Bolt length long vs short

I have been told to stick with what the manufacturer recommends. If 16.5 then use 16.5”


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You can use a longer arrow with no ill effects! I always make sure my arrows stick out inside the stirrup for safety reasons. You just have to remember that the arrow with the Broadhead sticks out farther. I shot 18” out of my Micro 355 and were more accurate than the 16.5” arrows! Good luck!


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I agree BBM!

The mechanics of arrow length and the design conception would/should dictate the answer to that question.
Using barn yard rule of thumb without thought to the two points (above) will yield just about what you could expect to get from guessing it and following the lead of others who manage to bumble through it. It might be better and it might not. Coin toss. I doubt the average Joe would notice the difference, as the average Joe would consider close enough to be good enough.

I went with 20" arrows from my BD400 and they were slightly more accurate than the factory 18". Probably just better arrows though...Bloodsport Witness arrows.
Sticking with the 16.5" for my Micro355 because they shoot very well out to 60 yards. One of the things that I like the most about the Micro's is the short arrows because I never put a quiver on the bow and the stock legnth arrows fit well in my pack. Tried the 18 and 20" from it and couldn't tell any difference at my hunting ranges. Might do a tad better at 60 yds but cutting hairs.
Excals are just so forgiving it doesn't seem to make much difference what you feed them for hunting, big fixed blades, mechanicals, junk arrows all will drop into a shot glass at 40-50yds... if you are up to it.

Thanks I have some good arrows, dragon claw from Wyvern Creations and sure they will do me well for a long time. Just got me thinking as I went from a 22” arrow to a 16.5 and got me thinking if the bolt length was longer would I get any benefits. I am running a 400 grain arrow and should hit speeds of 380 to 385 FPS out of the Assassin 400 I got it assembled last night. I have no coronagraph but won’t mater as I have a range finder and a Hawke pro 30 scope. If the rain will stop I could do some shooting.

I think you will find you have better than 400 FPS with the 20 inch

IME, longer arrows (20”) are easier to tune with fixed broadheads, and larger fixed heads like the Grizz Trick. I could get by with 92 grain inserts with 20”. My shorter arrows need 110 + grain inserts to shoot the same heads. Not sure, but the longer arrows with less FOC may fly a bit flatter. I may go to 22” for 3D. For hunting, I usually have the foot stirrup sitting on the tree stand platform between my feet, so I go with a length that keeps the broadhead inside the foot stirrup. If you have your crossbow sitting on a rest to hunt, then the longer arrows would not be a problem. I also have Dragon Claws. Good arrows.

I have shot 2 different arrow lengths out of my Micros. Including broadhead, one length I shoot most often (again, including broadhead) is 16 1/2". The other, when I take the stirrup off is 14 1/8" to keep the point out of the dirt. I haven't noticed any difference in accuracy, but I shoot aluminium, so that might explain it.

Technically speaking, more area over the point of support equals more instability potential. Technically.

Jack Pine said:

I have shot 2 different arrow lengths out of my Micros. Including broadhead, one length I shoot most often (again, including broadhead) is 16 1/2". The other, when I take the stirrup off is 14 1/8" to keep the point out of the dirt. I haven't noticed any difference in accuracy, but I shoot aluminium, so that might explain it.

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Agree with you Jack as usual. Curious about removing the Stirrup, do you take off because you only use a crank to cock it or some other reason? Thanks

smong2000 said:

Agree with you Jack as usual. Curious about removing the Stirrup, do you take off because you only use a crank to cock it or some other reason? Thanks

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I like to hunt out of a little Ameristep single chair blind and taking the stirrup off gives more maneuverability pulling the bow up to shoulder it. That, and string adjustments are the only time I use the crank.