Best Arrow Setup for Mathews ARC 34 (2026)

The Mathews ARC 34 is a 34-inch ATA flagship with a 6.5" brace and an IBO rating of up to 343 fps. It draws smooth, holds dead, and rewards a heavier-deflection arrow than most 34-inch rigs on the market. If you spine it like a typical Hoyt or Bowtech, you will overspine it. Here is what actually works.

Spine, by draw weight

The ARC 34 is a hard-hitting cam. The SWX-2 cam and its perimeter weighting, plus a stout limb pocket, mean the arrow loads quickly off the string. Use these as a starting point and confirm in The Forge:

• 60 lb, 28.5" draw: 400 spine, 100-grain field point, ~28.5" carbon-to-carbon.
• 65 lb, 29" draw: 340 spine, 100-grain point. This is the sweet spot for most hunters.
• 70 lb, 29.5"+ draw: 300 spine, 100-125 grain point. Go 250 spine if you run a single-bevel above 28" arrow length.

The ARC 34 likes weight up front. A 12-15% FOC arrow flies cleaner through Mathews' tighter shelf clearance than a low-FOC pencil shaft.

Best shafts for the ARC 34

Three shafts deserve serious consideration. We rank them by how they pair with this specific bow:

• Easton 5mm Axis (Pro Series): The default answer. Tight straightness (.001), proven nock end, fits standard Mathews bushing setups, and the 5mm OD survives the ARC 34's brace height without contact issues. Pick this if you want one arrow that does everything.
• Black Eagle Spartan: Heavier per inch, which the ARC 34 loves. Better penetration on quartering shots. Slightly more variance in straightness than Axis, so buy by the dozen and sort.
• Victory VAP TKO: Micro-diameter. Wind cheating. Best for Western hunters chasing elk over 50 yards. The TKO requires careful insert install, but the wind-drift advantage at distance is real.

Components: inserts, nocks, vanes

Mathews flagships punish sloppy components. Tighten this up:

• Inserts: Half-out aluminum inserts from Ethics Archery or Iron Will. 75 grain for hunters, 100 grain if you want a heavier mass forward.
• Nocks: Easton 4mm pin nocks for Axis. Bohning F-nocks for Spartan. Don't run press-fit nocks on a 343-fps-IBO bow.
• Vanes: AAE Max Stealth 2.0" in a helical wrap. Three vanes, 3-degree offset minimum. Bigger vanes wreck downrange flight on a fast bow.

Tuning notes specific to the ARC 34

The SWX-2 cam syncs tighter than older Mathews systems, but it is unforgiving when the top cam drifts. The ARC 34 is a Limb Shift bow — no yokes and no top hats — so cam lean is corrected at the limb pocket, not with a yoke twist. Our cam-lean correction table lists it that way for all 196 models. Paper tune at 6 feet first. If you see a left tear with a right-handed setup, your rest is likely too far right by 1/32". Move it before you start twisting cables.

Bareshaft tune at 20 yards once paper is clean. The ARC 34 will show its true grain weight tolerance here. If your bareshaft lands more than 4 inches off the fletched group, your arrow is the wrong spine, not the bow's fault.

Run a walk-back tune at 20, 40, 60 yards. The ARC 34 holds level at distance better than the V3X, so a walk-back will isolate rest height precisely.

Sight tape: what the ARC 34 actually shoots

A 65 lb ARC 34 at 29" draw with a 460-grain Axis 340 chronographs around 282 fps. That is the number you need for a real sight tape, not the 343 fps IBO rating on the spec sheet. Drop your numbers into The Forge sight tape generator and you will get a printable tape calibrated to your specific arrow, peep height, and sight axis.

The ARC 34 favors a 5-pin or single-pin slider with a heavier scope housing. The riser carries the weight without diving forward. CBE Engage HYB, Spot Hogg Fast Eddie, or Black Gold Pro Hunter are all solid pairings.

Putting it together

Build the rig once, build it right. Use The Forge to lock spine, FOC, total arrow weight, and kinetic energy before you cut a shaft. Then run the broadhead confidence score against your chosen head before opening day. The ARC 34 deserves a setup that respects its geometry.

Open The Forge and build your ARC 34 setup