What weight arrow is too light for a 45# bow?

[Jason Bell]

I'm used to shooting 410-504 grain arrows out of my 45# SR Swift.  But it was raining tonight so I fletched a couple of gold tip 600 ultralights just to pass the time.  Weight on the finished 30" arrow is right at 260.  I am fairly new to traditional and am not sure what weight is too light for a bow.  I don't want to damage my bow by shooting these arrows.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[LONGBOWKID]

You need to be shooting ATLEAST 360 grains to meet the 8 grains per pound minimum most bowyers set. If you shoot a lower weight than they allow, it can void your warranty.
In my opinion, I'd be shooting the 410 grain arrows out of it.

Kid

[nightowl1]

definitly too light.. I would shoot at least the 410 but the 504 would be a great one

[Jason Bell]

The 504's are Grizzly Stiks and they do fly great.  I thought there was an 8 grain / pound rule out there but just wasn't sure.  What about tube weights for the ultralights?  If I put in 5 grain per inch tubes I end up with a 404 grain arrow.

[LKH]

It also depends on the bow.  Many of better performing bows made of modern materials can handle lighter arrows.  I would be more hesitant with a selfbow to shoot light arrows.

I don't like the noise my bows make with light arrows.

[George D. Stout]

Eight to ten grains per pound is about where one should be realistically.  However, the bowyers of old never had any concern about arrow weight on their bows.  I don't know why there would be a concern with modern bows, which should have better adhesives keeping them together.  My personal choice is for 9 to 10 grains per pound for my bows....just because 8^).

[James Wrenn]

How are you getting a 30" arrow to only weigh 260gns?

They are a little light for most 45lb bows.

[Jason Bell]

I just added the weight tubes and now have 2 gold tip 600 ultralights weighing in at 396.  That puts me at 8.9 grains per pound.  I think that will be safe too shoot.  I'm building these for 3-d but feel like a gamer shooting nib tips.  Thanks for all the help.

[Jason Bell]

the arrow weight is 5.7 grains per inch.  Ad a 50 grain nib tip, insert, nock, feathers, and you'll get about a 260 arrow.

[James Wrenn]

Thanks Jason.I was not thinking about the nib points since I use screw-ins all the time so I can shoot broadheads.Might have to get some.

[bmb]

260 seems light..i dont know that i would shoot that out of my metal riser hoyt recurve....BUT...my hunting arrow for my 44# hoyt is 375grs.

[Rob DiStefano]

260gr out of a 45# holding weight stickbow is pure suicide for yer bow, and maybe you.  that's less than 6gpp.  don't do that.

i would never wanna go below 9gpp as the arrow isn't heavy enuf to absorb the energy transmitted from the limbs via the bowstring - and you'll get added 'hand shock' on release as that wasted energy gets released through the riser.  just not good for you or yer bow.

stick with at least 10gpp (more is better) and be shooting more efficiently and effectively for hunting.

[smokin feathers]

I once shot an arrow that light out of a 45lb howatt hunter and on the third shot the string split the limb tips and made 2 splits(1 for each side of the string loop) 3 inches down the limb. Bow was ruined, thought it was just a defect and tried another bow. SAME THING happened!!! expensive lesson, now I stay at least 9gpp.

[George D. Stout]

You did it twice?

Many years ago, I shot 27 1/2", 1814 arrows out of a 43 pound Hoyt Pro Medalist. Those couldn't have weight over 270 grains with standard target tips and 3" fletch.  It was commonplace back then to shoot light target arrows from mid 40's bows.  So I'm not understanding why it can't be done now, at least for target shooting.
Is it the low stretch/no stretch strings that cause the problem?

[James Wrenn]

No it is mainly because some of the custom bowyers have the 8 gn/lb warrenty thing going on now days.Most recurves get pretty loud once you get under 7gns but a well built one should shoot light arrows without harm.Just might need ear plugs while shooting.  

[jcar315]

Maybe I don't know enough to know what I don't know....10 gpi IMO

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by George D. Stout:
You did it twice?

Many years ago, I shot 27 1/2", 1814 arrows out of a 43 pound Hoyt Pro Medalist. Those couldn't have weight over 270 grains with standard target tips and 3" fletch.  It was commonplace back then to shoot light target arrows from mid 40's bows.  So I'm not understanding why it can't be done now, at least for target shooting.
Is it the low stretch/no stretch strings that cause the problem?

a 27.5" 1814 x7 weighs 8.62gpi, for 237gr shaft weight.  add in a 7% 60gr nibb, fletchings of choice and a nock, and it'll weigh more than 325gr in the raw, without cresting.

even still, holding 43# that's 7.5gpp (CORRECTION! - hey, i'm old, i can be wrong!    ) - still, that's too light an arrow.  

that size shaft is also way underspined for 43# holding weight.  i shot a LOT of naa and nfaa tournament archery back in the late 50's thru early 70's and my 39# hoyt pro medalist worked best with 29" 1914's abd 9% nibbs.  it worked out to around 9.6gpp.

even overbuilt limbs and limb tips are gonna take a whooping from consistently launching under 9gpp, worse yet 7gpp, or an insane 6gpp, particularly using modern hmpe string fiber ... to a lesser degree with dacron.  

remember those late 60's/early 70's kevlar strings?  guaranteed to blow up at least one bow in a major tourney.        

in the 60's, the average nor'east tourney bow weight was maybe 38#, a few above and more below.

[George D. Stout]

Rob....some things defy logic eh?  8^).  I didn't try the Kevlar stuff, and those Hoyt PM's could be tuned to shoot about anything 8^).  I shot a 27" draw to back of bow so was actually shooting just a smidge over 40#, and the arrows flew great....much better than I could shoot them. I was a barebow shooter. My first Hoyt PM was a 34 pound... wish I had that old PM now; when you do find them they bring pretty pennies.

[Rob DiStefano]

gotta agree, george - those early all-wood pm's were stickbows of true art.  old earl didn't make no junk.  i knew earl and ann when they had robin hood archery in montclair, nj, back in the 60's.  in all, i had 3 pm's and they all were shooters ... later i went with the times abd moved on to metal gm's, wing slimlines, darton executives, and a whole host of others, but the pm's were the best and i shudda never sold 'em.  oh well ....

oh yeah - 325grs and holding @ 40# is a mo' bettah  8.2gpp  :D

[stringstretcher]

Seems that somewhere I read that people like Hill, Bear, Pope, and Young, always gave themself a "nanno" for their bow weight.  The "nanno" being a 0 added to the bow weight.  IE...45 lbs + 0= 450 arrow.  I also read or think I did that Hill killed his elephant with a 110 lb bow, arrow weight was 1100 grains.  Maybe I have been dreaming to much.....lol