is 380 grains too light

[VinnieB]

i'm currently shooting a 50# at 26" longbow with easton 2013 xx75 arrows tipped with a magnus 2 blade broadhead. the whole combination weighs about 382 grains. i know i should probaly shoot a heavier arrow but i've already had a terrible time trying to tune this bow and get good flight with broadheads so i would rather not change it. i also like how i get flatter trajectory. i plan on hunting whitetails and sika deer in maryland this year. do you think this set up will be adequate.

[Fletcher]

I shoot 53# @ 26" and it would be too light for me.  A 26" 1916 will weigh about 440 and my woods weigh between 530 and 570.  Trajectory at hunting ranges is fine.

[DesertDude]

If I have my figures right. 44# bow 382gr arrow.
382 divided by 44 = 8.68gr per inch. Not super lite but it's liter than most here. As long as the BH is sharp & well placed all should be fine.
If your hunting a thicker skined critter I would recommed a heavier arrow.  my.02 worth.

Dude from the Desert

[Bert Frelink]

Nope,
Not heavy enough, just my opinion.
Bert

[30coupe]

They would be too light to suit me. I like to be around 10gr. per pound of bow weight. For one thing, the bow is a lot quieter and for another, penetration is much better.

Russ

[Pete W]

Far to light for me.

[JiminTexas]

Too light for what? Hunting? Targets? 3D? small game? Elk? If they are for hunting, then the bigger and tougher the animal the more penetration you want and you'll need the mass behind the arrow to get it. If all you're trying to penetrate is styrofoam or a piece of paper, the sure, get all the flatness you want in the trajectory. It takes a lot of the guesswork out of ranging the target.

[Silent owl]

Vinnie, While I believe that your arrows are lethal I would consider them too light for me to hunt with. In my opinion hunting arrow weights begin at about 480 grains and go up. I would rather shoot 480s out of a 40 lber than 380s out of a 50 even if both are flying perfect.

[electric blues]

How does one go about adding 100grains to a shaft anyways? Is their some brass insert I can glue to the inside of a shaft?

Btw, Im not the original poster, but I have a similar problem. I'm getting good flight and think my set up is okay, but everyone here says its much too light. I'm shooting roughly 360grains out of a 45# @ 28". I can't afford new broadheads and I have Easton Excel 400 carbons that weigh 8.6 per. inch. I'm sure any weight you could use on them would work for the original poster's 2013 xx75.

[Woodduck]

With your bow, I would like to try a 1916 for hunting deer.

[NorthShoreLB]

Way to lite,.... you're bow has to be quite noisy to with those arrows, you can get almost 200gr by filling them with 1/4" plastic tubing, weight would be great and it make those alluminum arrows really quite  

[Fritz Brown]

You might also want to consult your regulations.  Here in Idaho, they would not be legal that light.  Four hundred grains minimum here.

-Fritz

[cjones]

That buck at the top of the page was killed with a 398gr arrow. The bow i was shooting was 55#@29" and i used a snuffer. My current set-up is 50#@29" and my arrows weigh 392gr. They work fine for whitetails but i wouldn't take them elk hunting.

[jonesy]

dont go any less than 500 grains,if you were to shoot a bad shot, a 380 grain arrow won't dig deep, so in my opinion take the guess work out and do some more tuning, read ol adcock's post about arrow tuning and go to work.

[James Wrenn]

It would depend on how quiet the bow is.The arrow will do fine but if your bow is not pretty quiet the extra speed you are getting is not going to help.Faster arrows are really no better if a larger percentages of your shots wind up connecting in the wrong places when the deer jump.Been there and done that. :)Most times I wind up around the 10gns mark not because I think I need arrow weight but because I know I get better results with a quiter bow even if some would call it slow. jmo

[VinnieB]

i just got some 2016 xx75's. i tried to  bareshaft tune them but the best i can get is having the bareshaft hit about  2 inches below the fletched arrows. the 2016's are 10.6 grains per inch but they are slightly too stiff for my bow set up. they fly about right with 150 grain heads. this would bring my weight up to about 476 grains. does this sound better

[bjk]

As stated a couple of times...a 1916 (or 2016 left long to start) should smoke out of the bow...a tougher arrow that will give you a bit more weight and calm the masses.

That said...if the noise level is suitable and they fly well, go hunting...it isn't too light for wt's.

I see you posted just as I did...the added weight and new arrow are a great choice...as long as they fly well.  The added weight will sure make people on the board feel better, the wt won't be more dead, though  

[SteveB]

Heavier will only put you deeper in the dirt with deer.

Steve

[doctorbrady]

This is a great post to bring out the heavy arrow vs. light arrow guys.  Each of us has our own opinion and set of anectdotal stories.  That doesn't make any of us right, necessarily.  Personally, I have moved to the "heavier arrow" side in recent years for most game because of my experiences over the last 16 years.  Also, until someone does a more thorough study of arrow penetration on live and freshly killed game than Dr. Ashby, I am going to take his word on it unless experience says otherwise.  
No doubt that shooting critters in the right spot is the most effective way to put them in the freezer, but there are many things that can and will go wrong at times.
This said, if you want to stick with the shaft that already flies well for you and bump the weight up some, try the weight tubes at 3 Rivers.  You can get up to 8 grains per pound of weight increase without significantly changing the spine.  Best wishes, Brady

[styckbow]

I tend to sit right in the middle on this subject because both camps have valid points so I try to stay at 8.5 grains per pound of draw wieght up to 10 grains perpound and that retains a good trajectory as well as giving enough energy for penitration Good luck Delin