Light Weight Arrows?

[North Idaho Stickbow]

I bought some 500 spine arrows the other day, since it was a steal for the dozen, and decided to fletch them up, and install the inserts and points. The catch is: they’re a weaker spine, therefore I have a lighter weight insert/point. They’re around 410 grains total for the 48ish pounds I’m pulling.

I’ve always shot something closer to 600 grains total. Here’s the thing though: these lighter arrows are lasers. Like, I line up, aim and release and the arrow just goes there. It’s that way out to 30+ yards (my limited backyard range).

Anybody else hunt this light? I want to switch because of the accuracy improvement.

 

[rclouse79]

I had a heck of a time tuning my super light and fast arrows. I finally gave up and went to a stiffer heavy arrow with inserts. They don’t get there as fast, but i will take knowing where my broad head is going to hit.

 

[Shawn Hultquist]

I shot 9.3 GPP (515 grains) arrows for a couple seasons they shot really well the only draw back was less penetration. So I went back to 11.8 GPP arrow setup (650 grains) out of a 55lb longbow. your setup is 8.54 GPP. I have had many old timers tell me that the old rule of thumb is 10 GPP. But hey if they are working for you then let them fly.

 

[North Idaho Stickbow]

Yeah, 10 gpp seems to be the standard. It’s not like I’m dropping animals left and right for a good comparison or experiment, so I’m basing this purely on my own target shooting.

 

[CamoPirate]

It's individual, as everything. IMO shooting the heaviest arrow you can that gives you the best accuracy is what you want. People hear me shooting 525gr out of my compound going wtf..but it shoots like lasers and it hits hard.

 

[Beendare]

I just got done shooting for a while with my lighter target bow and 388 gr arrows. Yeah, they are fast......but the bow is loud and you can really see the lack of penetration vs my 553 gr hunt arrow.

Those fast arrows just stop dead as the physics predicts.

The accuracy for me is more dependent on how small my gaps are.
—-

 

[North Idaho Stickbow]

I shoot instinctive rather than gap or other aiming methods, so maybe these arrows just jive more with where I’m looking. I don’t have any real way to test penetration other than my foam targets, which seems to be a wash on penetration.

I’m not putting a lot of stock in foam target penetration though, because that target has already been shot up pretty good. I can’t come up with a good experimental test since there are so many other factors involved.

 

[lumis17]

I'm kind of in the same boat as you. When I first started many years ago I was shooting 500 spine arrows that ended up around 380 grains in total weight. That was with a ~50# recurve. I was just using regular inserts and 125 grain tips since that's all the archery shops had in stock; this was before brass inserts, heavier arrows like Easton Axis, etc and I had no other traditional shooters around to tell me otherwise. I had no problems on the few pigs and deer I shot early on, but my shot placement was good (luckily!) so I didn't encounter heavy bone. I've gone up in arrow weight since then, but I'm still not at 10gpp like most others recommend. Like you, I think I prefer and am just used to the flatter trajectory. I just got some heavier arrows to play with. I think I'm going to set up one bow at ~8.5gpp and my other bow at ~10gpp and see how that goes.

 

[Beendare]

I shoot instinctive rather than gap or other aiming methods, so maybe these arrows just jive more with where I’m looking. I don’t have any real way to test penetration other than my foam targets, which seems to be a wash on penetration.

I’m not putting a lot of stock in foam target penetration though, because that target has already been shot up pretty good. I can’t come up with a good experimental test since there are so many other factors involved.

It makes sense your instinctive shooting would be better with the flatter trajectory of the light arrow. More arc means more room for error No matter which aiming system you use.

I know a few top trad shooters that hunt with arrows that would be considered light by the general trad community....one was the Montana state champ some years back.

A few years ago I shot a deer with a fairly light arrow in a light 45# bow....I think the arrow was about 420 gr.
Pretty good performance with the big Snuffers I was shooting at the time...blew through him into the ground From a treestand.


What I didn’t like was I got some reaction to the shot....the deer moved a little. It was only 11 yds or so...so the buck couldnt screw up my shot location too bad...he was down in 40 yds.


I prefer an arrow that is whisper quiet in my bow for hunting....thus I dont shoot an arrow on the light side for hunting anymore.

——

 

[oldgoat]

I can say with a great deal of confidence, if you walked into rmsgear and asked Tom Clum about them, he would recommend against them for anything bigger than a deer. And that's probably got as much to do with disability as penetration, had similar conversation with him recently on a much heavier arrow in a 600 spine

 

[Page Master]

Doesn't Robby Denning should a lighter arrow ?

 

[North Idaho Stickbow]

Doesn't Robby Denning should a lighter arrow ?

He does. A really light aluminum one.

 

[ledflight]

It's fun to drop weight and see those lighter arrows zip out so fast flat and far.
Maybe b/c speed is something you can SEE on every shot but momentum is something you need to feel...
But I just got my second harvest (all trad) and the buck just walked off after a pass-through from the ground and I remember thinking in the moment how quiet that shot was!