# Arrow weight for hunting hogs, deer and bear



## m4armorer (Jul 27, 2013)

Hey Guys I'm looking for advice on setting up arrows for hunting hogs, deer and black bear. I'm shooting a Bear Super Kodiak 50 lb. My draw length is 28 inches. My current arrows are Victory Vforce 500, 4 inch feathers with brass inserts and 125gr points. Total arrow weight is 400 grains. They shoot / fly great, If I do my part I can keep my groups the size of a pie pan at 30 yards. 

I've been doing a lot of research and reading Dr. Ed Ashbys recommendations on total arrow weight and FOC. I believe I should have a total arrow weight of 500 grains or more. I need advice on arrows, spine weight, broadheads and total arrow weight. Also should I use 4 or 5 inch feathers?

Thank you for any advice with my endeavor

Patrick


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Your weight should be fine 

Tune is the ticket


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## Jim Casto Jr (Aug 20, 2002)

You're shooting 8 gpp, shooting well, and your arrows are tuned and flying well. Sounds to me like you don't need any advice, and my experience tells me you'll have no problems on deer, pigs, or bear. A good cut on contact broadhead is all you need. Good luck to you.

btw..... when you start hunting Cape Buffalo, you may want to revisit Dr. Ashby's theories.


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## sharpbroadhead (Feb 19, 2004)

Here is what I found when I tested with my set up:

Part 1 of 2


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## sharpbroadhead (Feb 19, 2004)

part 2 of 2:


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## sharpbroadhead (Feb 19, 2004)

I have also had great success with Rage 40KE expandable broadheads on whitetail deer - here is one of the blood trails:






I have killed several whitetail now with these heads and so far - they have left me the best blood trails of any head I have ever used.


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## MAC 11700 (Feb 22, 2011)

Personally. ..I wouldn't change a thing...but would look into some really tough broadheads for the bear and hogs..Ive talked to a lot of friends who go after them..All recommend some type of cut on contact heads..Quite a few have told me that they have had great success with the Exodus head..and after seeing how tuff it is I agree..

Whitetail. .well they aren't nearly as hard to kill and as long as they are razor sharp and you put it in the vitals your in business. .

A real hogzilla..or big bear..you might want to go up some in arrow weight..but smaller pigs and small black bear..you should be in great shape...You got to put what Dr.Ashby has to say in perspective.....if you were hunting heavy dangerous game...I would worry about it. .

Mac


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## m4armorer (Jul 27, 2013)

Thank you for the advice so far. My local archery shop suggested I get in the 500 plus total grain weight. Those guys are shooting arrows that weight up to 600 grains. Anyone shooting heavy arrows please let he know what works for you. 
One more question, will I need to go with a stiffer spine if I shoot a heavy field point / broadhead?


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## MAC 11700 (Feb 22, 2011)

m4armorer said:


> Thank you for the advice so far. My local archery shop suggested I get in the 500 plus total grain weight. Those guys are shooting arrows that weight up to 600 grains. Anyone shooting heavy arrows please let he know what works for you.
> One more question, will I need to go with a stiffer spine if I shoot a heavy field point / broadhead?


You can try some GT Traditionals in 5575 they come in around 9.3 grains per inch....nock feathers and a 100 brass insert with a 125 grain head and you should be right at 500 grains. .if you need more..you have weight tubes you can add..or go heavier on the head..

Mac


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## sharpbroadhead (Feb 19, 2004)

Before you sacrifice speed, flatter trajectory, and necessarily accuracy at unknown distances, do some testing and see if there is truly any valid reason to use heavy arrows. My tests along with many others including Jack Howard, have shown that a faster lighter arrow can actually have an advantage in penetration over a slower heavier arrow. I suspect you would find this to be true of your set up as well and if it is, why sacrifice accuracy just to say you have a heavy arrow?


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## Easykeeper (Jan 2, 2003)

I don't think you _need_ any more weight, but if you experiment with a heavier arrow you might find you like it. I'm shooting a couple recurves that are 50# at my draw length and can get either a 30" .400 with a relatively light (125gr.) head to tune or a 31" .340 with a relatively heavy (250gr.) head to tune well. The .400 complete arrow weighs about 420 grains and the complete .340 is almost 570 grains, a significant difference.

