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RE: Is my arrow really heavy?
ORIGINAL: stealthycat II compounders don't understand the difference bigcountry-I certainly never did and I balk at traveling the normal pace of anything and STILL never understood that KE is the worst measurement in bowhunting speed is irrelevant too -I know, I know, that concept is lost in the compound world but 15 yard shots don't need 350 fps, they need heavy, bone crushing arrow/broadhead combo's powered by momentum. Want to shoot farther than 15-20 yard? Take up rifle hunting - archery and bowhunting is a close range game. I don't know what my bow shoots - fast enough, maybe 165 fps? I've got no idea, might be 150 or 180 .... and don't care. I put 100 gr brass inserts into my ICS 400 shafts, use weight tubes and a 160 grain 3 blade Thunderhead. Thats my current setup, works wonderfully, thats 260 grains up front. Again I'll state that a mandatory 700 gr arrow weight for all archery bows would be only a positive for bowhunting, not a negative. I generally find I require 10gr/lb with longbows due to quietness, and consistency between bow and bow. I, like you, own too many trad bows, and I want to hit same POI with them all. So I weigh down my arrows to get at least 15% FOC and hit where I want to hit. |
RE: Is my arrow really heavy?
ORIGINAL: stealthycat II compounders don't understand the difference bigcountry - I certainly never did and I balk at traveling the normal pace of anything and STILL never understood that KE is the worst measurement in bowhunting speed is irrelevant too - I know, I know, that concept is lost in the compound world but 15 yard shots don't need 350 fps, they need heavy, bone crushing arrow/broadhead combo's powered by momentum. Want to shoot farther than 15-20 yard? Take up rifle hunting - archery and bowhunting is a close range game. I don't know what my bow shoots - fast enough, maybe 165 fps? I've got no idea, might be 150 or 180 .... and don't care. I put 100 gr brass inserts into my ICS 400 shafts, use weight tubes and a 160 grain 3 blade Thunderhead. Thats my current setup, works wonderfully, thats 260 grains up front. Again I'll state that a mandatory 700 gr arrow weight for all archery bows would be only a positive for bowhunting, not a negative. I agree with ya! You and I know heavy would be a good thing but I wonder how the bow manufactures would feel...:D:D:D:D |
RE: Is my arrow really heavy?
A good friend of you and I Joe did some pretty good extensive testing with heavy vs light arrows and what they do. I'll take his word for It any day, the man knows his stuff.
My dad also did some testing with light vs heavy arrows for testing penetration. His recurve kicked the heck out of his buddy's compound when It came to penetration. This was 15 years ago and the compound had the overdraw set up. I know If I was shooting a compound I'd be packing 600+ grains. Each to their own though, we all have certain preferences |
RE: Is my arrow really heavy?
ORIGINAL: Schultzy A good friend of you and I Joe did some pretty good extensive testing with heavy vs light arrows and what they do. I'll take his word for It any day, the man knows his stuff. He sure does!:) I like the saying "it's pretty hard to stop a speeding freight train." When I started shooting a heavy arrow I was amazed how the deep arrow would bury itself into my block target compared to the lighter arrows I was setting up! Like you said to each his own. :D |
RE: Is my arrow really heavy?
ORIGINAL: MeanV2 ORIGINAL: BowHuntingFool ORIGINAL: fingerz42 bigcountry, what would a traditional bow with a 600 grain arrow getfor FPS? Rifle hunters would not think of using the same weightBullet or Caliber of gun for that matteron all Big Game in North America, but some Bowhunters think it's either Heavy or Light. No way I'd go Bear hunting on a Bait with an arrow weighing 5 grains per pound. I'd use my heavier arrow for obvious reasons. On the other hand I would not use my 500 plus grain arrows hunting Antelope or Mule Deer out west either. I think the reason is also obvious;) Dan |
RE: Is my arrow really heavy?
Shot an Elk at 84 yards with a 400 grain arrow, and blew clean through him. It was wide open country and I had stalked this Bull for 3 hours. We had been shooting up to 90 yards all summer and I felt confident in the shot.
