I'm not trying to stir the pot, I promise. I know all the arguments for one versus the other....not looking for discussion on that. Just curious how much your arrow weighs when pulling around mid 40s
I try to get mine at 9 GPP, no matter what my draw weight is. That would be 405 gr for a 45# bow.
Bill
45-50lb. at 28" arrow 490-500gr.
Shooting between 47 and 50 pounds arrows are 530 grains.
I think as you go down in draw weight more GPI are a benefit.
I'm pulling my Howard Hill Red Hawk at about 46#'s and my AD Trad Lites, cut 29.5" b.o.p. tipped with 165gr tip are weighing in at 480 - 485grs. Not sure what that is in gpp.
47#s, 500 g total weight carbon, 589g total weight Douglas fir
For whitetails - my own personal comfort level utilizing a 2 blade BH @ 45#'s starts at just under ~11 gpp.
I've found 11-12 gpp, with a 500 gr hunting arrow minimum, to work well for me. It's quiet, shoots nicely and has a reasonable trajectory.
I shoot a 44# bow and my arrows come out right at 440 grains or 10gpi.
I shoot just a bit higher DW than you are asking about but I always strive for 10gpp when I am seting up arrows for a new bow. That being said, correct tuning is most important to me, so if they tune in a little less or a little more than 10gpp, I'm not too worried about it. My current draw weight is 50# at my 29.5" DL and my arrows weigh in at 530gr. If I had to drop draw weight I would probably try to get to 10+gpp.
Bisch
I shoot 10-11 GPP, and I shoot bows between 50-55#
41 pounds and shooting 550 grain cedars. I like heavy arrows.
Shooting low 40s, arrows weigh in at 485 to 520grs. depending on which set of arrows I choose to shoot.
47#'s and 700gr arrow last year. This year's arrow weighs in at 600gr. We will see, but those 700's wrecked a few big pigs.
My draw weight is 44-45# @ 26"... For deer hunting, 3D and just about anything else it's 550 grains w/ 2016's and 525 grains +/- on woodies.
... mike ... :archer2: ..
Currently shooting 440-445 grains, which come in at 10gpp for me, and shoot fast and flat. I need to shoot sitka spruce to get that weight. The spruce don't seem to hold up well for roving though, so have mostly shot doug fir, and will go back to those, which come out around 470 grains, around 10.5- 11gpp. That's the lightest I can get with the (parallel) fir. May try them tapered, which would bring me back down to around 10gpp. I find the difference noticeable, but have more confidence with the fir, and the trajectory is still reasonable.
11-13 gpp. depending on which arrow set-up I use.
I shoot 440 = 480 on my bow that is 41#
525-560
there are no pat, universal, cookie cutter "absolute" answers to these kinda questions. trad bowhunting is a personal thing, thankfully.
use the heaviest arrow, with the sharpest broadhead, that produces the best arrow flight and most consistent grouping *in the field* for a specific bow's holding weight that's commensurate for a specific game type hunted at a specific distance range.
"yeah, but what arrow weight?" - personal selection as it applies to the above statement, with your personal testing.
My bow at my draw is 45 pounds and my arrow weigh 525 gr. that's about 11.6 GPP I have always shot mid 40 range bows and have found this to be the ideal weight for the hunting that I do, mostly whitetail deer.
Shooting 43-44#, carbons are at 470g. So about 11 GPP.
Now that I have you all here--GPP vs GPI?
gpp = grains of arrow weight per pound of bow holding weight as in 44# holding weight and a 470 grain arrow equates to 470/44=10.7gpp
gpi = grains of weight per inch of arrow ... however, this is mostly used in determining the bare shaft weight when choosing a final weight finished arrow for a specific bow and task. a raw 220 grain carbon shaft that's 32" long results in a value of 6.9gpi. i need to qualify this a bit more - gpi can help if you have to choose between two shafts that both have the same stiffness/deflection, but different mass weights. each will make up an arrow that will spine properly for a given bow, but the mass weights will be different. this can be a deciding factor for the game hunted and the shot distances encountered. in example, one might want to shoot a faster arrow for pronghorns than for whitetails, and therefor a lower gpi arrow might be the better choice.
i will add that playing the numbers game, as in above, is nowhere near as important as whatever works best for your bow, the game you hunt, and you. there are exceptions to every rule of thumb.
17" Titan riser with 46# Samick BF Extreme recurve limbs shooting a 473gr 2016. My 48# Hill Ruffed Grouse...shooting 451gr 1916's.
I'll take GPP over GPI also. I also shoot Easton Lightspeed 500 carbons off the Titan , which are 6.5gpi but come in at 8.2gpp...plenty for deer
13gpp, 45#lb , 31" 2216, 575g total, three blade thunder125g.
I shoot 45#. My arrows weight 520.
