Easton Arrows, Crossbow Bolts and Quivers

What Easton makes for bowhunters

Easton's listings on this site cover more archery types than most brands do. The arrows come first: hunting and target shafts in aluminum, carbon-core aluminum and all-carbon builds. Around them sit crossbow bolts, a long shelf of nocks, Diamond vanes, hip and field quivers, bow cases and backpacks, a broadhead case, bow squares and a youth recurve kit.

The grid above shows what's on Amazon right now, filtered by type. It changes week to week, so I'll write about the families and what separates them, not about how many of each are listed today.

A lot of the grid's values come from Amazon listings, and the grid marks those. Where I quote a straightness grade, a material or a component on this page, it's from Easton's own product page.

How to read an Easton arrow name

Here's what actually changes from one name to the next. Easton names most carbon shafts by diameter class: 4mm, 5mm, 6mm, 6.5mm. Smaller number, skinnier shaft. Each class has its own inserts and nocks, and Easton's FAQ says components are model specific. So the diameter class is really a parts system.

Aluminum shafts use a four-digit size instead. Easton's FAQ explains it: the first two digits are the outside diameter in 64ths of an inch, the last two are the wall thickness in thousandths. A 2413 is about 24/64 inch across with a .013-inch wall. A 2215 is 22/64 with a .015 wall.

Quick kitchen version: the first two digits tell you how big the straw is, the last two tell you how thick the plastic is. Same straw, thicker wall, heavier arrow.

Lineup notes: Easton arrows by shaft family

Aluminum: Camo Hunter, Gamegetter and the target shafts

The aluminum line is where Easton started. Its history page says Doug Easton began making aluminum arrows in the mid-1930s.

• Camo Hunter: 7075-T9 alloy, ±.002 inch guaranteed straightness, sizes from 1916 up to 2413; UNI bushings and nocks pre-installed and RPS inserts included, per the maker
• Gamegetter: XX75 aluminum hunting shaft, ±.003, Super Nocks and RPS inserts included
• Genesis XX75: the 1820 size, 7075 alloy, ±.005, which Easton calls the only arrow approved for NASP tournament competition
• Jazz and RX-7: target aluminum, details from their listings

Spine on aluminum comes from the size, not a printed number. Easton's Camo Hunter chart gives each size its own deflection, so a 2413 and a 2215 behave differently on the same bow. Read the chart, not the camo.

Carbon-core aluminum: FMJ and FMJ Max

FMJ stands for Full Metal Jacket, which Easton describes as a carbon core inside an aluminum jacket. Its FAQ says the design gives accuracy, durability and easier pull from 3D targets.

The 5mm FMJ Max page lists a 7075-alloy jacket, ±.001 inch straightness, the 5mm Microlite nock system and a choice of HIT inserts or steel half-outs. Spines on the FMJ Max run from very stiff to mid-range, so these are compound-hunting shafts, not youth ones. The plain FMJ 5mm pack in the grid has its values from the listing.

Easton Axis arrows: the 4mm and 5mm carbon shafts

Axis is the small-diameter all-carbon family, and it's what most "Easton Axis arrows" searches mean. Easton's FAQ credits its small-diameter ST design with more penetration and less wind drift than conventional carbon.

• 5mm Axis Sport (SPT): for shorter draws or lighter-poundage bows, per Easton; ±.005; aluminum half-out and 5mm X Nocks included
• 5mm Axis half-out shafts: the same 5mm system, specs from the listing
• 4mm Axis Long Range: ±.003 standard, ±.001 in Match Grade; 4mm half-outs and Microlite nocks included; made at Easton's Utah factory, per the maker
• Axis Pro 4mm: specs from the listing

If you came looking for "Easton 5.0 arrows," the 5mm shafts are the Axis and FMJ families above. Check the exact name on the box, because the parts don't cross between 4mm and 5mm.

The 6.5mm family: Bowhunter, Hunter Classic, Whiteout and Legacy

The 6.5mm shafts are Easton's middle size. Easton's pages split them by straightness grade:

• 6.5mm Bowhunter: ±.005, Microlite nocks and 6.5mm inserts included, Bully vanes on fletched packs
• 6.5mm Hunter Classic: same spine chart, tighter at ±.003
• 6.5 Whiteout: ±.003, all-white finish, which Easton says helps with shot identification and shows blood
• Carbon Legacy: wood-grain finish, three 4-inch helical feathers, a .246-inch inside diameter, ±.005

The Legacy is the one for anyone who likes feathers and a traditional look. (Feathers on a wood-grain carbon shaft. It's a costume, and I mean that kindly. My spreadsheet has a column for costumes now.)

The 6mm Sonic 6.0

The Sonic 6.0 sits between the 5mm and 6.5mm families. Easton describes it as all carbon, built in the USA, ±.003, with 6mm H nocks pre-installed and HP inserts included. Spines run from stiff to fairly light, so it covers a wide range of draw weights.

Easton crossbow bolts

Two bolt lines are in the grid, one carbon, one aluminum.

