Best Arrow Setup for Mathews ARC 30 (2026)
The perfect arrow for your Mathews ARC 30
The 2026 Mathews ARC 30 is a 348 fps IBO, 80% let-off compound built for serious western and whitetail hunting. Here's how to spec, build, and tune an arrow that matches it.
Recommended arrow spec for the ARC 30
For a 70 lb / 29" hunter shooting the ARC 30: target a 300 spine in a 5mm (.204 ID) or 6.5mm (.246 ID) shaft, cut 1.5" shorter than draw length. Pair with a 100–125 gr head for ~13–14% FOC and 80–90 ft-lb KE — comfortable kill margin from whitetail through elk.
- Shaft: 5mm (.204) class — Easton Axis 5mm, Black Eagle Spartan, Victory RIP TKO, Altra 204 Wasatch
- Spine: 300 (for 60-75 lb draw), 340 (for 50-60 lb draw)
- Point weight: 100-125 gr for balance, 125-150 gr for penetration
- Vanes: AAE Hybrid 23 or Bohning Blazer for fixed broadheads, Hybrid 16 or 1.85 Shield for mechanicals
- Nock: standard or Firenock lighted for trailing
Firenock Titanium Kit — Mathews 2026 ARC 30 / 34
Replaces every steel and aluminum fastener on your bow with grade-5 titanium. 1–3 oz lighter riser, stealth matte finish, lifetime corrosion resistance. Ships direct from Firenock.
How the ARC 30's 348 fps IBO affects spine selection
The ARC 30 is rated 348 fps IBO — quick, but a half-step below an outright speed bow like the 357 fps PSE Sicario. On Easton's and Victory's shared speed table that is the difference between the 341–350 band (+5 lb of effective draw weight) and the above-350 band (+10 lb), so the ARC 30 asks for marginally less spine than a true speed bow at the same draw weight — about 5 lb of effective draw weight, which is roughly a third of a spine class, not a whole one. Our builder accounts for this automatically when you set your bow type, draw weight, and IBO speed.
The 80% let-off is also worth noting: lower let-off (75%) stores marginally more energy and demands a stiffer spine; higher let-off (85%) the opposite. ARC's 80% sits in the sweet spot for most hunters.
Tuning notes
Paper tune first. Get a bullet hole through paper at 8 ft before doing anything else. The ARC's parallel limbs are forgiving but a misaligned rest or cam shift will still show. Once paper-tuned, walk-back tune at 20 / 40 yd and confirm your group center holds.
Sight tape calibration. Use our Sight Tape generator with two chronograph readings (launch + 60 yd) for the most accurate downrange pin marks. The 348 fps IBO rating plus a 450 gr arrow should put you around 285–290 fps measured at the chrono — but measure it, because that is an estimate off a published rating and your bow is not the IBO test bow.
Shop this setup
Running a Mathews ARC 30? Here's the bench-verified gear to build this exact setup. Free U.S. shipping over $149.
Easton 5mm Axis Arrows 340 (discontinued — replaced by Axis with Half Outs) →
Victory RIP TKO Elite Low-Torque Shafts (discontinued — replaced by RIP TKO Sport) →
Hamskea R7 Arrow Rest — Integrate Compatible (RH) →
Stan Onnex Clicker Thumb Release — Sage →
Leupold RX-FullDraw 5 Rangefinder →
Shop all arrows & shafts → · Check this build in The Forge →
The short answer. On a Mathews ARC 30 (2026) at 80 lb and a 29″ draw, the engine builds a 446-grain arrow on 200 spine flying about 312 fps, making 96 ft‑lb of kinetic energy, 0.62 slug‑fps of momentum, at 11.4% FOC. Every number below is this engine's output for this exact bow — not a chart, not a rule of thumb, and not copied from anybody's spec sheet.
The Mathews ARC 30 (2026) is rated at 348 fps IBO with 80% let-off. That IBO figure is measured with a 350‑grain arrow at 30 inches and 70 pounds — a test arrow, not a hunting arrow. The tables below show what the bow actually does with an arrow you would take into the woods, at every draw weight it offers.