What do I notice? Pretty much what you would expect. The lighter arrow is obviously faster (I don't have a chronograph). The heavier arrow is much, much quieter and there is considerably less vibration left in the bow. Trajectory between the two shows a slight advantage to the lighter arrow but at realistic bowhunting ranges I don't really notice it. I can't comment on penetration since I haven't made any effort to test it in any scientific way and I am confident either arrow is fine in that department for the deer size game I hunt.

Which arrow do I shoot? The heavy ones. I like the way the bow feels and sounds, it just seems like more of the energy is going into the arrow and less is left in the bow. In other words, much more pleasant to shoot. If I was a competitive 3D shooter I might go with the lighter arrows but I'm basically just a bowhunter who likes to shoot year round and I like a quiet bow. My maximum range on deer is 30-35 yard max. and hopefully well under that. At those ranges the difference in trajectory is not worth the difference in noise and vibration to me. 

Choosing your setup involves a lot of compromises and part of the fun is trying things out and figuring out what compromises work for _you_. I wouldn't worry about what you are shooting now, sounds like you are good to to, but I would recommend you try a heavier arrow sometime in the future. You might find there are some things to like about them.


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## jkm97 (Jul 8, 2004)

If you are shooting well I'd leave it alone.


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## kegan (Aug 28, 2006)

jkm97 said:


> If you are shooting well I'd leave it alone.


Likewise. Some of us do better with a heavier arrow and some do better with a lighter arrow (accuracy wise). Don't compromise your ability to hit where you want.

I'd tune it up as well as possible and just look into the best broadhead for your rig.


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## DDSHOOTER (Aug 22, 2005)

If you know your arrow weight, arrow speed, bow poundage, added weight to string, you can figure out if the heavier arrow will get you more KE. Just by adjusting manufacturer speed to match your actual measured speed. I think you will find it's good for deer but will fall short for Hog or Bear.
http://backcountrybowhunting.com/articles/calc/
DD


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## m4armorer (Jul 27, 2013)

I called the manufacturer of my Bow, Bear Archery. They advised me the lightest arrow I should shoot is 400 grains. Anything lighter will put stress on the bow and possibly cause damage. For hunting large game they said 500 grains plus is ideal. The gentleman I spoke with said Fred Bear used my model of bow on many of his hunts using heavy grain arrows. We all know how successful he was.


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## cgs1967 (Sep 29, 2011)

I only shoot deer where I live but I shoot a 502 grain arrow. It is like hitting them with a tree.


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## K31Scout (Sep 17, 2003)

sharpbroadhead said:


> Before you sacrifice speed, flatter trajectory, and necessarily accuracy at unknown distances, do some testing and see if there is truly any valid reason to use heavy arrows. My tests along with many others including Jack Howard, have shown that a faster lighter arrow can actually have an advantage in penetration over a slower heavier arrow. I suspect you would find this to be true of your set up as well and if it is, why sacrifice accuracy just to say you have a heavy arrow?


I agree and discovered this back around 2005 or so when experimenting with one of my Warf bows. 
Good job on the videos.


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## kegan (Aug 28, 2006)

DDSHOOTER said:


> If you know your arrow weight, arrow speed, bow poundage, added weight to string, you can figure out if the heavier arrow will get you more KE. Just by adjusting manufacturer speed to match your actual measured speed. I think you will find it's good for deer but will fall short for Hog or Bear.
> http://backcountrybowhunting.com/articles/calc/
> DD


Careful of those online calculators. They're not as reliable or as accurate as they are made out to be. In the link you posted that one seems to be updated to where you can't even go below 200 fps, which is where 80% of traditional rigs will be shooting.


