The Easton name is forever rooted in arrow lore. Throngs of bowhunters and target archers around the globe trust the manufacturer to help fill their freezers and put them on the podium. When you take a deep dive into Easton’s arrow-building process, it’s not hard to see why the manufacturer has legions of faithful followers. Easton doesn’t do normal. They only do exceptional, and when it comes to bowhunters looking to shoot the world’s best micro-diameter arrow, they need look no further than Easton’s FMJ 4MM.

Easton’s FMJ line includes the 4MM, 5MM and 6MM, and each was crafted for a very specific purpose. The above-mentioned shafts fill countless quivers each fall, and during their tenure, have helped make the dreams of countless stick-and-string goers come true.

The superman in the family is the 4MM. Why? The list is long but distinguished. First is the tough-as-nails build. The arrow’s core is high-strength carbon, and the outer is wrapped in a 7075-alloy metal jacket. The build promises a strong, super straight (+/-.002”) shaft that, due to its ultra-micro diameter nature, prevents it from losing too much speed in flight. In-flight-speed blended with a just-right-for-each-spine-size gpi (grains per inch) rating means increased kinetic energy. Increased kinetic energy means better penetration on big-game animals.

Another hat-tipper of the shaft is its ability to handle crosswinds. If you hunt the West or any open landscape across the country, wind can be a problem. With less surface area for wind to press against, drift is greatly reduced. This eliminates the guessing game many bowhunters face when shooting in the wind. Hunters can settle in, focus and know their arrow will find its mark.

When a broadhead-tipped 4MM FMJ impacts an animal, the shaft is able to track directly behind the broadhead. This is, again, due to the ultra-slim design of the shaft. It simply prevents friction from building, which allows it to penetrate deeper and provide the bowhunter with more pass-through shots. A pass-through results in a better blood trail, and when the shooter can recover their arrow, additional knowledge about the hit can be gleaned.

The HIT (Hidden Insert Technology) inserts are of Deep Six build. In short, a Deep Six build simply means a thread pattern smaller than standard 8-32 broadhead/point threads. The smaller more precise threading — 40/threads/inch — means a stronger, more seamless point-to-insert bond. This bond holds points and broadheads snug, and the added weight of the insert and the fact that it’s inside the shaft increases FOC (Front of Center). Standard 8-32 threaded broadheads will not work with 4MM FMJ arrows. Broadheads and field points need to be Deep Six branded, and most any maker of razor-sharp heads worth their salt offer Deep Six models.

Easton’s 4MM FMJ arrows are available in spine sizes of 280, 330, 400 and 460. In 2021, new spine sizes will be available in 250, 300, 340 and 400. They come fitted with Deep Six nocks and have a branded weight tolerance of +/- .002”.

That’s the low down, but how do they perform?

Here we go.

First, the build is easy. 4MM shafts come fletched or as bare shafts. A quality arrow saw will hack through the aluminum/carbon blend with ease, and fitting the inserts is a simple four-step process. Use the included chamfering stone to chamfer the inside of the shaft. You don’t have to grind away until loads of carbon is falling out. Simply set the stone on a hard surface, fit the insert end of the shaft over the nipple of the stone and give it a few twists. Next, use a Q-tip saturated with rubbing alcohol to clean the inside of the shaft. Use a toothpick to mix the included-with-your-arrows HIT epoxy, and then use the same toothpick to spread the epoxy evenly around the entire insert. Do not cover the breather hole on the backside of the insert with epoxy. Lastly, use the included HIT insert tool to push the insert up inside the shaft. The tool will seat it properly. Allow 24 hours for the epoxy to set and you’re good to go.

Now that you’re ready to shoot, get ready for extreme accuracy and easy arrow removal from foam targets. The aluminum jacket doesn’t create friction against foam, which means the days of taking a 3D target, laying the target on its side and standing on top of it while trying to remove a shaft are over.

My current rig is Hoyt’s Axius Alpha. The bow is set at 68 pounds and the draw length is 28.5 inches. When shooting a 400 spine 427.6-grain 4MM FMJ through a chronograph, my average fps rating is 288 fps. That gives me a kinetic energy rating of 78.81 foot-pounds. This is more than enough energy to blow through any North American big-game animal and would work just fine for big-game adventures abroad.

When it comes to penetration, the arrow is second-to-none. During testing, I shot the arrow into a fresh-sided Block target. At a distance of 50 yards, the shaft penetrated exactly 4 ½-inches deeper than another Easton favorite of mine — the HyperSpeed Pro. Accuracy out to the tested distance of 100 yards was insane. If your bow is tuned and you execute a good shot (letting the release fire the bow), your shaft will be where you want it.

Wind performance is where the 4MM really impressed me. I live and hunt in the West. Shots can be long and getting a day without wind is about as common as finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. When shot offhand — not with a shooting device like a Hooter Shooter that eliminates human error — my average three-arrow group was less than an inch to the right when shooting in a 16-mph left-to-right crosswind. This test was performed from 60 yards. Inside of 60, wind drift was virtually nonexistent.  

The arrows are hushed in flight and provide the type of performance the serious bowhunter demands. The 4MM FMJ and 4MM Carbon Injexion will be in my quiver this fall, and if you’re on the hunt for a quiver-filler that won’t let you down, these shafts are worth a serious look.