What about low FOC ?

[Prairie Drifter]

I was working up a heavy wood arrow for the upcoming elk season. Ash and laminated birch shafts w/ a 145gr head come in around 650-675grs. FOC is only around 8%. Now I have shot through deer w/ 500gr, 10% foc wood arrows , but elk? What are your thoughts from some who have shot such low FOC arrows on large game.

[JimB]

I haven't Mike but honestly can't imagine 2% making any difference at all as long as the arrow is still stable.

[wooddamon1]

I wish I could say I've shot through lots of elk, let's see what the killers have to say.

[Piratkey]

No problem with low foc,i dont have any experiences with elk hunting but plenty with huge wild boars,this animal have very thick and strong skin and I never enconter a problem of penetration shooting a low foc arrow on it.
My current set up is ,51/52@28" (my draw lenght is 27"amo) aluminium arrows with 125 gr heads for a total of 540 gr,foc +/-10%

[Pat B.]

Wonder what the FOC was on Fred Bears arrows or Paul Schafer or any of the other notable bowhunters of 30+ years ago ???

Hmmmm.

[Knawbone]

No expert, but I wouldn't think it a problem if your getting good flight. I would use the heaviest BH possible for the spine of the arrow. Like I said however, good arrow flight is the most important with wood IMHO.Your arrow GPP sounds good.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Going down to 8% is right on the border line of getting poor arrow flight....IMO....

let me rephrase that.... at 8% FOC the fletching, and cross winds effect the flight a lot more. and the arrow is going to be a bit more sensitive to a less than perfect release.... Arrow flight with wet feathers at 8% vs 10% is very noticeable.

Penetration difference between 8-10% shouldn't be an issue.... Best all around recommended FOC should be between 10-15% for best arrow flight. IMO

[Northwest_Bowhunter]

I am probably ignorant on this subject but why would you be trying to use low FOC arrows, is there a trade off of benefits?  I have read a few things by Dr. Ashby and from his perspective, not just high but extreemly high FOC seems to be a better big game killer. Is there another school of thought I am missing?

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Originally posted by Northwest_Bowhunter:
I am probably ignorant on this subject but why would you be trying to use low FOC arrows, is there a trade off of benefits?  I have read a few things by Dr. Ashby and from his perspective, not just high but extreemly high FOC seems to be a better big game killer. Is there another school of thought I am missing?

The school of thought you are missing is called aerodynamics.... the guys that say its not rocket science are wrong.... these are exactly what we are dealing with here are little rockets....

for guys that are just hunting with these EFOC arrows at short range, its all about penetration as arrow flight and flat trajectory is rarely an issue at close range.... for guys who want good arrow flight at long distances there are definite advantages to a lower foc balance. other things that effect arrow flight are arrow length, fletching size, and the amount of helical used which add more or less spin to the arrow.... getting the right combination can make a huge difference....


How many pro target shooters do you see who use EFOC arrows?

[sagebrush]

I use an arrow anywhere from 650 to 750 grains depending on how I set it up. They are always wood and I just started using a heavier tip. I always had 145 grain tips before. My bows are anywhere from 55 to 65 lbs. and I usually get two holes in every elk I shoot. Like said above, arrow flight is the most important thing for penetration. An EFOC arrow won't penetrate very good if it is not flying good. Though they are easier to get good flight with. With the above setup I have attained over three feet of penetration when a bone wasn't involved.Gary

[Trumpkin the Dwarf]

Only issue, as Kirk said, will be the arrow flight. I noticed a huge drop in wind drift when I went to a high FOC arrow. My earlier arrows were probably not as low as 8 percent, but the higher FOC arrows do fly better. If those arrows fly well, they will kill elk just fine.

[Bjorn]

I shoot fir and cedar with a 175 gn point the FOC is whatever it works out to be.15% or so. With wood you run out of spine so I just focus on good flight with a 600-650 gn arrow from a 50# bow. My son and I have killed pretty good sized hogs and 2 elk with this setup.

[Bud B.]

Just an open thought..

Total arrow length with nock and point should include point and nock. No?

[Bud B.]

Like your top pic Mike.....

[Knawbone]

Originally posted by Bud B.:
Just an open thought..

Total arrow length with nock and point should include point and nock. No?

Correct Bud

I think High or low really does not matter as long as the arrow is tuned well and put in the right place!

Bisch

[4dogs]

Go to the "how to" forum...use the search engine. Rob has a foc calculater in there...just put in your numbers

[Bud B.]

I'm not concerned about FOC, but, if I were, I'd use total arrow length like Mike.

I go for good tune.

[Bill Kissner]

[Bill Kissner]

Will try again. If you are getting good arrow flight, your setup will do fine for elk. There have been thousands of animals killed with very low FOC. We used to shoot NFAA target archery with arrows that only had a 25 grain target point. The FOC was near nothing or even possibly negative and the arrows could be tuned to fly perfectly. Heavy FOC can be beneficial in certain setups but is certainly not required for most.