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## Jim Casto Jr (Aug 20, 2002)

DDSHOOTER said:


> If you know your arrow weight, arrow speed, bow poundage, added weight to string, you can figure out if the heavier arrow will get you more KE. Just by adjusting manufacturer speed to match your actual measured speed. I think you will find it's good for deer but will fall short for Hog or Bear.
> http://backcountrybowhunting.com/articles/calc/
> DD


I prefer right at 9 gpp myself for hunting but have experimented with all kinds of arrows, broadheads and weight. I've shot more hogs and deer than I can remember, along with several black bear. I've been in camps where folks shot all kinds of arrow weights. His outfit is fine regardless of what some proshop or calculator says.


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## m4armorer (Jul 27, 2013)

What broadhead do you guys prefer? Also what weight do you like?


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## Easykeeper (Jan 2, 2003)

There's lots of good broadheads out there, the last few years I have been using Woodsman Elites. They are made by VPA and are basically the same as the VPA heads, although the heads under 175 grains are a little different dimensionally between the two lines. Either is made from good quality tool steel, easy to sharpen, and I have yet to find one that didn't spin true or need any kind of truing up with a file.

As far as weight, in my opinion the best way to go about deciding is to tune your bow as well as you can and then buy broadheads the same weight as your field points. This is a good link on a popular tuning process...http://www.acsbows.com/bareshaftplaning.html

There are two strategies you could use. If you know you want to use a particular weight of broadhead, you can tune by starting with a relatively long shaft and cut it back by a fraction of an inch until you get good bare shaft flight with a field point of the same weight as the broadhead you want to use. Not very convenient if you don't have a good way to cut your shafts, more of an issue with carbons and less with aluminum since all you need is a tubing cutter with the later. Still, dealing with the inserts is a pain.

More convenient for most people is to make an educated guess on arrow length, leaning toward the long side. Then tune by swapping point weight. 3Rivers sell test packs of different weight field points. Once you get a good bare shaft tune, then buy the same weight broadheads as the field points that tuned the best.

If you really want to be "trad", just spin whatever broadhead you want on the end of your arrow and hope for the best. That was written completely tongue in cheek but a lot of game has been killed that way...:wink:


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## kegan (Aug 28, 2006)

m4armorer said:


> What broadhead do you guys prefer? Also what weight do you like?


I like the Simmons Sharks heads. I've used the Tree Shark and Tiger Shark and was very enthusiastic about the results. I like an arrow that's shooting about 185-195 fps. Too much slower and the sight picture at the different distances are really varied. Too much faster and the gap gets too big for me.


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## rattus58 (Jul 9, 2007)

m4armorer said:


> Hey Guys I'm looking for advice on setting up arrows for hunting hogs, deer and black bear. I'm shooting a Bear Super Kodiak 50 lb. My draw length is 28 inches. My current arrows are Victory Vforce 500, 4 inch feathers with brass inserts and 125gr points. Total arrow weight is 400 grains. They shoot / fly great, If I do my part I can keep my groups the size of a pie pan at 30 yards.
> 
> I've been doing a lot of research and reading Dr. Ed Ashbys recommendations on total arrow weight and FOC. I believe I should have a total arrow weight of 500 grains or more. I need advice on arrows, spine weight, broadheads and total arrow weight. Also should I use 4 or 5 inch feathers?
> 
> ...


Can't help you with the spine part of it, but the idea of a more forward FOC is correct if you want to maximize penetration for a given arrow weight. Pigs come in all sizes and constitution, but they generally go down pretty quick. The big thing to remember about pigs is where the boiler room is. Boars can have a pretty thick shield and some sows too, right up from the front leg... where everything else is too. If you get into bigger pigs, this can be an obstacle and heavier arrows are better than not. You were suggesting a 400 grain arrow for pigs from a Kodiak, and I'd suggest you think closer to 500 if I was hunting feral pigs or stick to the more juvenile assortments. This all of course is *my opinions* so otherwise go out and have fun.

View attachment 1816479

View attachment 1816474


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## rattus58 (Jul 9, 2007)

m4armorer said:


> I called the manufacturer of my Bow, Bear Archery. They advised me the lightest arrow I should shoot is 400 grains. Anything lighter will put stress on the bow and possibly cause damage. For hunting large game they said 500 grains plus is ideal. The gentleman I spoke with said Fred Bear used my model of bow on many of his hunts using heavy grain arrows. We all know how successful he was.


