Broadhead and Arrows for Weakling Wife

[treillw]

Title is a wife approved joke - don't get mad at me.

Much to my delight, my wife wants to archery hunt this year. She got a great deal on a Diamond Infinite Edge and really enjoys shooting it. We just started shooting more seriously a couple of months ago. She is up to 39 pounds and has a draw length of I think 25". I don't know how much she will be able to pull come September, but likely 50 pounds or a shade less. She would like to target elk. Max range will likely be 20 or 30 yards.

What arrow and broadhead setup would be best for her? I would imagine a cut on contact broadhead would be the best route. Probably two blade? Would you stick with a 100 grain point? Any suggestions? I've heard the muzzy trocar is good for lighter poundage.

What arrows and total arrow weight would you shoot for? Her current arrows are the Gold Tip Expedition Hunter 3555 arrows that came with the package; 7.4 grains per inch, straightness tolerance of .006". The total arrow weight is 330 grains with a 100 grain field point. Would it be worth it to upgrade to something else? Money isn't a concern really; I want her to have the best chance of getting the job done as possible. I guess the weight forward stuff is just as much of a concern for her, or probably more so than for somebody shooting 70 pounds. Would you mess with brass inserts?

Any tips for squeezing more speed out of the bow? It currently has a hostage rest. I've heard that a drop away rest can give you more speed. Thoughts on this?

She really enjoys shooting and likes doing so with me. I have no plans of quitting archery in the next 30 years and she will likely be shooting with me for as long as I do. A part of me thinks I should get her a better bow. Not knowing how much she will be able to pull after fully developing her back muscles kind of holds me back though - I don't know if she will break the 50 pound mark. If she could pull say 54 pounds, would she be better off with a 50 pound bow cranked all the way up to 50 pounds, or a 60 pound bow turned down to 54? Any suggestions on a good women's bow? The Eva Shockey bows are very nice.

What are your thoughts on being able to take an elk with this setup? How far would you shoot? I'm sure this is a very common discussion with setups for kids.

Thanks!

 

[Skerhunter]

Easton axis 400 spine, 4 fletch, lighted nock, wrap, 100 grain brass insert, single bevel 100 grain 2 blade broadhead. About 25" draw and 53lbs is what my wife shoots. She won't ever go elk hunting, but this zips through deer and tunes easy. Before she had much lighter arrows (500 spine and standard inserts) and never had pass throughs on deer, killed them, but blood trails sucked. If she enjoys shooting her current bow, just upgrade accessories. I always give her my rests/sights/stabilizers when I change my set-up.

 

[TxxAgg]

Magnus Stingers or Buzzcuts in 4 blade would work well. The bleeders are small so the 4 blades penetrate just as well as the 2 blades but leave a little better blood.

 

[willfrye027]

Wife hunted last year at 40lbs, similar draw length, pse stinger. 400 spine ICS hunters with standard insert and 130gr Zwickey eskilite 2 blade up front. Pass through at 12 yards. Did not hit leg bone but went through a lot of shoulder muscle.

 

[Topo_trekker]

A 2 blade magnus stinger is a great option. They make them in 100-150gr so you can play with weight and whatever flies and tunes best with her setup. Id have her shoot the heaviest arrow possible that puts her at around 265fps. Speeds around here really perform well with long 2 blades and are still fast and accurate at 30 yrds.

Usually a bow will shoot it’s best maxed out.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Topo_trekker]

Find out the arrow weight that would shoot that speed playing with field point weight regardless of tune. Then start over with new arrows to build in that weight range with correct spine, gpi, and point weight. Definitely want to be on the stiff side of arrow charts. Look into the Easton Axis SPT, little bit smaller diameter.

This will be fine for elk with a double bevel 2 blade and well placed shot at 30yrds.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bill V]

Use a very sharp cut on contact 2 blade or 2 blade with bleeders. Force to penetrate is greatly reduced compared to 3 blade chisel point or 3 blade 1 pc heads. Also, use the heaviest arrow you can with reasonable trajectory for the range she intends to shoot.

 

[B_Reynolds_AK]

It might be a good idea to consider a micro diameter arrow, such as Victory VAP's. In my experience the penetration of these arrows will be better than a larger diameter arrow for a given weight. This would help compensate for the lower draw weight.

 

[Marble]

I have same situation with my wife. She just bought herself a new PSE but has been shooting for several years. She pulls 45 lbs currently, but I'm trying to get her up to the max of 51 for her bow.

Her hunting arrow is a 440 grain FMJ. Her max distance for deer is going to be 40. She shoots a single bevel.

Things that have helped her as a shooter is:

Had her shoot a hinge. Increased her accuracy tremendously and she understands the shot process.

Put a 2 pin Fast Eddy XL on her bow with a 2x magnification.

Make her build her arrows.

She also had to set up her site, and do the calibration tape and then choose her tape. And she had to read the instructions herself.

I have learned the hard way that in order to have success teaching my wife, she has to beleive she is teaching herself. Through youtube primarily. She does not want to listen to me and will just argue in general. But she loves to shoot her bow.

Get involved in 3D tournaments. It will help her apply what shes learning to what she wants to do.

 

[mtnkid85]

might take a look at the Bone broad heads. I shoot them with my long bow and really like them.

 

[treillw]

How would a Hoyt RX1 or RX3 be for her? They can be found at good prices used. How much would some 50 pound limbs be? She would be at the bottom of a number 2 cam. Where she would be in the middle of the cam on an Eva Shockey (23.5-28.5" draw range) or Avail (22-28"). Which do you think would produce more power?

 

[Dead eye BT]

If you would seriously consider a different bow, I believe that is an excellent course of action to improve her ability to successfully harvest game. I started my 14 year old daughter out with a Hoyt Klash. When I bought the Klash, I opted for the model that maxes out at 50#s, instead of 70#s (based on the theory that bows run best when maxed out). It didn’t take very long for her to be able to comfortably shoot the bow maxed out. At her 27” draw length, “maxed out” ended up being 47#s of draw weight. With that setup, I chronographed her arrows at an average of 190 FPS. I wasn’t happy with the Klash for that, and a variety of other reasons. Six months later I ordered a new 60# Avail for her. Upon receiving and setting up the Avail with the same drop away rest and dialed down to 52 pounds, it shot the same arrows at an average of 252 FPS. A little over 10% increase in draw weight, about 32% increase in speed. The new tape we put on her sight was quite a bit different than the tape that we used with the Klash. The Avail is just so much more efficient than the super adjustable Klash. My daughter’s groups also tightened up drastically when she started shooting the Avail.
She has since arrowed two deer and one black bear with the Avail and 100 grain Magnus Black Hornets (with bleeders). All complete pass-throughs and short blood trails. I like that little head for her light arrows and draw weight.
P.S. I have the velocity notes here in my phone, but not her arrow weight. I can weigh one of her arrows again if anyone is interested.

 

[Dead eye BT]

Daughter’s Magnus Black Hornet vs Black bear.

 

[treillw]

Very cool Dead eye. Tell her congratulations!

I would be interested in learning what her arrows weigh, just for a comparison.

Thanks!

 

[Dead eye BT]

No problem. This is fun stuff. Black Eagle Rampage, 400 spine, cut to 27.25”: 365 grains including 100 grain field point.

 

[Dead eye BT]

Maybe your wife’s Diamond isn’t as big of a turd as that Hoyt Klash we had. I am extremely impressed with the Avail. If I could get one with a 31” draw, I’d be slinging arrows with an Avail.