Bow & Arrow Builder
Pick a bow, build the most forgiving arrow for it, tune it, size your peep, balance your stabilizers and print a sight tape. Then send every part to your cart.
What do you want to do today?
Pick one to get started. You can jump to anything else later with the tabs at the top.
How it works
- Tell us about your bow and you. Pick your bow from the list, or let us help you choose one.
- We build your arrow. The lab picks the spine, length, point and vanes, and scores how forgiving it is.
- Tune and set up. Follow the guides for tuning, peep size and stabilizer weights.
- Order it all. One button sends every part to a Lancaster Archery cart.
Not sure what a word means? Tap the ? next to it.
Text too small? Tap Bigger text at the top.
Everything saves on this device by itself. Reset everything starts over.
My builds
Save this setup, keep a hunting rig and a 3D rig side by side, compare them, or send a build to a friend or your pro shop.
Share a build
Copy a build code and text it to anyone. They paste it here to load your exact bow, arrow, gear and settings.
Your bow
Pick the cam or mod your bow is set up with; it sets speed, brace height and draw feel. Any spec field can still be edited.
Power stroke (draw length − brace height − 1.75″): . A longer power stroke stores more energy and calls for a stiffer arrow; a taller brace height gives a shorter power stroke and more room for form errors.
You & your form
What you're shooting at
Auto-builder: let us pick your arrow
Optional. If you want to use it, run this first and skip picking parts by hand. It tests every shaft, spine, point weight, insert and fletching combination in the lab against your bow, length and purpose, and keeps builds that meet the energy target. Best build per shaft family:
Arrow components
What length should I cut my arrows?
Arrows are measured from the groove of the nock (where the string sits) to the end of the carbon shaft, not counting the point. Shorter is faster and stiffer, but the arrow must stick out far enough past the rest to be safe.
Your build
Build sheet
Spine check
Balance point
Forgiveness breakdown
Power & penetration
Downrange
Impact is relative to a 20-yard pin, ignoring sight height. Drift is for a 10 mph full-value crosswind.
Biggest gains from here
Build report: the hard facts
Happy with it?
Every part of this build goes into a Lancaster Archery cart.
Want a different part?
Browse every matching part Lancaster sells. Tap Use this instead and it replaces that part in your cart, with the same quantity.
Lancaster cart
Your order
My account
Tuning
Your tuning order
Bow setup for your style
Sight tapes & marks
Build a sight tape from your own bow and arrow, then print it at true size. Work left to right through the steps, or jump to the extras: sight marks, fixed pins, short range, angled shots and travel.
1 · Your setup
Measure at full draw with a friend. Small errors here become big errors at long range, so take your time.
Check your sight's manual for threads per inch and clicks per turn. Readings are entered and shown as turns.clicks (for example 4.7 = 4 turns and 7 clicks).
Air density
Thinner air (high, hot, humid) means less drag and a flatter arrow. Density altitude rolls elevation, temperature, pressure and humidity into one number. Inside 60 yd it barely matters; past 80 yd it does.
Work out density altitude from the weather
2 · Sight in
Shoot a reliable mark at each distance with the same pin. Use at least 35 yd for the first (40 or 50 is best), the rest as far out as you can shoot well, with 20 yd or more between them. Two marks is right for most people; a third, far mark also solves your arrow's drag.
| Distance | Mark reading | Fit |
|---|
Two marks + your chronograph speed is the most accurate everyday method: the marks then solve your arrow's real drag instead of assuming it.
Readings are positions on your sight scale or a strip of tape, measured from one fixed line with calipers or a ruler. Bigger numbers go down the sight (farther distances).
Uses your measured arrow speed and the drag of the arrow from your build. Shoot it at a far distance (like 60 yd), set the tape's indicator there, then check closer and farther.
Measured speeds at two distances (radar chronograph, or a Garmin Xero placed downrange) give your arrow's real drag without any sight marks.
How to shoot accurate marks
- Aim at a thin horizontal line, like a strip of blue painter's tape. At 40 yd and closer, aim at the edge of the tape and try to break the edge with the arrow.
- Never shoot your marks at 20 or 30 yd. Start at 40 or 50 and go as far as you can shoot well; distance hides nothing.
- Use the same pin for every mark, shoot on calm days, and spread it over more than one session.
- Throw out bad shots. Track arrows that break the line cleanly, not group size.
- Measure marks twice with the tape flat. With calipers, get within a couple thousandths of an inch.
- Double-check peep-to-arrow (nearest 1/16″), peep-to-pin (nearest 1/8″) and the total arrow weight; most bad tapes trace back to one of these.
- When the new tape goes on, zero it at your farthest sighted-in distance (60 yd is a good start), then check closer and farther.
Chronograph tips (downrange speeds)
- LabRadar: Velocity Range Archery, TX Power Standard, an external trigger if you have one, tripod and an external battery. Enter the projectile offset. Pickup starts around 15–20 yd; put the target about 70 yd out for 65 yd readings. Outdoors only.
- Garmin Xero: take a 1 yd reading for launch speed, then place the unit downrange (about 60 yd, at least 7–10 yd short of the target) with the arrow passing 5–15″ from it. Use a shield.
- Enter the density altitude where you measured.
3 · Design your tape
Preview
Enlarged on screen. Prints at true size.
Mark positions
4 · Print
Print at 100% (actual size). Never use "fit to page". Then check the scale: the crosshair lines on the sheet are exactly 1 inch and the bar is 50 mm. If they measure off, put the correction here: a 1″ line measuring 0.965″ needs 103.6%.
