Anyone here have a hunting setup that is still at roughly 10gpp? Everything I'm reading points to TG'ers going heavy. I'm aware of the benefits of heavy, but is there still hope for those of us in the 10gpp neighborhood? Oh, for Michigan whitetail I should point out.
I've been tuning up the new to me Great Northern Fireball. 42# @ my 28. I know, light bow, but I'm a newbie and keeping my bows light for the time being.
I'm shooting full length Gold Tip Traditional 3555's. These GT's are full length as they are my first self-fletched batch, and I don't own an appropriate saw. I figured I'd make due with full lengthers (at this point) rather than shorten and add weight.
So I'm at 425gr overall for 42#. I've got 125g Woodsman up front.
Anyone think I NEED to cut these down and add weight, or go ahead with my setup with confidence?
My arrows are around 12 gpp, but I just ordered some lighter that I expect will end up at around 9.5 gpp.
The heavier ones shoot fine, just want to see if I can make a faster yet still forgiving arrow. A little extra speed really helps my accuracy at 30+ yards.
My bow is pretty conservative - B50 string, stable and quiet. 59#
My set up is 10.6 gpp. I shoot a light bow, too. Not worried about it a bit. Arrows fly great.
I'm relatively new to this as well, but seems to me that the forest is sort of lost through the trees on this topic...
10, 12, 15 g.p.p. probably doesn't matter if you have a sharp broadhead and you hit 'em in the boiler room.
Pass through shots are very nice for us less skilled trackers, so that might be a reason to use a two blade or to go heavier, but it doesn't sound to me like your current set up will hold you back one bit chasing whitetails.
It is tough given our consumer culture, but I try to spend my archery time shooting, not tinkering with gear and spending more money.
Daddy, When I was introduced to archery back in the late 60's most of the people I knew shot 45# bows and thy thought it was plenty. If you're getting good flight go for it. The deer will never never tell the difference.
I guess I'm in a second guessing rut right now, thinking I have to tinker like hell with fall around the corner. Looking for a confidence boost. Most of me knows I'm good to go, and a little voice in the back of my head keeps telling me to tweak.
I'm on vacation this week and wanted to get this bow/setup all tuned up. Maybe the time crunch of "get er done this week" has me second guessing everything.
you wil be fine with 10 gpp. just choose a two blade head with a three to one ratio. if you need more confidence buy a rack of ribs hang it on your target and breaks some bones. then fire up your grill. diner and a proven setup everybody wins.
you wil be fine with 10 gpp. just choose a two blade head with a three to one ratio. if you need more confidence buy a rack of ribs hang it on your target and breaks some bones. then fire up your grill. diner and a proven setup everybody wins.
you wil be fine with 10 gpp. just choose a two blade head with a three to one ratio. if you need more confidence buy a rack of ribs hang it on your target and breaks some bones. then fire up your grill. diner and a proven setup everybody wins.
I'm a touch over 11gpp on both of my hunting setups. I didn't try for 11gpp, that's just the way it worked out. I would be perfectly happy shooting anywhere from 9-12gpp.
I tend to shoot fairly heavy arrows, but for normal deer sized animals they are not necessary. I think at least 9 gpp is a good idea, with 10 gpp being recommended as a minimum by many bowyers, especially when shooting FastFlight type strings. When I got my first Brackenbury bow from Jim back in 1984, he recommended 9 gpp. Rick Welch is not only a many times World Champion field archer, he is also a terrific bowyer and hunter. Rick likes his arrows to be on the lighter side of what trad guys are shooting these days. Don't sweat it; 10 gpp is more than heavy enough for the typical game most of us hunt.
Allan
I shoot 10 gpp. Check out the bow test youtube vedio i did with 10 gpp on my website.
i wouldnt want my arrows over 10-gpp, im shooting deer not elephants. :saywhat:
That's exactly how I feel also, I try to keep mine between 9-10 gpp. If I fall just under 10 gpp so be it if they fly good. I'm not going to sacrifice good arrow flight and accuracy to get my overall arrow weight up there higher.
As long as they are close to 10 gpp and I have a nice batch that are all the same weight, I'm good to go.
Lest we not forget the most important aspect of all, shot placement. Doesn't matter if you shoot an 80# bow and you can blast an arrow through a cement door or not, if you can't hit the lung area on a whitetail you will still never recover your prize.
QuoteOriginally posted by hammer08:
I'm a touch over 11gpp on both of my hunting setups. I didn't try for 11gpp, that's just the way it worked out. I would be perfectly happy shooting anywhere from 9-12gpp.
Ditto exactly. I didn't try for 11+ gpp, it just ended up that way from liking more FOC weight. I wouldn't hesitate to use what you have, as long as your bow and arrow setup is tuned for good broadhead flight.
