I was reading the article in here about the importance of finding the balance point on your arrows with your given head or point. It says to measure "to the end not including the insert". I use Axis arrows which have the hidden insert. Do I still measure to the "cut" or not?
And how important is this ultimately? I'm glad to discover I am useing what is described as the propper weighted points/heads (100gr).
But I have taken the time to shoot both 100 and 125 gr points at the range and my bow puts both of them in a "teacup" soze pattern even out to 40 yards! Without any changes or adjustments.
So just how important is it to find your FOC, and use the prescribed weight of point/head?

Old school was 60% of the arrow weight in the first 1/3 of the arrow to get stability and energy to the broadhead to do its job. To get to this 125gr broadheads or up were used.
New school is 60% in the first half of the arrow. Which is very effective with the speed that todays bows can achieve.
Remember the older bows were lucky to break 200 ft/sec. and relied weight and sharp broadheads to get the job done. Because speed wasn't a factor. So to answer your question put your finger in the middle of your arrows with broadhead on and if the broadhead end points down you are OK, if it points to the sky you need a heavier broadhead.
Gselkhunter

Yes,you still measure to the cut.


10% -12% foc is about perfect for everyone for hunting.

Some with high ke and go with a little less foc and some traditional shooters need more for more stability on the heavy arrows but for most, 10%-12% is good.

I don't believe that it's super important that you figure your FOC accurately, just that you keep it high. Keep in mind there is no upper end to what you can shoot. Don't think 10-15%, think 18-20% or even higher.

The FOC becomes important when conditions aren't the best. Arrow stability is needed in wind or when there is a chance to hit grass or small twigs. Some lower FOC setups will shoot okay in ideal conditions, but are far less stable in a stiff breeze. There have been some recent studies by Dr Ashby on extreme FOCs in the 20-30% range. He has found that penetration is substantially greater in these upper ranges. I've been hunting with arrows in the 20% range with my compound and in the 25% range with my longbow. I must say, I will never hunt with lower FOC ranges again. The accuracy of these extreme FOC arrows is simply better in tough conditons than any other I've ever tried.

I've tried to make extreme FOC arrows and it's not easy getting the tip weight as high as I'd like. Take a good heavy hunting arrow and put a 100 gr insert and a 125 grain broadhead and you still will have a tough time getting to 20%. You have to search the traditional hunter's market for heavy broadheads. If you put a lot of weight up front, chances are your arrows will fly great, if you build your arrows to handle that weight. If you try to shoot light weight arrows because someone has convince you that speed is important, then you can expect less consistant results in wind or thicker cover.

When experimenting with FOC, you do need to make sure your arrow spine can handle it. When adding a lot of weight to the tip (like a 100 grain insert), you will probably have to switch arrows, or cut the length down. You could also reduce draw weight to get your dynamic spine proper for your setup. Going from a 100 grain tip to a 125 doesn't affect much. It also doesn't change FOC all that much, unless your shooting a very light arrow.

In my opinion, every hunter owes it to themselves to take some game with extreme FOC arrows so they can see the advantages for themselves.

Now that's what I'm talkin' about~!
Good info all . . .

Thanks much.