I never did find the arrow, but the Bull only went 60 yards. Did I hit major bone? Nope! but if I had it would have been a poor shot. A poor shot is a poor shot, and IMHO another 100 to 150 grains on the arrow would not have made a difference if the shot was poor. I've been chasing critters all over the US and Canada for over 40 years. A medium weight arrow 6 to 7 grains per pound is adequate for anything I hunt, although like I stated I will under certain circumstances use a heavier arrow as I am not really Pro light or Pro Heavy. I had rather match the setup for the game intended.;) One mind set that is totally wrong IMO is that Big broadheads or Heavy arrows will fix poor shots. They will NOT!! Only take a shot where you know you can place the arrow where it needs to be. I will not use expandables because of things seen and experienced.:D Dan |
RE: Is my arrow really heavy?
After reading the responses of this thread.
Not 1 person asked if the heavy arrow is the correct spine for the bow. Just maybe the lighter arrow is the correct spine for the bow therefore has the better flight. Just some food for thought.:) |
RE: Is my arrow really heavy?
ORIGINAL: MeanV2 Shot an Elk at 84 yards with a 400 grain arrow, and blew clean through him. It was wide open country and I had stalked this Bull for 3 hours. We had been shooting up to 90 yards all summer and I felt confident in the shot. I never did find the arrow, but the Bull only went 60 yards. Did I hit major bone? Nope! but if I had it would have been a poor shot. A poor shot is a poor shot, and IMHO another 100 to 150 grains on the arrow would not have made a difference if the shot was poor. I've been chasing critters all over the US and Canada for over 40 years. A medium weight arrow 6 to 7 grains per pound is adequate for anything I hunt, although like I stated I will under certain circumstances use a heavier arrow as I am not really Pro light or Pro Heavy. I had rather match the setup for the game intended.;) One mind set that is totally wrong IMO is that Big broadheads or Heavy arrows will fix poor shots. They will NOT!! Only take a shot where you know you can place the arrow where it needs to be. I will not use expandables because of things seen and experienced.:D Dan It's always funny in these kinds of debates that a person will say something like " I can use/do this thing just fine so it should apply to everyone". Well, if everyone had person's experience and skillset then that would be fine. Unfortunately, most of the bowhunters I run into don't have the faintest idea of how to tune their bow, what arrow spine is and what it affects and don't practice except right before their bow season opener. |
RE: Is my arrow really heavy?
I think everyone should experiment and learn what works for THEM!
You never see me saying (unlike many)bowhunters should use only light or only heavy arrows. I still doubt any archer should take a shot at game with the mindset that if I make a marginal hit then my Super Cut broadhead or my 2# arrow will make the difference and.......................................... Yes from running a check station for years as well as a proshop many, many do unfortunately have that mindset. I never said anyone here did;) Some keys to a good penetrating arrow are good tune/straight arrow flight, and IMO an FOC of at least 12% I personally prefer even more. Bruce you are contradicting yourself when you say someone with lower skills should yada, yada,.................................. Actually what they should do is limit their shots to ones that they can place the arrow where it should be not beef up their arrows in hopes when they go past their skill limits the heavy arrow will somehow make a difference. Bad Choice! I've seen guys shooting 500 plus grain arrows that I swear those arrrows got almost sideways a couple of times before they got straightened out and got to the target. Why? Because they were so out of balance, out of spine, and the bow was No way tuned for them either. If this guy was shooting Light arrows they would have gotten the blame for his poor performance. I have nothing against Heavy arrows, and yes it would be better to be a little heavy vs too light, but I do believe there are optimum setups and encourage everyone to experiment around and find yours.;) A good shot is about many things which can be but are Not limited to distance, angle, setup in hand, and the state of the animal. Relaxed?? or wired?? Do Gun hunters use a 458 Mag on Antelope?or Deer? Should he use a 243 on Elk? or Moose? I don't know? I'm not a gun hunter it does notinterest me at all. I guess I just don't like the Boom, and I was shot once in a hunting accident, so when I was about 12 I went to hunting alone and only with a bow. Y'All have Fun finding that perfect setup!! I'm going turkey hunting:D Dan |
RE: Is my arrow really heavy?
Actually I think I said this:
ORIGINAL: brucelanthier I would agree with idahoelkinstructor that bowhunters should err on the side of heavy rather than light. |
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