About Gray Wing
Gray Wing Arrows is dedicated to building fine custom wood arrows for all traditional archery pursuits. For centuries, these arrows have excelled in the hunting and roving fields and target arena alike, and still do today. Despite advancements in modern arrow materials and technology, nothing can replicate the experience of a quality wooden arrow properly matched to your bow.
The name “Gray Wing” is a nod to the grey goose, the domesticated descendant of the Greylag goose. Over time, feathers from the grey goose became the principal source for fletching arrows that were loosed from many an English longbow during war and recreation. While perhaps lesser known today, the humble grey goose stands alongside Robin Hood and Agincourt in archery lore, and, like them, has been lauded in poetry and song.
My commitment to your satisfaction begins with using only the highest grade materials and continues with the personal attention that accompanies each step in making your arrows. With the exception of Sitka spruce shafts, which come from our good neighbors in Canada, everything that goes into the making of a Gray Wing arrow is a product of the U.S.A.
My sincere hope is that once you fill your quiver with Gray Wings, you will find them to be among the finest hand-crafted wooden arrows available.
Yours in straight shooting,
Dana McGehee
Ordering Your Arrows
Whether you’ve been shooting a bow for several years or are fairly new to the sport of archery, please call so that we may determine how to build a set of arrows that will match you and your bow, and will suit your needs.
Call or text 480-710-5574 to order.
Some of the information that I will need is:
- What type of bow is it? Longbow, recurve, self bow?
- What is the weight marked on the bow? For example, 50# @ 28”.
- What is your draw length? Draw length is the distance, at your full draw, from the nocking point on the string to the back of the bow.
- What is your desired arrow length? This is often referred to as ‘back of point’ or ‘BOP’, and is measured from the bottom of the nock groove to the base of the point. Many archers choose to have the arrow length slightly longer than their draw length, especially when using broadheads.
- Does the bow have a shelf? If so, is the shelf cut less than center, on center, or more than center? By how much?
- What type of string do you use on your bow? Dacron (B50/B55), Fast Flight, Dyna Flight?
- Do you know the brand of the bow or the bowyer that made it?
- What is your shooting style?
Arrow Designs and Pricing
Below are descriptions and pricing for the most popular Gray Wing arrow designs. If you have something else in mind, please let me know. After all, these are custom arrows, made specifically for you.
Only premium grade shafts of Port Orford cedar, Sitka spruce, or Douglas fir are used for Gray Wing arrows. They are weight matched within a range of ten grains and spine matched within five pounds.
A wide color range is available for your choice of feathers, nocks, crowns, and cresting.
Unless otherwise noted, prices are for one dozen arrows including field points or blunts, installed. Shipping is not included and averages about $8-$14 within the continental U.S.A.
Peregrine
$225
Peregrines are footed arrows built on 23/64 shafts that are breast tapered to 5/16 at the nock end and 11/32 at the point end. The footings are made of laminated hardwood according to your choice of wood. They include a crown and one to three cresting bands*. The crown may be stained rather than painted, if you wish. Feathers are cut or burned in either a shield or parabolic style. They can also be built on 11/32 shafts and tail tapered to 5/16.
Gray Hawk
$160-$180
The Gray Hawk is a non-footed arrow built on shafts in diameters of 5/16, 11/32, or 23/64, depending on the spine and type of tapering. A crown and one or two cresting bands* are included. The crown may be stained rather than painted, if you wish. The feathers are cut or burned in either a shield or parabolic style.
Parallel
$160
Tail Tapered
$170
Breast Tapered
$180
Rovers
$140 - $160
Rovers are non-footed arrows made with ‘roving’ or ‘stump shooting’ in mind, but they can be used for all types of shooting. The shaft has a natural finish from point to nock, and there is one cresting band*. Fletching is comprised of cut feathers in either a shield or parabolic style.
Parallel
$140
Tail Tapered
$150
Breast Tapered
$160
Flu-Flu’s (half dozen)
$85-$95
Flu-flu’s sport six full cut or custom burned feathers that quickly slow down the arrow after about thirty or forty yards, allowing you to shoot at aerial targets or birds on the wing without having to chase down your arrow. They are also handy for small game, such as rabbits or squirrels. A crown and one cresting band* are included.
Parallel
$85
Tail Tapered
$90
Breast Tapered
$95
*A ‘cresting band’ is comprised of a series of painted rings in different colors and widths within each band. They were originally used as a method to identify each archer’s arrow.
Additional Prices
Barred Feathers
$6 per dozen
Stained or Painted Shafts
$12 per dozen
Four-Fletch
$8 per dozen
Hex Blunts
$12 per half dozen, installed
Brass Points
$11 per half dozen, installed
Judos
$8 per pair, installed
Broadheads*
$35-$65 per half dozen, installed.
*Zwickey, Grizzly, Ace, Eclipse, or Howard Hill broadheads
Why Tapered Shafts?
You might be asking yourself, “What are tapered shafts? Should I spend extra money for them?’
Regarding the first question, the ‘tail’ simply refers to the rear portion of the arrow. So a tail-tapered shaft will have about 8-10 inches of the nock end slightly tapered.
The ‘breast’ is the portion of the arrow which touches the bow. Breast-tapered shafts will have a 12-16 inch taper on the point end, as well as the tail taper of 8-10 inches. The nock end is tapered to a smaller diameter than the point end.
In response to the second question, I would offer a few things to consider. First of all, a set of arrows with parallel shafts that have been matched to you and your bow will fly just fine. If you are in the early phase of developing your archery form, you probably won’t notice any difference in performance between arrows with parallel and tapered shafts.
However, tests have shown that tapered shafts aid the arrow in overcoming “archer’s paradox” more quickly than a parallel shaft, with the breast taper being the most effective. Experienced archers have observed that tapered shafts - especially breast tapered - tend to strike the target straighter at close ranges, and fly through the air ‘like darts’ and with a slightly flatter trajectory at medium and long ranges. Both characteristics aid in arrow penetration, which is essential in hunting applications.
Tapered shafts are by no means a recent development in archery. They have been preferred for centuries from Eastern cultures to western Europe. As Dr. Robert Elmer noted in his classic book, Target Archery, With a History of the Sport in America, ‘One might suppose that the natural form of a stele [the wooden shaft of an arrow] would be cylindrical [parallel] throughout, but I cannot recall having ever seen an arrow of this type made by what might be called archer races of men. In fact, I think they are almost uniquely a product of American manufacture.’
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Contact
Dana McGehee
Gray Wing Arrows LLC
3639 N. Eagle Canyon
Mesa, AZ 85207
When you purchase a set of arrows from Gray Wing, you are supporting the Sending Water for Wildlife program of the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Use this link for information about this crucial service for wildlife.
