Too funny Silent. You're alright by me so I'll just settle for the ping pong ball.

Art, assuming a behind the nock straight down the pipe mechanical release (which is what I bet 90%+ of the posters here are using), you seem to be making a case for using the stiffest shaft you can find that suits your weight requirement.

Theoretically, the stiffer spine will stabilize much quicker and receive/retain more energy, maximizing it's penetration capability.

That's the way I've always understood it after reading it at Bob Ragsdale's site years ago...

Yup! I reckon I am. [8D] At least, with a release-shot compound. With the huge range of adjustments a compound has, and the straight forward mechanical release, you can tune it to shoot a slightly stiff arrow.

With a recurve or longbow, the bow pretty much dictates what arrow stiffness it wants to shoot for you. Go too light in spine and accuracy sucks. Go too stiff though, and you also get horrible accuracy. Finding the right arrow for a stickbow is 90% of the tuning chore and the charts are very little help.

Same applies to a fingers-shot compound, though not nearly to the same level as stickbows. Even a recurve setup with a berger button and flipper rest gives some adjustability and leeway in spine selection.

lol.....I guess I should proofread I meant would you rather be hit. I changed it so no one else would think that I was advocating that they should throw a baseball at me

Well, silent, I have to admit the thought cross MY mind a time or two.[>:][8D]

One thing about momentum........the lighter faster arrow will also slow down faster than a heavier arrow. At what range, I don't know. Thats not to say that the heavier arrow will become equal in speed, but that the lighter arrow will lose more energy and therefore momentum the farther it flies. Of course we know that the heavier arrow will not travel as far also.

We need a physics genius.

Arthur, truth be known, you were probably picturing a pitching machine

There was a very interesting article done in Bowhunter a couple of years ago. It was a test of mass and speed at different ranges. Basically, it tested what you are talking about Coug. Arrows of different mass, and how fast they were at differnt ranges. I think I remember the results were actually pretty flat as far as losses at normal archery ranges, say under 50 yards, but I am not sure. It also looked at vanes vs feathers, so it took the whole resistance and drag thing into the mix. I will see if I can find it, seems like it will have some good info for the direction this discussion has gone. It was a great read anyway.

JMAC