New arrow setup

[Bigolbill]

Looking for any amount of guidance for my first post. The only game I will be hunting for the time being is whitetail.

I’m pretty new to archery, I picked up my first bow a couple of months ago. I’m using a Hoyt Torrex XT, 60# draw weight, 30” draw length. I’m currently shooting Easton 6.5mm Acu-carbons with a 100 grain tip. Using rage hypodermic mechanicals as my broad head of choice. The archery shop in my area is very old school and just gives you what’s easy to understand as a beginner, 340 spine, mechanical broadhead. As I’m sure most people on here know, it’s easy to go down the rabbit head of mechanical vs fixed, High FOC and heavier arrows. There’s so much information to sift through I figured I’d post to see if anyone could give me some direct advice.

I was looking at iron will broadheads, personally I just gravitate towards the simplicity of a fixed blade broadhead. As for arrows I was thinking of switching over to Easton 5MM Axis match grade.

I guess to get down to it, if I was wanting to switch to a 300 spine Easton 5MM axis with iron will broadheads, is there anything I should know before experimenting with this setup as someone new to archery? Eastons website says FOC should be maintained around 10-15%, should I go higher? Are 125 broadheads going to be better than 100? Is a 300 spine arrow going to suit me better than a 340? Heavier inserts? Do I just buy these things and experiment in my own? Overall arrow weight, 5 grains per poundage or higher?

There’s a sea of information on arrow setups, it’s hard to know what to agree with as a beginner. Hoping to pick the brains of archers more seasoned than myself.

Thanks

 

[bpctcb]

Your current setup is quite adequate for whitetails. Switching over to fixed blade broadheads is never a bad idea. The Iron Will are quite nice broadheads. I would suggest trying them on your current arrows. Switching up to 125 grain is a good idea and should probably still work with your current arrows.

I don’t see that switching arrows is going to help you any but I don’t see it hurting anything either.

BP


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[Greenmachine_1]

My initial thought is that I would probably stick with the basic arrow and cheap replaceable broadhead until I was comfortable with dropping the extra coin on premium components.

It appears that you have gone down a rabbit hole without understanding if it is required. My opinion is to shoot a lot and get comfortable with the setup that you have. The more expensive components and heavier arrows might be an improvement, but high-end gear doesn't equal high-end results.

Getting into the weeds on the details of different arrows, more weight up front, high end components, etc. comes down to does it matter. If you have crap form and a bow out of tune, the "best" arrow setup in the world won't make up the difference.

My recommendation is to buy some different 100 grain broadheads (my favorites are QAD Exodus, but I have a lot of options that I try at different times including mechanicals) and shoot them to find one that works for your setup. After you have a lot of confidence and know you will hit where you want, then start playing with different builds to see if you can increase your accuracy and efficiency.

I mean there's very few setups (from ultralight to super heavy) that couldn't kill a whitetail and many deer die from arrows at each extreme as well as everywhere in between.

TL;DR keep your current setup and wait until you are ultra comfortable with your performance, before digging into the arrow.

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[Billy Goat]

Easton has probably spent more money researching arrows than anyone else.


Until you get more experience and want to experiment beyond their recommendations I'd stick pretty close to what they put out.

 

[540-Virginian]

What Billy G said.

Recommend listening to this podcast if you’re new:

‎Nock On Archery: PC 232 - Arrow Priorities with Aron Snyder on Apple Podcasts

‎Show Nock On Archery, Ep PC 232 - Arrow Priorities with Aron Snyder - May 29, 2019

podcasts.apple.com

It’s Dudley and Snyder and they list out arrow priorities. FOC is very low on their list. Spine match is the top priority (although Dudley also lists straightness as the other top but in my opinion, just shoot arrows save match grade quality for when YOU are match grade quality).

I shoot Easton AXIS 5mm ‘average’ grade and have good outcomes.

 

[Beendare]

Del

 

[cuttiebrownbow]

Walk before you run. Iron wills are fantastic but in no way necessary to kill whitetails and match grade arrows aren’t going to make you anymore accurate.

Keep what you have. Work through the school of nock from Dudley. Form and consistency, form and consistency.


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[Mighty Mouse]

Eastons website says FOC should be maintained around 10-15%, should I go higher?

The importance of FOC is overemphasized. Build for a desired total arrow weight and let FOC fall where it may (which will likely be between 10 and 15%).

Are 125 broadheads going to be better than 100?

Not necessarily. Heavier arrows have better penetration potential but drop faster downrange than lighter arrows. I'd stick with 100 gr heads because they're easier to find and use weight screws or a heavier insert if you want more weight on the front of your arrow.

Is a 300 spine arrow going to suit me better than a 340?

Proper spine is primarily a function of arrow length, front end weight of the arrow, and your bow's draw weight. As those parameters increase, a stiffer (lower number) spine is needed. At 60# with an arrow around 28-30", I'd stick with 340 spine unless you're planning to really load up the front end (200+ gr). Compound bows can generally handle a fairly wide range of arrow spines, so I wouldn't fret much over this decision.

Heavier inserts? Do I just buy these things and experiment in my own?

Gold Tip FACT weights are handy for experimenting with insert weight.

Overall arrow weight, 5 grains per poundage or higher?

