Building heavy foc arrow

Joined
Mar 13, 2012
Messages
512
For the last few years I've had X-impact 250 shafts, 28" with the outserts and 175g helix broad heads. >500g with lots of FOC. I switched to 125 heads and I'm shooting as good or better. Don't get carried away with the FOC. It's just part of the equation.
 

KyleR1985

WKR
Joined
Jul 28, 2019
Messages
382
28.25” c2c 300sp rip tko elite with ethics 100gr and 125 exodus 510gr total

28.75” c2c 300sp deep impact with 100gr outsert and 125gr exodus 540gr total

Both fly great out of 70/30 bow
 

Beendare

WKR
Joined
May 6, 2014
Messages
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Corripe cervisiam
Personally, I don't get all wrapped up in High FOC. I bump up a spine size and shoot a 150gr BH with a heavier insert and call it good. FOC in the teens is good....but I can't even tell you what my FOC is...its of that small a significance.

Trying to get your FOC up into the high 20's or 30's creates more negatives than positives IME.

Tune for perfect arrow flight....its a winner.

...
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2019
Messages
2,229
Location
Missouri
GrizzlyStik Momentum 240 at 27.25" C2C = 317 gn
Cutthroat broadhead = 150 gn
In/outsert = 70 gn
Brass weight footer = 50 gn
Firenock = 25 gn
Three 2" Blazer vanes = 18 gn

630 gn total arrow weight with 20% FOC

I didn't set out with a target FOC in my mind, I just wanted a heavy, strong arrow. I've been pleased with this setup so far...good broadhead flight, good penetration on last year's cow elk.
IMG_20190819_113356594.jpg
 

SlimWhitman

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Aug 28, 2016
Messages
281
Similar to mighty mouse. No clue what my FOC is but it should lead to a pass through. And maybe the behind him too.

250 spine Day Six with the stainless steel outsert and 100gr BH

631gr at 261fps


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
OP
C

Casey_v

FNG
Joined
Aug 14, 2019
Messages
11
Listening to few podcasts with arrow builders and they say you don’t get the real effect of a heavy foc until you get to around 20% 🤔
 

5MilesBack

"DADDY"
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Messages
15,527
Location
Colorado Springs
Listening to few podcasts with arrow builders and they say you don’t get the real effect of a heavy foc until you get to around 20% 🤔

Whatever "real effect" is. I guess when I start chasing elephants and Cape Buffalo, I'll figure that out. But for NA, 20% certainly isn't needed, and probably not even recommended.
 
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Casey_v

FNG
Joined
Aug 14, 2019
Messages
11
Whatever "real effect" is. I guess when I start chasing elephants and Cape Buffalo, I'll figure that out. But for NA, 20% certainly isn't needed, and probably not even recommended.
I totally agree it’s not needed I was just wondering why it would take 20% to see real effects or benefits.
 

Brandon_SPC

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Feb 19, 2019
Messages
267
I have so many heavier FOC builds lol These are my current two as of now.
- Black Eagle Rampage cut to 28", 120 grain ethics outsert, 150 grain broadhead, 3 Vantec Banes, Firenock 635 grains and about 18-19% FOC
- Black Eagle X-Impacts, 110 grain ethics outsert, Vanetec vanes, 150 grain broadhead, firenocks, roughly 560 grains and 18-19% FOC.

I have noticed great results with higher FOC builds in regards to shooting fixed broadheads. Of course you don't need to go crazy but why not put as much weight in the front if you can vs picking a high GPI arrow? Also it seems to be more forgiving from what 8-10% FOC arrows I use to shoot.

But granted keep in mind arrow flight is #1. I would rather see someone shoot a 450 grain set up with 10% foc that has perfect arrow flight vs a 650 grain arrow with 20% FOC that has terrible arrow flight.
 

TheViking

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Mar 2, 2019
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Colorado
I’ve found that using a lighter GPI arrow with a good amount of weight up front is best 125 head + collar and brass. You can achieve 15%ish FOC and keep your speed up too.


