The best arrows for high FOC arrow builds

High front-of-center (FOC) arrows have increased in popularity in recent years due to their ability to increase penetration, break bone (with the right broadhead), and open up additional shot opportunities and angles. In this article, we’ll detail what to look for when selecting an arrow shaft for a high FOC arrow build. Then we’ll detail our view of the best arrows available for high FOC arrow builds. If you already understand the criteria, you can just jump to the arrows. If you’d like to calculate the potential FOC of a new arrow build, you can use our FOC Calculator to determine the FOC of a new build you are planning.

Criteria for selecting high FOC arrow shafts

• Weight in GPI
• Stiffness
• Diameter
• Durability
• Availability of components

It’s important to note that most of these arrow attributes are related to each other, meaning that changing one aspect of the specs usually impacts the others. For example if an arrow manufacturer were to increase the diameter of an arrow, while keeping the GPI the same, the arrow would become stiffer due to the increased diameter, but weaker due to an decreased wall thickness. Due to this, you’ll need to optimize based on the criteria you consider most important based on the conditions or type of animal you are hunting.

Arrow weight in GPI

By definition, high FOC arrows have a higher ratio of point weight to shaft weight. To accomplish this, you can either decrease the shaft weight, increase the point weight, or a by a combination of both. Low shaft weight arrows help increase the overall arrow FOC, but this needs to be coupled with choosing the right arrow stiffness to match your overall setup.

Shaft Stiffness

One of the common issues with lower weight arrow shafts is that they tend to lose stiffness as the weight is reduced. However, with increased point weight on the arrow, it creates more force applied to the front of the arrow and the need for a stiffer shaft to not have your arrow be too low of spine. It is a balance, but generally arrows with a higher stiffness to weight ratio help achieve higher FOC with the appropriate stiffness for your setup. Depending on your selected point weight, it may be necessary to look for 250 or 200 spine arrows, which we will consider in our list of top arrow shafts.

Arrow Diameter

Arrow diameter isn’t specifically necessary to achieve a higher FOC, but a smaller diameter helps achieve one of the core aspects of high FOC arrows, which is increased penetration. This is because the narrow arrows have a smaller diameter than the broadhead, as well as less overall surface area. Both help to increase penetration due to reduced draw, and also result in less speed loss in flight. However, narrow arrows have reduced cross section area, which results in a reduced arrow stiffness.

Arrow Durability

Durability can be more difficult to assess, but lighter arrows can sometimes be less durable than their heavier alternatives, making them less durable.

Availability of Components

Building high FOC arrows often requires unique components to achieve additional point weight, including outserts, inserts, collars, and the selected broadhead. We’ll consider arrows that have a broad set of compatible components that allow you to tailor your arrow builds.

The best arrows for high FOC builds

Below are our favorite shafts for high FOC builds. These arrows have great combinations of the key criteria outlined above. For each of these shafts, we’ll share the specs of a 300 spine arrow. If you’re making a new build from one of these new shafts, or another shaft, you can calculate the likely FOC with our FOC calculator tool. Were confident that with these shafts you can find a great fit for your next arrow build!