Fred Bear advocated 10 grains per pound and also with those bows found that the heavier arrow penetrated better, contrary to a lot of background noise you get here about light versus heavy arrows.


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## benofthehood (May 18, 2011)

I wouldn't go any lower in arrow weight,nor be compelled to go any higher in arrow weight. Your set up sounds fine as long as the arrows fly well and impact where you are aiming. I have taken a lot of pigs with , by today's standards, slow Hill style longbows @ 50# and and cedar arrows tipped with Ribtek heads that probably weighed 450 gns and they zipped in one side and out the other


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## Boberau (Dec 15, 2009)

I'm with Sharp. If you already like your set-up you should be fine. 8 gpp is okay. 

I own a 50# Howett Hunter, and set it up with 7 gpp at my draw length. I used 100 grain Magnus Stingers and knocked down a 200 pound bear back in 2011. I also had read Ashby. As a result, I was worried. Unlike many other guys, I devised my own tests. I had three different weight tuned arrows. There was no diffence in the penetration. My results matched Sharp's in that the lighter arrows penetrated better. I ran a test for significance and found there was no significance. So, as a result, I could only say that there was no difference in penetration.

I know Ashby sounds like an authority. He's not. He's just a guy like you and me.

So, do your own tests. That is the singular way in which you will know which arrows provide sufficient penetration.


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## DDSHOOTER (Aug 22, 2005)

kegan said:


> Careful of those online calculators. They're not as reliable or as accurate as they are made out to be. In the link you posted that one seems to be updated to where you can't even go below 200 fps, which is where 80% of traditional rigs will be shooting.


I posted that calculator because it is very helpful. Reread my post. I can see that the manufacturer speed doesn't go below 200 fps like most trad bows. However, most trad manufacturer don't list their speeds, don't they? "If you know your arrow weight, *arrow speed*, bow poundage, added weight to string you can figure out if the heavier arrow will get you more KE which is what the manufacturer is advising. What this means is you have to work the calculator backwards to get the youractual arrow speed, measured at his local archery shop. I guess I should of point this out and that it was a good starting point. I like to get my bow shooting well and then figure if it would be good for bigger game. I stated that the poster KE, based on the calculator, fell short for Hog or Bear. May be it's right or wrong I don't Know. Apparently Jim C does so that go to know. What it does do is tell you if KE goes up or down with certain arrow bow combinations.
DD


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## Tracker12 (Sep 22, 2003)

"Mechanical Broadhead" for traditional archery. Really??? That just ain't right. Give me a 500 grain arrow and a big 3 VPA of snuffer. You want to shoot light arrows, fast, and use a mechanical why not just buy a wheel bow.


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## kegan (Aug 28, 2006)

DD,

You don't need an online calculator or to work backwards. You don't need to know about manufacturer's speed (which from what I've found, and vary a good bit depending on how the individual shoots), or added weight to the string, which I don't get how it effects KE on a traditional bow if you already have a chrono.

Arrow speed x arrow speed x arrow weight / 450,240 = KE

I also don't buy most of the KE charts that a compound-focused site offers for minimums. I've seen a lot of where they say 40 ft-lbs of KE is barely enough for deer, when there are guys using traditional rigs producing that sort of energy to kill elk and moose (Fred Eichler, Jim Neaves, and Dave Oligee have all done it on film just off the top of my head).


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## rattus58 (Jul 9, 2007)

Boberau said:


> I'm with Sharp. If you already like your set-up you should be fine. 8 gpp is okay.
> 
> I own a 50# Howett Hunter, and set it up with 7 gpp at my draw length. I used 100 grain Magnus Stingers and knocked down a 200 pound bear back in 2011. I also had read Ashby. As a result, I was worried. Unlike many other guys, I devised my own tests. I had three different weight tuned arrows. There was no diffence in the penetration. My results matched Sharp's in that the lighter arrows penetrated better. I ran a test for significance and found there was no significance. So, as a result, I could only say that there was no difference in penetration.
> 
> ...


