Full metal jacket ?

[macksdad]

I am going to try some easton full metal jackets. I was going to buy some 400 spine arrows. I am shooting a 29.5" arrow. My bow is 55# @ 28" I draw around 29" . Would like to put as much weight as possible upfront to get a good foc%. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[Rob DiStefano]

be aware of the static/dynamic spine differences of most carbon shafting.  i use beman ics 500's with 29.25" length, 350grains up front, and a 55# r/d longbow.  really good arrow flight, bare or fletched.  you might wanna reconsider going weaker than 400's ...    

[Elk whisperer]

should work

[Kentucky Jeff]

I shoot the FMJ arrows in my ACS 3 pc 57# Longbow.

I draw 30 inches and cut the 300 spine FMJ shafts to 31 3/8".  I use 50 grain brass adaptors with 175 grain Abowyer Brown Bear heads or 75 grain brass inserts and 145 grain target points.

Its impossible to find target points any heavier than 145 grains that work with these smaller shafts.  If you use the 11/32 points or larger they become VERY hard to pull out of targets. 3 Rivers is the only place I found the 145 grain points...most everyone else only has 125 grain target points.

The only weighted inserts I've seen are the Easton 50/75 grain brass variety.  You can break off the end to make it 50 grains if you want.

These small shafts require different nocks than your standard carbon shafts.  

I LOVE these shafts in my ACS bow.  They have not shot well in my other bows...but they are probably way overspined in those bows to be fair.  They seem to be as durable as any carbon shaft and I've shot more than a few into my cedar fence in my backyard with no damage.

[JamesKerr]

I shoot a 55 @ 28" tomahawk with a 340 spine trad only carbon shaft cut to 30&1/4 with a 100 grain brass insert and 175 grain points. Perfect flight.

[Shawn Leonard]

I would say you will need at least 275 grains up front and a 30.5" arrow bop. I am sorry but a 340 out of that Tomahawk is crazy stiff even with that amount of point weight. I know a compound guy that shoots 340s with 275 grains of point weight out of a 68# compound cut to 29"s and get bullet holes in paper. That 340 spine could easily be shot with 425 up front and fly well. look at Robs arrow combo as an example!

[RUSTY1]

Sounds pretty close. My BW is 57 @ 29 1/2. Arrows are 31 1/2 FMJ 340. 50gr. brass insert with 150gr BH. 3 rivers has test packs of the FMJ's you could buy to see if 400 or 340 will work.

[Earl Jeff]

I would stick with the 400 spine shaft if your going to weight it up.

[Ragnarok Forge]

Rob is right!   I worked up some buffalo arrows with fmj's and shoot 500 spine with 400 up front on a 55 lb long drawn to 30 inches.   I have 300, 340, and 500 spine shafts from my testing.   There are a dozen or more of each.   If you would like I can send you some of each.  They all have brass inserts.   When you decide what you want we can talk or you can mail them back and buy new ones.    My resarch and working to help other shooters tune with carbons has shown me most carbon shooters are shooting way to stiff a spine.   You need to bare shaft to fletched shaft  tune carbons to determine if they are the right spine.  I use the larger field points and while a bit tougher to pull it isn't that hard.   I use a 300 grain head with  a 100 grain insert.  HFOC with lots of weight for penetration.

[JamesKerr]

Shawn, Now I don't know if I read it right but if your bareshafts hit with your fletched shafts then you are in tune according to O.L. Adcock. This is how I did it and looking at Stu Millers calculator I am pretty close as well. All I know is even with wet fletching and a broadhead I still get perfect flight.

[bolo7735]

55lb @ 28" Centaur Longbow. FMJ 400 spine, 31" arrow length. 75gr insert and Muzzy 220gr broadhead. My draw length is 29". 651gr total. It shoots great within 15-20yards.

[LoweBow]

I shot 500 FMJ's thru my BW recurve for a while w/ no weight up front and 150gr Broadheads.  Full lenght shafts.  Bow is about 57# @ 29.5"
I didn't care for them as I didn't feel they were as tough as the normal Axis shafts and sold the 11 I had.  I went back to a 400 Axis Nano..same set up.

