arrow help

[jkb52088]

Well I'm new to traditional archery and wanting to take my recurve out hunting before the season is over. However, I am totally confused on this whole arrow weight think Someone please  help. i went to local shop and here is what i have:

I'm shooting a Samick Sage 55# @28" my draw length is 29. It is strung with a 16 Strand Fastflight. I am shooting GT Expedition Hunter 5575 with 3-5" feathers with a 125gr. tip.

The arrow flies well in my very limited opinion. All i can say is that it sticks in my target straight and I am getting pretty tight groupings at 15-20 yrds. I guess I say all of this to ask is do all I need to do is find 125gr. broadheads and should be ready to hunt or do I need to up arrow weight. Its giving me a headache trying to figure this out.

Thanks for all advice

[Bud B.]

Welcome.

I have a Samick 56" recurve 56 @ 28. I draw 29.

I have shot 3555 GT trads out of it 30.5 BOP with great accuracy and flight. It's just my hunch but I think you might be a tad stiff with 125 tips. Have you tried heavier tips in increments to check flight?

What length are your arrows?

[jkb52088]

Well I don't really know much, but at the shop we shot 145 gr. and he said they seemed weak. That is all I have shot.

The arrows are 31.5in

[Bud B.]

There are plenty of 125gr broadheads out there. Try Magnus two blades and their Stingers.

Hope all goes well in your efforts.

Bud

[jkb52088]

I still feel from everything I've read my arrow weight is too low. Even though they fly great. Would you suggest this  http://www.3riversarchery.com/Product.asp?c=58&s=187&p=0&i=6731X

[8leg-lover]

Welcome to the Gang/Game! The headaches come and go. You'll actually start creating new headaches for yourself as you go along if you become truly obbsessed  

As soon as you conquer one thing then you start tinkering with something else and welcome the next oncoming headache. Have fun and enjoy the pursuit!

This is all of course just my opinion. My wife has resigned to calling it "that sickness".

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by jkb52088:
Well I'm new to traditional archery and wanting to take my recurve out hunting before the season is over. However, I am totally confused on this whole arrow weight think Someone please  help. i went to local shop and here is what i have:

if you're really all that new to trad, and unless you are truly consistent with yer bow, perhaps you should consider skipping this season and be far better prepared for next year?

I'm shooting a Samick Sage 55# @28" my draw length is 29. It is strung with a 16 Strand Fastflight. I am shooting GT Expedition Hunter 5575 with 3-5" feathers with a 125gr. tip.

are you SURE you can consistently handle over 55# of holding weight under hunting conditions?  

16 strands of f/f is the equivalent of 1600# of tensile strength.  you might do better with far less strands, say 12 at the most.

The arrow flies well in my very limited opinion. All i can say is that it sticks in my target straight and I am getting pretty tight groupings at 15-20 yrds. I guess I say all of this to ask is do all I need to do is find 125gr. broadheads and should be ready to hunt or do I need to up arrow weight. Its giving me a headache trying to figure this out.

Thanks for all advice

you would be best to find a local trad archery/bowhunter mentor, to assist you one-on-one.  perhaps through a local club or  vendor who is proficient in trad archery (and not that other kind of archery).  it's tough if not impossible to cyber coach anyone in any sport, particularly archery.  

check out the first link in my sig line, too.

[Stumpkiller]

125 gr & 130 gr broadheads are all I use; but they are on the end of fairly heavy wood shafts.

Listen to Rob.  What you can shoot on a lawn and what you can shoot cold, tired and from an awkward position in bulky hunting clothes are two different bow weights.  I can shoot a 70# recurve but I hunt with 55# recurves because that's what I feel I can manage under all conditions.

[jkb52088]

Well I feel like i handle to bow fine. I have been practicing consistently with 100+ and not feeling to fatigued until it get close to a hundred shots. I also hold the bow back for min of 5 seconds before each shot. I actually took easy to the bow. My grandfather started me out when I was younger on instinctive shooting when I was a young teenager. I out grew my bow(it was a compound without any sights and shooting off the shelf so if you dont call that instinctive sorry) and I'm in my 20s just getting back into archery. I just don't understand the whole choosing arrows and it just seems like there is a huge debate. The shop I went to was a trad archery shop in Brandon, Ms. He really did all the setup. We bareshaft tuned it and the arrow flies well. I just think my arrow is too light to hunt with, but i don't know. I actually pickup shooting faster than I thought and I feel confident at taking a shot within 20 yrds. I just want to be able to understand arrows not shooting. BTW the man said for just starting out I had pretty good form and it looked like I was handling the bow.

[jkb52088]

Originally posted by Stumpkiller:
125 gr & 130 gr broadheads are all I use; but they are on the end of fairly heavy wood shafts.

Listen to Rob.  What you can shoot on a lawn and what you can shoot cold, tired and from an awkward position in bulky hunting clothes are two different bow weights.  I can shoot a 70# recurve but I hunt with 55# recurves because that's what I feel I can manage under all conditions.

Well I don't really have the problem of getting too cold in Mississippi too often. It never really gets below freezing during the day very often. I'm not trying to argue with anyone I also try to practice under realistic conditions i.e. coming in at the end of a long day in all weather conditions so far I've practiced in the cold, wet, and extremely windy. I really don't know how I can practice anymore realistic.

[Rob DiStefano]

most stickbows require no less than 8gpp of arrow weight, for safety.  most trad bowhunters employ about 10gpp as that weight is good for stickbows, archers, and game penetration.  i use 10-12 gpp.  

all of the above are pretty good guidelines.

good luck, pilgrim!