Well tell me... guy just like ashby... what is that you have accomplished for the archery world... if you don't mind my asking. What game have you shot with your bow that exceeds 1000 pounds or more? Tell me, how did you come to understand FOC for penetration with light bows and arrows... can you point me to your work? Thank you!

Much Aloha.... :beer:


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## DDSHOOTER (Aug 22, 2005)

kegan said:


> DD,
> 
> You don't need an online calculator or to work backwards. You don't need to know about manufacturer's speed (which from what I've found, and vary a good bit depending on how the individual shoots), or added weight to the string, which I don't get how it effects KE on a traditional bow if you already have a chrono.
> 
> ...


Good to know. So my 35 pound TT with Blackmax carbon limb an 350 grain arrow is good for deer or pig? . 
DD


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## rattus58 (Jul 9, 2007)

DDSHOOTER said:


> Good to know. So my 35 pound TT with Blackmax carbon limb an 350 grain arrow is good for deer or pig? .
> DD


with some qualification I'm sure.... :laugh:


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## DDSHOOTER (Aug 22, 2005)

Arrow speed x arrow speed x arrow weight / 450,240 = KE or KE x 450240 / arrow weight = arrow speed squared or KE x 450240 / Arrow speed squared = arrow weight. 

OK, since I now have a formula for KE and have looked at it. I would like to know if a + or - change in 5 grains of weight to the string/arrow = 2 fps of change in string/arrow speed? I have seen this in a couple papers. Some say limb tip speed other refer to weight added to string at nock point, because it is the limb tip load. I think if I find the time I will calculate and then hand shoot these calculations and provide the results in a excel spread sheet. So far it's looking like arrow speed out weights arrow weight because it's squared. LOL 
DD


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## rattus58 (Jul 9, 2007)

DDSHOOTER said:


> Arrow speed x arrow speed x arrow weight / 450,240 = KE or KE x 450240 / arrow weight = arrow speed squared or KE x 450240 / Arrow speed squared = arrow weight.
> 
> OK, since I now have a formula for KE and have looked at it. I would like to know if a + or - change in 5 grains of weight to the string/arrow = 2 fps of change in string/arrow speed? I have seen this in a couple papers. Some say limb tip speed other refer to weight added to string at nock point, because it is the limb tip load. I think if I find the time I will calculate and then hand shoot these calculations and provide the results in a excel spread sheet. So far it's looking like arrow speed out weights arrow weight because it's squared. LOL
> DD


These factors are inconsequential.

grains	350
speed	150
Bullet Diameter	0.41
KE	17.48251748
Momentum	0.233100233
momentum_1	2.331002331
Taylor	3.075

grains	340
speed	155
Bullet Diameter	0.41
KE	18.13408813
Momentum	0.233988234
momentum_1	2.33988234
Taylor	3.086714286

grains	360
speed	145
Bullet Diameter	0.41
KE	16.8031968
Momentum	0.231768232
momentum_1	2.317682318
Taylor	3.057428571


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## kegan (Aug 28, 2006)

DDSHOOTER said:


> Arrow speed x arrow speed x arrow weight / 450,240 = KE or KE x 450240 / arrow weight = arrow speed squared or KE x 450240 / Arrow speed squared = arrow weight.
> 
> OK, since I now have a formula for KE and have looked at it. I would like to know if a + or - change in 5 grains of weight to the string/arrow = 2 fps of change in string/arrow speed? I have seen this in a couple papers. Some say limb tip speed other refer to weight added to string at nock point, because it is the limb tip load. I think if I find the time I will calculate and then hand shoot these calculations and provide the results in a excel spread sheet. So far it's looking like arrow speed out weights arrow weight because it's squared. LOL
> DD


Small changes in arrow weight or arrow speed have never amounted to much for me. As for speed being more important- it works with compounds, but traditional bows lose efficiency with a lighter arrow and don't get enough speed to make up for the lost arrow weight. More efficient designs (your ILF may apply) won't lose any KE with a lighter arrow, but they never gain any (in my experience).