10.7 for my 49 pound longbow
if they are flying good an I mean GOOD you should be fine.now is not the time to second guess yourself.go with it your fine
A 400-450gr arrow is going to do the trick out of a 40-45# bow on white tail as long as you don't take marginal shots and have a sharp head.
Go out and fill up your freezer. Have no doubts with your set up and take quality shots. Don't ask it to do more than it should. In other words, don't use your screw driver as a hammer.
10gpp will work just fine on whitetail, not my cup of tea but it will do the job..
I think you'll be just fine with the 125 grains in front. Ofcourse I don't know how fast your bow is or how much centercut, they might a bit stiff. You can always consider to buy a 6 strands ultra skinny SBD string, this will make your bow faster, much more silent and possibly give an even better match for your bow/arrows. I can highly recommend those strings, especially for lighter bows. I shoot a 45lbs@29" Caribow Peregrine and when I shoot carbon I use the same set-up.
My favorite arrow weight is between the 9,5 to 10 gpp. My carbons are around 425 and my woodies around the 440.
My hunting bow are from 55# to 70# so with 10 gpp I have enough speed and plenty of penetration on all the games I pursuit.If you don't hunt very large and thick skinned african games this rule is good for any hunting.maybe you can look for a lighter arrow if you want to compete on 3D.
I'm in the 10gpp group as well. I'm shooting a 560gr arrow out of my bows which give me 10.5 gpp. Plenty of penetration for the local deer herd.
Not an expert, but from my research I settled on about 10. I would be happy with as low as 9.25 too, but my arrow/bow/broadhead combination wanted a hair over 10 to bare shaft well. I feel this weight is a nice balance.
Joshua
All my hunting arrows are 10gpp or in most cases less and closer to 9gpp. I shoot bows from 58-62# and carbon arrows that fall from 525-625gr depending on the bow. I wouldn't mind a little heavier but I do not like the ultra heavy 12-15gpp. Personal preference I just don't like the flight of them.
You are fine. Forget about GPP, and concentrate now on first-shot accuracy, getting your broadheads razor sharp, and settling on where you are going to get the drop on your deer. That way, when you do get your shot, everything will fall into place.
Don't worry. Good luck.
My bows are from 45-53# and my preference is 600 grain arrow. 550 at the low end
Same here. I'm shooting from 53# up to about 57# and my arrows rang from about 535 grns up to about 585, so I'm liking that 10 - 10.5 weight range. Best balance for me for weight and trajectory
Im shooting 55# and a 550 grain arrow including a zwickey delta. Most accurate setup I have ever came up with. I know what you mean about tinkering this time of year. I think for me if I'm not trying to fix something I get bored. If it makes you feel any better I started out not knowing what I was doing shooting 43# with probably 8gpp and a questionably sharp snuffer. The 2 deer I shot with that setup didn't make it any farther than they do with my new setup.
That set-up is fine, I would shorten the shaft a bit if you draw 28"s and add more weight up front. I would think you are a tad stiff even full length with that 125 grain point. I don't agree lots of people are going heavy, maybe with point weight but not poundage. I shoot anywhere from 8-10gpp. I have to agree with above post perfect flight is way more important than going to 10-12gpp. I have blew thru a few deer shooting 42#s and 8gpp. when I had my shoulder surgery. Strive for perfect flight and sharp broadhead and as long as you are above 8gpp. you will be fine. Shawn
I only shoot heavy arrows because I hunt elk more than any other animal with my bow. For white tails or mule deer I would not hesitate to shoot something at 10 gpp or less if it was ok out of my bow.
Presently I'm shooting a 485 gr arrow out of my 45-47#@28" bows and they fly great. With my 45# bow I'm shooting 10.8 gpp. When I switch to the 47# longbow limbs I'm shooting 10.3 gpp.
When I receive my Eclipse Werewolf 150 gr broadheads I'll be shooting 11.6 gpp with my recurve limbs and 11.1 gpp with my longbow limbs. I don't expect to have any problems with either set of limbs.
Bill
QuoteOriginally posted by Pokerdaddy:
Anyone here have a hunting setup that is still at roughly 10gpp? Everything I'm reading points to TG'ers going heavy. I'm aware of the benefits of heavy, but is there still hope for those of us in the 10gpp neighborhood? Oh, for Michigan whitetail I should point out.
I've been tuning up the new to me Great Northern Fireball. 42# @ my 28. I know, light bow, but I'm a newbie and keeping my bows light for the time being.
I'm shooting full length Gold Tip Traditional 3555's. These GT's are full length as they are my first self-fletched batch, and I don't own an appropriate saw. I figured I'd make due with full lengthers (at this point) rather than shorten and add weight.
So I'm at 425gr overall for 42#. I've got 125g Woodsman up front.
Anyone think I NEED to cut these down and add weight, or go ahead with my setup with confidence?
I agree with everyone else. You'll be fine at 42# shooting a 425 grain arrow. Your bow/arrow combination will definitely get the job done on whitetails.