5 gr per pound of draw weight is the typical minimum arrow weight recommended by bow manufacturers to avoid damaging the bow. Energy transfer from the bow to the arrow decreases as arrow weight decreases, and too light an arrow could leave enough energy in the bow to damage the cams or limbs (akin to a dry fire). 5 gpp is the minimum, but 6-8 gpp is common for hunting arrows depending on the target animal and the hunter's personal preferences on arrow weight/speed/trajectory.

 

[Rrush]

I’m really glad these responses haven’t broken down to an RF pro/con debate. I also fall into the FOC isn’t as important as some folks make it out to be camp.
Your setup is very appropriate for deer. Many a deer have fallen to less powerful setups than what you have. From this point and up in price and tinkering the gains in any real world scenario are marginal and many would argue not worth the price of admission.
I’ve shot match grade easton arrows from my bow and I’ve shot Black Eagle arrows with lower tolerances because they’re cheaper and don’t hurt as much to lose or break. I can’t tell much difference out to 60. There’s a difference. But 10 dollars a shaft vs 18 dollars a shaft. And at deer hunting distances? 30? 40 max. Meehhhhhhhh. These guys hunting out west are playing a different game entirely.
Enjoy your set up. Practice a lot and effectively. Have fun. Then if you’ve got cash to burn upgrade or really outgrow your setup. Cool. Do that. But right now don’t spend the money unless you have it and really want to.

 

[Foggy Mountain]

Brother, you’re thinking too hard and falling into all the marketing nonsense.
For one just about any compound will blow through any deer with any kind of head. Secondly you don’t need to spend giant money on any broadhead. Iron will is ridiculously priced. A simple Muzzy or something is sufficient and has been a long time. Years ago it was a thunderhead but I’ve shot hundreds of deer with them. Never worried about weight, foc, nothing. That’s modern nonsense only pertains perhaps to somewhere penetration was an issue like styk bow guys or real big animals. FYI I shoot a styk without any of your concerns, my daughter was shooting 35lbs with her compound at deer as a kid, Muzzy heads and she had no issue even with light, short arrows. Next you don’t need fancy arrows or to switch anything. You’re fine. White tails, black bears, etc that size game are like butter. Arrows go right through.
Hunt your set up, only thing I’d change is the broadhead. I’m no rage fan. Do I honestly think it’s not gonna kill a deer? No

 

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

All I'd check is that your paper tune/bareshaft flight show good results. Other than that, you've got plenty of energy for whitetails with the mechanical.

 

[540-Virginian]

Spine match is the top priority (although Dudley also lists straightness as the other top but in my opinion, just shoot arrows save match grade quality for when YOU are match grade quality).

Re-listened to this podcast as I always enjoy revisiting tips and find things I either missed or don’t remember. But i realized what they were talking about with straightness is that you cant have an arrow or point that wobbles when spin tested essentially (look for arrow spinners on amazon for about 25 bucks to see if your arrows spin straight BTW).

Match grade means better production tolerances and more chances youll get perfect arrows. But ive bought i think over four dozen arrows each from different brand and models that were ‘average grade’ and only had maybe half a dozen ever wobble and get tossed.

Those were Maxima Reds, GT Hunter and Hunter XT, and Easton Axis 5mm.

my favorite head so far has been tooth of the arrow.

 

[gelton]

You may want to look for a fixed blade but OTT I think with your draw weight your current arrows are just fine even with a 30" DL.

Check out VPA if you are looking for a fixed blade...tough as nails for the price and won't break the bank like Iron Wills (save the IW for something bigger out west).

But with a .340 arrow and a 30" DL you don't want to go overboard chasing FOC unless you plan on changing your entire setup to a stiffer spine and a heavier draw weight, so you will probably want to stick with 100-grain head for the time being at least.

 

[nphunter]

Like others have said, what you have will work great for deer hunting. If your looking for higher FOC and a better arrow go with the victory RIP TKO over the axis, it's a much better, lighter and stronger arrow than the axis. Personally, I wouldn't change a thing with that setup, the rage hypodermic is a great head, especially for deer. I've shot a couple elk with a Rage Trypan with great results and am currently shooting a G5 dead meat for elk, the only reason I'm not still shooting Trypans is that I prefer the way the DM lock the blades down when and they are smaller and don't get hung up in the brush and prematurely deploy like the rages with collars. If I didn't already have a pile of dead meat heads I would be shooting a Trypan no collar.

The only reason I can see to switch to a fixed head is if you were planning on hunting a state where mechanicals are illegal. I personally love the damage a mechanical head inflicts on an animal and they fly extremely well and are more forgiving than any fixed head made.

I would put the money into a good range finder if you don't have one or into a nice target or even just go take it and pay to join the local winter league so you can shoot all winter. That will benefit you much more than a different arrow.

 

[Zac]

The Rage NC seems to be much more durable than other designs.

 

[Brizzle]

Your current arrows are fine, I’d switch BH personally. I hate Rage, there’s a number of mechanicals I’d recommend over them. I prefer fixed but they can be harder to shoot. I’d assume your shop set you up with what would help you get a kill under your belt the fastest and easiest. Like mentioned above I’d prioritize shooting form over equipment. Plus iron wills are crazy expensive, 6 cost about 30% of what your bow did. If you’re set on switching BH I’d start with something more economical. I’d invest the money saved elsewhere