HUNTING ARROW WEIGHT

[EIGHTWGT]

Guys,

Like to get some suggestions from experiance. I know this is a wide open subject - what is a good TOTAL arrow weight including point/ broadhead for a 43 LB reflex/deflex longbow. I hunt whitetails by the way...

I am not asking about arrow spine per inch, etc... Im looking for what most people are having good penetration with - getting them to shoot straight is a differant topic - just so the thread does not take the turn..

Thanks guys      

[Ben Woodring]

Can't tell you what the total weight is...I sometimes ignore the science on purpose to save my traditional archery experience from being contaminated with to much information.  I do know that heavy is good, I also know that cedar shoots great and if they are tapered they work even better for me, so when I order shafts I order the heaviest tapered cedar shaft they have.  Then I put a 145 gr head on them and they perform remarkably well.

[Jerry Jeffer]

I'm sure you would be fine with 450gr.  I prefer heavy, but it isn't necessary . I am shooting a 47# Hill style long bow and I shoot a 630gr arrow only because I can.

[Tim Fishell]

I usually go by the old 10 grains per pound of bow.  So if I were shooting that bow I would at least try to get an arrow that was 430 grains total weight.

[trashwood]

I going out with Wingnut this weekend.  Rig is a Bernardinni Corba 21", pair of pse competition limbs 43# on the fingers.  Arrow are easton ST Epic 600 27.5" 90 gr First Cut BH (2 blade) 310grs with QuikSpin vanes.....fast freeky fast.

be the lightist arrow I have ever used.  here is a shot from my practice tree stand.

 http://sites.google.com/site/stringwalkerbowhunter/speedfreek

it out penetrates ny standard rig.  we will see what happens.  I had to index the BH vertically as I draw it into the riser about 1/2".

rusty

ps that is 7.2gr per pound.

[Tom Leemans]

Hey Rusty! - How's that sight working out for ya? I think it would be a good tool for anyone having any consistency problems, then muscle memory has to take over at some point.

[Mike Byrge@home]

I've killed two deer and at least a dozen pigs with a 45# bow,  a 1916 aluminum with a 2 blade zwickey and long-insert.   I think that arrow weighed about 470gr...whatever it was it worked well.  I had an exit wound on every animal I ever shot with that bow/arrow combination.

[Shawn Leonard]

I think anything around 9gpp. is fine for deer out of bows 40#s and up. I also think that bows that are freaky fast and shoot light arrows ala Rusty will work on whitetails very well. I shot through two deer a few years back with a 42# Widow and I was shooting just under or right at 8gpp. Shawn

[Scott J. Williams]

I don't have any bows under 55 pounds at my draw length. My arrows most often fall into the 650-680 grain weight area.

Samantha on the other hand, who shoots 42-44 pounds out of her longbow shoots 500 to 525 grain weight arrows.  

I like the 10-12grains of weight per pound rule, and I have recently gone to the Extreme F.O.C., with it proving itself this past weekend.

I had a doe come in at about 23yards(walked distance off after the shot)that was getting ready to leave. In this part of Texas(Leon Co.), we have to try to take our does(we are allowed two) during bow season, because during the regular season it is bucks only, we focus on them during the regular season with out bows.  

I had been seeing a lot of hogs, and not as many deer so I decided to take the shot.  She was broadside when I begain my draw, then without warning turned to the left giving me a hard quatering to the left shot. It was about as close to straight away, without it being a "Texas Heart Shot".  I picked my spot on her right ham, and the arrow was away.

I watched as she dropped her head, let out a bleat,and ran like her tail was on fire.  I thought I watched her drop, but was not sure.

I waited two more hours, thinking that maybe a hog, or the buck I was hunting might show up.  The shot was taken at 0801hrs,  and I took up the trail at 1000hrs.

I walked to where she was standing when she was hit, no blood,  followed her path, as seen from my blind to the logging road, there was blood everywhere at that point.   I looked up and found her laying on the edge of the road. She covered thirty yards and piled up with her nose in the dirt.  

The heavy 2018, Wensel Woodsman, 75grain steel broadhead adaptor, from a PLX Black Widow long bow 55 pounds at my draw,  traveled the length of the doe, from righ ham. The arrow was protruding from her left front chest, withe 16 inches of arrow sticking out!

Postmortum showed the heavy arrow destroyed one lung, and nearly cut the heart in half.  I had never had this type of penetration with my lighter weight arrows in my life, and I have shot a lot of game.

My bow shot silent, the arrows fly true, and when they hit what I shoot at they do the job.  Is it a requirement for everyone to shoot heavy arrows, no but the advantages far out weigh the disadvantages.

[Mike Byrge@home]

To add to Rusty's comment...I shot a small pig (75-80#) last summer with a 44# Sky Hunter recurve, Easton ST-Epic 500 with a 90gr first cut broadhead.  

I was amazed how fast the arrow went through that pig...I thought I had missed and shot low because the arrow was kicking up dust way behind the pig, but it ran full-out for 30 yards then just tumbled.

I know it wasn't a large pig but I was still impressed.

[tradtusker]

Originally posted by Tim Fishell:
I usually go by the old 10 grains per pound of bow.  So if I were shooting that bow I would at least try to get an arrow that was 430 grains total weight.

ill second that  

[tradtusker]

Originally posted by Tim Fishell:
I usually go by the old 10 grains per pound of bow.  So if I were shooting that bow I would at least try to get an arrow that was 430 grains total weight.

ill second that  

[tradtusker]

sorry double post  

[Buckeye Trad Hunter]

I'm with Tim and tusker on the 430 gr.

[George D. Stout]

Anything over 8 grains per pound will work great if it's flying perfectly.  By the way...there are no "rules", per se'....except common sense and your State's regulations.
What has worked before will still work.  Your goal should be to work for accuracy with a perfect flying broadhead arrow.

[ozy clint]

i've got 2 limb sets for my bob lee recurve, 54# & 69#. arrow weights are 620gr@26% and 780gr@24% respectively. both are close to 11.5gr/# and they fly perfectly. peno is good in the 54#er. haven't shot anything with the 69#er yet, but i dare say that it will get the job done nicely.

[Pointer]

I think 400 grains and over will be fine for deer. That puts you over 9 gpp. Keep in mind that George is correct...there is no "rule" on this...but you want an arrow heavy enough to absorb the bow's energy and a heavier arrow does that better than a light one. I mostly hunt with 52-54lbs and my arrows weigh 490 to 505 or so and I blow through deer with them.

[30coupe]

The heavier arrows will make for a quieter bow. I do think you can get carried away with heavy though. My setup this year is a 29.5" Legacy 1916 with a WW broadhead on a long insert for a total weight of 505 grains out of my 46# @ 28" Kanati. They fly like darts and I expect they will penetrate well. Hopefully I can let you know about that soon.

[EIGHTWGT]

Ok guys...

My arrows are Carbon Force X Radial  200's

They weight 7.5 grains per inch. My arrow is full length 31.5"
I have a 125 grain head...

If I put a 145, or a 160 on it... what about my FOC ??  I have wondered what trad guys do when they hang those 250 grain points on (from 3 Rivers)

Thoughts ? Concerns ? Or just go huntin !  lol

[Bill Turner]

I shoot 625 grain cedars out of my 53 to 58 pound longbows. The same bows shoot 525 grain 2018's just great. I've killed deer and hogs with both set up, no problem. Course I always have a razor sharp broadhead on the tip.