Sight marks & ballistics
Fixed pin gaps
Set your bottom (longest) pin first by shooting it, then set the others to these gaps with calipers. Gaps are center to center.
What yardage is my next pin?
Short-range shots
Up close, your eye sits well above the arrow, so you need a mark far down the tape. Measure from the target to where your peep is at full draw.
Uphill & downhill
Cut chart
Altitude cuts
Going hunting somewhere higher or lower? Shoot your home tape at these settings, or print a tape for the destination on the Print step with Travel tapes.
All bow gear
Every sight, rest, stabilizer, scope, peep, quiver, release, sling and case in the builder, from Lancaster Archery. Search or filter, then tap Use on my bow to put it in your build and cart.
Looking for something else?
The Shop Lancaster tab has everything Lancaster Archery sells: arrows, broadheads, targets, bows, tools, clothing and more. Anything you add there goes in the same cart as your build.
Shop Lancaster
Every product Lancaster Archery sells. Pick the size or color, set how many, then tap Add to cart. It all goes in the same Lancaster cart as your build.
Open this tab to load Lancaster's catalog.
Prices and stock are from Lancaster's catalog on Oct 11, 2026. Lancaster's cart shows today's price and stock. This page isn't affiliated with Lancaster.
String builder
Design your string and cables in any colors, match the center serving to the nocks you shoot, then compare every string maker by lead time, price and build quality.
1 · Your colors
2 · Material & center serving
The center serving has to fit your nock: it should click on, hang there, and come off with a light tap. Pick your nock and the builder sizes the serving for it.
3 · Who can build it
Lead times and prices are what each maker or Lancaster listed on Oct 11, 2026. They change with the season, so confirm when you order. Business days don't count weekends; shipping time is extra.
4 · Side-by-side breakdown
5 · Your order sheet
Everything a string maker needs. Copy it into their order notes or read it off when you call.
Nock throat sizes: OCD Strings nock guide and Lancaster's nock guide. Target serving diameters: GAS Bowstrings center serving guide. Serving size math is an estimate; your string maker fine-tunes it on the jig.
Peep sight sizer
At full draw your sight ring should sit inside the peep with a thin, even halo of light around it. A peep that's too small cuts the ring off and darkens the view; one that's too big makes it hard to center the same way every shot. The right size depends on your ring size, how far the sight is from your eye and how close the peep sits to your eye.
Measure the ring across the inside edge, or the edge you line up in the peep. Eye to peep: have a friend measure from your eye to the peep while you're at full draw on your normal anchor; most shooters land between 3 and 4.5 inches. Sight ring ahead of grip: from the deepest point of the grip forward to the ring.
Your peep size
What you'll see at full draw
Dark ring = peep aperture. Orange = your sight ring. Drawn to scale for your setup.
Every common size
Stabilizer balance
A balanced bow hangs level side to side at full draw and leans gently forward after the shot. The front bar sets how far forward it leans and how slowly the pin floats; the back bar cancels the pull of the sight and quiver so the bow doesn't cant. This works out the weight for each bar from your bow, sight and quiver. The defaults come from your stabilizer setup and purpose on the Setup tab.
Enter 0 for quiver weight if you shoot with it off. Bow mass comes from the Setup tab. The side angle points the back bar away from the sight side.
Weights to run
Top view
Looking down on the bow at full draw, target to the right. Circle size shows weight.
Dial it in on your bow
Bow builder
What are you using it for?
This changes everything below: the axle length and brace height that fit, the energy you need, and the rest, sight, stabilizer and peep that work best.
Not sure of your draw length? Figure it out from your height
How to measure arm span: stand with your back against a wall, arms straight out to the sides, palms forward, and have a friend measure fingertip to fingertip. It's the most reliable start; your height is a close stand-in because most people's arm span is within an inch or two of their height. Always confirm at full draw in a pro shop: your nose should touch the string, your anchor shouldn't strain, and your bow arm should keep a slight bend.
💲 Build it on a budget
Tell it what you can spend and what you like. It shows the bows you can afford with the best rest, sight, stabilizer, peep and quiver that still fit, then loads your pick into the cart.
How you like a bow to feel
Best bows for you
Fit blends forgiveness (brace height, axle length, mass, cam feel), speed with your arrow at your draw, and how well the bow matches the way you hunt or shoot. Draw ranges are taken from the maker where the lab has them; otherwise check the bow covers your draw length. "Use this bow" loads it into the Setup tab so everything else on the page updates.
Gear for your setup
Arrow rests: which to use and why
Build it out
Typical weights for each kind of accessory are filled in. Type in the exact weight of what you own or want, from the maker's spec sheet or a kitchen scale. Sight and quiver weight feed the Stabilizer tab, and its weights come back here.
Your order total
Crossbows
Pick any crossbow from 2012 on. You get its specs, the exact bolt length, nock and minimum weight it needs, every bolt that fits it, and the nocks, points and strings to go with it.
1 · Your crossbow
2 · Bolts that fit it
3 · Everything else it needs
Find a crossbow
Filter every crossbow in the database. Tap one to load it above.
Specs marked Checked match a Lancaster Archery listing (Oct 2026). Others come from published maker specs in our records; always confirm bolt length, nock type and minimum arrow weight in your crossbow's manual before you shoot. Shooting the wrong bolt can damage the crossbow and void the warranty.