I shoot a 45 lb kodiak mag. I use goldtip 3555 cut to 30", 125 steel adapters, and 2 blade eskimos. 505 grains total
Shooting 43# and Goldtip Ultralight 600s at 345g. Arrows fly like darts. This is for target shooting.
I hunt with 46-50# curves. My arrows weight 424-535 grains. I'm hunting with the 535 grain and 49.5# bow this season. My arrows are always either MFX Classics or Axis Trads.
47# @ 30" 563 grain arrow.
I like my arrows as heavy as I can get them and still fly well. 586 grain from my 50#. Thats just shy of 12gpp.
OK how do you get your arrows that heavy? I shoot 45@ my draw and a 35/55 gt and they are about 9 grn
QuoteOriginally posted by ranger 3:
OK how do you get your arrows that heavy? I shoot 45@ my draw and a 35/55 gt and they are about 9 grn
easiest, fastest and perhaps bestest way to increase arrow weight and foc at the same time - increase the up front weight. for synthetic shafts, that means increasing the weight of the ferrule or adapter or point, or any 2 or all of those items.
my carbons ...
(http://www.tradgang.com/rob/arras.jpg)
51@29 around 700 gr I can't remember now exactly offhand. But it's heavy
QuoteOriginally posted by ranger 3:
OK how do you get your arrows that heavy? I shoot 45@ my draw and a 35/55 gt and they are about 9 grn
Increase point weight and/or insert weight. You can get brass inserts for carbon arrows that are 50-100gr (which are much heavier than the standard aluminum inserts) and you can get fireld points/broadheaed in a variety of weights up to 300gr or more.
If you do increase weight like this, you will have to stiffen your arrow. This is accomplished by either shortening the shaft or going to a stiffer shaft, whichever your tuning dictates.
Bisch
45lb recurve, 440 gr. carbon arrow. Whitetails, small game and 3d.
575 for 46, 47 # Griffins, makes them dead silent.
With my Hill longbows 45-48# at 29" draw cut 30"bop I am shooting 11-12 gpi hexshafts with 125gr point.
With my recurves 46-47# at 30" draw I am shooting aluminum at about 11gpi.
As Izzy said, I find that more weight makes the bow more quiet. And I also have seen that a change of 10% in arrow weight only changes arrow speed by 2.5-3% so you can go quite a bit heavier without losing range.
I shoot 43# recurve @ 25" draw, ~500gr woodies @ ~150fps according to the chrono. I don't have a problem hitting a target out to 35yards or so I mean it's dropping alot past that but thats about my point on distance ... 35yds. Everything from ~15-25 is within the kill with a single gap or strign walk position.
Shooting a 40# high-performance recurve drawn 28", barrel tapered wood arrows 30" long, spined at 65-70#, 125 g. broadheads, arrow weight 575 grains. 14 g/#.
QuoteOriginally posted by Rob DiStefano:
i will add that playing the numbers game, as in above, is nowhere near as important as whatever works best for your bow, the game you hunt, and you. there are exceptions to every rule of thumb.
I absolutely agree with this. Good arrow flight trumps everything else when it comes to arrow performance and accuracy. Heavier helps as long as it shoots well and still gives a trajectory that you shoot well. A straight flying 400 gr will out penetrate a slightly sideways 600 gr.
There is a balence as I think my setup is a little too much for me weight wise. I will be tunning up new arrows next year hopefully
For my 45 lb draw recurve I shoot a 450 g arrow.
550/53 = 10.37gpp
All my bows eat this arrow with just the slightest thump...
~CB
My Orion and Kanati both like the same setup which weighs in at 525 grains, so 10.5 and 11.4 grains per pound respectively. My RER XR likes a stiffer shaft, so I use a 50 grain insert instead of 100, so I end up with 475 grains, which is right at 10 grains per pound of draw. I generally try to stay between 10 and 12 grains per pound. Any heavier kind of gives mixed returns IMO. Beyond 12 ggp the arrows drop WAY faster. Penetration is not an issue with my setup.
Lighter than 10 ggp and my bows tend to be noisier. I will sacrifice a bit of speed for silence any day.
QuoteOriginally posted by 30coupe:
My Orion and Kanati both like the same setup which weighs in at 525 grains, so 10.5 and 11.4 grains per pound respectively. My RER XR likes a stiffer shaft, so I use a 50 grain insert instead of 100, so I end up with 475 grains, which is right at 10 grains per pound of draw. I generally try to stay between 10 and 12 grains per pound. Any heavier kind of gives mixed returns IMO. Beyond 12 ggp the arrows drop WAY faster. Penetration is not an issue with my setup.
Lighter than 10 ggp and my bows tend to be noisier. I will sacrifice a bit of speed for silence any day.
BTW: I don't really consider these light weight bows, but since they are in the range the OP posted, I gave a response. When I started hunting back in the late '60s/early '70s 50 and up was considered heavy. Most of my hunting buddies were shooting 45 pound bows.