The recommended starting build
- Spine: 200 — engine-picked for 80 lb at 29″ with a 100‑grain point
- Total arrow weight: 446 grains
- Estimated speed: ~312 fps
- Kinetic energy: 96 ft‑lb
- Momentum: 0.62 slug‑fps
- FOC: 11.4%
▸ Open this exact build in The Forge — free, and it loads with every component above already selected.
Every draw weight, side by side
Spine is not a property of the bow. It is set by draw weight, arrow length and point weight acting together, which is why the engine's pick changes down this column. If your bow is not maxed out, read the row that matches your actual poundage.
| Draw weight | Spine the engine picks | Total arrow weight (gr) | Speed (fps) | Kinetic energy (ft‑lb) | Momentum (slug‑fps) | FOC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 lb | 340 | 356 | 300 | 71 | 0.47 | 14.3% |
| 60 lb | 300 | 382 | 299 | 76 | 0.51 | 13.3% |
| 65 lb | 300 | 382 | 309 | 81 | 0.52 | 13.3% |
| 70 lb | 250 | 414 | 306 | 86 | 0.56 | 12.3% |
| 75 lb | 250 | 414 | 316 | 92 | 0.58 | 12.3% |
| 80 lb | 200 | 446 | 312 | 96 | 0.62 | 11.4% |
What one inch of draw length costs
| Draw length | Spine | Weight (gr) | Speed (fps) | Kinetic energy (ft‑lb) | FOC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27″ | 200 | 446 | 292 | 84 | 11.4% |
| 28″ | 200 | 446 | 302 | 90 | 11.4% |
| 29″ | 200 | 446 | 312 | 96 | 11.4% |
| 30″ | 200 | 446 | 322 | 103 | 11.4% |
What this build is cleared for
We grade against five energy floors and we tell you which of them are Easton's numbers and which are ours. Three come from Easton's game-class chart, which Easton retired in 2012 and which we reproduce from archive captures on the kinetic energy chart by game class. Two are ours, labelled as ours.
| Game class | Floor (ft‑lb) | Whose number | This build at 96 ft‑lb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small game | 15 | judged | clears by 81 |
| Deer / antelope | 25 | charted | clears by 71 |
| Elk / bear / boar | 42 | charted | clears by 54 |
| Heavy game | 50 | derived | clears by 46 |
| Big game | 65 | charted | clears by 31 |
Energy is a floor, not a plan. It tells you whether an arrow has enough to work with; it does not tell you where to put it. For that you want the target size — broadside vital dimensions for 61 species are on the vital zone size page, with the sourced shoulder heights they derive from.
Tuning this bow: Mathews Limb Shift
This is a Limb Shift bow. Mathews' LST lets you micro-tune nock travel with a wrench and no press, and it replaces both the yokes and the top-hat spacer stack — so if a guide tells you to twist a yoke on this bow, the guide is for a different generation of Mathews.
The full tear-to-cause doctrine, and the cam-lean correction system for all 196 bows in our catalogue that have one, is on the bow tuning page.
Draw length and mods on the ARC 30
Two things people ask about an ARC 30 before they buy arrows: what draw lengths it covers, and which module they need. Mathews publishes the first and does not publish the second.
- Draw length range: 25" – 30.5" (Mathews published spec)
- Draw weights: 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80 lb
- Axle-to-axle: 30" · Brace: 6"
- IBO rating: up to 348 fps · Let-off: 80% or 85%, module-dependent
- Mass weight: 3.99 lb · Cam: SWX-2
Mods are dealer-set, and Mathews does not publish the mod chart publicly. The module number for your draw length is in the retailer service documentation, which is marked confidential and is not ours to reprint. Ask your dealer for the mod number, or have them set it — it is a five-minute job on a press and they will check your draw length while the bow is in it. Anyone posting a scanned Mathews mod chart is posting a document stamped "authorized retailers only."