An example would be my old 62# longbow. Shooting a 420 gr arrow I was only getting 40 ft-lbs of KE. I'm getting that out of a same design 52# bow using a 540 gr arrow. Now, that 62# bow would deliver upwards of 48-50 ft-lbs of KE using a 600-650 gr arrow. So on the heavier bow, where did the energy go? Handshock and noise, not arrow speed.

I have no idea whether your 35# bow would be enough, it depends on what speed you're getting. If it's set up right you should be getting close to 28 ft-lbs, which is about the power of a 50-55# selfbow, and those have been killing deer for a while.

Concerning tip and string load: you don't want either one with a traditional bow. They slow down the arrow and don't contribute to anything but handshock.


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## DDSHOOTER (Aug 22, 2005)

kegan said:


> Small changes in arrow weight or arrow speed have never amounted to much for me. As for speed being more important- it works with compounds, but traditional bows lose efficiency with a lighter arrow and don't get enough speed to make up for the lost arrow weight. More efficient designs (your ILF may apply) won't lose any KE with a lighter arrow, but they never gain any (in my experience).
> 
> An example would be my old 62# longbow. Shooting a 420 gr arrow I was only getting 40 ft-lbs of KE. I'm getting that out of a same design 52# bow using a 540 gr arrow. Now, that 62# bow would deliver upwards of 48-50 ft-lbs of KE using a 600-650 gr arrow. So on the heavier bow, where did the energy go? Handshock and noise, not arrow speed.
> 
> ...


That was the same for me! As I got newer compound design, I would drop in draw weight, arrow weight and still have the same KE. The advantage was my accuracy when thru the roof. Placed in the top two in the State 3d's triple crown until I developed TP. This is why I went to a older 30# bear to a newer 35# ILF TT. At first I ordered 45# limbs but after several months I felt I needed to slow down the shot and work more on the form, tried a couple triple crown series but I could feel the TP creeping in. 

I really like the way it shoots after tuning the Tiller more positive. For those strong shot on the 3d's course, target not so much. A first I tuned by cutting a 600 spine shaft from full lenght to 26.5" which barely fit on the riser at my draw, using 75 grain tip full lenght arrow all the way to a 125 grain tip on 26.5" lenght shaft. Well with all that, I ended up with 28" shaft with 85 grain tip. shot the best when the shot was well aimed and somewhat flawed in the execution at 30 yards. Point on being around 25 -27 yards. If I use a 100 grian tip the arrow will impact the target low right about 4". So in that case I have to put a little more into the shot, stronger. The heavier setup make me work harder to get a more perfect shot I think and may not be best when I compete. 

So that same reason I have asked these question because the lighter setup seems best and as it looks, really there is not very much of any gain going with the heavier shorter setup. 

Arizona Game and Fish reg state that I can hunt with a 30 pound draw weight for most Big game. I still feel that may compound is a better option since I have killed more animals with it. 

However, I was at the range the other day and ran into two of the top compound shooter's "friend's of mine" in the state and one of them wanted to look at my setup. See he has several recurves that he had competed with but no longer compete in the Trad class because he torn something in one of his release finger. Anyway, he really like my setup and said it would be a great rig for pig. Which, by the way are pretty hard to kill.
DD


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## kegan (Aug 28, 2006)

If you put a good two blade in the vitals (which it sounds like you'd be a lot more likely to do with the lighter rig) I doubt you'd have an issue. The Black Max are good limbs. Nothing wrong with using your compound though!


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## DDSHOOTER (Aug 22, 2005)

Can you recommend one?
Thanks DD


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## Belicoso (Aug 22, 2006)

DDSHOOTER said:


> Can you recommend one?
> Thanks DD


Silverflames


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## DDSHOOTER (Aug 22, 2005)

Good lookin broardhead. However, it's to heavy. I do have a standard 85 grain 4 blade Slik Stick, that might convert to a two blade? Anyway is there any other. 
DD


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## kegan (Aug 28, 2006)

I believe that the Muzzy Phantom 100 gr 4 blade is about 80-85 gr without the bleeders. It's a wicked head, and nice and stout and razor sharp. I had trouble with sharpenning the bleeders without taking the head apart (using a stone) but as a two blade I couldn't see a thing wrong with them.


