Choosing the right arrow spine for an Asiatic or horse bow does not have to be complicated.
My recommendation is to base your starting spine largely on the width of the bow’s arrow pass.
The wider the arrow pass, the more flex you generally want from the arrow during the shot. A narrower arrow pass allows you to use a stiffer shaft.
Wide Arrow Pass Bows
For bows with a wider arrow pass, such as the Odinson Archery Assassin, I generally recommend:
500 spine arrows with at least a 100-grain point.
Depending on your shooting style, draw length, and release, you may find that a slightly heavier point helps fine-tune the arrow’s behavior.
I do not recommend going lighter than a 100-grain point.
The goal is to give the arrow enough dynamic flex during the shot to work properly around the bow.
For this type of bow, I generally would not go weaker than 500 spine.
Many people choose to go a bit lighter but I would caution against this.
I also do not recommend going with a heavier insert rather than a heavier arrow tip. I tend to find that heavier inserts will throw the balance off on the arrow. Typically, this is reserved for people more experienced in building arrows to insure that you get the best balance out of your arrows.
This is why I recommend using our arrows here at Odinson Archery because they are crafted for the bow as well as have feather fletching, which is also as much for these style bows
Narrow Arrow Pass Bows
For bows with a narrower arrow pass, such as the Alp or Raider, I generally recommend:
Around 400 spine with at least a 100-grain point.
Depending on how you shoot, you may find that increasing the point weight to 125 grains or more improves arrow flight.
Because the arrow pass is narrower, the shaft does not need as much flex to clear the bow effectively.
For these bows, I generally recommend staying around 400 spine and not going stiffer than that without a specific reason to do so.
I have found that you will also need to take into account the length of your arrow as well. Most people in the Asiatic Archery world tend to use arrows in the 30 to 31 inch range depending on your draw length.
This will also need to be accounted for.
Point Weight Matters
Arrow spine is only part of the equation.
Point weight changes how the arrow behaves dynamically.
A heavier point generally causes the arrow to flex more during acceleration, while a lighter point causes it to behave stiffer.
That is why I recommend starting with at least a 100-grain point and then adjusting upward if necessary.
Do not immediately change shaft spine every time your arrows are not flying perfectly.
Sometimes a change from a 100-grain point to a 125-grain point is enough to improve the way the arrow behaves with your bow and shooting style.
What About Khatra?
Khatra is often presented as the solution to arrow-clearance and spine problems in Asiatic archery.
Historically, that makes sense.
Traditional archers were using wooden arrows produced without the extremely consistent spine tolerances available to us today. Large numbers of arrows could vary considerably in stiffness, even when they appeared nearly identical.
Khatra helped the archer compensate for some of those inconsistencies and improve arrow clearance.
Today, however, we have access to modern carbon shafts with highly consistent spine ratings, along with different point weights and components that allow us to fine-tune arrow behavior.
Because of that, I believe we should take advantage of modern technology and begin with a properly matched arrow rather than relying on exaggerated khatra to compensate for poor arrow selection.
Khatra can still be an important part of Asiatic shooting technique, but it should work with properly tuned equipment, not replace it.
As discussed at length in my book “The Thumb Draw Codex“, we should strive for a natural expansion of the chest on the shot no matter what arrow you’re using. This is a natural part of the show process that is kind of like “nature’s khatra” but is purely an incident movement based off of your bodies movement.
A Simple Starting Guide
| Bow Type | Recommended Starting Spine | Point Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Wide arrow pass, such as Assassin | 500 spine | 100 grains minimum |
| Narrow arrow pass, such as Alp or Raider | 400 spine | 100 grains minimum; 125+ may help |
These are starting recommendations rather than absolute rules.
Your draw length, release style, arrow length, and individual technique may require small adjustments, particularly in point weight.
But for most modern Asiatic bow setups, there is little reason to make arrow selection unnecessarily complicated.
Start with the correct spine for the bow’s geometry, use an appropriate point weight, feather fletching on ALL of your arrows and then fine-tune from there.
If you’re still having issues with finding the correct arrows for your bow, you can get your custom arrows here at Odinson Archery
Find Carbon Arrows Here and Find Wooden Arrows Here
REMEMBER – ANY BOW PURCHASED WITH ARROWS FROM ODINSON ARCHERY COMES WITH THE CORRECTLY SPINED ARROWS FOR YOUR BOW!
FIND OUR BOWS HERE
The better your arrow is matched to the bow, the less your technique has to compensate for your equipment.
