The Best Hunting Arrows Make a World of Difference

Deer & Deer Hunting Editor Dan Schmidt’s arrow of choice is the Maxima Hunter KV from Carbon Express.

Last week I talked about the new Mathews Heli-M I’ve been shooting this year. It is one sweet, little bow. And, even though I’m only shooting 54 pounds of draw weight, I have not seen any downgrade in performance from the bow I was shooting last year. In fact, I’ve seen a significant upgrade in performance.

A lot of that has to do with the arrows I’m shooting. There was a time in my life when I shot the cheapest “accessories” I could find. That included broadheads, sight, rest, release and arrows. I figured if they could get the job done, what difference did it make? I was so wrong. Not only that, I was so wrong for so long. I shot inferior accessories for years until I was literally guilted into upgrading my rig by a prominent East Coast archer.

We were flinging arrows at a Field Logic target about 10 years ago when he made fun of my bargain-basement arrows. “You know,” he snickered. “Those are rejects.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know they’re not the most expensive arrows in the world,” I replied.

“No … I’m serious,” he added. “Those really are rejects. Did you ever wonder why they only retail for $40 a dozen? Those are literally the arrows that don’t meet the specs for the manufacturer that is making them.”

“Really?” I asked.

“Yep,” he said. “But most guys only shoot at deer that are 20 yards away, or less, so they don’t care.”

I didn’t admit it then, but I had been one of those guys!

Imagine my surprise when I came home and started shooting a brand-new batch of Carbon Express Maxima Hunter shafts. Talk about a night-and-day difference. I went from hitting a paper plate at 25 yards as being “good enough,” to packing arrows in a 3-inch circle at 35 yards. It was worth the lesson in humility.

Today, I’ve upgraded to Carbon Express Maxima Hunter KVs. These arrows are not only straight (a spine selection tolerance: ± 0.0025) and tough (carbon-weave construction), they are built to tight tolerances. The weight of each shaft is going to be within 1 grain of each other. Combined with Blazer vanes, they are the ultimate “bullet” for deer hunters wanting to improve their accuracy and extend their effective range.

I’ve shot these shafts for two years now and simply won’t stray from them — mostly because they never stray from me! With the addition of superior broadheads and a new drop-away rest, these shafts have performed flawlessly for me on the practice range out to 60 yards.

Of course, the bow and arrow are only two of many components I needed to boost my average shooting skills to eye-popping standards. Next week I will reveal the new bow sight that has allowed me to “rest assured” this season.

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