Arrow

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This article is about the weapon. For other uses, see Arrow (disambiguation).

An arrow is a pointed projectile that is shot with a bow. It predates recorded history and is common to most cultures.

Image:Native American arrowheads.JPG Image:DFRArrow.jpg

1 Background
2 Composition
- 2.1 Arrowhead
- 2.2 Feathers / Vanes
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Background

An arrow consists of a long and thin shaft made formerly of wood and now also from aluminium or carbon fiber composite. The stiffness of this shaft is referred to as its "spine." When selecting arrows for shooting, one must consider its spine, diameter, and length. The spine of an arrow is much more important with none-centershot bows (centershot bow is a bow whose force "pushes" the arrow forward without any lateral angle between the arrow's longitudinal axis and the line along which the bowstring travels, like modern compounds and pistol-grip recurves, opposed to traditional bows like longbows etc, where the arrow has to flex passing the bow handle, because it is aligned slightly to the left (for right-handed bow) in relation to the bowstring travel). An arrow with too much spine will not flex enough and will always tend to fly to the left of the intended target, while the arrow with too little spine will flex more than needed, thus missing the target to the right side. Arrow spine is marked with the poundage of the bow it is meant to be shot from (ie. 50lbs spine)

[edit] Composition

Image:CrestIncompitent.jpg

[edit] Arrowhead

Image:Arrow Head 1.JPG The arrow is pointed or armed with an arrowhead or "point" at one end and with a nock or notch in the other. The nock serves to keep the arrow in place on the string as the bow is being drawn. Arrowheads fit hunting and military purpose better than a mere point, which is mostly useful for target-shooting because it is smaller and therefore more aerodynamic, allowing for faster speeds and a flatter trajectory. The main type of arrowheads used in medieval periods for battle purposes were broadhead, swallowtail, and bodkin. Pitch and tar arrows were also used for setting fire to the fields enemies were attacking on. A modern broadhead arrow has somewhere between two and six razor-sharp blades which are about an inch or an inch and a half long. Some broadheads have mechanisms which keep the blades inside the shaft until contact is made to decrease air resistance. The killing power of an arrow comes from its ability to slice through organs and major arteries and veins; the victim often dies as a result of blood loss. A shot which strikes a limb at a major blood vessel can be just as lethal as a shot to a major organ if a tourniquet is not immediately applied.

[edit] Feathers / Vanes

Image:DFRArrow (1).jpg Near the notch end are feathers parallel to the shaft which keep the arrow pointed in the direction of travel by strongly damping down any tendency to pitch or yaw. Feathers are often mounted slightly off-angle to the longitudal axis of the arrow, giving the arrow flight rotation which somewhat improves the accuracy. There are often three feathers but many fletchings have four or even more. They were originally made from feathers (often from a Goose or Turkey) bound to the arrow's shaft, but are now often made of plastic. Plastic feathers are known as "vanes". Feathers (or "fletching") can be anywhere from two to six inches in length. Artisans who make arrows by hand are known as "fletchers," a word related to the French word for arrow, flèche. To fletch an arrow means to provide it with its feathers.