5 grains per inch?
 

Bow manufacturers recomend 5 grains per inch / at 70 lbs would be 350 grains.
Does this include vanes, nocks, inserts, heads, ect.
I shoot much heavier and won't change but I was just curious.

RE: 5 grains per inch?
 

Yep, total weight.

Fritz

RE: 5 grains per inch?
 

That is the IBO standard. It is fine to shoot lighter arrows, but not too light.

RE: 5 grains per inch?
 

I disagrree with Zak123 here...5 grains/inch is already bordering on too light IMO. My PSE bow for example says the lightest arrow taht should go through it is 360grains, and the bow is a 60# draw. I would reccomend staying around 400 grains at the lighter end.

RE: 5 grains per inch?
 

I don't want to start a fight here but I do have a PSE bow and the sticker says 360 lbs also. I took it to the bow shop and they said, "That is the IBO standard. You won't find much heavier arrows arround here to match that with your draw length."

Also a pro archer shoots super light arrows, around 250 grains, out of his 63 pound bow. I brought my 325 and 369 grain arrows over there and he goes, " Geez, these are heavy."

I would believe the bow shop and a pro archer mainly because I have been using arrows under 360 grains.;)

RE: 5 grains per inch?
 

i would stick around 400gr for hunting, but i also have to agree with zak if your going to be target shooting you can go with lighter arrows, but yes ibo standards are 5 grains/inch

RE: 5 grains per inch?
 

Dave, the manufacturers don't "recommend 5 grains per inch". However, most will void your warranty if you shoot less then that. I'm quite sure that all manufacturers hope you shoot a heavier arrow. Heavier means less vibration, less noise, longer life for the limb, riser, accessories and string. Overall the shooting experience is more pleasant with heavier arrows and it's easier on the bow. Heavier arrows also transfer more of the bow's potential energy to the arrow. Hunters like this.

The only benefit I can think of, for light arrows, is increased speed. Increase speed can be a small benefit with 3D and some hunting situations, if you can retain the same accuracy level, and that's a big "IF".

RE: 5 grains per inch?
 

Maybe I am missing something here but there is a significant difference between "5 grains per inch" and "5 grains per pound". The IBO "standard" that everyone has been going by was 5 grains per pound of draw weight which it sounds like everyone has been discussing here.

However, High Country and their carbon arrows are touting "5 grains per inch" in their advertising slogans. 5 grains per inch of arrow length is significantly less than 5 grains per pound of arrow weight. A 30 inch shaft would weigh 150 grains. Throw in a 100 grain point, some four inch vanes, insert, nock, etc... would be less than 350 grains.

Take a good look at that "High Grade Carbon" advertisement and look at their total arrow weights in comparison to some of the other carbons on the market and you will see what I am referring to.

RE: 5 grains per inch?
 

:D:D
That's one heavy bow Zak!! :)

PABowhntr is right...What I meant to say was not to go under the IBO minimum, which in the case of my bow is 6grains per pound of draw weight. Sure you can shoot lighter, and you'll find 3d shooters doing this, but you're more likely to wear your bow out with all the excess vibration you'll get. I have a short draw lenght, and if I went with 5 grains/inch I'd be shooting nearly a 250g arrow! Yikes... (~26.5 draw).

RE: 5 grains per inch?
 

I'm confused.:D I meant 5 grains per pound of pull for IBO standards and I have a 360 min grain arrow for my bow for IBO.;)

RE: 5 grains per inch?
 

LOL :D We're all confused other than PABowhntr :D

RE: 5 grains per inch?
 

Although I have not shot IBO for a few years, that "standard" everyone is referring to is actually the minimum allowed under IBO rules correct? At least that is the way it was when I last shot.

To "tweak" another point.......I sure hope bowhunters don't mistake that for acceptable bowhunting arrow weight, because in my opinion shooting at 3Ds and hunting are different.;)

RE: 5 grains per inch?
 

I think something that should definitely be figured into the equation is draw length. I don't think a low arrow weight/pound of draw figure hurts a short draw length archer's equipment nearly as much as a long armer. I don't think as much energy is being generated and transferred to the arrow with the shorter draw length as with a longer one. Hence the much lower speeds when 2 70 lb bows are compared. That is obvious to everyone I'm sure. I shoot just above 5 grains per pound and have a 26" gator-arm draw. There is no vibration or hand shock that I could tell. Just something to consider. I am not sure where the cut off in draw length is to start being concerned about grains per inch, but I would suspect it to be true at 29" and above. That is just a gut feeling, though.

