Arrow weight ?
03-09-2007, 11:06 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2005
Location:
Posts: 220
Arrow weight ?
I'm going to buy some new arrows in the next couple of days . I'm currently shooting GoldTip expedition hunters out of a 63lb , 28" draw , Reflex compound bow . I'm going to get some Carbon Express arrows . I see that the Maxima's are 6.3 grs/inch ,,,,, this seems realy lite to me . The Terminators are 11grs/inch . I want a quick arrow ,, but don't want to "shock" my limbs . Is there a formula to tell how much arrow wieght I need ? Thanks .
03-09-2007, 11:52 PM
#2
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Terre Haute, Indiana
Posts: 914
RE: Arrow weight ?
I believe the lightest recommended is 5 grains per pound of draw so for you it would be 315 grains total. That being said I would think you would want a heavier arrow than that especially if you are using it for hunting.
03-10-2007, 12:31 AM
#3
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: PA
Posts: 9,085
RE: Arrow weight ?
no formula...simply what you want from your bow. for me i an a hunter. i shot more targets than alot of hunters..but thats all just practice for game day. as a hunter i want maximum KE. but to get the maximum KE you need to figure out the balancing point between speed and arrow weight. speed and mass=KE. (.5)MV^2=KE. so velocity has more importance than mass..but without mass you wont have alot of KE. theres a balancing point for it where you gain the most KE at a certain speed..adding anymore wieght slows you down and only raises KE verrrry slightly. what i did was find that point. i now for my setup i want to be about 450ish grs. but you gotta figure out how fast you will be shooting diffrent wieght arrows...i did that by knowing how fast i shot my current arrows..then figuring out the speed of diffrent gr arrows...then running the KE calculations for diffrent arrow weights...takes some work...but its worth it IMO. ive always liked numbers and math..i got bored one day and did it lol.
but with all that being said...most of todays bows will kill a deer..PERIOD. you dont need 60-70ft/lbs of KE to kill a deer. they say something like 35 is enough...but the higher your KE the more power your arrow has behind it..blow through bone and tissue easier...
heavier arrows are said to be quieter and will be less effected(still effected though) by wind...and will carry their KE better than a lighter arrow with less weight..
the determining factor is YOU..what you want..lighter arrows=more speed which will give you a flatter trajectory..less of a pin gap etc..
but with all that being said...most of todays bows will kill a deer..PERIOD. you dont need 60-70ft/lbs of KE to kill a deer. they say something like 35 is enough...but the higher your KE the more power your arrow has behind it..blow through bone and tissue easier...
heavier arrows are said to be quieter and will be less effected(still effected though) by wind...and will carry their KE better than a lighter arrow with less weight..
the determining factor is YOU..what you want..lighter arrows=more speed which will give you a flatter trajectory..less of a pin gap etc..
03-12-2007, 02:21 PM
#5
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Blissfield MI USA
Posts: 5,293
RE: Arrow weight ?
There is an AMO minimum arrow weight chart. The common rule you will see is not to go less than 5 grns per pound of draw weight. However this is an IBO thing and is meant for bows set at a 30 inch draw length. It really depends on how efficient your bow is, what your draw weight is and what your draw length is. If you shoot a shorter draw length with a low energy cam or wheels you can get away with a lighter arrow than a guy shooting a longer draw length and high energy cams. It's all about how much energy your set up can put into the arrow. Not all set ups are equal. Don't tell me my girlfriends Rintec target bow set at 30 lbs with a 24 inch draw weight puts out as much energy as a bowtech black night set at 70 lbs and 30 inches of draw length. There is HUGE difference in efficiency between those two bows.
Most newer bows will handle a pretty light arrow without damage, especially if you have limb savers or some other vibration soaking device installed. keep in mind the more you shoot your bow with really light arrows the quicker you can wear it out. Vibration and shock are a bows worst enemy. It's not too good on your string either, which why my target bows even have string dampeners on them.
As far as hunting weights it really depends on what you are hunting and what your set up is. Most average sized people shooting a newer bow with a 300 plus IBO speed with 65-70 lbs of draw weight have more than enough energy in their set up to get pass throughs on deer, regardless of arrow weight. Now if you shoot a set up with less energy, like if you have a short draw length or something, or are shooting at larger animals you might want a heavier arrow that will carry more momentum. This will help your penetration. You give up trajectory for it though.
[font="verdana,arial, helvetica"] AMO Recommended Arrow Weight Chart
Paul
Most newer bows will handle a pretty light arrow without damage, especially if you have limb savers or some other vibration soaking device installed. keep in mind the more you shoot your bow with really light arrows the quicker you can wear it out. Vibration and shock are a bows worst enemy. It's not too good on your string either, which why my target bows even have string dampeners on them.
As far as hunting weights it really depends on what you are hunting and what your set up is. Most average sized people shooting a newer bow with a 300 plus IBO speed with 65-70 lbs of draw weight have more than enough energy in their set up to get pass throughs on deer, regardless of arrow weight. Now if you shoot a set up with less energy, like if you have a short draw length or something, or are shooting at larger animals you might want a heavier arrow that will carry more momentum. This will help your penetration. You give up trajectory for it though.
[font="verdana,arial, helvetica"] AMO Recommended Arrow Weight Chart
Paul
