Lets see your arrow weight,bow weight and grains per pound for your hunting arrows. Im shooting 560 gr arrow for my 38&40 pound longbows. Thats 14&14.7gpp
560 TOTAL WEIGHT, 44# @28, 12.7 GPI
530gr 41@27 12.9 GPI 3 Blade Woodsmen
My normal set up is a 52@ 27" pound bow, a 540 grain arrow, and a two blade eskimo for an average grains per pound of 10.38.
I made my recent bear hunt with a 48@27 bow with a 525 grain arrow for 10.93 grains per pound.
I'm still undecided on what my setup will be for this fall.
540-550 grain wood arrows from a 49# longbow so about 11 gpp.
Good Lord, trad_bowhunter1965, the arrows in your pic are stunning!
585gr from my 60 to 65 pound bows.
535 from my 50 pound bows.
All 4 blade Zwickeys.
I've been playing around with various arrow builds out of my 46#/30" longbow.
I really like shooting heavy arrows, but I've been playing around with some lower weight builds that I'm really enjoying. My hunting arrows for last season were 670ish grains (info below), and right now I'm working on some hunting arrows that are about 575 grains. At my low draw weight, the lighter arrows have better flight overall, they're much faster, and my point on distance is greatly increased.
I'm primarily hunting whitetail... I'm not terribly worried about a 574gn arrow with a sharp cut on contact broadhead for whitetail at 20 yards and in.
Older Arrows
Shaft: Sirius Archery Tradstar 350 @31" 8GPI = 248gn
Insert: 200gn Stainless Insert/Outsert = 200gn
Broadhead: 200gn RMS Cutthroat = 200gn
Nock: Stock = 11gn
Fletching: 5" Feathers x 3 (4.10gn/ea) = 12.3gn
Total: 671.3gn
FOC: 27.34%
GPP: 14.59
New Hunting Arrows - Test
Shaft: Gold Tip Traditional 500 Spine @31" 10.2 GPI = 316.2gn
Insert: Stainless Insert = 74gn
Broadhead: 160gn Ace Standard = 160gn
Nock: Stock = 12gn
Fletching: 5" Feathers x 3 (4.10gn/ea) = 12.3gn
Total: 574.5gn
FOC: 16.8%
GPP: 12.48
565gr 45@28 13 gpp
3 blade 200 gr VPA
30-1/2" Douglas fir at 610 gr. (tapered to 5/16" over the last 9"). 52# Red Wing Hunter @28" (drawn to about 29-3/4", so 54# +/-). Gives 11.29 gpp(?). I usually get full penetration on whitetails.
Have over a dozen hunting setups. The following is just one that I have been using as of late and is indicative of my typical hunting arrow design.
Bow: BW PCH...58"... 48@28
Shaft: BE Carnivore 400...29 ¾"....6.8 gpp
Insert: 150 gn Brass Insert
Broadhead: 190 gn Simmons Tree Shark or 190 gn TimberShark
Nock: 12gn
Fletching: 4" Shield
FOC: 28.7%
GPP: 11.7
Total: 563gn
With 52-55# 600 grs, 60# 650grs
Quote from: Snow Crow on June 20, 2025, 11:21:29 AMGood Lord, trad_bowhunter1965, the arrows in your pic are stunning!
Thank you sir if you ever want to make them it's easy I'll be happy to tell you how.
This years setup will be tapered hickory shafts with 275gr up from for 950-1000gr from a 65# bamboo backed Ipe ELB at around 145 fps. Did I want that weight, nope. But I wanted to try out some hickory arrows and it's just where they ended up by the time I got them shooting well.
Kyle
60# to 67#, arrows 675-825grains. Sure are quiet.
:campfire: :coffee: :archer2: :campfire:
Thanks for the answers. Good to see these arrow weights. Some say i shoot to heavy but they fly great and my bow is dead quiet.
This year it's a 35# at 30" draw hybrid longbow shooting 525gr arrows. 15gpp
Wood arrows 30 1/2"
630 grains on most arrows. (Setups range from 600 grains to 650 depending upon species and particular dozen, all fly to the same spot out to 25 yards)
190 grain broadheads
47# @ 30" & 50# @ 30 (both bows tune to the same arrow)
For most of the last 25 years: 55/60# spine Sherwood shaft arrows, 29 1/2" to back of the broadhead; 145 grains Eclipse broadhead; Total weight 615-640 grains; Three, 5" to 5 1/2" feathers; Bow - 58# @ 28 1/2" Osage selfbow.
Have made all my personal bows the same specs for over 25 years. Have three new bows ready (all Osage selfbows, 58# @ 28 1/2") and a fourth will be ready by the end of this weekend. Have not decided on this years bow yet, will shoot them all next week at the PBS odd year in the Big Horns, then decide. A super-cub will be dropping me in the AK bush for 23 days in September, so one of the two takedowns are currently at the top of my list.
For over 25 years 585 grains out of my 60 to 70# bows.
Now I have a 50 and a 52# bow and I'm shooting 535 grains out of them.
Do you guys prefer cut arrows? I shoot full length personally but love seeing other set ups!
I like to go full length and a bit stiff so I can sand in to good arrow flight. Just did that tonight with some broadheads. Got the 160 and 200 gr ace and some fieldpoints flying the same as far as my eyes can tell. The broadheads have woody weights to bump them up to match the fieldpoints. Just gotta get some more lacquer on them.
