How light with big Snuffers?

[buckeyebowhunter]

A recent injury has made me realize that dropping bow weight might be in the near future unfortunately. At least until i get my strength back up.

My question is how light would you shoot with the big snuffers? I've got a rather large collection of the originals and 145s. I really would like to continue to shoot them if possible.

My current setup is 68#, with 2219s and the snuffers. But I can build myself a setup for however light I need to go. But just curious as to how light of a draw weight people have used with these larger heads successfully.  Thank you.

[modr]

I shoot them out of a 52@28 schafer with 2020’s, haven’t had any problems.

[Ryan Rothhaar]

I killed several whitetails and a bear with full sized heads out of 50 lb Black widow with 2213s years ago. Penetration no problem. Shot one right thru a doe here at home a couple weeks ago from my old Wing P2, stuck in the ground on the other side, 52-53 lbs.

When Dad was getting older he went down in bow weight. He had pretty good success still at around 45lbs, with arrows in the 500 grain range.

Personally I'd try to stick around 50 lbs and 500-550grain arrows for the big snuffers.

R

[Wudstix]

From what I've heard and with a tuned bow/arrow combination 45# with @500 grain arrow.  But like Ryan said, 50# would be better.  Just keep them scary sharp, I started using the 344 Stay Sharp system and it puts a nasty edge on Snuffers.  I don't like to get into the how low can I go discussions.
 

[fisherick]

I've had plenty success useing 145 Snuffers with my 45# recurve and arrows in the 450-470 grain weight. Most where passthrus or stopped at opposite shoulder.

[Kelly]

42#, 540 grain carbons with 285 grains up. 160 grain big Snuffers mounted on 125 grain steel broadhead adapters. Incidentally, later trade those limbs to my good friend Ryan’s dad and he used them at 45# till he passed. I will post a picture when I get back on my desktop.

[buckeyebowhunter]

Sounds like I don't have to be afraid to go light with the big boys! Always read the old timers say you had to shoot heavy weights with the snuffers so that was the reason for my question.

[Wudstix]

Keep 'em scary sharp and stay at or above 45# and I think you'll be fine.  Shot placement is key.
 

[ed lash]

It may not be popular to say this, but some of the new limb designs grossly outperform some of the gear I used in the 1980s. I have gone to these newer designs as I've aged and dropped bow weight. With a really well matched straight shooting arrow, I don't feel like I've lost penetration with big 3-blade heads. It's great.

[Tajue17]

I have a 44lb osage selfbow set up with  11/32 surewoods and 160 snuffers... my preferred max range is a bit less than 20 say 18 yds but i try to let them come as close as 5yds,,  Snuffers are an amazing head.. if they are sharp and that head hits the vitals even with no pass thru that deer is going down!!!!  The only negative in my experience is deer explode out of there when hit with a big snuffer im talking death run,,  with two blades they take a few hops then lay down..  just my personal experience. 

[buckeyebowhunter]

Thanks for the replies!

What aluminum shafts are you guys shooting in bows from 45-55# ?

I saw Ryan said 2213 from 50#.

A friend of mine shoots a 2016 from his 43# recurve.

Just curious what other lighter aluminum shafts work well.

[Ryan Rothhaar]

55lb recurves I shot 2216s, 55lb rd longbow I shot 2215s. Killed a 6x6 bull elk with that setup, right in to the feathers. Killed my first bull elk many moons ago with a 55lb black widow and 2216, big snuffer, stuck in the ground on the other side. I like 22 diameter aluminums so can't speak to 20xx sizes.

R

[Wudstix]

I'm a fan of these 190 grain Snuffers I ran across, tapered and footed POC or 2219's.  Bows from 61# to 66#+ should have a 54# Big River D/R longbow showing up any day, if USPS does their thing.
 

[Tajue17]

45# bows i used 1916, 2016.... 2114 worked too but the wall thickness is thin so i only used them for target. 

never heard of 190 snuffers,, are they stock or have you looked inside to see if lead shot is glued inside the tip
Of the ferrel we did that alot i have some that are 250gr. 

[Wudstix]

I've been told by a reliable source that the early Snuffers were a tad heavier.  Finally settled on 160 as a good weight for most folks at the time.  Heavy ones are out there, but are precious.
 

[buckeyebowhunter]

I've made mine as heavy as 250gns. Just using the glue on head with some Jb weld and a steel adapter. But from what I understand the originals were around 170 grains glue on.

[Ryan Rothhaar]

Target size/weight for them back in the day was 1 1/2 inch diameter, 165 grains without adaptor. The aluminum adaptors were around 25-30 grains, so 190-195 with screw in adaptors.  Depending on the state of the grinding wheel at the time heads varied a little bigger or smaller.

After Delta bought the heads, and subsequently under Magnus and thunder valley different sizes were made by grinding them smaller. 110, 125, 145 were common as well as 150-160 full sized.  There were never larger production heads made, just the bigger ones ground down smaller.

Dad made a very few one offs by hand in the '60s up to 2 inches in diameter but those are very very few.

R

[Wudstix]

I lucked into a half dozen glue on 190 grains the structure is just a bit stouter than the 160's.
 

[matt steed]

Last year I killed two deer with my Pronghorn 3pc longbow. It pulls about 49#’s at my draw. I was using 2018 aluminums. My Snuffers are not the original Snuffers, so I don’t know how they compare in size. Mine are the ones that were made by Magnus or Delta. They are 125 grain up to 145 grain. They are bigger than a Woodsman. But anyway I blew all the way through one deer and on the other one the head was sticking just under the hide on the opposite side.

For whitetail deer, I feel that you would be fine with 45#’s and a Snuffer.

[Terry Green]

Run with Ryan.