Bowhunting’s favorite arrow, the legendary Easton FMJ, gets a facelift and provides increased speed without compromising durability.
by Jace Bauserman
My first pronghorn, mule deer, and bull elk fell to Easton’s XX78 aluminum arrow. I loved the XX78. Then I dove into the carbon world. Easton’s Axis, at the time, proved to be the most accurate arrow I ever shot. I climbed many podiums and posed for many grip-and-grin photos thanks to Axis arrows.
Then came an Easton arrow that instantly changed the future of arrow performance. Easton’s FMJ (Full Metal Jacket) stole the bowhunting show. A lightweight, strong carbon backbone wrapped in a precision-drawn aluminum jacket, bowhunters and target archers had, and still have, an arrow that offered undeniable strength, accuracy, and hit like a ton of bricks.
I killed a pile of critters with the OG FMJ. Then, I swapped to Easton’s 4MM FMJ, a micro-diameter FMJ shaft available in spine sizes of 250, 300, 340, and 400. The micro-diameter FMJ pushed the GPI (grains per inch) rating to 11.0 grains per inch in a 340 spine arrow. This is .3-grains less than the 5MM FMJ. Plus, the thinner profile cut through the wind ensuring less arrow drift and increased speed.
For 2026, Easton continues growing its highly innovative FMJ lineup. Bowhunters looking for the strength, durability, and the undeniable straightness of an aluminum shaft but don’t want to sacrifice speed, need to look to Easton’s FMJ Max. Built on a lighter-weight platform, my 340 spine FMJ Max’s GPI rating is a full grain less than the original 5MM. This means increased speed.
I tested Easton’s new FMJ Max head-to-head against the original. The total arrow weight of my FMJ Max using a 16-grain HIT Insert was 421.1 grains. The total arrow weight of my original FMJ was 466 grains. From 60 yards, my original FMJ hit 6-1/2 inches below my FMJ Max.
Why?
My FMJ Max arrows weigh 45.1 grains less than my 5MM FMJ shafts. This means a remarkable speed boost. Over the course of a week, I’ve shot the FMJ Max arrows from 20 yards to 80 yards. I’ve shot them with field points, expandable, and fixed-blade broadheads. The arrows offer all the benefits of the original: straight, tough, accurate, and quiet in flight. However, the reduced GPI rating boosts speed, which means tighter pin stacks, and allows archers/bowhunters to get increased yardage from their sight tape.
Another benefit of any FMJ arrow, and the Max is no exception, is how easy the arrow pulls from stubborn foam targets. Currently, I’m tuning up Hoyt’s new-for-2026 AX-3 33 with FMJ Max arrows for a pair of late-season December whitetail missions. I will be sure to provide a full review, and bring you some video and highlights of the hunt.
