stuckinLA

This is a bit long, so bare with me.

I recently picked up an arrow scale and am just beginning to get into achieving optimal weights for my arrows. I'm embarrassed to say it, but I never paid any attention to it before. I just picked a shart from the sizing chart and went with it.
Anyway, I read an article by Bill Winke, where he said the optimal weight should be between 6.5 and 7 grains per pound of maximum draw weight. I draw 65 lbs, so that would put me in the 422-455 range.
I weighed my arrows last night and they are 480 grains, about 25 grains over the recommended weight. I also usually put wraps on my hunting arrows, so this will add a bit as well.

a) Is this no big deal?
b) If it is, what is the best remedy?

My first thought is to change arrows. I'm currently shooting a 28 1/4" Easton 2314. The Easton chart also lists 2216 and 2412 as acceptable selections for my draw/weight combo.

My second thought was to use an 85 grain head instead of a 100 grain, but in the same article Winke says that your broadhead should weigh roughly 1/3 as much as the shaft. This is 100 grains for me.

Sorry for the long winded question. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Straightarrow

Optimal for what? If he didn't quantify the answer, I disagree with it. Ashby would say that 650 is the minimum you should be shooting and I tend to agree with him because of his vast amount of experience and knowledge on what it takes to make a kill with a borderline hit. If your talking about silent shooting, then heavier is also better. If you're referring to penetration, then heavier is better.

So, why does he say 6.5 - 7 grains per lb is better? If he's saying that it's better than 5 grains per pound, then I agree. If he's saying that it's better than 8 grains per lb, then I disagree.

Whatever you do, don't lower arrow weight, without a real good reason. This is especially true if you've taken the time to get the perfect arrow spine match with your setup.

Roskoe

I wouldn't change anything. An extra 30 or 40 grains in weight isn't going to flatten out the trajectory very much at all. And it adds to the penetration potential of the arrow.

stuckinLA

Thanks for the input! Sounds like I'm ok where I'm at.

For what it's worth, Winke was saying that range is a good compromise between speed, penetration and noise. Here's his exact comment:

Lightweight arrows produce a flatter trajectory, making distance estimation not quite as critical. Onthe downside, they absorb less of the bow's energy (so they don't penetrate as well) and they make the bow noisier. The best compromise between speed, penetration and noise is an arrow that weighs between 6.5 and 7 grains per pound of maximum draw weight. In other words, if you shoot a 60-pound bow, your finished arrow, complete with broadhead, should weigh between 390 and 420 grains.

ArrowMike

I don’t know who Bill Winke is but it just goes to show, that if you give a guy a computer or a pen he can write any thing he wants.

jamaltwy

for target shooting i shoot @65 lbs for hunting i'm 2 70lbs..... i still shoot a 100 grain head but my hunting arrows are spined @ 8.2or 8.9 i can't remember my targets arrows are 7.9 i think maybe 7.5 flatter faster for 3-d more punch power for hunting

stuckinLA

You must not read any hunting magazines. He writes for quite a few of them including Peterson's Bowhunting, North American Whitetail, American Hunter and a bunch others. He even writes a forum for this very site. I usually get a lot of good info from his articles which is why I was curious about this one. Is he really THAT off base? Honest question. Like I said, I'm green with this stuff.

treboryerf

You'll fine where you'r at.If your bow is shooting these arrows good then you don't need to lighten them unless you want more speed and thats a whole new arguement.

badger109

I'd say thats what he prefers to shoot. He must like the compromise between flatter trajectory and k/e at that weight. But it's all about shot placement anyway.

Straightarrow

His point of view is one that I disagree with totally. That said, there are many that say to go even lighter. You will get many differing views among bowhunters. It may take awhile to figure out what you think will work best.

There has only been one person who has extensively studied big game kills and the mechanics of what works best- especially when the hit is in a less than ideal spot (which everyone is prone to - everyone!). I highly recommend reading his studies, which can be found here. Be prepared for a lot of reading. He's been studying and writing about this for many years. At least you'll have the perspective of a guy I consider one of, if not the only, true expert on arrow dynamics when hitting flesh and bone. http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum;f=24