LAST UPDATED: May 1st, 2015
When you look at an arrow shaft, it doesn’t look very sophisticated. In fact, if you look at an old cedar shaft from one hundred years ago and compare it to a carbon arrow of today, it doesn’t look like much has changed over the course of one hundred years. When you compare bows of years ago to bows of today, there have been dramatic leaps forward in technology. It’s easy to see how technology has affected bows. Yet, seeing how technology has impacted arrows is a bit more difficult but arrows have come a long way. The technology advancements are hard to see because the technology is hidden inside the shaft. I recently interviewed Lennie Rezmer from Carbon Express arrows about arrow technology and their newest arrow, the Carbon Express Maxima Red. After our conversation, I realized you can learn about the science behind the arrows.
Today’s carbon arrows are leaps and bounds ahead of those made only a short time ago. As a result, bowhunters are filling more tags and shooting more accurate than ever before. Pictured here is the all new Carbon Express Maxima Red.
If you buy a dozen arrows, you want each arrow to fly the same way. Whether you are practicing in the backyard or in the field hunting, you don’t have to worry about making a bad shot because of an inconsistent arrow. Carbon Express goes to great lengths to ensure their arrows are uniform and virtually perfect. That’s not to say you won’t encounter a bad arrow occasionally, but as a rule when you buy a dozen arrows, they are all identical. “In our production process, we have sophisticated equipment for testing our arrows,” Rezmer said. “We have machines that test the static spine of the arrows, the straightness of the arrows and the weight of the arrows. So, when someone buys our arrows, they get arrows with tight tolerances, resulting in better accuracy for bowhunting or target archery purposes. We do the most sophisticated arrow production testing in the industry.”
For 2013, Carbon Express is offering the Maxima Red arrow. This new shaft is unlike all other shafts, thanks to the different types of carbon used to build the shaft and the proprietary building process used by Carbon Express to build the arrow. “All arrows oscillate in flight which means they fishtail and bend as they fly through the air. The more dramatic the Oscillation, the less accurate the arrow flies,” Rezmer explained. “The Maxima Red was designed to Oscillate in the center of the shaft or what we call the ‘red zone’ instead of on the ends of the shaft like most arrows. The Maxima Red oscillates less than other arrows because it flexes more in the center than on the ends. As a result, the arrow is more accurate in flight. The difference is dramatic, especially when a broadhead is being used.” You may often hear the term dynamic spine when referring to the spine of an arrow shaft. The dynamic spine is referring to how much the arrow bends or flexes out of the bow or how forgiving it is. The Maxima Red is extremely forgiving because of how it is built.
When it comes to arrows, Lennie Rezmer knows his stuff.
According to Rezmer, the Maxima Red shines in windy conditions, long range shooting and a variety of extreme hunting conditions. “The windier the conditions are the more unstable an arrow is going to be in flight. The Maxima Red will be more stable in flight, even on a windy day thanks to the Red Zone. These are the perfect arrows for whitetail hunters but they also work well for western hunters who often take long shots in windy conditions,” Rezmer said.
One thing he constantly emphasized when I interviewed him was consistency. As a bowhunter, we all strive to be consistent when shooting. Carbon Express strives to build perfect arrows which results in consistent shooting. “What people don’t realize is arrow shafts and the components (like the nock and insert) need to be perfect. If a nock or insert isn’t perfect, an arrow won’t fly correctly. Our new LaunchPad nocks are built so each one is identical to the one on the arrow next to it. Our tolerances are very tight on our manufacturing processes, which results in a more accurate arrow,” Rezmer added.
As technology advances, so do arrows. There are a plethora of arrow options on the market. As you head to your local pro-shop to pick up some new ones, realize an arrow is more than just a carbon tube. You get what you pay for. If extreme accuracy is what you are looking for, realize you must be shooting a top notch arrow. For more info on the new Maxima RED arrow and Launchpad Lighted Nock visit carbonexpressarrows.com
About the Author: Tracy Breen is a full-time outdoor writer and Wild Game dinner speaker. He works with a variety of companies in the outdoor industry including Mathews Archery, Mission Archery and Carbon Express. Learn more about him at www.tracybreen.com.