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Beendare

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Joined
May 6, 2014
Messages
8,247
Location
Corripe cervisiam
There is a lot of commentary on Uber FOC on these forums. ...and there will be guys that drank the Kool Aid that disagree with me- but here goes.

I too got wrapped up in EFOC many years ago before a Water Buff hunt in Australia...and spent a lot of time trying to get that very high 30% FOC recommended by certain folks.

What I got was an arrow that was less accurate. Of course YMMV....but it destabilized my arrow. Then I applied some common sense and realized we aren't talking a missile or another projectile. The same weight up front that stabilizes an arrow in flight....DE-STABILIZES it on the launch. All that weight up front has a strong effect on your arrow spine on the release making that EFOC arrow a lot more unstable. There is no free lunch in physics.

Then I realized a lot of the claimed benefits of very high 30% FOC was not done in controlled testing- like with a hooter shooter....it was a below avg shooter with a stick bow. And then some of those tests are with wooden dowels and rubber bands.

I concluded the guys pushing 30% FOC never back tested it against the exact same weight arrow with avg FOC like I did....as the avg FOC arrow was consistently more accurate. All that extra weight up front made shooting that setup more critical...especially of minor form errors that happen on something like a hunt.

I think a guy is better off concentrating on developing an arrow that has perfect flight, a tuned bow that shoots his BH's to the same POI as FP's and if he wants more penetration- shoot a heavier arrow. The heavier arrow has the added benefit of making your whole setup quieter.


...
 

Brandon_SPC

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Feb 19, 2019
Messages
267
There is a lot of commentary on Uber FOC on these forums. ...and there will be guys that drank the Kool Aid that disagree with me- but here goes.

I too got wrapped up in EFOC many years ago before a Water Buff hunt in Australia...and spent a lot of time trying to get that very high 30% FOC recommended by certain folks.

What I got was an arrow that was less accurate. Of course YMMV....but it destabilized my arrow. Then I applied some common sense and realized we aren't talking a missile or another projectile. The same weight up front that stabilizes an arrow in flight....DE-STABILIZES it on the launch. All that weight up front has a strong effect on your arrow spine on the release making that EFOC arrow a lot more unstable. There is no free lunch in physics.

Then I realized a lot of the claimed benefits of very high 30% FOC was not done in controlled testing- like with a hooter shooter....it was a below avg shooter with a stick bow. And then some of those tests are with wooden dowels and rubber bands.

I concluded the guys pushing 30% FOC never back tested it against the exact same weight arrow with avg FOC like I did....as the avg FOC arrow was consistently more accurate. All that extra weight up front made shooting that setup more critical...especially of minor form errors that happen on something like a hunt.

I think a guy is better off concentrating on developing an arrow that has perfect flight, a tuned bow that shoots his BH's to the same POI as FP's and if he wants more penetration- shoot a heavier arrow. The heavier arrow has the added benefit of making your whole setup quieter.


...

Also a lot of that high FOC was done with trad bows. Granted there is merit in adding more weight in the front but if I recall, Ed Ashby himself said that when they tested compounds the results were so drastic that he just stuck with using traditional bows. And the only way to tell if FOC aided in penetration was with using the traditional bows.

Granted I could be wrong but I swear I read that somewhere in his studies.
 
Last edited:

5MilesBack

"DADDY"
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Messages
15,527
Location
Colorado Springs
I’ve found that using a lighter GPI arrow with a good amount of weight up front is best 125 head + collar and brass. You can achieve 15%ish FOC and keep your speed up too.

The problem with using a lighter GPI arrow shaft, then throwing on a bunch of weight up front, makes for a much less durable arrow. I much prefer slimmer thick-walled arrows for their durability. Most all of those in my spines start around 11gpi and go up from there. You still get an overall decent weighing arrow and an arrow that can survive hard hits.
 

406unltd

WKR
Joined
Jul 6, 2018
Messages
668
X impact 250
29.5 c2c
Stock nock
4fletch blazer
21g sleeve
210 short jag
4” wrap 14” from tip
545g all in
High 270’s FPS
Good luck to everyone out there this year
 

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