Kyle
Completed a primary hunting set-up this evening
Bow: TimberGhost TGX...58"... 50@28
Shaft: BE Carnivore 350...28 3/4"
Insert: 100 gn Brass Insert
Broadhead: 250 gn 1 1/4" 3-blade VPA
Nock: 10gn
Fletching: 4" Shield
FOC: 28.7%
GPP: 11.7
Total: 583gn
Miss the Victory VForce HV's... the current setup would have been:
Completed a primary hunting set-up this evening
Bow: TimberGhost TGX...58"... 50@28
Shaft: Victory VForce HV 350...28 7/8"
Insert: 150 gn Brass Insert
Broadhead: 250 gn 1 1/4" 3-blade VPA
Nock: 10gn
Fletching: 3" Shield
FOC: 31.6%
GPP: 12.2
Total: 611 gn
Note: Would have likely shimmed side plate approximately 1/32"
Have had a full body length pass thru with a VPA 3-blade on a nearly identical set-up
590 to 780, depending on broadhead choice. I'd like to get some that are in the 500-530 range for more accutate shots to 25-30 yards, but will need some low GPI shafts...maybe next year?
40-45# recurve and longbow, 29 1/2 to 30" arrows (500, 460, 400).
This year I'll be hunting whitetails with my 50# 1972 Bear Black Panther Hunter recurve, B55 string. Arrows will be 550 grain (11gpp) German Spruce, three 5" helical low profile shield fletching, Ace Standard 145gr broadheads, Bohning Classic Index nocks.
Quote from: kopfjaeger on July 27, 2025, 11:14:18 AMThis year I'll be hunting whitetails with my 50# 1972 Bear Black Panther Hunter recurve, B55 string. Arrows will be 550 grain (11gpp) German Spruce, three 5" helical low profile shield fletching, Ace Standard 145gr broadheads, Bohning Classic Index nocks.
Never heard of the Panther. Is it just me or is the riser/grip a little more deflexed that say, a Grizzly or some of the other ones?
I like to tinker with different arrows and broadhead but I am a wood arrow guy and here's some that I'll be using. 29" 45/50 145gr some big ole nasty Snuffers a 4 blade Zwickey Eskimos.
I've been shooting 3D with Goldtip 500's with 50 grain brass insert and 125gr upfront coming in a round 500grains out of my Palmer recurve pulling 49lbs at 26 3/4. I have a antelope hunt the first week of September so will use the same setup with a 125gr three blade Razorcap up front. For deer season starting October 1st I'll be using Heritage 150's with 50gr brass insert and 160gr 4 blade Palmer extreme cut broadhead up front. For my January Hog hunt I'll be using Heritage 250's with 100gr brass insert and simmon tiger shark or tree sharks up front.
I've been using lighter arrows than most it seems. I like an arrow / bow combination that gives a speed of upper 170s and to achieve it I've been using 400gr total weight arrows from my 45 to 50lb setups. No problem getting pass throughs on deer .
Just got some arrows tuned to my setup:
Easton GG 500s, 705 gr. total weight, Zwicky Eskimo BH, 350 gr up front, 22% FOC, shooting from a 36#@30" Black Hunter Recurve, nearly 20 gpp, No clue how slow it's going but it's puttin' the arch back into archery 😃.
Shooting gold tip traditional classic xt 340 spine usually with 3 blade vpa's up front for around 586 grains total arrow weight. Out of my 62# and 63# black widows. Works well for me for last ten or so years
I see alot of 11-12 gpp. Is my 14 too much? Opinions? The bow shoots great.
High GPP just means a slower speed and more arched trajectory. But with a higher penetration potential. Just gotta find the middle ground that works for you and your bow. I'm fine with an arrow speed around 150fps, so a 143fps arrow is fine with me. Just want to make sure the total arrow weight is still enough for the game you after. If you have the arrow weight but not the speed you need, up the bow weight and pick up speed with the same arrow. Or if the arrow is heavier than necessary and you want better trajectory, drop arrow mass.
Kyle
Quote from: LUMEN on June 24, 2025, 10:32:40 AMI've been playing around with various arrow builds out of my 46#/30" longbow.
I really like shooting heavy arrows, but I've been playing around with some lower weight builds that I'm really enjoying. My hunting arrows for last season were 670ish grains (info below), and right now I'm working on some hunting arrows that are about 575 grains. At my low draw weight, the lighter arrows have better flight overall, they're much faster, and my point on distance is greatly increased.
I'm primarily hunting whitetail... I'm not terribly worried about a 574gn arrow with a sharp cut on contact broadhead for whitetail at 20 yards and in.
Older Arrows
Shaft: Sirius Archery Tradstar 350 @31" 8GPI = 248gn
Insert: 200gn Stainless Insert/Outsert = 200gn
Broadhead: 200gn RMS Cutthroat = 200gn
Nock: Stock = 11gn
Fletching: 5" Feathers x 3 (4.10gn/ea) = 12.3gn
Total: 671.3gn
FOC: 27.34%
GPP: 14.59
New Hunting Arrows - Test
Shaft: Gold Tip Traditional 500 Spine @31" 10.2 GPI = 316.2gn
Insert: Stainless Insert = 74gn
Broadhead: 160gn Ace Standard = 160gn
Nock: Stock = 12gn
Fletching: 5" Feathers x 3 (4.10gn/ea) = 12.3gn
Total: 574.5gn
FOC: 16.8%
GPP: 12.48
FWIW, the Gold Tip 500 are only 8.6 GPI not 10.2