# Heavy Arrow vs Light Arrow



## SurfaceArchery

Would love to hear your thoughts on arrows. 

I am shooting SuperDrives at about 400 grains for an overall arrow. Fun indoor spots and 3D. This is the heaviest arrow I've shot for targets. 

Does a Heavy arrow slow down or hold its speed better than a light arrow?

27.5" Arrow with a 125 Grain tip.


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## erose

To answer your question, a heavy arrow will shoot slower and not have the distance that a lighter arrow will have. There is though a lot more variables involved when discussing arrow performance than just weight though.


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## SurfaceArchery

I know their slower for sure, just wasn't sure if they slowed down faster than a lighter arrow. Im only shooting 60lbs out of a Dominator Pro and expect to get around 265'sh out of it for FPS. Wondering if I should have gone with a lighter arrow now for 3D. Back when I shot 3D in 07-08 my fatboys came in around 330.... Much lighter.


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## whiz-Oz

Heavier arrows hold speed better than light arrows purely because they're heavier. 
However, there's more to it than that as erose said. 
In certain circumstances, a heavier and thinner arrow will catch up with a fatter lighter arrow because the speed loss of the fatter lighter one is dramatic. 
This of course, requires time and distance. 

There's an optimum combination of variables of weight, drag and drift, but it might not be the optimum arrow for what you want to do at any one time. 

As is possible to go too heavy, it's also possible to go too light. Luckily, spine requirements tend to keep us from the extremes. 

General advice is to go with as thin and heavy as you can construct within spine allowances. It tends to give the optimum for everything except unmarked field archery where speed is the best option.


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## nswarcher

Personally, i shoot real light, 342 grain arrows in a standard diameter and they have really done the job before taking the next step up in scores, 400 is definatley a comfortable weight for everything and i would only change your setup if you were to dedicate arrows to each discipline.


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## nestly

Everything is relative.

All else being equal, at normal ranges for 3D/target archery, a heavier arrow will retain a higher percentage of it's initial velocity than a light arrow.... *however*, at these distances (50yds and under), the lighter arrow will always traveling faster even at 50yds, which means the lighter arrow will have a flatter trajectory and lower flight time to the target. To make the final decision though, you also have to consider whether you're shooting known, or unknown distances.

For indoor where speed is not a significant factor, larger diameter is always better because you can miss by a larger margin and still score the same... *assuming* that you can attain the same center-to-center group size with large dia vs smaller diameter.


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## SurfaceArchery

nestly said:


> Everything is relative.
> 
> All else being equal, at normal ranges for 3D/target archery, a heavier arrow will retain a higher percentage of it's initial velocity than a light arrow.... *however*, at these distances (50yds and under), the lighter arrow will always traveling faster even at 50yds, which means the lighter arrow will have a flatter trajectory and lower flight time to the target. To make the final decision though, you also have to consider whether you're shooting known, or unknown distances.
> 
> For indoor where speed is not a significant factor, larger diameter is always better because you can miss by a larger margin and still score the same... *assuming* that you can attain the same center-to-center group size with large dia vs smaller diameter.




Thank you. Exactly the type answer I expected. Look like I'll be looking for some lighter arrows. I'll be shooting Open C. (Haven't really shot since 08). May have to look at a 3D shaft specific and use the Superdrives just for fun indoor.


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## throth

IMO:

Heavy arrows for hunting
* keep there energy better
* stronger

Light arrows for target
* fly further
* fly flatter
* less effected by wind


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## nochance

throth said:


> IMO:
> 
> Light arrows for target
> 
> * less effected by wind


huh?


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## whiz-Oz

Interesting how the best target archers in the world use the thinnest carbon arrows with the heaviest points that they can fit in them. Easton even released a 140 grain point for those that want to go heavier. 
Pretty much only one well known archer stayed with the light ACE shafts instead of going to the heavier X10. 

Light arrows are absolutely more affected by the wind. Professional target shooters (other than Bridger Deaton) all go for thin, heavy arrows because they're less wind affected. Optimum arrow weights and sizes vary with application and these factors can be absolutely determined to give you the best performance based on what you want to achieve. It's actually the application of science.


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## throth

significantly shorter flight time, less time for the wind to effect it...

Increase in weight < Increase in flight time (usually)


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## throth

All the arrow changes before ACE was becoming lighter...

Heavy tips have a dart like stabilization, thats less about making the arrow heavy and more about making the tip heavyier


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## vito9999

My ASA speed limit is 280fps. I'm shooting 180g tips in 22's .350 with an arrow that weighs 460g. My Impact is shooting that arrow at 277fps which is perfect for my needs. I do not plan on bouncing out as much this year.


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## bigHUN

erose said:


> ...a heavy arrow will shoot slower and not have the distance that a lighter arrow will have. ...


fyi, the heavier arrow will keep the direction longer and more reliable for scoring long distances



whiz-Oz said:


> Heavier arrows hold speed better than light arrows purely because they're heavier....This of course, requires time and distance....General advice is to go with as thin and heavy as you can construct within spine allowances...


:thumbs_up



throth said:


> significantly shorter flight time, less time for the wind to effect it...Increase in weight < Increase in flight time (usually)


Time...what time or better how long time the 400 grain arrow is flying to 90 yards? It can get there in less then 3 seconds with a side-wind...The time difference is not much but a moderate side wind will push away the light arrow and that will not score at all.



whiz-Oz said:


> Interesting how the best target archers in the world use the thinnest carbon arrows with the heaviest points that they can fit in them...Light arrows are absolutely more affected by the wind...It's actually the application of science.


:thumbs_up


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## Garceau

SurfaceArchery said:


> Thank you. Exactly the type answer I expected. Look like I'll be looking for some lighter arrows. I'll be shooting Open C. (Haven't really shot since 08). May have to look at a 3D shaft specific and use the Superdrives just for fun indoor.


So you know that ASA has a speed limit in Open C.

I don't know which bow you shoot or any of your set up. But the 400 grain Superdrives may be what you need....its only 40 yards, there will be very little to zero shots that will be effected by the wind. Even in Texas notoriously windy for an ASA course you are in some pretty deep cover when you actually shoot the ranges.


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## whiz-Oz

throth said:


> All the arrow changes before ACE was becoming lighter...
> 
> Heavy tips have a dart like stabilization, thats less about making the arrow heavy and more about making the tip heavyier


I can tell that I'm in a discussion with someone with a very very basic understanding of how things work. 

Did you know that it is possible to shoot light arrows and heavy arrows out of the same bow, that will have the light arrows lose so much velocity that they are passed by the heavy arrows after a certain distance?

This situation doesn't exist in the edges or fringes of what people are shooting. It happens right around where the average draw length and 50-60 lb bows are used. 

So you have a slower, lighter arrow being more affected by wind AND being in the wind longer in greater distances. Lighter is not your friend in long distance accuracy or energy retention. 

Light is good when you don't have sights or much distance and you're depending on trajectory. This advantage is limited to distances under 50 yards. If you're never shooting past that, go right ahead. 

Serious competitors actually understand physics and optimisation at distance. Absolutely NONE will agree with you but they'll encourage you to use your light arrows.


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## GrahamJ

If that last post had a like button, I would have hit it several times. Well said.

Regards,
Graham


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