Heavy arrow vs light arrows.

[tomsm44]

I know I'm opening a can of worms here, but I'd really like to get some opinions.  Preferably would like to hear from guys who have killed animals with both light and heavy arrows.  I'm still looking for my first trad kill, and I'd like to give myself the best chance possible.

I finally settled on which bow I will be hunting with this year.  (Subject to change at any point of course    ).  Now, I have to pick which arrow setup to use.  I already knew which one I was going to use, because it was the first combo I tried and it happened fly  perfectly.  But then I decided to try a few more setups this week with some new heavyweight heads I bought this summer, and I landed on one with that head that flies perfectly as well.  I'm leaning toward the heavy arrow, but want to see what you guys think.  

Here's the setup:  Hoots recurve, 56", 42@28.  Drawing 27-27 1/2".  The first arrow has a 150 gr Bear Razorheads screw in up front and is around 425 gr total.  10.1 gpp.  The second has a 250 gr Tusker Concord single bevel up front and is around 575 gr total.  13.7 gpp.  

Both fly great.  I aim with a type of split vision aiming similar to Howard Hill.  With the light arrow, I can hit out to 20 yards without having to consciously think about aiming high.  With the heavy arrow, I can hit out to 15.  Past that, I have to "hold over".  

I don't plan to shoot past 15 yards just because getting them close is the fun part, but I could potentially have some longer shots where I hunt.  20 will be max regardless of setup.  

Ok, can of worms open.  You guys climb on in and I'll go hide the lid.

Thanks,
Matt Toms    

Are you shooting both of those heads off the same shaft? If so, one of them is going to be severely out of tune if the the other is in tune!

Anyway, at a 40# draw weight, I would go with the heaviest well tuned arrow that I could shoot well at my hunting distances.

Bisch

[JimB]

10 gpp would work on deer with a well placed shot but I would recommend not using the bleeders in the Razorheads.They will penetrate much better as a 2 blade and you will need that with 40#.If hogs were in the equation,I personally would use the heavier setup.I agree,well tuned is paramount.

[tomsm44]

Thanks guys.  

Bisch,
Different arrows.  Both are 500 spine, but the one with the lighter head is lower gr/inch and smaller diameter, so it tunes weaker than the other when using the same weight point on both arrows.  

JimB,
I'm shooting them as a two blade.  They're 135 gr without the bleeders, plus two 5 gr brass washers.  So they're actually 145 gr, but they hit where my 150 gr field points do.  

I was already leaning towards the heavy setup, but I wanted to verify my line of thinking since I don't have any real world experience of my own to go on.  I do know that the previous owner of this bow killed a doe last year with it with around a 400 gr arrow and a 125 Stinger two blade.  Arrow stopped with just the fletching still in the off side.  I think he said it was about a 12 yard shot.

[JimB]

Sounds good.If your bow is similar in speed to most I've shot,the momentum number for the lighter arrow would be about .33 and .39 for the heavier.A fair amount of difference.

[tomsm44]

I've never chronoed it, and most of the bows I've shot are older recurves with Dacron strings.  Shooting the same arrows, it's noticeably faster than my 47# R/D longbow.  That's the only newer bow I have to compare it to.  I've heard from other guys with these little Hoots recurves that they are typically pretty quick bows.  It's quite a bit faster than a late '60s Ben Pearson Hunter I have that's also 42#, but as I said, it has a Dacron string.

[Michael Arnette]

If you use a good sharp 2 blade broadheads you won't have trouble. I wouldn't shoot less than 450 gr though. I don't think you'll have any less penetration at 20-30 yards than you will at 10 yards. In fact you will likely see better penetration at 20 yards than 10 and due to arrow paradox.
In my opinion I would rather have the flat trajectory then slightly more weight. Shot placement is so much more important

[Steelhead]

I typically shoot 10 to 12 gains per pound.I really dont like to go over 12 for my needs and the bone structure of the animals I hunt.

The heavy weight of 14 grains per pound might be pushing a bit as far as all around performance at your 27 inch draw.Only because they will drop quite a bit on longer shots.Sounds like range estimation is not an issue at 15 yards.But you need to start acconting for it after 15 yards according to your testing.

For head on bone hits it is nice to have the momentum of a heavier arrow with a 2 blade head to split the bone.I have had good luck with CX Heritage 250s with 200 grains up front.A magnus stinger 150 grain head and 50 or 100 grain brass insert.Thats my heavy arrow of about 12 grains per pound

My lighter arrow is a CX Heritage 150 cut a little shorter with an aluminum insert and 150 grain head.Its faster as you would expect.The CX 250 hit harder with more punch IMO.

These are older CX Heritage shafts.The newer ones have changed a tad in grain weight per inch.

I guess you have to decide what you want to do personally.For deer and well placed shots I think your 10 grain is fine.