I have two recurves and one of them is a 42# bow too. I shoot a 421 grain arrow. That puts me at 10.02 GPP. Speed is around 185 fps and that's because I have a 30" draw length.
IM shooting a 45# Dorado with 29 1/4" GT 35/55 Trads with 165gr Simmons Landshark's up front. Total arrow wt of 451gr.
Definitely not a fan of the old 10 gpp; from my perspective it falls in the category of trying to qualify a hunting set-up based on Kinetic energy. One of my significant justification is that the rule is continuously applied to an extremely large draw wt range.
Also, note that Rick Welch's hunting set-up with light gpp arrows is based on a bow with a draw wt of ~60#s - not 42"s. Momentum is far more reliable value.
MOMENTUM = (Grains * FPS)/225218
Minimum momentum (in slugs)
Eland (?), gemsbuck, blue wildebeest, kudu..... 0.4
Red hartebeest, black wildebeest, tsessebe, nyala.....0.38
Impala, blesbuck, bushbuck, reedbuck.....0.35
Springbuck, mountain reedbuck and all small game.....0.3
Table 2: Minimum momentum required for hunting the common species in SA.
Your proposed set-up is ~ .33 slugs and may not even qualify as a minimum requirement for whitetail sized animals. Rick Welch's set-up is estimated at ~.42 slugs. Even the .42 slug figure is not the best indicator using this particular set-up due to the momentum value being significantly driven by the high velocity.
Sure a well tuned arrow, sharp 2 Blade BH and excellent placement will produce.
As a hunter, I can guarantee the 1st two requirements, but even with a good shot, the animal reaction at the shot can make a great deal of difference to the outcome.
Not every situation presented can be overcome, however planning for the unexpected gets my vote!!!!!!!!
Several good points Friend. 10 gpp or less works quite well with medium or heavy weight bows, but can become a little light with light weight bows.
That being said, though this set up is on the light side, good arrow flight, a sharp broadhead and good shot selection will do the job on deer.
I shoot just over 10gpp - 517gr arrow from a 50#@ my DL bow. The biggest animal I have killed with it is an almost 700# Kudu. This year in Africa I took a nice Red Hartebeest (300#ish) and Waterbuck (400#ish) with entry and exit holes on both. 10gpp is just right for me. A well tuned arrow and scary sharp broadhead is a very lethal combination.
Bisch
All mine are in the 10gpp,seems thats where I get the best flight.
Shooting a 51# D style hunting bow with 2 blade STOS head I like 10 to 11 gpp. Its a good compromise without to much drop.
If I were in your shoes (with the extra time) and looking for that last bit of confideence builder....
I would strip the fletching off a couple of your arrows and do some bareshaft shooting. Get a real good idea where they are in regard to weak, stiff, or right on the money. The less your fletching has to "work" to get (and keep) your arrow flying straight, the more energy your arrow will deliver into your target.
I hunt with 40-45# bows and the actual tune of the arrow is the most important thing to me... it has to be when shooting low poundage. Simply fletching up the arrows, and "they look like they are flying fine", doesn't cut it for me. It's amazing how much the fletching can correct a not-so-well matched arrow to the bow. Like I said... the less work to correct, the more energy realized.
The big bow guys can afford a little bit of lost energy, but we cannot. We are already down to pretty much the minimum, so it only makes sense to know that we're getting all we can out of our arrow.
Arrow weight? I've been shooting 400-500 gr. arrows out of my 40-45# bows. They've been slicing into and through the center mass of some pretty big deer for about 5 years now. The previous 20 years? Well, I was shooting 55# bows and didn't really pay a lot of attention to tuning (well, not as much as I do now). As long as they "looked like" they were flying well, good to go. With the lower poundage I'm shooting these days, I don't feel like I have that luxury anymore.
Just a thought.... it isn't so much the weight of the arrow, but how true it flies with as little effort as possible.
Sure works for me. 670-690 grain arrows out of 67 lbs. Good speed and quiet bow.
I gotcha back! 52# bows, 525grn arrows.....broadhead, fieldpoints....what the difference?! Spot on flight, penetration no probs with my 130 gr STOS. Unless I were after the Black Death, I cant see changin'!
I admit to liking a light, fast, flat shootin 8gpp. arrow when I'm shootin long range targets at the house, but those aren't shots I'd take in the woods and brush while huntin. My deer huntin shots will not be more than 20-25 yards and 11-12gpp. out of my bows is real quiet and plenty flat shootin at that close range.
I think 9-10 GPP is a good weight, and i like the woodsman broadhead a lot myself. I'd rather have 9 inches of cutting edge at 3:1 than only 5-6 inches using a two blade personally.
i think cutting your shafts down some and going with the 150 grain woodsman would be my choice. it will bring your FOC up a bit and they may fly better. Those woodsman broadheads fly real nice if you rotate them all the same.