Best Aluminum Arrows For Hunting Or Target Shooting

Best Aluminum Arrows For Hunting Or Target Shooting

aluminum arrows

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Do you want heavy and accurate arrows?
Are you on a low budget but still want quality?

Your best option are aluminum arrows then.
Read on to learn more about the best aluminum arrows for hunting or target shooting.

The Most Common Arrow Types

Before we get into it, I want to give you a quick overview of materials (in alphabetical order) that are used to make arrows:

Those are the most commonly used arrows and I want to show you which arrow is the best for which situation.
To read about the other materials, please click on the links above.

Click Here To Jump Straight To My Recommended Arrows

Main Specifications Of An Aluminum Arrow

Most important:
Aluminum arrows are heavy!
They are the heaviest standard arrow you can get.

Is a heavy arrow something bad?
No, not at all. In fact, it can be quite the opposite. It all depends on what you want to achieve.

Besides being heavy, aluminum arrows are very straight and accurate.
Their biggest downside is that they bend more easily than carbon arrows. You need to be extra careful when you pull them out of a target.
Also, when you hit an aluminum arrow with another arrow, you might damage it more than you would when using a carbon arrow.

You can straighten them to a certain point, but when they get bent too much, they will be beyond repair.

A big plus is, that aluminum arrows are cheaper than carbon arrows.
So, when you are just getting started, but want to shoot with heavy arrows, aluminum arrows are for you.

Keep reading to find out why a heavy arrow can be a very good thing: 

The Pros Of An Aluminum Arrow

Being heavy means that the arrow can store more energy because of its high mass.
This is very important if you are shooting with a high draw weight. Arrows that are too light and can’t withstand much energy can get damaged when trying to shoot with them.
The high weight of the arrows makes them very accurate because they don’t get affected that much by windy and rainy conditions.
They also reduce hand shock, because most of the energy stored in the bowstring gets absorbed by the arrow.

aluminum arrows for hunting or target shooting

The Cons Of An Aluminum Arrow

Aluminum arrows have a bigger diameter than carbon arrows.
This and the higher weight makes them slower than carbon arrows.
Some will argue that they don’t penetrate a target as well as a carbon arrow, but others will claim the opposite.
It’s a fact, that the diameter is not the only factor influencing the penetration.
It is weight, speed, distance, and the arrow tip that will make the penetration higher or lower.
A heavy arrow has a high potential at a shorter distance because it will still be fast enough to cut deep into the skin and flesh.
The higher the distance the higher the decrease of speed.

So I would only get an aluminum arrow for hunting when you know that you will shoot on shorter distances and have enough time to get close to the game.

I already mentioned that aluminum arrows bend more easily than carbon arrows.
You want to be very careful when removing them from a target or an animal’s body.

How To Choose The Correct Aluminum Arrow

You have to know the spine size you need for your bow’s draw weight.
Take a look at my short list below (for an arrow length of 28″):

18 LBS – 23 LBS: 1516
24 LBS – 27 LBS: 1616
28 LBS – 33 LBS: 1716
34 LBS – 42 LBS: 1816
43 LBS – 52 LBS: 1916
53 LBS – 60 LBS: 2016
61 LBS – 70 LBS: 2117
71 LBS – 80 LBS: 2216
81 LBS – 100 LBS: 2219+

If your arrow has a length of 30″ just jump one spine number up. If it is 32″ long, jump up two numbers.
Do the opposite if you are using shorter arrows:
For 26″ long arrows, you go one spine number down, for 24″ arrows two numbers down.

My personal opinion on aluminum arrows

I prefer carbon arrows, but aluminum arrows are fine when you are on a smaller budget.
They are very nice for getting used to archery.
Aluminum arrows are very accurate which is great for beginners who will get more joy from hitting their target more consistently.

Check out my favorite aluminum arrows:

Easton XX75 Camo HunterEaston Camo Hunter XX75 Shafts 2413 Doz, Camo

One of the best aluminum arrows for hunting.
Their big size (2117 – 2413) makes them perfect for heavy hunting bows.
They are super straight and you can easily equip them with sharp broadheads.

Please note that all Easton arrows come at full length (32″) and you need to cut them down to the correct size.
If you don’t have the equipment to do that, you need to bring your arrows to the next archery shop to let them do it for you.

