Im new to bowhunting,so far my expierance has only been rabbits and possoms,right now Im just waiting for deer season, I shoot a 50 pound bow thats only 43 pounds at my draw length so how heavy should my arrows be.
The time tested rule of thumb to which I carefully adhere is to shoot 9-10 grains of arrow weight per pound of bow draw weight. Fred Bear liked 9 grains per pound. If it worked well for Fred it'll do fine for me.
10-13 grains per # is what works best for me
I shoot 490-515 out of my 40# bows.
I would keep your arrows above 500 grains total weight for deer.
Around 430gr. for that set up. As many will tell you 9-11 grains per pound of draw weight is roughly what the majority shoot and actually what is recomended by a lot of bowyers to absorb the energy of your bow.
The 10 gr per pound rule works pretty well as long as you have enough arrow weight to start with. I want a minimum of 500 gr for deer size game no matter what the bow weight. A heavier arrow (within reason) will take more energy from the bow and be more efficient. Shooters with lower weight bows need to maximize their package. 43 lb with a short draw length makes this even more important.
I've been known to shoot arrows as heavy as 840 gr out of a 48 # bow at my draw . Too heavy , well some may say so but I like heavy and they are tuned well and blow right through deer . Use what works for you and as long as they are tuned and heavy enough , go for it.
I shoot a 735 gr arrow from my setups listed below. I personally will never change. I love heavy arrows. I dont shoot past 20 yards so I really dont notice the drop. They do drop alot ounce you get past that 20-25 yard mark though.
QuoteOriginally posted by frassettor:
I shoot a 735 gr arrow from my setups listed below. I personally will never change. I love heavy arrows. I dont shoot past 20 yards so I really dont notice the drop. They do drop alot ounce you get past that 20-25 yard mark though.
Not shooting past 25 where I hunt isn't usually a problem.. Trying to find a hole to shoot 20-25 yds is....
I've taken big game with 425 grain arrows. I think shot placement take a higher priority, along with a solid sharp broadhead :saywhat:
QuoteOriginally posted by Slasher:
QuoteOriginally posted by frassettor:
[qb] I shoot a 735 gr arrow from my setups listed below. I personally will never change. I love heavy arrows. I dont shoot past 20 yards so I really dont notice the drop. They do drop alot ounce you get past that 20-25 yard mark though. [/b]
Not shooting past 25 where I hunt isn't usually a problem.. Trying to find a hole to shoot 20-25 yds is....
Make sure your arrows are flying true and keep your broadheads sharp...that's more important than worrying about weight. How heavy are the arrows you use now?
As many have said, 9, 10, 11... you want to have enough to absorb the power of your bow. You can kill any animal in North America with 450 gr or better. I shoot 14 gr/lb but that's just me.I know my bow can deliver my 775 gr arrow with no problem. You really have to play around and find what works best for you and your bow.
I like 10 gpi. Minimum of 500 gr for big game. Elk ect. Deer, probably 400 gr. 8 to 10 gpi.
I'm going to use some full-length Surewood shafts out of my Howard Hill Halfbreed this fall. It pulls 50#@31". The shafts spine 70# and I'm going to use a 145gr head. The total weight is 675 grains (around 14gpp).
It's not what I'd call speedy, but I have no doubt it will handle the deer, hogs, and black bear around here. I'd even use it on elk and moose.
640 gr out of a Border Black Douglas 50#@28" 12.8 gpp. Shoots pretty flat out to 20 yds. About 25% EFOC and it blows thru pigs like its not there.
i shoot a 60 lbs.bw pma and shoot a 620 arrow i think itll go through anything a release it at
10-11 ...
I shoot a tad over 11grs. per lbs. with a 50# bow People say they can barely hear when I release. That's one advantage with heavy arrows.
9gpp. if you like a flat arrow, 11gpp. if you like a quiet bow, 14gpp.if you like a dog.
Below is what I shoot.
Blacktail TD Recurve: 66", 42# @ 30". BS: 14StrDyna97. BrcHt: 7 1/4". NP: 5/8". Arrow: 32", 2212. PW: 185 Grains. AW: 528 Grains. GPP: (12.57). FOC: 17.3%
Blacktail TD Recurve: 66", 42# @ 30". BS: 14StrDyna97. BrcHt: 7 1/4". NP: 5/8". Arrow: 32", 2213. PW: 160 Grains. AW: 535 Grains. GPP: (12.73). FOC: 14.9%
Blacktail TD Recurve: 66", 42# @ 30". BS: 14StrDyna97. BrcHt: 7 1/4". NP: 5/8". Arrow: 32", 2215. PW: 205 Grains. AW: 610 Grains. GPP: (14.52). FOC: 16.7%
Blacktail TD Recurve: 66", 37# @ 30". BS: 13StrDyna97. BrcHt: 7 5/8". NP: 5/8". Arrow: 32", 2212. PW: 180 Grains. AW: 523 Grains. GPP: (14.13). FOC: 17.0%
Blacktail TD Recurve: 66", 37# @ 30". BS: 13StrDyna97. BrcHt: 7 5/8". NP: 5/8". Arrow: 32", 2213. PW: 190 Grains. AW: 565 Grains. GPP: (15.27). FOC: 16.8%
Night Wing Your cheating with that long draw length!!!
I like to shoot 500 gr arrows, that works out to 9.5grs a lb. But, I'd still shoot that weight with a lighter bow.
560gr arrow with 59# on my fingers.
That 9,5gpp arrow is heavy enough to make some 3D targets shaking a bit.
Its fun to me.
QuoteOriginally posted by RLA:
Night Wing Your cheating with that long draw length!!!
I've got long orangutan arms built on a 5' 9" frame. :D My long draw length really helps since I shoot low poundage bows. :)
I use and have good luck at 7.5 - 9 gpp on any game in the Northwest (CA, OR, ID)
400 to 500 is wat id use
I shoot 500 at 45# and 50#, but placement is what counts.
Since nobody has said it, just be sure that whatever you are shooting during your practice sessions keep it the same weight but with broadheads when you hunt.
more than its weight I think that's its mass organisation wich will count the more...try to find a good arrow around 10gpp with a good 19% EFOC and you will have something good...note that the dynamic efficiency ot the bows is very often at its best around 12gpp what could be the best compromise if you get a 165-175fps trajectory...at this speed your arrow trajectory will be easy to control and will give you a flat enough trajectory for shooting as far as 20 meters...just my opinion.
The best deer hunter I ever knew shot a recurve pulling 42# with arrows weighing in the mid-400s. He had no problem shooting through midwestern whitetails year after year.