penetration troubles

[fountain]

i am having a penetration problem for some reason.  i am shooting full length 55/75 gold tips with 100gr. inserts and 160gr landsharks--total about 577 grains out of a 55 lb longow.
most of my shots are pretty close--usually 15 or less.  here is what i am thinking--the arrow is too heavy and does not have enough momentum behind it at that short range.  i think that a shoter, lighter arrow my penetrate better because it will have more speed in the short range.  true that the heavier will hit harder at say 25 yards ans out, but i usually try to stay under 20.  do you think my reasoning will work or am i missing something?

[robtattoo]

Jeez, what're you trying to shoot through, Hippo?

You'll have no trouble with that setup whatsoever. You've got plenty of penetration power there.

[Guru]

What do you consider a "penetration problem"? Please explain.....

I think you might be thinking into this way too much....I don't think you can go wrong with a heavy arrow.

Maybe your arrows aren't tuned as well as you might think. That's a big penetration deterrent at close range.....

[kennym]

If your setup tuned really well? Something I noticed on deer before I learned to tune was my arrows penetrated better on 20-25 yd shots than my usual 10 yd'ers. I finally decided it must be because the arra had time to get straightened out at longer distance and wasn't hitting while still noodlin. Don't know if any of this is right,just my thoughts.

It sounds like your setup should have plenty of punch.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

You say you have a penetration problem....have you hit animals and had poor penetration, or are you basing it on targets?

That arrow isn't crazy heavy....it seems about right. I shoot 650 grains out of a 57# bow.

If you ARE experiencing bad penetration, I would look to tuning....a wobbly arrow penetrates poorly.

[Jerry Jeffer]

I don't think your arrow is too heavy. Are you sure you are getting a full draw? I had a similar problem and found that I really needed to get that back tension. You would be surprised how much difference it makes in the power you get from your bow.

[fountain]

i am shooting hogs,not real big ones, maybe 150 at the most.  i have shot 4 in the last week ans none got penetration like i thik i shiould have.  i will post pics later on of the arrow that got broke yesterday compared to a regular one when i get bak home later on today.  i am fixing to experiment with a few different shafts to see if i can "tune" it out better.

[James Wrenn]

My guess is bad tuneing.

The arrow has to be flying straight or all the other stuff like weight matters little.The only thing I have seen hamper penitration on any animal we normally hunt is bad arrow flight or bad shot selection.Those two will get you no matter the setup.jmo

[elknut1]

A full length G/T is about 31" long, way too long in my opinion! Cut it down to 28" or so & stiffen it up a bit, you should still spine out just fine with 260 grain heads up front? Your total arrow weight isn't the issue, I would guess your arrows are a bit weakly spined & it really shows up on impact!
  I shoot a similar longbow & would not use a G/T that long with that kind of head wt.

  ElkNut1

[Pat B]

What penetration are you getting and what penetration are you expecting? Are you killing the hogs?   If you are not getting the penetration with a wide blade like a Landshark then maybe try a narrower profile like a Grizzly or WW head.   Pat

[Buckeye Trad Hunter]

Your arrow weight is fine as you are in the "magic" 9-11 grains of weight per pound of draw weight that most bowyers recommend.  Your set up is just over 10 gpp. Has to be a tuning issue.

[Pat B.]

Tuning will help you out.. Where are you hitting those pigs?  A little more tuning, grin... Get that arrow flying straight!  I'm with Kennym, I sure like those 10 yard shots, makes life a little easier but your arrow needs to be tuned and flying straight to achieve maximum penetration. Are you're broadheads SHARP ?

[trapperDave]

Originally posted by elknut1:
A full length G/T is about 31" long, way too long in my opinion! Cut it down to 28" or so & stiffen it up a bit, you should still spine out just fine with 260 grain heads up front? Your total arrow weight isn't the issue, I would guess your arrows are a bit weakly spined & it really shows up on impact!
  I shoot a similar longbow & would not use a G/T that long with that kind of head wt.

  ElkNut1

ditto

[flyfish1]

What Guru and kenny are saying is what I would investigate. Tuning is critical. An arrow entering straight as possible will penetrate fine. Again I go back to R. Rotharr and his setup. He uses 4 fletch to straighten out the big snuffers and gets all the penetration he needs. The extra fletch stabilizes the arrow quickly, resulting in max penetration at close ranges. A carbon arrow actually flexes less than wood also, but you should be able to tune your way to shoot through most any game with your setup and a sharp head.

[flyfish1]

Look into bare shaft testing if you havent already also.

[longbowben]

I think you need more weight up front 5575 require a lot of weight up front .Try adding 100 gr brass inserts.

[DELTA]

I think tunning,comming to full draw 28 inches,and broadhead selection.Those should help you.Good luck.

[JoeM]

566 grain arrow CX150 100 grain brass insert with 125 BH. Back of point to Knock is 28" Shooting 53# @25".  Five deer this year 2 complete pass throughs.  1 The tip just poked throught the hide on the opposite side.  1 hit far side leg which stopped it from being a complete pass through. 1 Hit offside shoulder.  Deer shot at 4yds, 7yds, 12yds, 10yds, and 29yds.  I have a pretty short draw and penetration was not a problem.  Joe

[O.L. Adcock]

Yep, Tuning and a better broadhead.....O.L.

[Bjorn]

C'mon back fountain! LOL!! We need you to pull the fletching off one of your arrows and bareshaft tune as outlined at bowmaker.net. And like OL said look into a better broadhead. I like the STOS heads-really good hog head.
Your arrow weight is right on, no idea what kind of longbow you are shooting-that would be good to know too.
First culprit to penetration on hogs is shot placement; second is tuning for proper arrow flight. Broadhead shape and sharpness are equally important.
Let's hear from you and we'll get you fixed up.