Best Arrow Setup for the Mathews Lift X 29.5 (2025)
Short answer: a 300–340 spine shaft cut to 29" back-of-point, a 100 gr point and a 16 gr insert — about 410.3 gr finished at 12.3% FOC, leaving the Mathews Lift X 29.5 near 289 fps. That is at 28" of draw and 70 lb. Six draw-length and draw-weight combinations are tabulated below, all of them inside Mathews’ published range.
The 29.5 is the Lift X most people should actually buy, and it is the one that most often gets the wrong arrow — because it is faster than the 33 on paper and shooters read that as "needs a stiffer shaft" when the real driver is that your arrow is shorter.
The recommended starting build
Every number below came out of the same engine that runs The Forge, at 28" of draw and 70 lb — the middle of this bow's published range. Nothing here is typed by hand.
- Shaft: Easton Axis 4mm Long Range, 300 spine, 9.3 gpi (.166 inside diameter; .229–.244" outside — archers shop by ID, so that is the one listed first)
- Cut length: 29" — draw length plus one inch, measured back-of-point, the Easton BOP convention
- Point: Field Point 100 gr
- Insert: Easton Axis 4mm HIT Insert, 16 gr
- Nock: Easton Axis Nock 4mm (.166), 5 gr
- Fletching: 3 × AAE Hybrid 23, 5.7 gr each, 3° offset
- Adhesive: 1.5 gr insert epoxy + 1 gr fletch glue — counted, because your scale counts it
- Total weight: 410.3 gr
- FOC: 12.3% — inside the Recommended Hunter Range (11–15%)
- Launch speed: 289 fps real-world (303 fps rated)
- Kinetic energy: 76.4 ft‑lb · momentum: 0.527 slug‑fps
- At 40 yards: 274 fps, 68.4 ft‑lb retained, 34.5" of drop
The spine is charted. The mass, FOC, speed, energy, momentum and drop are derived. See the note under the next table for what that distinction costs you.
Spine and build at three draw lengths
Three draw lengths inside the Mathews-published 24.5"–30" range, at two draw weights, all on the same reference shaft. Arrow length is draw length plus one inch, measured back-of-point, which is the convention the Easton chart's length axis uses.
| Draw length | Draw weight | Arrow length | Effective draw weight | Spine window | Total weight | FOC | Speed: rated / real-world (fps) | KE (ft‑lb) | Momentum (slug‑fps) | 40 yd drop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26" | 60 lb | 27" | 56.5 lb | 340–400 | 364.7 gr | 13.9% | 282 / 269 | 58.5 | 0.435 | 40.2" |
| 26" | 70 lb | 27" | 66.5 lb | 300–340 | 391.7 gr | 12.9% | 290 / 277 | 66.9 | 0.482 | 37.7" |
| 28" | 60 lb | 29" | 63.5 lb | 340–400 | 381.3 gr | 13.2% | 295 / 282 | 67.2 | 0.477 | 36.5" |
| 28" | 70 lb | 29" | 73.5 lb | 300–340 | 410.3 gr | 12.3% | 303 / 289 | 76.4 | 0.527 | 34.5" |
| 30" | 60 lb | 31" | 70.5 lb | 300–340 | 428.9 gr | 11.7% | 295 / 282 | 75.6 | 0.536 | 36.4" |
| 30" | 70 lb | 31" | 80.5 lb | 250–300 | 444.4 gr | 11.3% | 308 / 295 | 86 | 0.582 | 33.1" |
Charted versus derived, plainly. The spine window is charted: it comes
out of recommendSpineFromInputs, which reproduces Easton's published hunting selection
chart to 98% and Victory's to 89%. Effective draw weight is that chart's own intermediate
term. Everything else — total weight, FOC, speed, kinetic energy, momentum, drop — is
derived from the component sheet and a ballistics model, and derived numbers carry more error than
charted ones. Drop is computed for an arrow released level with no sight elevation, which is a
comparison figure between rows, not a hold-over.
