The Best Hunting Arrows 2022 list contains the absolute best hunting arrows on the market for this year. You’ll find fletched arrows, bare shafts, and carbon bolts.
The price ranges vary from expensive to cheap, but all are quality arrows. So, it should be easy to find an arrow that suits your preferences and budget.
Best Hunting Arrows 2022
- Available in 250 ort 350 spine
- .006-inch straightness
- Fletched with Assault 2” vanes
- Buffed, high-polish finish
- Sorted and matched by weight
- 6 fletched arrows
The Carbon Express Adrenaline was engineered for speed and accuracy, but it maintains a great deal of strength and durability.
Its advanced layered carbon design allows for greater consistency from group to group, and its ultra-buffed finish delivers a quiet draw on the arrow rest for added stealth in the field.
These arrows come standard with Assault 2” vanes, which help to increase both speed and accuracy.
- Available in 250 and 350 spine
- 1/10,000 of an inch straightness
- TriSpine technology
- 4x more accurate than single-spine arrows
- Launchpad Precision Nocks
- Fletched with Blazer vanes
- 6 pack of arrows
The Carbon Express Maxima RED is a breakthrough in controlling Dynamic Spine. The high-tech carbon design has stiffer ends to contain the arrow’s flex to the “Red Zone.”
The Red Zone is the section of the arrow shaft engineered to contain Dynamic Spine and make a broadhead shoot more consistently.
Containing arrow flex to the Red Zone increases hunting performance because broadheads normally exaggerate the effect of arrow flexing in flight and act like wings on the front of the arrow.
By reducing arrow flex in the front of the shaft, the Maxima RED makes broadheads shoot tighter groups and provides overall improved hunting performance.
- .001-inch straightness
- Blood Ring technology guides tracking
- Ultra-durable Rugged Wrap construction
- Also available in bare shaft
- .244-inch standard diameter
Designed for hunters seeking a fast, lightweight arrow, the Bloodsport Judgement features 100 percent carbon construction using their proprietary Rugged Wrap process.
A standard diameter arrow, the Judgement is an incredible combination of speed, accuracy and toughness with .001 inches of straightness perfection.
The Judgement includes accompanying 12-grain aluminum inserts for each arrow. It’s also available in bare shaft.
- .006-inch straightness
- Extremely durable
- Digitally spine aligned
- Ice Nano Ceramic coating
- .245-inch standard diameter
- Hand-fletched
I’ve used Victory VForce arrows for the past two years and have had great success with them.
These arrows, at .006-inch straightness, shoot consistent groups and are super durable.
These arrows are digitally spine-aligned and have an Ice Nano ceramic coating, which allows for reduced friction and greater penetration.
Each arrow is hand-fletched for greater precision. After having used these arrows to harvest many different animals, both big and small game, I can honestly say I trust them to always fly straight out of a well-tuned bow.
- .001-inch straightness
- .204-inch diameter
- Blood Ring technology guides tracking
- Ultra-durable Rugged Wrap construction
- R.O.C. (Reliable Outsert Component)
- Bare shafts for customization with preferred fletching
The Bloodsport Justice is the small-diameter arrow of Bloodsport’s growing line of hunting arrows.
Its .001-inch straightness provides great field point performance, while its Rugged Wrap construction shows is super consistent through flight, penetrating deep on impact.
The Justice’s R.O.C. System is optimized for the .204 diameter, which adds strength and stability.
With an animal down, the Blood Ring technology directs your efforts for a successful recovery.
Learn why Blood Ring technology is so invaluable and how it helps you determine where you hit your animal here.
For those wishing to make their arrows their own, a bare shaft option can be found below, so hunters/archers can customize to their liking.
These arrows, however, are pre-fletched. An R.O.C. insert/outsert component is included for every arrow. Several different spines are available.
With all the features of the Bloodsport Justice, coupled with its straightness tolerance, this arrow is easily at the top of the Best Hunting Arrows 2022 list.
- .001-inch straightness
- Blood Ring technology guides tracking
- Ultra-durable Rugged Wrap construction
- .244-inch standard diameter
Designed for hunters seeking a fast, lightweight arrow, the Bloodsport Judgement features 100 percent carbon construction using their proprietary Rugged Wrap process.
A standard diameter arrow, the Judgement is an incredible combination of speed, accuracy and toughness with .001 inches of straightness perfection.
Learn why Bloodsport’s Blood Ring technology is so invaluable and how it helps you determine where you hit your animal here.
The Judgement includes accompanying 12-grain aluminum inserts for each arrow. Available in the following spines:
As far as bare shafts go, the Judgement had to make the Best Hunting Arrows 2022 list.
- 1/10,000 of an inch straightness
- TriSpine technology
- 4x more accurate than single-spine arrows
- 12 pack of bare shafts
The Carbon Express Maxima RED is a breakthrough in controlling Dynamic Spine. The high-tech carbon design has stiffer ends to contain the arrow’s flex to the “Red Zone.”
