and shaft stiffness.

The front insert or outsert is the part that connects the point or broadhead to the shaft. Those parts can extend in front of the shaft, but that extra extension does not become part of the nock-throat-to-shaft-end arrow-length measurement.

Choose a Starting Length

Draw Length Plus 1/2 Inch

This is the normal Everyday Bow Hunter planning start. For example, a 27.5-inch draw length starts with a 28-inch Planned Arrow Length.

It adds a modest clearance allowance before the physical shaft cut is calculated.

Draw Length Plus 1 Inch

Use this when the arrow rest, bow handle area, broadhead, or another part of the setup needs more clearance. The extra length also adds shaft weight and makes the shaft act weaker when shot.

Custom Length

Use Custom when you already know the deliberate nock-throat-to-shaft-end length you want to model. A custom value is not automatically rounded for you.

For the standard half-inch or one-inch choices, the Planner first subtracts a 0.25-inch planning allowance for the distance from the shaft end back to the nock throat. That creates the unrounded shaft-only cut.

The Planner then rounds that cut upward to the next half-inch. This creates a simple cut measurement and updates the resulting Finished Arrow Length.

Worked Length Example

Assume an actual draw length of 27.5 inches and the normal half-inch starting choice.

The 28.0-inch Prepared Shaft Cut Length controls shaft weight. The 28.25-inch Finished Arrow Length carries into the balance and shaft-stiffness checks.

If you enter a custom value, the Planner uses that deliberate entry instead of applying the default upward rounding rule.

Before Any Shaft Is Cut

The Planner creates a starting measurement, not permission to cut blindly. At full draw, confirm that the shaft remains safely supported and the broadhead and front components clear your rest, riser, and hand.

Follow the current bow, rest, shaft, and broadhead manufacturers’ instructions. If you are uncertain, have a qualified pro shop check the setup before cutting or shooting the arrow.