The sorting problem

Sizes that look identical

On this page11

Field points are sorted by weight And they are visually almost identical Inserts are sorted by shaft inside diameter Nocks by throat and fit Fletching by length and profile So the whole craft is a labelling problem Label in numbers, on the body Never by colour alone Clear walls so a glance narrows it And never mix, even briefly References

A 100 and a 125 grain point are the same object to a glance. One of them flies differently.

Field points are sorted by weight

In grains, commonly 85, 100 and 125. The difference is a fraction of a gram and it changes the front of centre balance of the arrow, which changes where it goes.

And they are visually almost identical

Same diameter, same thread, barely different length. There is no reliable way to tell them apart in a mixed jar without weighing them.

Inserts are sorted by shaft inside diameter

In thousandths of an inch. A .244 and a .246 insert fit different shafts and look the same, and the wrong one either will not seat or will not hold.

Nocks by throat and fit

Several incompatible systems, each with sizes within it. A nock that is almost right is worse than one that is obviously wrong, because it will go on and then fail.

Fletching by length and profile

Which is the one you can tell apart by looking, and it is also the one that gets crushed in storage.

So the whole craft is a labelling problem

Four leaves whose parts cannot be identified by eye once mixed. The container is a labelled compartment and almost nothing else.

Label in numbers, on the body

Grain weight, diameter in thousandths, nock system and size. Lids get swapped and the number is the only fact that matters.

Never by colour alone

Around one in twelve men has a colour vision deficiency. A rack sorted by lid colour is unsorted for them, and the numbers are the thing anyway.

Clear walls so a glance narrows it

96 clear containers on this shelf, which is the largest colour group. For this craft that is the right distribution.

And never mix, even briefly

Two weights tipped into one tray during a fletching session is two weights that have to be weighed back apart. It is faster to use two trays.

References

The archetype behind this shelf is store-small-dry: 15 to 500 mL, wide mouth, PP and PET and glass, cold, solid, chunky, scooped, with "small dry parts, wide mouth to get fingers in, clear so you can see what is inside" as its stated reason. Four of the five leaves are small dry parts and the shelf is 227 jars against 27 bottles, which is the closest archetype-to-shelf match in this library.

The Davis Pack Supply catalog, measured 19 October 2026. The archery shelf is 647 rows: 277 containers and 370 closures. 5 mL to 500 mL with a median of 118; 30 containers at 15 mL or under, 45 at 30 or under, 86 at 60 or under, 142 at 120 or under. 117 PET, 87 PP, 64 glass, 9 steel. 227 jars, 27 bottles, 12 tubs and pails, 9 tins, 2 tubes. 96 clear, 51 white, 33 amber, 28 natural, 27 black. Closures: 297 continuous thread, 27 dome lids, 18 lug and twist, 9 liners and sealing discs, 6 round tubs, 5 phenolic, 5 specialty. Necks: 56 at 89-400, 56 at 70-400, 36 at 58-400, 16 at 53-400.

Written from 26 U.S.C. 4161(b) and from the catalog as it stood on 19 October 2026. No tax rates, percentages or thresholds appear here: they are in the statute and its regulations, they change, and a container catalog quoting them would be wrong within a year. Whether assembling arrows makes somebody a manufacturer for excise purposes is a determination for a tax adviser. Hunting rules, broadhead requirements and draw weight minimums are state wildlife agency matters and are not addressed.