The insert is the most-ignored component on an arrow. It's also the first thing to fail under a hard hit. A bad insert ruins a $40 shaft with a $50 broadhead by bending, breaking, or pulling out on bone.
The good news: there are three categories of insert material now — aluminum, stainless steel, and titanium — and a handful of brands worth your money. Here's how I sort them.
The Three Materials
- Aluminum: Cheapest. Lightest. Fine for target. Bends on hard bone impact. Most factory-installed inserts are aluminum.
- Stainless steel: Heavier. Much tougher than aluminum. Won't bend on a shoulder hit if it's the right design.
- Titanium: Premium tier. Grade 5 Ti gets you steel-level toughness at lower weight. Iron Will, K2, and Podium all make Ti options now.
Iron Will HIT Inserts and Impact Collars
Iron Will is what I trust on a hunting arrow. They sell their inserts and collars in 6-packs, not dozens.
- Iron Will HIT Inserts: $24.95 per 6-pack — works out to about $50 a dozen. Ten weight and size combos. 15gr is Grade 5 Titanium; 25 through 100gr are hardened stainless steel. Fits .204 or .166/.165 ID arrows. .204 uses 8-32 threads, .166 uses 6-40 Deep Six.
- Iron Will Impact Collars: $34.95 per 6-pack — about $70 a dozen. Ten ID sizes from J (.307) down to G (.233). 10gr is Grade 5 Titanium, 25gr is hardened stainless steel.
The collar absorbs shock that would otherwise crack the front of the shaft. The HIT insert pairs with it. On big game — elk, moose, bear — that's the system I want up front.
Podium Archer — Steel and Titanium, No Aluminum
Podium is run by Josh Jones (handle MFJJ). He's vocally anti-aluminum on YouTube — he doesn't trust it for inserts. Podium's whole catalog reflects that. Steel and titanium only. Don't expect to find aluminum HIT inserts from them.
- Podium .204 HIT Insert: $23.99 per 6-pack — about $48 a dozen. Comes in steel (25gr or 50gr) and titanium (15gr). Marketing copy says it straight: "unlike Easton's insert, theirs will not break or bend."
- Podium .166 Titanium Half-Out + Collar System: Two-piece. Half-out plus collar. Approximately $120-145 per dozen — confirm at cart, the math runs closer to $144 if you build it from a $48 half-out 6-pack and a $24 collar 6-pack. Either way, it's premium Ti up front for the .166 builds.
Podium isn't the cheapest. They're a small shop building stuff for archers who care about the same details I do.
Easton Match Grade HIT
Easton Match Grade Hidden Insert Technology is the most-used premium aluminum insert in the world. Fits Axis 5mm and Match Grade shafts.
- Tight tolerance — within roughly half a grain across a dozen.
- Concentric. Broadheads spin true.
- Easy install — slide in, epoxy, done.
- Hard impact protection is mediocre. A direct shoulder hit bends the aluminum.
Pricing runs around $20-25 per 12-pack depending on weight. Best price-to-performance for target arrows and whitetail under 50-yard shots. For elk or anything you might hit bone on, I move up to Iron Will or Podium.
The Heavy-FOC Option: Half-Outs
If you're chasing big FOC numbers — trad, heavy elk builds, anyone under 50 lb who needs penetration help — half-outs put weight outside the shaft, where it does the most work and protects the front of the carbon. Weights from 50 up to 200 grains. Iron Will and Podium both have Ti half-out systems now.
The tradeoff: speed drops, and the dynamic spine shift from 200 grains up front is two full classes. You have to spine for it.
What I Skip
Factory-installed inserts on budget arrows (Gold Tip stock, Carbon Express stock, Bloodsport stock). Not weight-sorted, concentricity is bad, materials are cheap. For stump shooting, fine. For hunting, swap them for Easton Match Grade, Iron Will, or Podium.
Install — The Stuff That Matters
Use real two-part epoxy with at least 30 minutes of work time. Bohning Insert Iron or Goat Tuff. Skip hot-melt unless you're shooting trad and want to swap points often.
Square the shaft end first. Arrow saw or a G5 ASD squaring device. A non-square shaft means a non-square insert means a wobbling broadhead. This is where most broadhead flight problems come from. Square shaft, true insert, broadhead spins like a top.
Weight Sort Everything
Even premium inserts have a spread. Buy a digital scale — $30 on Amazon does it. Weigh every insert. Build matched sets (3 light, 3 medium, 3 heavy). Groups tighten when every arrow weighs the same.
The Forge tracks weight sets across your arrows so you know which broadhead is on which weight class. Nerdy. Wins shoots.
The Pick
- Whitetail and target: Easton Match Grade HIT or Podium .204 HIT in steel.
- Elk and big game: Iron Will HIT + Impact Collar system.
- Speed-focused or weight-sensitive: Podium .204 HIT titanium 15gr or Iron Will 15gr Ti.
- Heavy FOC and .166 builds: Podium .166 Titanium 2-piece Half-Out + Collar.
The Honest Math
Swapping a factory aluminum insert for a $4 Iron Will or Podium HIT is the single highest-leverage upgrade on a hunting arrow. Cheaper than a new broadhead, bigger impact than a new release. Do it.