At what point does an arrow get too heavy GPP wise

[Ari_Bonn]

I've always  been a fan of heavy  arrows   I'm comfortable around the 11-11.5gpp mark.   At 30 yards they don't dip all too much.   I  would like to get some of those hard rock maples from forester shafts  for   strength reasons  but  Im  abit concerned about   the  flight as  it would push my gpp to  12.5-13.   As I understand  the numbers just line up  best for momentum and ke  at around 10-11.   Im  shooting a   two tracks echo   I know it  responds to  heavy arrows well but in still worried.

[trad_bowhunter1965]

I am running about 12 to 13 grains per-pound I like it bows quite.

[Orion]

I generally shoot 11-12 gpp out of my ASLs, but have no problem going to 14 gpp.  Above that is heavier than i want to go.

[Sam McMichael]

When the weight reaches a point that you no longer like the performance, so there will be a wide range of opinions. I like a rather "normal" weight of about 10 GPP. I hunt mainly white tail deer, so the extra penetration factor of a heavy arrow is not as acute for me as it might be for somebody hunting big boned tough game.

[Jim Wright]

It depends a bit on bow type. Recurves tend to bog down a bit more than d/r longbows and even more than "Hill Style" bows. I shoot Dan Toelke's Super Ds and like arrows 12--12 1/2 to 1, they are extremely quiet with plenty of zip. Did I mention they are quiet?

[Bisch]

An arrow gets too heavy when the archer can’t cope with the amount of drop to aim well. That weight is different for different folks!!!

Bisch

[Silent footed]

Shoot the heaviest arrow that provides a trajectory that you are still comfortable with. 13gpp is not bad. Here's a few tidbits to convince you.

A heavier arrow stores more of the bow's energy and carries it to the game. Some evidence of that is in its noise and handshock reduction, and the greater depth at which it penetrates a target.

Through extensive penetration tests, Dr. Ashby concluded that you should shoot a minimum arrow weight of 650 grains for big game (out of any bow), and that you should, also, shoot as much additional weight to 650gr that you can manage and still be comfortable with the trajectory. (He is saying the more, the better).

THE ABOVE IMPLIES THAT SOME LIGHTER BOWS SHOULD HAVE A GOOD DEAL MORE THAN 10 GPP to meet this requirement: in fact, Ashby was able to design an arrow that (through astonishingly many trials) punched through a cape buffalo rib with a 40 lb bear recurve (this arrow was certainly more than 10 gpi).

There is no reason to be concerned about loss of speed with heavy arrows: since the speed of sound is nearly 4x as fast as the fastest bow, one need not be concerned at all about loss of arrow speed associated with heavier arrows, since animals can easily jump the string on the fastest bows (you should just always select your shots on fully relaxed, unaware animals and forget about arrow speed).

For myself, as a split vision archer, I have noticed that I shoot better with a heavier arrow because:

A) it reduces my point on distance to about 35 yards, and makes shots at the back of my hunting range remarkably easy.

B) even though my accuracy may be better on larger game with a flatter arrow, it is worse on small game: I will certainly be able to hit a football at 10, 15, and 20 yards by shooting basically the same way each time, but I cannot discern the mere inches to raise or lower for a squirrel's head occuring at these distances because I am just not able to adjust for inches with an arrow tip in my peripheral vision. So there is psychological advantage.