The Red Zone is the section of the arrow shaft engineered to contain Dynamic Spine and make a broadhead shoot more consistently.
Containing arrow flex to the Red Zone increases hunting performance because broadheads normally exaggerate the effect of arrow flexing in flight and act like wings on the front of the arrow.
By reducing arrow flex in the front of the shaft, the Maxima RED makes broadheads shoot tighter groups and provides overall improved hunting performance.
- .001-inch straightness
- .204-inch diameter
- Blood Ring technology guides tracking
- Ultra-durable Rugged Wrap construction
- R.O.C. (Reliable Outsert Component)
- Bare shafts for customization with preferred fletching
- Also available in 500 spine
The Bloodsport Justice is the small-diameter arrow of Bloodsport’s growing line of hunting arrows.
Its .001-inch straightness provides great field point performance, while its Rugged Wrap construction shows is super consistent through flight, penetrating deep on impact.
The Justice’s R.O.C. System is optimized for the .204 diameter, which adds strength and stability.
With an animal down, the Blood Ring technology directs your efforts for a successful recovery.
Learn why Blood Ring technology is so invaluable and how it helps you determine where you hit your animal here.
For those wishing to make their arrows their own, this bare shaft option includes 12 bare shafts without any fletching so hunters/archers can customize to their liking.
An R.O.C. insert/outsert component is included for every arrow.
- Designed for Ravin Crossbows ONLY
- 500 grains
- .001-inch straightness
- 20-inch bolts
- High-impact brass inserts
- 2-inch offset vanes
- High Impact aluminum nock bushings
- Ravin Engineered polymer nocks
The 20-inch Ravin 500 Grain HD .001 Arrows (6pack) are intended to use with Ravin Crossbows ONLY.
They feature 100% pure carbon construction with a straightness of .001.
They also include high-impact, high-impact aluminum nock bushings, brass threaded inserts, 2 inch offset vanes, and Ravin-engineered polymer nocks.
These bolts are truly the cream of the crop. The price may not be for the faint of heart, but you’re absolutely going to get what you pay for with these Ravin bolts.
As far as crossbows are concerned, this bolt is at the top of the Best Hunting Arrows 2022 list.
- Designed for high-speed crossbows
- 20-inch bolt
- Also available in 22-inch
- Blood Ring technology guides tracking
- 325 grains
- .003-inch straightness
- Pack of 6 bolts
Bloodsport’s Witness bolts are designed for today’s high-speed crossbows.
Created with superior front-of-center design, these modern bolts are capable of flying at 400+ feet per second with wicked precision and deep penetration.
After ripping through its target, the Witness also aids in tracking with the help of Bloodsport’s Blood Ring, which identifies the location of the hit.
Learn why Blood Ring technology is so invaluable and how it helps you determine where you hit your animal here.
Inside diameter: .300″
Outside diameter: .344″
For crossbow bolts, the straightness, coupled with Bloodsport’s Blood Ring technology, the Witness had to make the Best Hunting Arrows 2022 list.
- Designed for high-speed crossbows
- Includes multi-color strobing nocks
- 20-inch bolt
- 300 grains
- .003-inch straightness
- Does NOT include Blood Ring technology
- Pack of 6 bolts
The Bloodsport Hunter crossbow bolt is a little less expensive than its Witness cousin, but doesn’t sacrifice quality or precision.
It’s a little lighter at 300 grains, but is built with the same straightness at .003 inches.
The biggest difference between the Hunter and Witness is that this bolt does not have Blood Ring technology, which can make tracking more difficult.
Inside diameter: .300″
Outside diameter: .344″
- Weighted for hard impact
- Easily visible during tracking
- 20-inch bolts
- .006-inch straightness
- 400 grains without included field tips
- Fletched, includes inserts and field tips
Last, but certainly not least, to round out our Best Hunting Arrows 2022 list, the SA Sports Empire High Viz Neon Carbon Bolts is making an appearance.
This arrow gets the job done quickly and efficiently, it’s easy to find, even in the most challenging scenarios, and it’s affordable for the average bowhunter.
These bolts are precision-engineered for straightness and weighted for hard impact.
The 400 grain shafts will weigh 500 grains with the included 100-grain field points. These bolts balance weight with distance, so every shot has a surplus of energy to devastate big game and will stay upright in flight without excessive drop.
Color is seemingly such a small detail, but the details matter when trying to located that trophy buck.
The hi-visibility neon camo ensures that dirt, mud, and decaying leaves can’t conceal your bolt post-shot.
Every shaft is tested for straightness prior to leaving the factory up to a maximum deviation of 0.006 inches.
Bolts are pre-fletched with vanes designed to enhance performance and include nocks, inserts, and field points.
Should You Shoot A Heavier Arrow?
Before choosing your arrow, it’s important to decide whether you’d prefer a heavier or lighter arrow setup.