Aluminum inserts are included, but you will have to buy arrow tips separately.

Carbon Express Game Slayer Carbon Express 56503 Game Slayer Arrows Alum 2117, 30-Inch

The Game Slayer Aluminum Arrows are best for target practice but can be used to hunt smaller game, too.
Just make sure that you don’t hit anything that is very hard (like a tree).
As I explained above, aluminum arrows bend much more easily than carbon arrows.

Nevertheless, the Game Slayer arrows are great when handled with care and responsibility and their price is fantastic.
They come fletched (with feathers) and the insert for the arrow tip is included, too.
All you need to buy additionally are arrow tips.

Conclusion: Aluminum Arrows Are A Viable Choice

Moritz ImageWhile carbon arrows are my favorite arrows, you won’t go wrong with these aluminum arrows.

The Easton XX75 Camo Hunter arrows are great for hunting.
The Game Slayer Aluminum arrows are best for target practice.

I have tried them both and the results were absolutely satisfying!

Let’s discuss the different arrow types below in the comment section and don’t forget to tell me what arrows you are shooting with.
Do you agree with me that these are the best aluminum arrows for hunting or target shooting?

Happy hunting!

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(6) comments

robert wiman

carbon arrows will not work where i live but i have always love the aluminum arrows. and i have been hunting for 20 plus years.i tried the carbon once and they didn’t work for me.

Reply
    Moritz

    Hi Robert,

    thank you very much for your feedback. Would you mind to elaborate a bit? What was it you didn’t like about carbon arrows?
    What kind of bow are you shooting with?
    Cheers
    Moritz

    Reply
Mike

Take another look at the picture of that guy shooting that recurve at those targets. What?!! is wrong with this picture?

Everything.

Reply
    Moritz

    Haha.
    You are so right! Wondering how he didn’t hurt himself trying to shoot like this.
    I have to change that image. Thanks a lot for pointing it out to me.

    What type of bow are you using, by the way?

    Best,
    Moritz

    Reply
      Mike

      I started my archery life 50 years ago with a less than ideal recurve whose limbs twisted before I got a new #45 Bear Kodiak Hunter, which actually shoots at #55 lbs once my ape arms pull it back.
      I graduated to a compound, and I’m now old enough to legally use a crossbow without a disability waiver. I love that thing. I can now hunt from the ground and not spook a deer drawing a vertical bow. I still shoot that original Bear recurve though.
      As for arrow penetration– trust me on this- a well-placed cedar shaft arrow with a simple two-blade broadhead (razor sharp of course), shot at now ridiculously slow speeds that many people scoff at, will easily pass through a deer and kill it almost instantly. On the first deer I ever stuck a cedar arrow in, the arrow sliced the aorta in half and went through both lungs, and stuck in the ground five feet behind him. Three steps– dead. Saves a lot of time and frustration tracking. Aluminum vs carbon vs cedar shafts is a moot point if the arrow doesn’t hit the right spot. I have a good friend in Missouri who tracks more deer in one season with his German-bred teckel (wire-haired dachshunds) than most people would do in two or three hunting lifetimes.
      He has seen deer shot with arrows in almost every way imaginable in three states. Guess what? Every unrecovered deer (if the deer is dead his dogs WILL find it, unless the hunter has totally screwed up the track by trying to find it himself before calling him, or they run out of accessible property) has been shot with a “deeper penetrating” carbon shafted arrow. He has yet to get a tracking call from a traditional longbow or recurve hunter using “antique” equipment. Wonder why? He interrogates every hunter before a track. Many of them believe they made a good shot with their high-tech equipment. He always replies, “If you had made a truly good shot, you probably wouldn’t have needed to call me”. ;–) He is a retired USMC major. He’s not shy about explaining reality.

      Please, people, know your maximum ethical HUNTING distance, not inanimate TARGET distance on an indoor range. For 99% of hunters in actual field conditions, that is 20 yards or less.

      Reply
        Moritz

        Very interesting and important points you are making.
        Thank you very much for sharing your experience with me and my other readers.

        And it is true! It doesn’t matter what arrows you are using if you can’t hit the target.
        There is a huge difference between target shooting and hunting.
        Every bowhunter has to be aware of that.
        We don’t want animals to suffer. A fast and clean death should always be the goal.

        Thanks again and happy hunting.
        Moritz

        Reply
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