Bowhunt America

Article Topics

A.M.G. AirForce GT20 Smart Shafts

By Bill Krenz

What do you want a carbon arrow shaft to do? Most bowhunters are pretty clear on their answer. They want a tough, fast arrow that flies well and is super accurate.

How do we get that? The vast majority of carbon arrow shafts available today are parallel tubes. If made well, those parallel tubes weigh the same––in grains-per-inch––from end to end.

“Herein lies a problem,” says Roger Remaklus of A.M.G., a division of Allied Archery Associates. “With a conventional parallel tube, the arrow shaft’s natural balance is all wrong for optimal accuracy. You see, with a parallel carbon tube the shaft’s natural balance point is right in the middle of the shaft, and yet everyone agrees that the best balance point for an arrow is forward of that dead-center mark. So to make a parallel carbon shaft shoot best, archers must very carefully select arrow components––nocks, fletching and practice points or broadheads––so as to artificially create a forward-of-center balance in the completed arrow.

“In the past, the widespread use of lightweight feathers on the back end of arrow shafts and heavier broadheads (typically 125 to 145 grains) on the front end inevitably created that desired forward-weighting. But with the advent of plastic vanes, which are heavier than feathers, and the popular move to much lighter broadheads (now more likely to be 75 to 100 grains), the typical parallel-tube arrow’s FOC shifted rearward.”

Archery experts talk a great deal about the importance of FOC, which stands for “front-of-center.” FOC describes the position of an arrow’s balance point ahead of the center the shaft. The more weight located in the front half of the arrow, the more forward the arrow’s center-of-balance. An arrow’s FOC is critical to best-possible accuracy, especially at longer distances. Most experts recommend at least 15 percent FOC for hunting arrows.

“That inadvertent rearward FOC shift actually destabilized many arrows, aggravating tuning problems, eroding arrow flight and downgrading accuracy. This was particularly the case with arrows equipped with broadheads. Fast bows were blamed. But it really was the inability of the parallel tube to compensate for the changes in modern arrow components.”

A.M.G. offers a solution.

“Our solution is to build a better carbon arrow shaft, a shaft that is tapered along approximately the back two-thirds of its length,” says Roger. “The A.M.G. AirForce GT20 Smart Shaft is parallel only for the first 12 inches as measured from the front of the 32-inch raw shaft. At that point, the Smart Shaft begins to taper toward the nock end, gradually reducing diameter and weight over the next 20 inches. The last inch of the shaft then goes parallel again and is reinforced to precisely accept the shaft’s lightweight press-fit nock.”

Cutting AirForce GT20 Smart Shafts to length for each archer is easy. Excess shaft length is trimmed only from the front end of the shaft.

What this unique shaft configuration does is naturally build forward-weighting into the arrow. Because the front end of the shaft is larger in diameter and parallel, it weighs more. Because the back end has tapered to a smaller diameter, it weighs less. That unique forward-weighting of the AirForce GT20 Smart Shafts dramatically boosts natural shaft stabilization. It also allows archers to utilize plastic vanes and those lighter (faster!) broadheads without degrading arrow flight or sacrificing accuracy. In a nutshell, the uniquely tapered A.M.G. AirForce GT20 Smart Shafts work to naturally deliver better arrow flight and significantly enhanced broadhead accuracy.

At the exact same time, the A.M.G. AirForce GT20 Smart Shafts also serve up increased bowhunting penetration and extra durability. Because these naturally forward-weighted carbon shafts recover quicker and fly straighter, and because they’re a smaller diameter at the back end, they tend to penetrate deeper on even the biggest of big game.

“At the same time we engineered in the advanced taper,” Roger adds, “we also included today’s most advanced high-modulus nano-carbon material in the construction of the shafts. That both strengthened and lightened the Smart Shafts, making them among the more durable carbon arrow shafts ever offered. Hunters, in particular, will love that.”

A.M.G. AirForce GT20 Smart Shafts are currently available in three averaged grain weights: 6.5 average grains per inch, 8.2 average grains per inch and 9.6 average grains per inch. Those grain weights also correspond roughly to shaft spine, with the heaviest weight shafts being the stiffest in spine.

A.M.G. AirForce GT20 Smart Shafts are available from leading archery dealers nationwide. Your dealer can help you select the perfect Smart Shaft weight, spine and grade for your bow and shooting application. Two grades of AirForce GT20 Smart Shafts are offered. The high-end 3D Grade features a straightness factor of .001, a weight tolerance of just 1 grain and ultra-precise spine matching within a dozen shafts. The MSRP on those hyper-select Smart Shafts is $189 per dozen. The more popular Hunter Grade Smart Shafts have a straightness factor of .003 and are currently packaged in bundles of six precise shafts, the idea being that just six shafts, with an MSRP of $75 per bundle, makes it easier for serious bowhunters to try these new and quite revolutionary carbon arrow shafts.

A.M.G. has offered quality AirForce carbon arrows for years. But the new A.M.G. AirForce GT20 Smart Shafts are different. They seem a next-generation carbon arrow shaft, designed expressly to fly better and shoot more accurately. In that sense, they truly are smart shafts.

Ask your dealer about the new A.M.G. AirForce GT20 Smart Shafts or call A.M.G. at (734) 529-5269 for more information.

Enjoy this article? Share it!