[Rob DiStefano]

right now, for my dollars, the value is in beman ics bowhunters (500),  i've been shooting them every week of the year, sometimes 6 dayze per, for over 4 years.  they're quite durable, stay straight, fly well (choose the right spine, think WEAK!) and have killed hogs for me.

[Shawn Leonard]

James read RForges post, he is 100% correct when he says most guys are shooting too stiff a spine. I would go as far to say that most is 80% or so. Remember this, 300 spine and 340 spine were designed to be shot out of 70 plus pound compounds at 28"s with 100-150 grain points, why would they than shoot out of 55# Trad bows even left long with a couple hundred grains of point weight, makes no sense. The problem with point of impact tuning is most guys brain takes over aimimg real fast and will make up for errors by correcting where ya hit pretty quick.  Do yourself a favor, take an arrow you know is not even spine close, go out and shoot it at 15-20 yards, dont worry about flight, watch how quick you start hitting where your looking, I bet within 10 arrows you are hiiting pretty good, does this mean you have the right shaft, no it shows what I am talking about. I have done this a long time now and my thinking has changed the last few years, but I believe the best way to tune is to shoot a fletched shaft thru paper. Do this from 12-15ft. and make your corrections according to the tear. It works even if ya have less than a perfect release. Shawn

[Rob DiStefano]

more soapbox stuff ...

all that matters most with hunting arrows is how well they fly for you out of a specific stick bow, how sharp the broadhead, and how consistently you can hit the spot at 5 to 20 yards.  the rest of arrow/bow criteria may not matter as much, if at all.  

truth be told that if a launched fletched arrow that straightens out quickly, flies straight and fast with no fishtailing or porpoising, and goes where you look almost all the time, well THAT is the right arrow for to hunt with, no matter what the spine, or mass weight or whatever.

my simple test is to bare shaft for flight.  only interested in wiggle free flight and where (not how) it hits the butt.  all my carbons will fly well without any fletching, but you need fletching to control most broadheads (AND bad release and form  :D  )

[JamesKerr]

Shawn I believe my arrow flight with a bare shaft is pretty close to perfect as my shafts hit the target straight. Also I agree with Rob as I stated before even with wet fletching and a broadhead my arrows fly extremely well. I won't say anything is perfect I just found that this is what works for me and it may not work for you.

[Shawn Leonard]

James, may work for ya but I still say it is too stiff. No doubt about it. I know guys shooting pretty much your set-up and they are shooting a 400 spine with 275-325 grains of point weight. Sorry but as I stated most guys are overspined and have no clue. Keep shooting what ya want, don't really bother me, but do yourself a favor and add 100 grains to your present point weight and than see what ya think. Shawn

[JamesKerr]

Shawn I looked at what a 400 spine would do with the same point weight I have on my 340 (which totals out to 275 grains) on Stu's calculator and I would have to cut them down to just a little past my draw length to use them.

[Shawn Leonard]

That is the problem you are using stu's calculator, it has everyone I know who has tried it overspined, even when everything is entered perfectly. Don't want to hi-jack thread, so if ya want to continue PM me. The words typed by Forged are very true, read what he says. If I use Stus calculator for my set-up he has me shooting a .400 spine with 175 grains of point weight and a 29" arrow, funny I use a .500 spine almost 30"s with 190 grains of point weight and I get absolute perfect flight according to paper and bareshaft and by just looking, as I have posted before I have stood and watched tons of guys shoot who insist they have perfect flight and I would not shoot with an arrow flyig that way. Shawn

[BigJim]

The 400's should fly well out of that bow. You can get 100g brass inserts as well as the 75's that come with them (or at least the brass comes with them now).
the heavier easy pull points are tapered in the back so they will work with the smaller shafts too. As a matter of fact, all pts 200g or more are larger in diameter then most all carbons.

I like the FMJ's but for my money, I would shoot the classics if they made a shaft stiff enough for me. Having said that, they make a 250 fmj that I will give a try this year.
In case you didn't know, we are easton/beman dealers and have a shipping sale on at this time Not to mention very competitive prices.
thanks,bigjim