What changes if you go heavier or lighter
One variable, four points, at 28" of draw and 70 lb on the same 300 shaft. Point weight is the lever most people reach for, so it is the one worth seeing whole.
| Point | Total weight | FOC | Effective draw weight | Spine window | Speed (fps) | KE (ft‑lb) | Momentum | 40 yd drop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 85 gr | 395.3 gr | 10.8% | 71.7 lb | 300–340 | 296 | 76.8 | 0.519 | 33" |
| 100 gr | 410.3 gr | 12.3% | 73.5 lb | 300–340 | 289 | 76.4 | 0.527 | 34.5" |
| 125 gr | 435.3 gr | 14.6% | 76.5 lb | 250–300 | 279 | 75.2 | 0.539 | 37.1" |
| 150 gr | 460.3 gr | 16.6% | 79.5 lb | 250–300 | 268 | 73.7 | 0.549 | 40.1" |
Read the columns against each other and the trade is obvious. Going from 85 gr to 150 gr moves FOC from 10.8% to 16.6%, costs 28 fps and 3.1 ft‑lb of kinetic energy, and gains 0.03 slug‑fps of momentum. Kinetic energy and momentum disagreeing is not an error — energy scales with the square of speed and momentum scales linearly with mass, so a heavier, slower arrow genuinely has less energy and more momentum. Momentum is the one that predicts penetration.
The direction that catches people out: adding weight at the FRONT weakens dynamic spine and pushes you toward a stiffer shaft — watch the effective-draw-weight column climb by 7.8 lb across that sweep. Adding weight at the BACK does the opposite, and at roughly half the magnitude. Heavier nocks, heavier vanes and a wrap all stiffen dynamic spine. A well-known spine calculator has that backwards; ours does not, and we show the working.
The 11–15% band is our Recommended Hunter Range for FOC. It is not a timid choice and it is not a compromise — it is where broadhead-tipped arrows recover from launch fastest without giving away the trajectory you paid for. Extreme-FOC builds have a place; a general-purpose hunting arrow off this bow is not it.
Speed: the rated number and the real one
Two speed columns run through this page and they are not the same claim. Rated is the IBO formula applied to Mathews's published figure and adjusted for your draw length, draw weight and arrow mass — a bare bow's number. Real-world is that figure plus the measured gap between what bows of this model actually chronograph and what the formula predicts, which is where a rest, a sight, a stabiliser, a peep and a quiver all live.
| Bow | Offset vs the IBO formula | Tests (n) | Std dev |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lift X 29.5 (2025) | -13.2 fps | 1 | 0 fps |
That offset is the mean of 1 chronograph test, with a standard deviation of 0 fps. One reading. It is the best evidence we have for this model and it is still one reading — treat the real-world column as indicative, not as a measurement of your bow. Put yours over a chronograph and the whole page recomputes around the number you measure.
At the reference build the two read 303 fps rated against 289 fps real-world. Every derived number on this page — kinetic energy, momentum, drop — is computed off the real-world figure, because that is the arrow that leaves your bow.
Tuning notes for the SwitchWeight X
Same SwitchWeight X cam as the 33, same module logic, same Limb Shift correction. What changes is geometry: a shorter axle-to-axle with the same draw length means a sharper string angle at full draw, and a sharper string angle is less tolerant of a torqued grip and a poorly-placed peep. That is not an arrow problem, but it shows up as one — a bow that tears left every third shot usually has a hand in it, not a spine mismatch.
Check that before you buy a different shaft. Shoot ten arrows through paper with your eyes closed on release and see whether the tear tightens up.
What I would actually do
Short bows get accused of being twitchy. This one is not, and the reason is mass distribution rather than length. What it is sensitive to is arrow length: at the short end of its range you are cutting a shaft down far enough that it stiffens noticeably, and the chart moves under you. Do not buy arrows before you know your cut length.
Draw length and mods on the Mathews Lift X 29.5
Two questions come before arrows: what draw lengths does this bow cover, and which module do I need. The first is published, and it is the one that changes your arrow.