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## Attack (Oct 25, 2011)

G5 makes 85 grain 4 blade. I have to use them to keep my arrows tuned as I use 85grn field points.


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## DDSHOOTER (Aug 22, 2005)

Thanks guy's. I will give them a look. I was using the Slick Stick with Razor feathers four fletched. Everything seem to line up and fly real nice out of the compound bow. But with the recurve I swithed to 3 fletch 4" feather because I cannot compete with shorter feathers. Soo, Two blade would be best shot with 3 fletched 4" feather?
DD


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## marc weier (May 26, 2009)

I hunt elk so I do like a little heavier arrow but your setup is fine. I personally think a skinny shaft helps more than weight alone. I don't hunt with anything bigger than a Axis shaft.


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## rattus58 (Jul 9, 2007)

marc weier said:


> I hunt elk so I do like a little heavier arrow but your setup is fine. * I personally think a skinny shaft helps more than weight alone*. I don't hunt with anything bigger than a Axis shaft.


helps a great bit with drag and penetration! Don't know about more than weight, but its all relative in the overall.... :thumbs_up


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## sharpbroadhead (Feb 19, 2004)

I wonder if the tests with small diameter shafts and penetration were done with broadheads on the end of the arrows. If the broadhead is slicing a hole in front of the arrow more than twice the diameter of the standard shaft, how much of a difference can the diameter of the shaft behind the broadhead really make?


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## kegan (Aug 28, 2006)

sharpbroadhead said:


> I wonder if the tests with small diameter shafts and penetration were done with broadheads on the end of the arrows. If the broadhead is slicing a hole in front of the arrow more than twice the diameter of the standard shaft, how much of a difference can the diameter of the shaft behind the broadhead really make?


It may be anecdotal, but lots of folks seem to notice improved penetration on game when going to skinny shafts.


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## larry hatfield (Dec 4, 2013)

for bear, almost any sharp broadhead and gr/lb will work. you can almost throw an arrow through a bear. and yes, i have killed a lot of them. used to kill problem bear for a couple of large timber companys. always used a bow


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## DDSHOOTER (Aug 22, 2005)

That's the claim. I wouldn't know because all of my kills have been complete pass thru. Even when I shot a lead cow elk at 42 yards the arrow 2413 Easton XX78 went completely thru and traveled another 15 yard. Of course this was with a 62 # compound around 280 fps.
DD


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## Jim Casto Jr (Aug 20, 2002)

larry hatfield said:


> for bear, almost any sharp broadhead and gr/lb will work. you can almost throw an arrow through a bear. and yes, i have killed a lot of them. used to kill problem bear for a couple of large timber companys. always used a bow


Ain't that the truth. I've shot several black bear too, and aside from a chipmunk, they've got the thinnest skin of any critter I ever shot. :^) Not nearly as tough as a mature eastern whitetail.


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## Belicoso (Aug 22, 2006)

larry hatfield said:


> for bear, almost any sharp broadhead and gr/lb will work. you can almost throw an arrow through a bear. and yes, i have killed a lot of them. used to kill problem bear for a couple of large timber companys. always used a bow


Welcome to AT Sir.Great to have a person with your knowledge/experience around here.


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## Lightfoot2 (Mar 12, 2013)

belicoso said:


> welcome to at sir.great to have a person with your knowledge/experience around here.


rotfl


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## Belicoso (Aug 22, 2006)

Jake and Anna said:


> rotfl


ROTFL. = (Internet slang) Rolling On The Floor Laughing
If this is what you mean,please enlighten me why?


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## Long Rifle (Dec 8, 2011)

When Mr. Hatfield speaks you might wanna listen...one of the great pioneers in archery there......


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