I am new to this and getting started with a 66" R/D longbow 46#@28 or ~54@31" for my draw length.  I am a little overwhelmed on what to start with as far as arrows and weight up front.  

I hear some people talk if arrow weights then others talk about spine...

I want to hunt deer and elk but need some help to get started.  I have heard some say the best hunting set up with a longbow is using really heavy broadheads with extra weight adapters.  I'm just confused on where to begin in order to tune my bow and start getting good arrow performance.  Right now it is a disaster. If anyone out there lives in Missoula Mt and is willing to help me out that would be great!

First we need to know what type of arrow's you will be shooting, carbon,aluminum or wood. You will need to get an arrow spined for your weight 54@31 then tune to get the best flight. You might want to pick a certain type of arrow and get a test pack from a sponsor here and find out exactly what spine you need before you buy a whole doz.There are also test packs of tips from 100gr to 315gr available from sponsors too. I'm sure someone will chime in with some real good info for ya.

Just curious, have you measured your drawlength on this bow are are you assuming it will be the same as it was on a compound? Best to measure it on this bow. Draw an arrow to your anchor and have someone mark the arrow where it hits the front of the riser shelf. Measure from the throat of the nock to the mark.  Then if you have a bow scale, use it to draw to that mark and measure the weight at your draw.

Your EXACT draw length and the EXACT WEIGHT that you are pulling are essential in finding the right arrow for you, don't use calculations or estimates on these 2 measurements.

Spine is the safety factor for your peak draw weight against the arrow shaft. Very important to keep from fracturing arrows in your bow upon release.

Total arrow weight will definitely vary dependant upon the preference of the shooter; however, bowhunters attempt to make their hunting arrows with total weights around 10-12 GPP (grains per #) of your peak draw weight. EX; (at 31" draw) if your peak draw weight is 50#, build your arrows to total 500gr minimum incl BH. Very loose rule of thumb. The premise being, a heavier arrow is harder to stop than a lighter one in full flight thru an animal.

john, lots of trad guys in the hamilton area,
from bowyers to arrow makers (whispering wind)
to quiver makers, call them they would be happy
to help you out.

Thanks for the feedback.  I tried calling the guys at Hill archery over and over and no one ever picked up.  the people at the local archery range here don't seem very knowledgable about tradional equipmment.  Frustrating experience to say the least.  The knocks on my 3 rivers test kit wont snap to my string so I dryfired twice by accident - I pulled back the the nocks came off string while drawing.  It seems like the 160 grain on a 70-75# spine fly the best, but still not great.

John,
To find the correct spine for your set up you really need to know your draw length, and wether or not your string is low stretch (Fast Flight) or Dacron. IMHO Spine is very important and weight should be about 10-12 grains per pound of bow weight. As stated above there are a lot of folks that will be able to help you out.

Joe