Last few years been shooting lighter arrows for hunting, no problems really but I' ve went full circle. While carbons are available in heavier models now, I truly believe my old tried and true heavier set up is best, at least for me. I have gone from 2219s to 2216s to 2213s to carbons that are comparable in weight to 2213s.

Me thinks its time to go back to 2216s or 2315s, quite possibly the Easton A/C Kinetics. Why?

(1) PENETRATION and harder hitting, bow quieting power!
(2) Most of my shots at whitetail deer are 20 yards or less
(3) Even taking longer shots, the heavier arrow will slow down less than the lighter faster arrow
(4)My bow is fast enough that I can still use one or two pins for hunting
(5)Heck, even Easton' s website acknowleges this as follows:

In their shaft selection guidelines, one line strikes me.........heavier weights for excellent durability and penetration.

Funny thing is............I knew that![]

I hope those all weren' t at the same poundage.[]

I know what you' re saying.... but to me, just hunting whitetails, any of them will do. My ICS hunters have shot through a lot of deer in the past 3 or 4 years. I think even FURTHER through, with more zip than my old 2314s with the 125 thunderheads. I still shoot the 125 thunderheads but my arrow is 100 grains lighter. Depends on your tune, speed, weight etc...... but they all work. I do like the fact that the arrows maintain their straightness a whole lot better than the XX78s did. It' s not like we' re shooting an 80 yards NFAA target. Most of our shots are around 20-25 yards. What does it matter unless you have low K.E. etc. I' m pulling 8 less pounds, shooting faster, shooting much more confidently and think any deer I draw on out to 30 or 35 yards is about to die.

It' s all about doing what' s best for you personally. If going back to a heavier aluminum arrow is what you want to do and you' ve had success with it in the past, go with it.

I' ve been shooting 2315' s for a few years now and have been extremely happy with their performance. Until I see a reason to change I' ll be sticking with these.

My buddy swears by his big meaty aluminum baseball bat arrows. Likes the knock down power he says. I am shooting carbons and my bow is really quick and honestly don' t see the advantage of having " knock down power" . I mean, we aren' t shooting buffalo. So I ask you, what' s with this knock down power if you have a sharp broadhead that will go clean through a deer? Not being a smarty, just wondering why you prefer the heavier arrow. Heck, maybe you can answer your own question by answering mine.

David, I shot 2219s at 70 lbs. using fingers years ago. Went down to 65 lbs. using the 2216s(one of my favorite all time shafts), then played around with 2213s. Currently shooting Easton Carbon Evolution 400s, which are very comparable in weight to the 2213s but with more spine of course.

Badshotbob, although I get passthroughs more often than not, I honestly believe I do not get the same punch with the lighter arrows. 60 grains or so will not make me lose much speed, but gives me added punch on a less than perfect shot, one that may encounter bone. Plus, Limbsavers notwithstanding, shooting heavier arrows makes my bow setup quieter.

I really like the looks of the Easton A/C kinetics......heavier than most if not all carbons, and containing an aluminum core.

Cougar Mag, if you go 60 grains heavier on arrow weight, you' ll likely sacrifice 12 fps in speed. At 20 yards, that would make the heavier arrow hit the target about 1/100' th of a second later and you' d have to adjust your sight pin to compensate for the arrow hitting maybe a whole 1/32" lower! Do you think you can stand giving up that much just for a quieter bow and a bit more punch???



Good call, IMO.[8D]

Art,
Actually Cougar adding 60grs will likely take a bit more speed than that......
I' ve been doing a lot of informal testing of arrow speeds with respect to heavy and light shafts, and most of today' s hard single cam bows lose about 1fps for every 2.5grs of arrow weight added.......that would mean he' d lose about 24-25fps for that 60gr increase on his Martin.
Some of the real hard duals are closer to 1fps for every 3grs +/-. but most likely his set-up is closer to double what you said.......doesn' t really mean a hill of beans at 20 yards but I thought I' d throw it out there.

For example my Patriot Dually which is a rocket of a bow shot a 474gr arrow at 289fps......a 374gr arrow at 319fps. That' s a 30fps difference for a 100gr increase. 1fps for every 3grs.

I think the good mid-weight carbons and A/C/C' s are nice alternative to the more fragile aluminum equivalent. (Although the A/C/C' s are a bit expensive of course they have proven cheaper in the long run for me just because of how much more abuse they will take Vs. Alum.....I actually killed 5 deer with the same shaft) The new Easton Axis arrows should be interesting......they sound sort of like an all carbon alternative to a shaft similar to the A/C Kinetics in weight.

Matt, maybe I read Easton wrong, but according to the info I have, the axis is light...way too light for me. Also, losing some speed is not important to me Matt. Its very neglible during a shot. I am looking at the A/C Kinetic because of the 11.04 grains per inch in the recommended shaft at my draw length and weight. At 320 grains bare, I will not lose much speed, but should gain some punch and accuracy because of the straighter tolerances over plain carbons. Plus the durability.......

Arthur, yes I think I can stand it.

Coug,
I figured that you would probably be in the Axis 340 range......these are 9.53grs. inch, which is actually a fairly heavy carbon shaft.
(The 300 is 10grs +)
Without point of your choice (say 100grs) or vanes/feathers with the Axis 340 at 29" you would be looking at a 301gr shaft. Finished arrow weight would probably be around 420grs +/-. To some that might seem light, but I think that 420-450 gr arrow weight provides a real nice blend of speed and energy. Not too light, not too heavy for whitetails.
What finished arrow weight are you looking for?

If you really want heavier than that in an all carbon , the CE Terminator Hunter Selects 6075' s are a SUPER tough shaft, and come in at around 11grs/inch.
Finished arrow weights will usually be 475grs+. A real nice shaft if you can get past the " Made in Korea" stamp.[:' (]

Okay, Matt. A little recomputation based on your findings...

The heavier arrow will hit 22/1,000ths of a second later and maybe hit 3/32" lower.

You' re right! It don' t amount to a hill o' beans!

Thanks for the info though. Interesting. I knew ' they' were specifically designing cams to fling lighter arrows more efficiently, but didn' t realize they' re ruining efficiency with heavier arrows at the same time![][:' (]

Coug, also look at the carbon/glass composite arrows. I' ve become especially fond of some Carbon Express Terminator Selects that JeffB sent me. In size 6075, they run 10.7 grains per inch for the black, and 12 grains per inch for the camo Hunters. Quite reasonably priced as well.

LOL, Matt, you were posting whilst I was typing. Ya beat me to the recommendation on the Terminators.