On a direct bone hit or certain shot angles the Heavier head might be best.Like shooting straight down on a deer from a tree stand and trying to punch through the brisket at the bottom of the deer to get an exit wound for a blood trail.The exit wound on a shot like that can be the difference between recovering a deer or not.Thats a shot I would prefer as much momentum from the heavy arrow.Its hard to get through that brisket and it can be a pretty common shot in bowhunting from tree stands.Shooting the heavy 250s I have barely broke through that a few times.Giving me a blood trail and recovery in thick cover.I am not so confident a lighter arrow would have made it through.It was close!

I think gettting excellant arrow flight,Quick recovery from paradox and a razor sharp head that wont bend or have tip curl will serve you well either way.

One other thing that can be nice about a heavier arrow is a quieter shooting bow with less vibration and a sweet feel to the overall shot.We all know its nice to have a quiet shot on spooky deer.

[forestdweller]

If you plan on staying within 15-20 yards and are a good shot then I'd go with the heaviest arrow you can shoot well within that distance.

Personally I shoot a 40# bow at 28" and am comfortable shooting up to a 550 grain arrow within about 20-25 yards.

If I wanted to extend my max hunting range I would either.

A. Go with a heavier draw weight so I can shoot the heavy arrow faster and thus flatter.

B. Go with a lighter arrow.

Personally I'd rather choose option A and shoot a heavy arrow fast by going up in draw weight.

This is my personal opinion but I'd never hunt deer or any other mid sized to large game with anything less than a 550 grain arrow.

I currently shoot 400 grains arrows which are 10gpp but 550 grain arrows and up hit like a mac truck and hold their momentum much better.

I'd imagine my 400 grain arrows that I shoot would not break bone but by 550 grain arrows most definitely would.

Once I get around the 13gpp area my bow becomes spooky quiet as well.

One other thing to keep in mind is that a heavier arrow (to a certain point) will actually shoot flatter at the longer distances compared to a light arrow.

The reason for this is that a light arrow shed's it's momentum much faster than a heavier arrow.

[Friend]

Would start enhancing my own personal security, at your actual draw wt, when exceeding 500 gns.

Much prefer your second heavier arrow set-up.

[Friend]

Would start enhancing my own personal security, at your actual draw wt, when exceeding 500 gns.

Much prefer your second heavier arrow set-up.

[Sam McMichael]

Odds favor heavy. Play the odds.

[Schmidty3]

My money is in the arrow you can accurately put in the right spot!  :p

[katman]

I am in the heaviest arrow you can shoot accurately camp.

[Terry Green]

Most folks would claim 10 grains per pound is sufficient
...therefore your 10 grain per pound Arrow shouldn't  be light.

I could give an answer little better if I knew what you were hunting but you're 10 grain per pound Arrow would be fine on deer all day long....

If it's got good flight and your Broadhead is sharp and accurate.

There's no guarantee at all that either will break a bone other than ribs of a deer.

[tomsm44]

Originally posted by Terry Green:
Most folks would claim 10 grains per pound is sufficient
...therefore your 10 grain per pound Arrow should6 be light.

I could give an answer little better if I knew what you were hunting but you're 10 grain per pound Arrow would be fine on deer all day long....

If it's got good flight and your Broadhead is sharp and accurate.

There's no guarantee at all that either will break a bone other than ribs of a deer.

Thanks Terry.  I'm hunting deer in north Louisiana.  A 200# deer around where I'm at is an absolute beast.  Typically they're in the 125-175# range.  I'm planning to limit shots to 15 yards.  

Broadhead is a scary sharp Bear Razorhead 2 blade.  I feel confident it will work.  I've been trying to decide if I want to swap to the heavier one.  I've been shooting the lighter ones for a while, so right now I shoot better with them.  The heavier ones are tuned well, but they're longer and heavier, so the point of impact is a little off.  Nothing a little practice won't adjust.  

I will correct something I said earlier.  I said the arrows were both 500 spined, but the heavier ones are 400s, so that's why they need the heavy heads to tune properly.  They are arrows that I've had a while and the markings are gone.  Had a little memory lapse there.

[Terry Green]

sorry for the typo...that should read....  shouldn't be light

Either will be fine for deer IMO....just shoot the one that you think flies the best and most accurate.

Hope to see a hero pic soon...  

[RC]

15 yards from a tree would lean me towards the heavier arrow. RC

[Russ Clagett]

I'd shoot the one the bow likes best....my bow likes heavier arrows so that's what I shoot...and to me at least, the range doesn't matter cause I like to get real close too....

[Keb]

I shoot 40-44lb bows, with arrows that are from 400-440 grains 28draw.

150 grain snuffers they go thru deer like hot butter, farthest shot was around 20 yards. But pass thrus on all