Rack-attack

If a 350 grn arrow and a 600 grn arrow travel at the same speed all the way to the target they will drop the same exact amount.

The ONLY thing that changes tragectory - bullet or arrow is the time it takes to get to the target.

PatapscoMike

I think we all recongize this, which is why we are talking about speed. Time to target is a function of speed, which is what we are talking about. An arrow (or anything else for that matter) begins to loose speed immediately after leaving the string, of course, but a heavier arrow loses speed more slowly.

Arthur P

Only if they are shot in a vacuum. When you factor in wind resistance, the 350 grain arrow will slow down much faster than the 600 grn arrow, simply because it doesn't have nearly the energy or momentum to fight thru the wind resistance like the 600 grn arrow does.

On the ballistics program, a 600 gn arrow and a 350 gn arrow, both at 300 fps: At 60 yards, the 600 gn arrow is still doing 283 fps and drops 75". The 350 gn arrow is doing 271 fps and drops 81".

That is assuming the arrows are shot flat, parallel with the ground and off a cliff.

Trajectory: assuming both arrows are sighted in at 60 yards. The 350 gn arrow would peak at 22" and be 20" low at 70 yards. The 600 gn arrow would peak at 20" and be 15" low at 70 yards. The 600 gn arrow would match the 350 gn arrow's trajectory only when it's speed is nocked down to 280 fps.

Of course, comparing a 600 gn arrow and a 350 gn arrow at the same speed is absurd, but it illustrates the point. You've got to consider wind resistance and how the reduced energy/momentum levels of lighter arrows inhibits their ability to cut through the air on the way to the target! And how much of their energy they use up just getting to the target.

Rack-attack

yes I agree - just seeing if we are all on the same page.........

Sometimes you guys are real slooooooooow..................


[8D]

TFOX

Well Arthur you know this is my kind of discussion but I'll be honest,I havn't read all the responses yet BUT.HAs anyone considered arrow types.ACC' s shoot flatter than an equally weighted all carbon arrow and an ACE shootes flatter than an ACC so we must consider the arrow composition. and the way it is built.(vanes,feathers,short fletch,long fletch etc)EDIT actually arrow diameter plays the biggest role in why certain arrows shoot flatter and what I meant to say was that ACC's shoot flatter than aluminum arrows of the same weight and ACE's do shoot flatter than ACC's because of the small barraled shaft.


This discussion/argument goes so far beyond heavy verses light that it just isn't funny.


I quess you can say that I totally disagree with the original post.

zak123

How very true. Take a golf ball and a crumbled piece of paper and drop them at the same time. Try a baseball, a bowling ball, or your car. They will all drop the same.

Leverdude

Firing it level removes launch angle from the equation I'd think. I guess if you knew that the highest point in your trajectory was, say 3" above your line of sight then you could try & toss one bullet 3" high as you shoot the other & it would work. Just seems like too much trouble.

That BS behind me, I think your absolutely correct in that air has a very big effect on trajectory & that at longer distances a heavier projectile can overcome the trajectory advantages of a lighter faster one. But theres so many variables in archery that it makes my head hurt sometimes. I would think fletching would have alot to do with retained velocity. I like feathers because theyre lighter & my broadheads fly better with them.
That said theres no doubt in my mind that they drop faster at longer ranges than the same arrows with vanes, its not much but its there.

Theres much more to this archery thing I'm finding out, than just buying a bow & going hunting.

dwaasp

Inertia, gravity & drag are the main forces on a moving arrow after it leaves the Bow. The drag & how the drag may change down range ( balance) is about all we have control over. I do not know why ballistics, would be dissimilar to other moving objects.

Bigpapascout

wolf killer
the speed of the arrow determines how much KE the arrow will carry
the configuration of the fletching determines how much down range speed is lost or retained

it is getting redundant but shooting a 260 GN arrow with blazer vanes out of my bow traveling traveling at the rate 355 FPS off the string is carrying 73 foot pounds of KE, at 60 yards the arrow is still traveling 306 FPS and still carrying 54 foot pounds of KE and has dropped 60"

shooting one of my old hunting arrows which weighs 436 GN with 4" feathers out of the same bow is traveling at 278 FPS off the string and is carrying 75 Foot pounds of KE at 60 yards the arrow is traveling at 227 and carrying 50 foot pounds of KE and has dropped 109"

I dont think you have considered all of the variables before making your surmise.

Arthur P

How in the world is it that the 436 gn arrow lost 33.3% of it's energy while the 260 gn arrow only lost 26%. Even accounting for the extra drag of 4" feathers in standard configuration vs 2" vanes that's not possible! Was it 4-fletched in an extreme helical or what?

I want to hear the variables you left out.