Killer_Primate

Hello everyone! I’ve been away for some time. It’s been a rough couple of years for me (pretty bad car accident and surgeries and then a pretty significant heart attack, at age 37…) but I’m getting back into it, and doing pretty well now.

Before my luck went down hill I’d just purchased a new bow at 70lbs and I have a pretty short draw length. My arrows are cut to 28” at 1” over my biscuit (I also have a NAP drop away but prefer the biscuit).
I’d purchased 6075 arrows (since that is what “the chart” said I needed). Bare shaft testing, and broad head/field point testing indicated that I needed to either lower my draw weight or increase my point weight. Having an already slow bow, I opted to increase the tip weight to 125 grains, which for the most part did the trick. This is when my luck when down hill and I took and extended break…
Where I am now;
At twenty yards my bare shaft and fletched shafts are dead on. My field tips and broad heads are dead on to thirty yards. My issue is that I’m not shooting that great at 40 yards. I can hit the vitals every time (with field points and broad heads (slick trick)), but if the vitals were any smaller I’d be missing for sure. I’m thinking that adding any hunting pressure, forty yards is probably too far out for me right now. I would like to be able to shoot out to forty though, which is why I’m looking for some help. Part of me feels that this is the price you pay for such a short axle (and inexpensive) bow (30” axle to axle Fred Bear Lights out model). On the other hand, I’m wondering if since I’m cutting my arrows down so short if maybe I can lower my arrow weight (4560?) and point weight (100 grains?) to pick up some speed and maybe get some better groups at forty.
What do you think?
Also, do any of you know of any graph or matrix that takes arrow length into account?

Thanks in advance.

Sam

Ancient Archer

It seems to me that your bow is tuned adequately and that flaws in your form are not showing up at the 20 & 30 yd ranges. However, hitting the vitals (barely) at 40 yds, suggests that the form flaws are kicking in. Frankly, I wouldn't change anything in your setup. Instead I would focus on form. Shooting at longer distances really magnifies form errors. There is always the tendency to change equipment rather than focus on the Indian.

Stay with it, you'll do just fine. Once you get the 40 yd range to your satisfaction, you'll find the 30 & 20 yds a piece of cake.Then you can work on 60 yds.

Killer_Primate

I appreciate your inputs. Kind of embarrassed to say, but I didn’t even think of it being me, and with an extended break, it would make fairly reasonable sense that my form would be in need of some exercise to say the least.
Thanks

TFOX

With all you have been through,I suspect a drop in weight is in order.No shame in dropping poundage,hell my son got his first bowkill last season with a 40# bow at 23" draw.Shot through the deer and stuck the arrow in a tree. ( http://huntingnet.com/forum/bowhunti...-part-2-a.html ) I hunted 2 seasons ago at 53# due to shoulder issues,that had actually gotten better when the season arrived but I liked the setup as is so I changed nothing.Killed my best buck that season.I am only at 59# now.


Never shoot a lower spine for speed purposes,only shoot a lower spine for accuracy and tuning purposes.The accuracy will not improve with the lighter spine,it could get worse.


I would say your shot execution as well as hold is suffering.

What is the pin doing at 40 yards? Is it floating on the spot or weaving across it? If it is floating on the spot,you are punching the shot off and not squeezing it off.I prefer back tension but hunting sometimes requires a little more command but it MUST be a squeeze.


OH,and lowering poundage or increasing point weight are 2 OPPOSITE reactions.

Lowering draw weight will STIFFEN dynamic spine and increasing point weight will WEAKEN dynamic spine.I have personally never seen a situation where changing point weight within normal parameters made a difference with broadheads.