Thanks guys. About what I was figuring...seems like most are around 450-550. With the different arrow combos I'm thinking about, I'll be around 525.
QuoteOriginally posted by TxAg:
Thanks guys. About what I was figuring...seems like most are around 450-550. With the different arrow combos I'm thinking about, I'll be around 525.
this subject is one of those things where it doesn't matter what other folks are doing, because they're not you nor your arrows nor your bow. the range of arrow weights for hunting runs the gamut from as crazy low as 7gpp to higher than 14gpp. where you fit into that range depends on all of the factors previously mention, but here's a recap...
- what game are you hunting and what will be the typical shot distance? this sets the stage for tackle choice - bow holding weight and arrow weight. there typically are distinct tackle differences 'tween hunting rabbits, deer, hog and elk. you could use elk weight gear on rabbits, but ethically not vice versa
- more important the the arrow type, weight, foc, lmnop, is finding a hunting arrow that flies *straight* and is consistently accurate at your hunting distances
- adjust the arrow weight for good arrow flight and perhaps trajectory. shots on some game will be longer than others, and thats part of the gear selection
- messing with arrow weight (and foc) *could* mess up arrow flight - don't mess with arrow weight unless yer prepared to possibly go to a different shaft spine or length or diameter, etc.
- there are times when you *could* be concerned about arrow weight being too light (poor penetration) or too heavy (high trajectory) - this is where YOU need to decide what's best for your hunting
- again - the goal is great arrow flight, consistent accuracy, super sharp c.o.c. broadheads
- don't make brain surgery out of all this, it ain't all that difficult, stick to the basics and you'll do just fine. once you have a better understanding of the basics, you'll probably just *know* if something needs changing
good luck!
Rob, I understand what you're saying. I am simply curious what works for others and like to compare that to my own experiences. I've been from low 40's to low 50's for the last several years and all my arrows come out similarly give or take 75 grains. Recently, I'm scaling back down to 45@29. I appreciate your insight, and I appreciate you looking out for me. I'm sure everyone can learn something reading all the replies on this thread.
i also have a 29" trad bow draw length with longbows that hold from 47 to 55 lbs @ 29", and i tend to use 10gpp arrows ... but will choose 9gpp for longer shooting or as much as 12gpp for critters like hogs in the bush. the arrows must fly straight under hunting conditions - more important than the arrow mass weight. broadheads must be super sharp - more important than the arrow weight ... you get the picture. it's all good, use whatever works best for you, and the only way yer gonna know that is .... yup, try out different arra weights! :D
43# 495 grn arrow out my whip... DEADLY!!!!
Totally agree Rob. Thanks again :)
#45@28. 2016's -502 grains. 10.6 grains per inch.
Opps. 519 grains.
40#@30.5" Cyclone longbow, 475-480 cedar.
I am mostly shooting my 42# Pacific Yew longbow in the 'period correct' matches of both Mountain Man Rondys and SCA events. I have used Port Orford Cedar for over 50 years but have now gone to the 'cultured' Bamboo shafts. I have some very light (60 grain parallel bullet points)and I was able to 'high grade' a stack of shafts so the pint diameter was near perfect for install at 28" bop. The arrows have a 4 1/2" Pope&Young cut fletch and the arrows average around 380 grains finished weight.
They shoot like darts and I do fairly well out to 40 yards (which is the max range in the Royal Round) They do 'catch wind' a bit more than my heavy shafts. I still have an Osage 54# self bow for hunting that I use with POC arrows. Those are quite a bit heavier - I guess about 460 gr average but have not weighed in a while. Have not hunted in three years because the wife does not like venison and the local elk have been decimated by wolves. Too old and fat to head for the high country.
I shoot 450 grains from a 40 lbs bow with 150 up front.
Haven't actually measured the draw weight yet but mine is marked 45# at 28" and I draw 28". Starting out with a 462gr arrow. Works out to 10.2gr/lb.
Looks like I lied; had my wife mark the arrow and then put the bow on the scale. I'm drawing just a hair under 29" and the bow is at 48# at that length (which means the bow hasn't lost anything over the years). That puts me at 9.6gr/lb.
I use Sitka spruce with Tuffheads from my 45#@28" Black Rhino 3 piece. Weight is 650 grains. They fly great. The bow is dead quiet. I don't take shots over 20 yards anyway, so the trajectory is just fine. I get complete penetration on just about everything.
46# at 27", 525 grain arrow.
No less than 9gr per lb and no more than 11gr....is what I like to shoot....most of my arrows once tuned seem to fall in that 10gr per lb slot...
quiet and minimum drop out to 20yds....
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Glenn
Right I'm shooting a 45@30" recurve with 565gr. arrows. 31" 2018's and 150gr.Snuffers