• 9mm bolt: carbon, which Easton says is built in the USA, factory-installed nocks and inserts, 20 and 22-inch lengths, .300-inch inside diameter, which Easton calls the industry standard for components
• XX75 Magnum: 7075-T9 aluminum, 20 and 22-inch lengths, the 2219 size, insert included, flatback or half-moon nocks

The grid also has flat-end nocks made for Easton's Powerbolt and a 9mm half-moon nock pack.

The crossbow decides the bolt, not the bolt brand. Read your crossbow manual for length, weight and nock style before you shop. The crossbow bolts page covers lengths and nock types across brands, and best crossbow bolts has a ranked list.

Easton nocks: one size per shaft

The nocks are the busiest corner of the grid, and that follows from the diameter rule above. G nocks, H nocks, X nocks, S nocks, N nocks, Super Nocks, 3D Super Nocks, pin nocks, Deep Six and the 4mm and 6.5mm Microlite nocks each fit a specific shaft. The listings spell it out: the X nock fits 5mm Axis and FMJ, the N nock fits the Genesis arrow, the 6.5mm Microlite fits the 6.5 family.

Rule of thumb: buy the nock named for your shaft, not the one that looks close. More on fit is on the nocks page, and lit options are on the lighted nocks page.

Easton quivers, cases and the rest

The Easton quiver listings are hip and field quivers, mostly for target and 3D shooting.

• Flipside hip quivers: in 2, 3 and 4-tube versions
• Deluxe Takedown Hip Quiver: one compression-molded arrow body, fleece lining, removable dividers, a belt that fits 18 to 47-inch waists; the body comes off the belt for storage, per Easton
• Elite Field Quiver: semi-rigid molded body, no tubes needed, fleece-lined, removable dividers, belt included
• Deluxe Field, Pack Mule and Range Lite: details from their listings

None of these are bow-mounted hunting quivers. If you want one that rides on the bow, see the bow quiver page.

Cases include the Genesis 4014 bow case, which Easton says is tailored to the Genesis bow at 40 by 14 inches, the Genesis Max case, Club XT recurve backpacks, the Micro Flatline case, a Stay Sharp broadhead case and a molded crossbow arrow case. More are on the bow case page.

The youth recurve kit is a 52-inch ambidextrous bow, which Easton says has a 10 to 20-pound beginner draw weight range, a 26-inch maximum draw and three XX75 arrows, a hip quiver, a sight pin, a rest, a finger protector and an armguard. Youth options across brands are on the recurve bow page.

How to choose within the Easton lineup

Use Easton's chart, not a friend's quiver

My one opinion on this page: pick the spine from Easton's own selector, not from whatever your hunting buddy shoots. Easton's FAQ lists what moves the spine you need: peak bow weight, point weight, arrow length, string, vanes and brace height. Two bows at the same draw weight can still need different spines. Use the Shaft Selector or the chart in the Easton Arrow Guide.

Measure arrow length the way Easton does: from the bottom of the nock groove to the cut end of the shaft, not counting the point or insert.

Then the diameter class

Smaller diameter means less wind drift and more penetration, per Easton. The cost is a parts system of its own: 4mm half-outs don't go in a 5mm shaft, and 5mm X nocks don't go in a 6.5. Pick the class you'll stay with for a few seasons. Broadheads by type are on the broadheads page.

Then the straightness grade

Easton's stated grades run from ±.005 (Bowhunter, Axis Sport, Genesis XX75) to ±.003 (Hunter Classic, Whiteout, Sonic, Axis Long Range) to ±.001 (Match Grade and FMJ Max). Smaller is straighter. A tighter grade doesn't fix a wrong spine, so settle the spine first.

Then weight and FOC

Easton's FAQ says medium to heavy arrows keep more energy and penetrate better for hunting, and it recommends 10 to 15 percent FOC (front of center, the share of weight in the front half) for hunting setups. Quick math: FOC is where the arrow balances, compared with its middle. Brass inserts and steel half-outs move it forward.

Building, care and warranty basics

Easton's FAQ has a few rules worth taping inside the arrow box:

• Hot melt: for aluminum and FMJ inserts only, never carbon, because heat damages carbon
• Cleaning: wipe the insert area with 91% isopropyl alcohol after cutting
• Fletching: start the vane 1 inch from the nock end
• Solvents: keep MEK, lacquer thinner and acetone away from installed nocks

Inspect every arrow before you shoot it. Archery 360's method: spin it on your palm and look for a slow wobble, which means a bent shaft. On carbon, bend gently, rotate, bend again and listen. Creaking means it's done. On aluminum, run a fingernail along the shaft for cracks. Retire any arrow that fails.

Easton's warranty is one year from purchase, for the original owner, on arrow shafts with defects in material and workmanship. Impacts with other arrows or hard objects, improper cleaning or fletching and normal wear aren't covered. Claims go through an Easton dealer with proof of purchase.

Easton facts

• Founded: 1920s, in Los Angeles, by Doug Easton, who built cedar arrows and yew bows, per Easton's history page
• Aluminum arrows: since the mid-1930s
• Salt Lake City: plant opened in 1982; by 2000 all Easton arrows were made there, and carbon production moved there starting in 1997
• Family: Easton says the family has run the company for 100 years

I couldn't verify a current parent company, so that's left out.

Family, spine, straightness, nock. Write all four on the box. Future you, at the counter the night before the opener, will be grateful.