Durable and accurate hunting arrow recommendation, 300 or 250 spine

TheCougar

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I'm upgrading my arrows to go with a centergy hybrid that I am buying. I've been shooting GT Pro Hunters for 10 years and I've never shot anything else. I really don't have any complaints, but I've also never tried anything else, so I don't know what I'm missing. I know some companies are spine matching, plus I have "heard" that the GTs have been surpassed in accuracy. I'm looking at BE Spartans, BE Carnivores, Victory VF TKO, and the incumbent GT Pro Hunter. If I am going to switch arrows, I have to be gaining accuracy, durability, or both! Any recommendations out of this bunch, or some that I am missing?

- I'll be shooting a Centergy Hybrid, set around 73-75#, 29" DL.
- Arrow length is around 27" carbon to carbon. Desired arrow weight is around 450-460gr. To get there I am in the 9-10gpi for the arrow, 125gr broadhead up front, plus maybe a 25gr insert weight. It all depends on the arrow, but that is a rough idea.
- I am not considering arrows with outserts or "half-serts". I'll go as small as I can and still use standard inserts.
- Either 250 or 300 spine. Not quite sure yet what is the right spine for my setup.
- Durability, consistency, and accuracy are key. I shoot out to 80 yards and I need all the help I can get.
 

OR Archer

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My recommendation would be an Axis 5mm Match Grade in 300. 28” cut. 50 gr brass insert and either 100 or 125 gr head. That’d be a great arrow and meet all of your requirements your looking for.
 

Trial153

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I don’t think you gain durability with any of them vs your GT. I do think you will get a more consistent shaft out of BEA or Victory.
Spartans cut to 27 with 30 extra of brass up front will get you where you want to be. Of the three you mentioned I would go with the Spartans.

Seems like you staying clear of HITs otherwise I would say RIP TKO or Rampages both are excellent shafts with brass hits.
 
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TheCougar

TheCougar

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Thanks. I'll have to check out the Axis match grade. A quick internet search didn't show them for sale online. Any recommendations for a place to buy them?
 
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TheCougar

TheCougar

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I don’t think you gain durability with any of them vs your GT. I do think you will get a more consistent shaft out of BEA or Victory.
Spartans cut to 27 with 30 extra of brass up front will get you where you want to be. Of the three you mentioned I would go with the Spartans.

Seems like you staying clear of HITs otherwise I would say RIP TKO or Rampages both are excellent shafts with brass hits.

I'm not staying away from HITs (at least not that I know of). I've seen lots of issues with insert/halfsert alignment, durability, consistency, etc. To my knowledge, the Easton HIT system doesn't have those issues. If the HITs DO have those issues, then that is a deal breaker.
 

Trial153

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I'm not staying away from HITs (at least not that I know of). I've seen lots of issues with insert/halfsert alignment, durability, consistency, etc. To my knowledge, the Easton HIT system doesn't have those issues. If the HITs DO have those issues, then that is a deal breaker.

Then you should look at a .204 ID arrows with brass hits in place of halfouts.

BEA Rampages and Victory R.I.P. TKO
 
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TheCougar

TheCougar

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Then you should look at a .204 ID arrows with brass hits in place of halfouts.

BEA Rampages and Victory R.I.P. TKO

Didn't know that was an option. My decision just got more complicated! Between arrows and vanes, I'm overwhelmed...
 

mcmurder77

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The victory rip TKO’s are bad ass. Somewhere there’s a video of a guy taking one and putting it between two chairs and standing in the middle of it. Not only did it not break, but it still spun true.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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TheCougar

TheCougar

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Are those HIT inserts durable on misses? It seems to me if the collar of the broadhead or field tip is touching the carbon shaft when in the HIT, a hard impact is going to drive the head back into the shaft and splinter it. Keep in mind, I have ZERO experience with anything other than a regular insert. I would think a regular insert would protect the shaft more and be more resilient on hard impacts. I've lost a couple of arrows to hard impacts where the insert was driven back into the shaft, splintering the arrow. The HITs seem like they don't provide any protection to the arrow on a hard impact.
 
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Brendan

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For 5mm Arrows (e.g. 5mm Easton Axis) - you can buy field points that match the carbon diameter exactly. Then Easton sells Broadhead adapter rings in different sizes that go between the broadhead and the carbon where needed.

I have an easton axis 5mm with a 50 grain brass HIT insert, a broadhead adapter ring, and a grouse / small game head that I was shooting into trees and stumps all season long, and it held up fine. It got to the point where I broke 2 of the 3 barbs on the broadhead, but the arrow held up fine.

Using that arrow, 50 grain brass insert, 125 grain heads, cut around 27" of carbon - my arrow was 505 grains using the 300 spine.
 

yak

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I have been shooting BE Spartan 300's for about a year and really like them. I didn't care for the BE Rampages due to their fragility and it seemed difficult to get the half out aligned. The Spartan's are very durable and shoot well with my setup (very similar to you). Here are the specs on my setup:
BE Spartan300 - 9gpi - Cut at 27.75
AAEMax Stealth Vane - 9.2g each
26g SS insert (30 & 75gr weights available)
125gtip
10grnock bushing
9grnock
457 grains w/ 4 fletch

Killed a bull this fall with this setup and I am still shooting the arrow that passed through the bull. Hope this helps, lots of options out there..
 

TheTone

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I've watched a friend shoot a ton of small game, stumps, and desert landscapes with axis arrows and maybe seem him mushroom one. I was really skeptical of their strength for a while but after seeing what he has put arrows through and into I'm pretty sure my next arrows will be match grade axis with 50 grains of brass.
 
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Avoid arrows with HIT to avoid searching and starting threads on how to remove hidden inserts when you want to change something up.
 

5MilesBack

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Are those HIT inserts durable on misses? It seems to me if the collar of the broadhead or field tip is touching the carbon shaft when in the HIT, a hard impact is going to drive the head back into the shaft and splinter it.

I've been using HIT's for over 10 years now, and have never had a splintered or mushroomed arrow at the tip because of the HIT's. And I'm shooting 32 1/2" draw at 70+ pounds. I shoot everything. I've passed through grouse into rocks and gravel, missed targets, hit T-posts, all kinds of stuff impacted. I love the HIT's.

I would have also recommended trying the new Axis Match shafts. I want to try them out as my GT Kinetic XT 200's just aren't very durable at all, but I was never impressed with the regular Axis consistency. Match shafts might be the ticket.
 

tommymo

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I am picking up the same bow this Saturday with pretty much the same specs.

I plan on shooting the same arrow as I did out of my Z7

Black Eagle Rampage 300 8.7 x 29"=252.3 grains
Half out = 75g
Wacem Broad head = 125 g

Total = 452.3 at 283fps

I build these for my trip out West for Elk last September, the idea was to build an arrow that I could trust at longer ranges. My main considerations were tight tolerances, small diameter shaft (better to buck the mountain winds), and have enough weight and FOC to do the job.
 

Gumbo

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Black Eagle all the way, Rampage with HITs. Consistency is amazing and they fly great, durability is maybe a little less than Axis shafts but I've never had any issues with breakage and only very minimally mushroomed a couple.
 

5MilesBack

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Put them in with cool melt and they take about 2s to remove.

Yep, and the easiest way is to just shoot them into a target and pull the arrow. It will come out without the tip and insert. That's how all the "melts" have worked for me, even when the bow shop has put them in.
 

Gumbo

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Yep, and the easiest way is to just shoot them into a target and pull the arrow. It will come out without the tip and insert. That's how all the "melts" have worked for me, even when the bow shop has put them in.

How do you get the tips and inserts out of the target?????
 
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