Broadhead weight / FOC

[vintage archer]

Ground hunter,
 Robert you are right when you say use the heaviest bow you can with heavy arrows. The trajectory is defiantly improved and the momentum of the arrow is also improved.
I am shooting a 750 grain arrow also with 26% FOC out of a 50 lb bow. I find that I help myself when shooting light bows by using the same exact set up in all my practice.(Similar to what Clay Walker talks about) In other words I do not switch set ups to shoot 3D like some.  I just accept my limitations and those of the arrow and bow. If I have a high trajectory with the 50 lb bow I do not take notice as I am use to seeing it.  Yes I would shoot use a different set up for African game. I believe a person should shoot the heaviest bow they can shoot accurately and their body can handle, I have heavier bows but really do enjoy the 50 pound long bow, and it is sweet  :D  

Smithhammer is right in advocating as much weight forward as possible to make up the total arrow weight. The best of all worlds.

Troy ,as long as you brought the subject of feathers back up I will mention .as you know, that using high foc  helps in reducing the size of the feather normally used. I have dropped from 5” to 4” .The weight forward  stabilize the arrow faster not requiring as much feather. Troy I am sure the arrows are a lot quieter but to prove it I was wondering if I could enlist you to stand behind a tree while I shoot  arrows with different feather sizes past you so you can listen to them as they go by.  All in the name of science  

[Troy Breeding]

Let me see if I can smooth something out here. Heavy to some folks isn't really heavy to others. I've been working with Ed quite a bit on increasing FOC to the highest amount one can get. We have proven that high FOC, 30% or more will flatten the flight of an arrow at most hunting ranges.

Currently I'm shooting 700gr arrows with 33.46% UEFOC. I'm a gap shooter and I've checked the gap on my current setup with that of arrows that I used to shoot 585grs. If I hold the same gap at 20 yards the 700gr arrow will only drop approx. 1" below the 585gr arrow.

Now, when I get crazy and start shooting those long shots, 40+ yards I do see a big differnce.
Like most of you I do my best to hold my hunting shots to 20yds or less. Still if the shot calls for reaching out there, then I know the arc of my arrow and hold accordingly.

I know some of you say this requires a heavy bow. I'm shooting 55# at my draw.

Ed and I still kinda exchange opinions on what is enough arrow. I understand his theory of you never having too much. Still I believe there is a point that I call deminishing return. It's easily seen on a graph. With mominum you never stop increasing as seen with KE. However there is a point where the steady increase in mominium slows down. It never stops, but it does slow down. At that point I feel that to continue increasing weight is somewhat of a lost cause due to the slowing of the arrow and increase of the arc of the flight.

So far my test have shown that if you use a bow under 50# the break point is somewhere around 14gpp. With a bow in the range of 50 to 60# it's 15gpp. Another part of this incorporates your draw length. That part of what I've tried to figure out will require the help of afew more shooters.

Troy

[Ragnarok Forge]

Groundhunter,

Your points are valid and I always say shoot what you want.  


I have to agree with Vintage Archer that it is a lot better to shoot one bow with one arrow weight if you want to be a consistant shot while hunting.  I shoot two bows year round.  The bows are identical except for the draw weight. One is 45 lbs @ 28 inches, and the other 55 @ 28 inches.  My hunting and target arrows are set up so they have the same point of impact all the way out to 30 yards which is as afar as I shoot target archery.    

Using EFOC arrows I am able to change head weights and shoot the same arrow out of both bows.   I have moved from the middle of the pack to shooting in the top 3 at the trad shoots in Washington using these bows and arrows.  I have zero concern about shooting out to 30 yards for deer, and 40 for elk.  

If you are a gap or point of aim shooter it definately makes it tougher to use heavy EFOC arrows since your gaps increase so much.   The great thing about trad archery is there are a thousand ways to approach it.  Everyone gets to shoot what they like.  The real key is to enjoy the process and the path we all follow.

[onewhohasfun]

Never cared for for cedar much. Broke too many stumpin. Shot raminwood, birch and maple for 20 yrs. or so. Fairly heavy but low FOC. Now I dropped 15 lbs. in bow wt. Shoot EFOC footed carbons, get better penetration and rarely break a shaft. Glad I switched. Knowledge gained on TG is "Priceless".

[Troy Breeding]

Joe,

Wouldn't bother me one bit to stand behind a BIG     tree while you shot past.

I got faith you can't make that arrow curve around.    

Troy

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I shoot 700+grn ash arrows and for Me I don't need to worry about how much FOC I have. When I start hunting Buffalo, Bison, Moose or Hippo, Then I'll add more FOC.. Till then I'm Good.

Now if I was using the dead/souless shafts I would have UFOC.. But I'm a woodie man