RE: 5 grains per inch?
 

Ya beat me to it PA... I was reading down the posts and asking myself... what's wrong with these people.;) ANYWAY, with our 5 grains per pound you're still shooting an awfully light arrow for my way of thinking. You put more stress on the equipment, it's louder etc etc. I don't care what the "PROS" are shooting. The bow they get is NOT the bow you buy. AND.. if it breaks... no big deal, they have a couple back ups and a factory at their beck and call for emergency service or another bow. They also tinker and change strings and cables more than most of us change underwear. Things don't get a chance to take a beating.

RE: 5 grains per inch?
 

If that is true then they have about 4 days to change when it comes to my spree. :D:D:D Sorry couldn't pass that up.

RE: 5 grains per inch?
 

Pa and David finally got me to see whatI hoped was supposed to be the question and appropraite answers. I'd like to clarify a couple things though. % grains per pound is the IBO minimum ( with a few minor adjustments. 6 Grains per pound is what most manufacturers state you must use to not violate warranty requirements. It's also true that they arrive at IBO rated speeds using nothing on the string and using 30" draw, 70#, and 350gr arrow. Now we have to consider that if you put things on the string (kisser, peep, string silencers, etc) that these things could be considered as part of the required weight needed to have that 6gr/lb. This means that your arrow does not necessarily have to weigh that much. Those other components are on the string and are there for every shot.
Also shorter draw persons and lower weights do not put as much stress on the bow or rigging and those persons can often times shoot a lighter arrow that "recommended" so as to gain some speed.

RE: 5 grains per inch?
 

The bottom line is, 5 gpp is the IBO standard. Shoot below that and the majority of bow manufacturers will void the warranty. String add-ons don't factor into the equation, other than resultant speed. For hunting, 5 gpp is very (too) light, IMO. For 3D, many shoot at, or near, 5 gpp. I doubt many, if any, shoot that light indoors. As stated above, a heavier arrow does allot to help quiet a bow.

RE: 5 grains per inch?
 

Pet Peeve Time!

IBO DOES NOT HAVE A STANDARD!

IBO has tournament rules. They enacted a minimum arrow weight/maximum draw weight rules because people were blowing up bows and hurting themselves and others trying to get flat trajectory and gain a scoring edge on unmarked yardages by shooting insanely light arrows out of insanely heavy draw weight bows.

It's the shooters that started this IBO rating BS, which is nothing more than a way to figure out what speeds they could get with an 'IBO legal' setup. Manufacturers picked up on it and started advertising 'IBO ratings', even though IBO has NEVER established any criteria for such ratings, nor have they ever even authorized the use of their name in such advertising.

People started wanting manufacturers to warranty their bows for arrows at 5 grains per pound, and now most do. But they charge extra for it because they know they'll be replacing more bows.

Here's how the whole 'IBO rating' thing came about. An IBO rating should be taken with a 400 grain arrow at 80 pounds draw. That is the minimum arrow weight for the maximum draw weight allowed under the rules. Oh, but there are too many wimps that can't draw 80 pounds, so lets settle for 350 grains at 70 pounds. But there is no draw length specified in IBO's tournament rules, so what do you do? Short answer was they stole the 30" standard from the AMO rating.

You could just as easily shoot a 200 grain arrow from a 40 pound bow and call it an IBO rating.

There is an AMO chart on www.bowjackson.com that lists minimum recommended arrow weights, taking draw weight, draw length and cam type into account. It is minimum arrow weights for shooter safety, not hunting arrow recommendations.

RE: 5 grains per inch?
 

Nice Job Arthur and right on the money. Though it is generally accepted that the IBO "rule" is a 70 lb draw weight, 30 inch draw length shooting a 350 grain arrow there is still ways "around the rule" to get a bit more speed. For example, I have heard that some manufacturers would take a 31 inch draw length bow and just draw it back to 30 inches (more energy stored than a true 30 inch draw bow) and thus arrive at their version of the IBO speed rating.

RE: 5 grains per inch?
 

I shoot a High Country bow that has been shortened to my 26" length. Even with the bow cranked up, I can only shoot 63 pounds. I have been shooting 315 grain arrows(with broadheads) with no problem and no real noticeable increase in noise or vibrations. Of course, I have all of the goodies on it. I shoot about 273 fps.

I saw an ad the other day for super-light carbon arrows in the 235 grain range that were meant to be shot from 70 pound bows.
That should increase arrow speed a bunch.

Good luck!