Where to start practicing/tuning: at 10 gpp arrows?

[FrankM]

Here's my dilemma, I fixed my old Gamegetters so I can practice with them with my 51# bow at 27" draw.

They are as follows: 2018, 28", 110 gr. Zwickey Black Diamond broadhead & 30 gr. adapter 145 gr. field point. 10.4 gpp. wgt. 531. FOC 13.2. Dynamic Spine 73.5. These should work well as a starting point, I figure.

The problem is my other arrows. They are barely 8gpp.

They are as follows: XT Hunter 5575, 28", 125 gr. field point. 8.02 gpp. wgt. 409 gr. FOC 16.9. Dynamic Spine 88.8.

Before practicing/learning/tuning, should I bring these up to 10gpp? Or just use them like they are?

[Rob DiStefano]

8gpp is just too dang light for me, and probably bad medicine for yer bow, too.  

forget all the techie crap, add more point weight, shoot and discover what works best for you.  unless yer a true target archer (and i don't mean 3D), hunting setups and how we shoot are worlds apart in many ways.

[Doug in MN]

What Rob just said. I like starting out at 10GPP and seeing if I can GO UP in arrow weight.

Quieter, easy on the bow, just a WIN WIN


Just my 1 1/2 cents worth Congress took the other 1/2 cent.

DD

[FrankM]

Thanks guys.

[Jesse Peltan]

Now you haven't tuned yet so you won't know what you need.  Once the arrows are tuned keep them around 9gpp.  8 is fine so is 10 but I wouldn't go outside 7.5 or 11.  Tuning your arrows will make the biggest difference.  A tuned arrow that's 8gpp will be quieter than one that's not tuned at 10gpp.  Basically you should tune with point weight and if the arrows are outside the 8-10gpp range move up or down in shaft spine.  A tuned 10gpp arrow can also be faster than an untuned 9gpp arrow.  It shouldn't hurt a bow to shoot below 7gpp if you have to while tuning for a few shots but I wouldn't shoot thousands of shots at that weight.

[Stone Knife]

Get some 50 grain brass inserts for the XT's and some 145 gr field points and shave a little length off the shafts like an 1/8 inch at a time. The heck with the high tech junk just put some together temporary and tune them till they fly.

[Rob DiStefano]

worth repeating - be careful with 8gpp and under, most bowyers will not warranty their bows if you shoot that kinda arrow weight.

there is no such thing as too much arrow weight that can be harmful to yer bow or you.  depending on situations, even 12.5gpp can be very realistically viable.

with carbons or alums, the better way to mess with point weight is not via the insert - that's glued in and unchangeable - it's way easier to vary the adapter weight and the range is quite large, from around 25grs alum to 125grs steel.  with a 125gr point, that yields a spread of 150-250 grains.  vary the point weight and you can go lower or lots higher!

[Ragnarok Forge]

Keep it simple and fiddle with head weights / adapter weights till they fly great.  Just make sure your nock height and brace height are tuned to match your arrows and get them flying perfect.

Then get some matching broadheads / adapters and your done.  

I have spent the better part of a year playing, fiddling, and spending way to much cash on arrows. I finally found the perfect set up for my bow.   I got some seriously bad advice from the local archery shop when I switched back to trad.  After not being able to get decent arrow flight, I joined Trad Gang and got great advice here, particularly from Rob who helped me immensely in my search for the right arrow.

[FrankM]

Like on my other thread, this is good advice. I actually tried to delete this one and rephrase my question. But after seeing your answers here too, I'm glad it didn't work!

I ordered a set of test points from 3 Rivers Archery. They go up to 200 grains. This should get me started. I also forgot to tune my bow (nock, rest). I'm starting on that soon with paper tuning and the 2018's. By that time, my points will be here. Then I'll move the 5575's to 10gpp as a start.

When you hear "traditional archery", it sounds like some guy with an Indian bow running in the woods shooting primitive arrows. LOL. This is more complicated than firearms if you let it!

[Ragnarok Forge]

The indians I have read tended to shoot their animals at distances from 4 to 7 paces.  That would equate to 5 yards out to 17 yards.  They used lighter bows and their arrows were not tuned like we do with ours. Yet they managed to live for thousands of years using them as hunting tools.  Their trick was in stalking skills and tracking skills.

[Stone Knife]

  with carbons or alums, the better way to mess with point weight is not via the insert  

I respectfully disagree with this, I have used a small piece of plastic wrap around the insert to temporally hold it in so I could trim the arrow to a length that works. Once you find the right combo of insert and point weight then you can use a more permanent solution. I have had good success with brass inserts in my carbons.

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by Stone Knife:
 

  with carbons or alums, the better way to mess with point weight is not via the insert  

I respectfully disagree with this, I have used a small piece of plastic wrap around the insert to temporally hold it in so I could trim the arrow to a length that works. Once you find the right combo of insert and point weight then you can use a more permanent solution. I have had good success with brass inserts in my carbons. [/b]

most folks are dealing with already glued-in alum inserts - but you've surely got the right idea for trialing brass inserts.

from a cost standpoint, alum inserts are lots cheaper and typically already come with the shafting - and the variable weight range of point/adapter is huge.

[Ground Hunter]

I'm with Rob - you can get points from very light up to 300 grns.  That's a lot of tuning room.  H