RE: How much KE is enough?
Yeah, they have to go way overboard on KE recommendations because carbon arrows are so light. The heavier you go on arrow weight, the less you have to worry about KE.
Heck, before carbon arrows,nobody in the archery worldeven knew what KE was.[8D] Now everyone's gone anal over it. In exactly the same way the gun world caught 'magnumitis', archershave gottenate up with speed and KE. [&:]
Look. Arecurve drawing 40-45 pounds and a cedar arrowwith a sharp cut-to-tip broadhead was plenty for killing deer when I was coming up, and I guarantee there wasn't any 40 ft lbs of KE with that kind of setup. More like 25-30 ft/lbs. Another thing I can guarantee... deer aren't onewhit tougher today than they were 45 years ago.
Light arrows need more KE to do the same joba heavier one can do. A broadhead with a punch through tip needs more KE to do the same jobthan a cut-to-tip head does. A mechanical broadhead needs a LOT more KE to do the same job.
So, how much KE is enough? I dunno! Depends on your arrow weight and broadhead type, not to mention the size game you intend to hunt with it and how far you intend to shoot.
Rule of thumb: The less KE your bow delivers and/or the bigger and tougher game you intend to hunt, the heavier you want to go on arrow weight and the more you want to leantoward cut-to-tip broadheads. Also, you need to be limiting your shots to shorter and shorter distances the lower you go on KE. The closer the shot, the more energy the arrow retains when it gets to the target.
Another rule of thumb: Any KE recommendation that doesn't include all the variables is a load of male bovine dung.