- Draw length range: 24.5" – 30" (Mathews published spec)
- Draw weights: 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80 lb
Mods are dealer-set, and Mathews does not publish the mod chart publicly. The module number for your draw length lives in retailer service documentation that is marked confidential, and it is not ours to reprint. Ask your dealer for the number or have them set it — it is a five-minute job on a press and they will check your actual draw length while the bow is in it. Anyone posting a scanned Mathews mod chart is posting a document stamped “authorized retailers only.”
Draw length is not a comfort setting, it is a spine input. One inch is worth roughly 3.5 lb of effective draw weight — about a third of a spine class — and it moves every sight mark you have. Run your real draw length through The Forge and the spine, mass, speed and FOC all move with it; the arrow spine calculator shows the method written out; the sight tape generator reprints the tape.
Bow specifications
| Spec | Mathews publishes |
|---|---|
| Speed rating | up to 348 fps |
| Axle-to-axle | 29.5" |
| Brace height | 6" |
| Let-off | 80% or 85% |
| Draw length range | 24.5" – 30" |
| Draw weight | 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80 lb |
| Mass weight | 3.99 lb |
| Cam | SwitchWeight X |
Every figure above read from mathewsinc.com — LIFT X 29.5 on 10 September 2026. If Mathews revises them this page is wrong until we fix it — tell us at sal@sparrowexpeditions.com.
Common questions
What arrow spine do I need for a Mathews Lift X 29.5?
At 28 inches of draw and 70 pounds, with a 100 grain point and a standard insert, the engine's window is 300 to 340 spine on an arrow cut to 29 inches back-of-point. That window is charted against Easton's and Victory's published selection ranges. Change your draw length by an inch or your point by 25 grains and it moves, which is why this page prints six combinations rather than one number.
How fast does a Mathews Lift X 29.5 shoot a real hunting arrow?
About 289 feet per second with the 410.3 grain reference build on this page. The rated figure for the same arrow is 303 fps. The difference is a measured chronograph offset of -13.2 fps for this model, averaged over 1 test. Your bow will not read exactly this. Nobody's does.
What FOC should I run on a Mathews Lift X 29.5?
Eleven to fifteen percent is our Recommended Hunter Range and the reference build lands at 12.3%. That band is where a broadhead-tipped arrow recovers from launch quickly without giving away trajectory. Chasing 18 or 20 percent buys penetration you can also buy with total arrow weight, and costs you drop at every distance you actually shoot.
Where do these numbers come from?
The spine windows come from the same function that runs The Forge, which reproduces Easton's published hunting selection chart to 98 percent and Victory's to 89 percent. Weight, FOC, speed, kinetic energy, momentum and drop are derived from the component sheet and a ballistics model. The bow specifications come from Mathews's own published page, linked on this page, read on 10 September 2026. Nothing on this page was typed from memory.
Do I need a different arrow for broadheads on a Mathews Lift X 29.5?
No — you need the same arrow, tuned. Build the shaft on this page with field points, get it flying, then put broadheads on the same arrows and shoot them at 30 and 40 yards. If the broadhead group walks away from the field point group, that is your tune talking, not your spine choice. Fix it at the cam and the rest, in that order, and only then consider a different shaft.
Shop this setup
- Shop all arrows & shafts →
- Inserts, half-outs and collars →
- Vanes and fletching →
- Check this 300-spine build in The Forge →
Not sure the 300 is right for your draw? Put your real numbers into the arrow spine calculator — it runs the same engine as this page and it will tell you when you are between classes rather than guessing for you. Then print the tape with the sight tape generator.
Nearby bows
- Best arrow setup for the Mathews Lift X 33
- Best arrow setup for the Mathews ARC 30
- Paper tune chart and the cam-lean correction table
Built by archnerds, for archnerds — The Forge by Sparrow Expeditions. Questions, corrections and chronograph data: sal@sparrowexpeditions.com.