I got into a discussion with a 'heavy arrow' shooter & during the conversation he brought up downrange KE vs KE at the bow. His claim is that heavier arrows will have better penetration - say at 35 yards - primarily because of the increased weight.

We've seen the scores of threads WRT penetration & KE but I've never heard anyone make mention of poorer performance down range becasue of the lighter arrows lose energy faster.

I don't know if it makes a difference or not - but it stands to reason to me that it could - if I relate it to steel VS lead shot in waterfowling. The steel comes out of the gate faster but slows faster & delivers less punch downrange.

Does a heavier arrow perform better at longer ranges?

If I shoot a 375 gr carbon & get 61ft/lb of KE is that going to perform worse than a 440 gr arrow with the same KE (as calculated by bowjackson)? (the other tradeoff of course is speed - 270fps to 250fps, yardage estimation & things become more critical)

Thoughts?



Aim small miss small