What actually changes your arrow when the mod changes is the draw length, and that we can compute exactly. A one-inch change in draw length is worth about 3.5 lb of effective draw weight in spine terms — roughly a third of a spine class — and it moves your sight marks at every distance. Run your real draw length through The Forge and the spine, weight, speed and FOC all move with it. See also the arrow spine calculator for the method written out, and the ARC 34 setup page if you are cross-shopping the two.
Specs above from mathewsinc.com/products/arc-30, read 2026-09-10. If Mathews revises them, this page is wrong until we fix it — tell us at sal@sparrowexpeditions.com.
Bow specifications
- IBO speed: 348 fps
- Let-off: 80%
- Axle-to-axle: 30″
- Mass weight: 3.99 lb
- Draw weight range: 55–80 lb
- Draw length range: 25–30.5″
Common questions
What arrow spine do I need for a Mathews ARC 30 (2026)?
At 80 lb and a 29-inch draw with a 100-grain point, the engine picks 200 spine for a 446-grain finished arrow. Drop to 55 lb and the pick moves to 340 spine at 356 grains. Spine is not a property of the bow — it is set by draw weight, arrow length and point weight together, which is why the table above shows every draw weight this bow offers rather than one number.
How fast does a Mathews ARC 30 (2026) shoot a real hunting arrow?
About 312 fps with the 446-grain build above at 80 lb and 29 inches. The bow's advertised 348 fps IBO is measured with a 350-grain arrow at 30 inches and 70 pounds, which almost nobody shoots. The gap between 348 and 312 is not the manufacturer lying — it is the difference between the IBO test arrow and a huntable one.
Is this arrow heavy enough for elk?
Yes on energy: 96 ft-lb against the 42 ft-lb elk, black bear and boar floor — a margin of 54 ft-lb. That 42 is Easton's charted figure, not ours. It also clears the 25 ft-lb deer and antelope floor. Energy is only half the question though: penetration on elk is driven by momentum and FOC as much as by kinetic energy, and this build sits at 0.62 slug-fps and 11.4% FOC.
What game does this Mathews ARC 30 (2026) build clear?
At 96 ft-lb it clears small game, deer / antelope, elk / bear / boar, heavy game, big game. It clears every floor we publish. Two of those floors are Easton's charted numbers (25 and 42 ft-lb), one is Easton's top band (65), one is ours placed between charted anchors (50), and one is ours with thin evidence that we label as such (15). We publish which is which rather than presenting all five as industry standard.
How do I fix a left or right tear on a Mathews ARC 30 (2026)?
Correct it at the cam, not at the rest. This bow uses Mathews Limb Shift, so cam lean is adjustable on the bow itself. Chasing a horizontal tear with rest windage moves the arrow's launch point without fixing what is throwing it, which is why the tune looks fine on paper and falls apart when you screw on a fixed-blade broadhead.
Where do these numbers come from?
The same physics engine that runs The Forge, with no hand-tuning and no chart lookup. Launch speed is IBO-corrected for your actual draw weight, draw length and arrow mass. Kinetic energy and momentum use the Easton method. The spine pick comes from a model validated against the published manufacturer charts — 98% agreement with Easton, 85% with Gold Tip. Bow specs (348 fps IBO, 80% let-off) are the manufacturer's published figures. When you chronograph your real bow, your measured speed replaces the estimate everywhere.
Method, and what we are not claiming
Launch speed is the bow's published IBO corrected for your actual draw weight, draw length and finished arrow mass. Kinetic energy and momentum are the Easton method. The spine pick comes from a coefficient model published in full on the spine what-if page, including its measured agreement with each manufacturer's chart.
What we are not claiming: that this is the arrow you should shoot. It is the arrow this engine builds from a sensible hunting default on this bow, so that the numbers on this page are reproducible rather than editorial. Your draw length, your point weight and your broadhead all move every figure here, and the permalink above opens the build so you can move them.
Built by archnerds, for archnerds — The Forge by Sparrow Expeditions.