How do you figure out what grain broadhead to shoot

[Ronal Ollis]

I'm just getting in to traditional archery and I plan on spring turkey hunting this year with a recurve and from what I have been told you need a big broadhead so I am going with a 160 grain snuffer I like the three blade for turkey.  But when deer season rolls around this fall I was going to shoot the 160 grain stos broadheads.  I am wondering is this two heavy of a grain broadhead and will it make my arrow to slow.  I will be shooting a black widow bow at 57 pounds. I am use to shooting a compound with 100 grain broadheads I just can't figure out how you know what grain to pick there is so many choices.

[saumensch]

youre arrow and bow will tell you.
You have to test wich weight flys straight and true with youre arrow or youll have to test wich arrow will suit the weight you chose to get perfect flight.
A heavier head weakens the arrow spine, a lighter one stiffens it, to speak in generalisations.

I dont know much about compounds, but as far as i know the arrow set up is not as crucial as with trad bows.

search bareshafting and broadheadplaning here and youll get tones of info.

heres some to get you started, well perhaps its even all youll have to know:

 http://bowmaker.net/tuning.htm

[snag]

Ronal, anything for wood and aluminum shafts in that 145-160gr. range out of a 57# recurve will work real well.

[gvdocholiday]

Mainly gotta base it on how your bow performs with a certain arrow shaft with a certain point weight.  

Don't worry about your arrow being too slow...a widow at 57lbs will be more than adequate for any animal on this continent.  Give it a few months and you'll soon be cured of your compound sickness that says you have to shoot 350fps to pass through a rabbit.  

We may be able to offer better advice if we knew what arrow shaft you're using and what draw length.

[Lechwe]

I'm shooting a 600gn arrow out of a 49# Widow and it went right through a 340# bear without slowing down. It doesn't get there quick but it keeps going.

[Clint B.]

They also make heavy point inserts and point insert weight adapters to add more weight up front to weaken the dynamic spine of your arrow.  For example, a guy could use a 50 or 100 grain brass point insert in order to stay with his favorite 125-gr. screw-in broadhead.

[Friend]

You have ample enough poundage coupled with a proper arrow to use those snuffers for deer.

[hvyhitter]

I use 160 snuffers for everything and just figure out what arrow a bow needs to make it work.

[Mike Spaulding]

Yep, same as hvyhitter, I like 160 grains, so I try different spine arrows with the bow I'm using until I find the one that fly's true.

[BWD]

I start out by figuring how heavy I want my total arrow weight to be, then bare shaft with the point weight that puts me in that range.
Since most of my broadheads are around 200gr., I tune my shafts/arrows with that point weight.

[Bowmania]

Nobody mention the KEY yet and it's so simple I only mention it, because we're talking to a newby.  Take your set up and try a 160 grain FIELD POINT.  Tune your bow to the field point, then shoot a FP and a BH and further tune until they both hit in the same place.

For the best instructions you can find go to  www.bowmaker.net  and click on Tuning.

Your broadhead choice are excellent.  I shoot the same 160 gr Snuffers for turkey and deer.  Anything bigger and it's a 160 gr. STOS.  I'm shooting a 50 at 29inches and that Snuffer goes right through deer.  That STOS has penetration written all over it.

Bowmania

[JimB]

I agree with the bowmaker tuning information.I would also say,make sure you know your real draw length,decide if you want to shoot wood,aluminum or carbon shafts,then ask the Black Widow guys here what spine shafts to get for a given weight range broadhead.Then follow the tuning method at bowmaker.net.

You can get any weight broadhead to shoot as long as you tune the setup properly.You just have to remember that increasing point weight makes the shaft react as if it were weaker spined so you either have to shorten the shaft,change side plate thickness or go to a stiffer shaft to compensate for it.Good luck with it.