600 grain arrow, what's special about it?

[toby]

I have read a lot of threads suggesting to use a 600 grain arrow out of light dw bows to increase penetration. I'm not disagreeing, just wondering what make that weight so special.

[ARCHER2]

The more weight the harder it is to stop.
Charlie

[bohuntr]

I can't speak for anyone else but for me 600 grs is a weight I can achieve pretty simply with carbon arrows, a 125 gr brass insert and a moderately heavy broadhead (150 to 185 grs). I usually shoot about 60 pounds though so at 10 grs per pound it is not an exceptionally heavy arrow for the draw weight.

[Steelhead]

I think its a good all around weight to be around 600 grains give or take a bit.They hit hard with excellant momentum.A bow tends to shoot quieter and with a little less vibration with a pleasant feel.I dont shoot over 20 yards when hunting so I dont worry about trajectory much with the heavier arrow.

I shoot around 50#s at 30 inches draw and often hunt with a CX Heritage 250 which is a heavier carbon arrow.The arrow has a 50 grain brass insert and 150 grain head.That puts me at about 600 grains.I am pleased with the results for hunting and like how the bow feels when shot with these arrows.

I also shoot CX Heritage 150s with less point and insert weight than the 250s when I want a lighter grain weight arrow for flatter trajectory.They probably weigh 50-80 grains less with an aluminum insert and 100 or 125 grain head.

Shoot what flies best out of your bow though.A heavy arrow thats not flying straight and true wont do you much good

[wingnut]

Well it's not just a number out of the air.  Dr. Ashby did extensive testing in Africa and Australia and concluded that an arrow at about 600 gr with extreme FOC and a single bevel broadhead was the king in penetration on large game with light poundage bows.

Mike

[Mike Vines]

I do believe Dr. Ashby's suggested minimum weight threashold to breach heavy bone was 650 grains.  If I'm wrong, please excuse me.

[Forrest Halley]

It's an even number and it equates to 12 grains a pound on a fifty pound bow.  I don't know what you call a light draw, but it seems like a silly proposition on a 35-40# bow. An 8 GPP arrow with decent velocity may well serve you better than a 16 GPP arrow not getting anywhere near the same velocity.  At the end of the day if it shoots well and you enjoy it, use it.

[stiknstringer]

I also noticed that a 600gr arrow is quieter out of my longbows. I foot all my cedars with purple heart or bacote and even my fir shafts.The cedars turn out between 600 and 610. The firs can be anywhere from 630 to 680. I shoot between 57# to 70# depending on the temps.

[wingnut]

Mike,

Your probably right, but you get the idea.  Heavy arrow does the job that a light one will not when using light equipment.

Mike

[Widow's Son]

Penetration, penetration, penetration. They shoot quiet and are easy on your bow. They also have great penetration.

[Crash]

I shoot bows that are 44@28 and arrows that are 600 grains.  I like them because I have gotten used to the way the bow feels on the shot and the fact that I keep shooting through deer with them.

[ChuckC]

Ashby also did some study on lighter bows and optimizing results.  I don't recall the numbers, but he determined that using a heavier arrow with even lighter poundage bows resulted in significantly better penetration.

 It is great information. But  Take it for what it is worth.
ChuckC

[jsweka]

The Ashby reports are good info, but the bottom line is you should shoot what shoots best for you - JMHO.  I have used heavy ash shafts with my Hill style longbow which put me at 11 gpp, but I'm leaning more towards douglas fir shafts that put me at 9 gpp.  I just shoot better and have more confidence with them.

[Gray Buffalo]

It's hard to stop.  

[Friend]

There is likely no better evidence than appropriate testing coducted by one's self while maintaining an open mind.

[Terry Green]

Originally posted by Friend:
There is likely no better evidence than appropriate testing coducted by one's self while maintaining an open mind.

BINGO!!!!!

I shoot 580 to 630 grains normally...and don't have any penetration issues ...even with 3 and 4 blades out of my bows....

However, *I* would NOT shoot at a TX whitetail with a 600 grain arrow out of a 45# bow. ....so take note, there are always exceptions....bows, arrow, and Bheads are all tools, and all need to be applied to the game sought.  Yes, there are great all around set ups, ....and that's what I use most of the time....but I do change if need be.....i.e., lighter on TX deer....and a little heavier arrow or bow on large boar hogs....or a different head if lighter bow.

There is no one weight arrow, or one bow, or one broadhead that is best for everything.....just like there is no best off road tire for every environment.  

Learn your equipment, and how and when to apply it....and use common sense....and don't be afraid to change if the scenario dictates based on YOUR experiences......  

[DesertDude]

What Terry said...........

[katman]

Originally posted by DesertDude:
What Terry said...........

x2

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

I have to agree with Terry as well. The absolutes so often touted in traditional bowhunting continue to perplex me. For many decades folks had no problem shooting through whitetails with 40-something-pound bows and arrows weighing between 400 and 500 grains. But today there's a contingent of folks, history be damned, who seem convinced that ethics is determined by a set of ratios, digital scale readings, or bevel counts. For a group so deeply rooted in our collective history, we sure seem selective about what we choose to remember.

So what's so special about 600-grain arrows? Nothing really.

[toby]

Makes a lot of sense, I'll do some testing.