Do i really need a heavy arrow?....

[Bill Tell]

Well here is my thoughts.  I will always shoot a heavy arrow for a couple of reasons.

Unlike a bullet there is no increase in wasted meat because of excess shock to the meat.  So I believe you can never have too much penetration potential.  A heavy arrow will give you more potential.

Heavy arrows are quiet out of bows.

If I want to shoot a moose, a grizzly, a white tail, or a rabbit I use the same arrow.  I don't have to have 4 sets of arrows.  I always will shoot the same way no matter what I am hunting.  I don't have to moose hunt practice or rabbit practice all of my practice is relevant to now matter what I am hunting.

[Dave Bulla]

Well, this one has gotten borderline nasty eh?  Guess I'll throw my hat in the ring and see if I help or hurt things....

Couple points, An arrow that is heavy in one bow will be light in a heavier bow.  

A grain weight that is medium to heavy out of a strong bow will be grossly heavy in a light bow.  

The better shot you are, the less you need to rely on a heavy arrow to compensate for a chance misplaced shot.

It's all about moderation even if you are talking about how heavy you should go.  I say, moderately heavy for the DRAW WEIGHT OF THE BOW.  

A 400 grain arrow from a 40 pound bow is (to my mind) moderately heavy at ten grains per pound.  If shooting 8 grains per pound, that is the low end of heavy.  500 grains would be borderline too heavy as it would start affecting performance.  Sure it would hit hard and penetrate well if properly tuned but trajectory suffers.  Of course, the standard response is that "if you are hunting with a light bow, use heavy arrows and keep your shots under 15 yards."  (Or something similar.  We've seen versions of that line thousands of times here.)  But honestly, as George, Jason and others have said, that 8 grain/pound arrow will shoot through pretty much any deer out there.  The trajectory will be pretty much the same from a 40 pound bow as a 60 pounder if the grains per pound are the same.  Honestly, shooting 60, 70 or 90 pound bows for deer is like using a .300 win mag or .416 rigby rifle.  Overkill plain and simple.  Then too, do guys who shoot those heavy weights need to shoot the heaviest arrows they can out of their bows?  Nope.

Not nocking heavy bows, I shoot a tad over 60 and don't consider it heavy, just comfortable and I'm confident of a pass through on any deer I shoot but what about someone like my 13 year old daughter?  She'll be shooting a 40# recurve and I'll go with the heaviest arrow that will fly well.  I expect that will be around the 10 or 11 grain/pound range but I'll test it with lighter arrows front loaded to make the weight I want and see what FLYS best.  Honestly, for her, I'd probably go with an extra heavy and tell her to keep her shots in close (remember that line above?...)  But, if she was able to hit a tennis ball regular out to 20 yards, the lighter(medium heavy), faster arrow that still flies well would be the more efficient choice.  Not more efficient by penetration standards but by accuracy, trajectory and distance standards.  Sure it wouldn't be the BEST penetrator but it would be more than efficient enough to shoot through a deer if properly placed.

[George D. Stout]

Jason, history or personal experience...even extensive personal experience, means nothing to some folks.  It's really a wonder we ever killed anything before these newborn traditional bowhunters came aboard to save us  

[LATradHunter]

i didnt know this was such a controversial topic. Thanks for the replies!      Its great how many viewpoints can all come together and give advice, each good in its own way one this site.

[Buckeye Trad Hunter]

Did anyone mention that the most important thing is that the arrow be heavy enough to absorb the energy of the bow so it doesn't damage the bow when you shoot?  Which is a fact.  Aside from that I pretty much agree with Dave which is just my opinion.

[Jason Jelinek]

I think if you wait for the ideal shot opportunity (1), make an accurate shot (2) and the deer doesn't move (3), the 400-450 grain arrow with just about any sharp broadhead should work fine for whitetails.

In my experience, I can wait for the ideal shot opportunity.  I'm not perfect so I'm apt to blow even easy shots once in a while and deer have moved even when they appeared calm before.  Personally, I'm going to get as good of an arrow for penetration as I can so when #2 and #3 don't go right, I have a better chance of things going my way.

Jason

[Big_Al]

The way I understand it, Fred Bear's theory was get as close to 10 grains per pound as you can, and don't stray 10% either way.  For example, if you had a 50# bow, his ideal arrow weight would be 500 grains, and anything from 450 to 550 grains would be acceptable.  

This year I have been hunting with two bows, 43# and 45#, and my hunting arrows average 440 grains +/-.  It gives me good cast out to around 25 yards and plenty of penetration.  

It seems to me like 10 grains per pound is a "happy medium".  11-12 GPP+ arrows will definitely penetrate better, but it seems to me that when you're trying to shoot instinctively it's a lot harder to judge "arrow drop" around the 20 yard mark.  I think you have to have a combination of adequate speed and sufficient arrow weight for optimal results.

When we shoot 3-D, I shoot different arrows, around the 8.5-9 GPP mark, but I'm not concerned with penetration when it's 3-D time.

[George D. Stout]

Big Al....the 11/12gpp will only penetrate better if they are flying perfectly and are of same diameter with same head.  I personally use arrows around 9 to 10 grains per pound, but I've seen what the small diameter shafts will do even at lighter weights.   There are too many variables to throw a blanket over one factor.

[Big_Al]

George, I agree with ya on that one.  Those heavier Axis-style HIT shafts penetrate like nobody's business.  But when it comes to a deer's boiler room, I think what's really being debated is "how far do you want your arrow to stick in the dirt on the exit side, 4 inches or 8 inches?"  ;-) JMHO, of course.

[George D. Stout]

I agree with you partner.  And, even being an extremely ol phart in this sport, I still learn something new all the time.  Gotta' love that.

[trashwood]

if you take the penetration factor out of the question "do i need a heavy arrow", there are reasons to shoot a heavy arrow.  for yrs I hunted with 65 to 70 pound HH big fives.  I used hickory arrows which gave me arrows in the 700 gr range.  I didn't do it for penetration per se but that was the trajectory burned in my instinctive groove.  first shot accruacy is the most important thing there is in bowhunting.  your instinctive groove is based on arrows speed assuming ya don't change your anchor and draw length.  even today if I get an arrow in the 160 to `170 fps i fall right back into my instinctive groove........

rusty