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I'm still pretty new to this trad stuff.&nbsp; Started shooting a long bow this year and have just been shooting my carbon express arrows (5570's ?) with 125 gr. muzzies or magnus' broad heads, plus I stripped the fletching off and glued on 5" feathers.&nbsp; They shoot pretty good, but I know I should experiment and maybe find something better.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; Are there any rules of thumb for total arrow weight?&nbsp; Like grains per pound of draw weight?<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; Do you use weight tubes?&nbsp; Does adding a wt tube effectively decrease the spine of the arrow?&nbsp; I think the answer is yes.&nbsp; So, if an arrow is spined for 55#, adding a wt tube might mean the spine is reduced to less than 55#, right?&nbsp; Like the heavier arrow head, the more spine is needed, or is that just true for compounds?<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; I appreciate any tips or words of wisdom...&nbsp; thanks<br>

<P>The general rule of thumb is 10 grains per pound of draw weight (I interpret that to mean 9-11) and it's a pretty good rule, but I tend to prefer 12-13 grains per pound because it's more forgiving of my crappy follow through and the trajectory difference is small at (my)&nbsp;hunting ranges. Increasing arrow weight doesn't affect spine per se, but it can have a slight effect of seeming to increase spine because it reduces the front of center balance. I find heavier arrows tend to shoot a little better with heavier points, but there are other variables--for instance my favorite combination right now is a 5/16" laminated birch shaft with 110 grain Magnuses&nbsp;and longbow made by Jeff Durnell that is cut past center so it's very forgiving of variations in the arrows. It shoots 11/32" PO Cedars of the same spine with 125grain or 160 grain points equally well. A self bow would likely be far less forgiving.</P>