For help determining if you should be shooting a heavier arrow, check out this article that I wrote on the subject.
What is the spine of an arrow?
The spine of an arrow is the measurement of how much an arrow flexes. If you’re wondering what arrow spine is, chances are you’re not looking for the technical definition, but one the average bowhunter/archer can understand.
So, simply put, it is the amount and arrow will flex, or bend, when released from a bow.
You’ll often see spine written as 300, 350, 400, and 500. The number will often be in the name of the arrow. So, looking at my Gold Tip Hunter arrows, you’ll see “Hunter 340.”
What that tells you is that it’s a Hunter model Gold Tip arrow with a 340 spine. The “340” is really .340. What that means is that it will flex .340 of an inch under testing.
Will it flex that much out of your bow? Maybe, maybe not. Depends on several factors.
When calculating what spine you need, your arrow length, draw weight, broadhead/field point weight, nock weight, and insert/outsert weight have to be taken into account.
So, basically total arrow weight, draw weight, and arrow length have to be taken into account.
Why is that? Well, let’s start with the draw weight. The heavier your draw weight, the more the arrow will flex once released. The lighter, the less.
The longer the arrow, the more flexible it will be. The shorter, the less flexible. As you add more weight to your arrow, the stiffer it becomes because your draw weight is pushing against more resistance when released.
So, you can see how all those things work together to give you varying spines depending on your setup.
Do you need to know how to calculate spine yourself? Thank God, no.
How to choose the correct spine
The major manufacturers all have spine calculators on their sites to take the guesswork out of it.
But it’s important that you at least know what you’re looking at as you pick yours. So, if you know you’re going to keep your draw weight at 70 pounds and only hunt big game, one arrow spine from a given manufacturer will suffice.
However, if you plan on backing down to 55 pounds come turkey season, you may need a higher spine rating to give more flex for your lighter draw weight.
Different spine ratings exist because too much flex is a bad thing, and too little flex is a bad thing.
Both will make you shoot poorly. Your arrows need to oscillate just the right amount as they fly through the air.
So, don’t guess. Use the spine calculator and get the right spine for your setup.
Should I have my arrows cut to a certain length?
That depends entirely on personal preference. Some people don’t like their broadheads to be very close to their fingers.
Some don’t mind it at all. But remember, the length of the arrow affects the spine, so whatever you choose to do with the length, just make sure that you calculate that in with the rest of your setup before cutting.
If you cut too much or too little, you may have to change broadheads or draw weight to accommodate the new length.
Should I fletch my own arrows or buy pre-fletched?
This is again another point of personal preference. Arrows that come straight from the manufacturer are typically going to be precisely fletched to strict standards.
So, you know that you’re going to get a quality arrows right off the rip. However, if you know what you’re doing – or you want to learn – there’s no greater joy than flinging an arrow that you built straight into the target. Or better yet, an animal you’re after.
Building arrows is relatively easy, and is a great way to get started tinkering with your setup.
I have written a great article here on fletching arrows, and another that lists the best fletching tools on the market.
What diameter arrow do I need?
The Best Hunting Arrows 2022 list gives you great options, but there are other things to consider besides just the arrow itself.
The diameter of the arrow is one of them, but not one you should get hung up on. The diameter of an arrow comes into play when fine-tuning your setup.
Smaller diameter arrows are going to have less drag and less friction once they enter an animal.
That’s why small-diameter arrows, such as Easton’s 4mm FMJ, have become increasingly popular in the hunting community as of late.
However, small-diameter arrows are not necessary for being a successful hunter/archer.
A well-placed 6mm arrow out of a tuned bow is just as effective as a 4mm arrow out of the same bow.
Changing arrow diameters is one small facet of tinkering with your equipment. The diameter is not nearly as important as the straightness (tolerance) or spine of an arrow.
What is straightness (tolerance)?
The straightness tolerance is just what it sounds like. It’s the straightness of the arrow.
But like all things in archery, there is a super technical definition that dives into the fine details, and then there’s the definition that tells you what you want to know.
We’re sticking with the understandable version. Basically, the smaller the number, the straighter the arrow and the tighter groups you should be able to shoot with them.
Typically, you’ll see .006″ (good), .003″ (better), and .001″ (best). Most of us bowhunters won’t notice a difference between shooting a .006″ arrow and a .001″ arrow.
However, world class tournament archers would. Now, that’s not to say you should never use straighter arrows.
You absolutely should upgrade your equipment whenever it makes sense to.
But if you’re just starting out, why spend more money when it won’t make a difference?
You want to start shooting straighter arrows only when you’ve gotten your equipment, your form, and your shot process figured out.
Questions and Comments
I’d love to hear from you! I hope the Best Arrows List 2022 has been helpful. Let me know what you’re shooting or what you plan to shoot. Also, let me know if you have any questions or comments about the content above!
