Savvy arrow manufacturers continue to provide bowhunters with a number of lethal options. Which one will you choose?

I had someone tell me once, “An arrow is an arrow.” Not true. While arrows may not receive the accolades bows, sights and broadheads often do, the truth is, no accessory is more important. The arrow/broadhead combo is the only part of your archery arsenal that travels through the air and contacts the animal.

Shift your stick-and-string focus for a moment and think about the rifle crowd. These guys and gals are obsessed with ballistics. Why? They want precision accuracy, and when that bullet reaches its target, they want to know, based on its weight, design and speed, exactly how it will perform. Bowhunters should be no different.

Arrow design is a science. During my archery tenure, I’ve watched manufacturers go to great lengths to make arrows smaller in diameter, improve spine consistency, develop Front of Center and the list goes on. Why? Because these savvy guys and gals know that different arrows are needed to suit different bowhunting situations. In addition, they know that if an archer with a 29-inch draw pulling 70 pounds of draw weight lets a 500-spine arrow go, it will be unsafe and fly like a noodle.

Some of the best arrow designs I’ve seen have been developed by Easton Archery out of Salt Lake City, Utah.

In talking with the arrow engineers there, I’ve learned that when it comes to arrows, you want to have options. Easton is approaching 100 years in business, and during that time, they have created a lot of different arrows. Every year, they push the envelope of design, and they don’t do anything standard.

I’ve also learned that unless you’re shooting a really low-end arrow or one designed for Olympic shooters, you’re splitting hairs when it comes to arrow performance and function. The most important thing is pairing your bow with an arrow that will shoot well out of it. This is where matching spine sizes to draw weight comes in. After that, you can really pick and choose.

If you want a faster arrow, you can find it in Easton’s new 6.5 lineup, including the 6.5 Bowhunter.

Engineered with speed and accuracy in mind, the Easton 6.5 Bowhunter offers a great price-to-performance blend. Made with a seamless machine-made process that boosts accuracy by employing inherently superior spine deflection and weight consistency, each shaft is consistent with the other.

In layman’s terms, you don’t have to worry about having that frustrating flyer in a dozen arrows. Included with Microlite nocks, forgiveness is boosted via the shorter shank that positions the string closer to the shaft. The Bowhunter 6.5s come with 6.5 inserts, are branded with a straightness rating of +/-.003, and are offered in spine sizes of 300, 340, 400 and 500.

These arrows retail for $44.95 per half-dozen and come fletched with Bully vanes.

Another member of Easton’s 6.5 family, the Match Grade was specifically designed for those looking for maximum accuracy. Period. Sporting a straightness rating of +/-.001, these shafts guarantee structural uniformity and precision tolerances. The ACU-Carbon Uniform Spine manufacturing process, which utilizes a single-die continuous-fed system, ensures more consistent deflection and weight tolerances. Precision-machined 6.5mm inserts were designed with a shoulder that is four times larger than conventional inserts. This strengthens the point-to-shaft interface and adds critical Front of Center balance. The 6.5 Match Grade is available in spine sizes of 300, 340, 400 and 500. MSRP: $74.99 per half-dozen fletched with Bully vanes.

For more on the new 6.5 arrows, visit www.eastonarchery.com.