Bow speeds & arrow weight

[shawnhu]

As a bow hunter, do you measure the speed of your arrows? Do you know the total grains of arrow you are shooting? Do you think its important to know as a hunter?

[NFA-ADK]

Nope...  Its fast, it will kill any animal with a good placed shot and I have a hard time pulling my arrows from targets as they seem to melt the rubber with deep penetration...  More so than most people I shoot with.  I match the arrow with the recommend specs of the bow.  I can get more speed with lighter arrows but as a hunter I just use hunting arrows year round and like my speed and depth of penetration.  Heli-M 28" draw 65 lbs shooting Beeman ICS Hunter Pro 340 at 8.8 Gpi.  But I know guys who get crazy with weight and balance of the arrow and others with speed...  I try to just keep it as simple as possible...  Arrow shoots straight and I am good...  Just need to work on aim and form, O and finding a deer...

[asav2013]

There's over kill and there's bettering your self with,arrows,

ya if I was shooting a tournament id go with over kill down to inserts and fletchs and nocks etc, for hunting there is a line of bettering your self, a light enough arrow to get speed but heavy enough to get good kinetic energy,(knock down),ya get shoot your self in the foot for going real,light to maximize speed or go to,heavy and get way more arrow drop, a middle line has to be found for your bow and set up, yes ya can,go look at an arrow chart pick up some arrows go out and sight in,your bow and go kill an,animal, but if your the type ya wanna be as efficient as possible at every,thing you,do , its good to pay attention to the little things to better your self JMO

[shawnhu]

There's over kill and there's bettering your self with,arrows,

ya if I was shooting a tournament id go with over kill down to inserts and fletchs and nocks etc, for hunting there is a line of bettering your self, a light enough arrow to get speed but heavy enough to get good kinetic energy,(knock down),ya get shoot your self in the foot for going real,light to maximize speed or go to,heavy and get way more arrow drop, a middle line has to be found for your bow and set up, yes ya can,go look at an arrow chart pick up some arrows go out and sight in,your bow and go kill an,animal, but if your the type ya wanna be as efficient as possible at every,thing you,do , its good to pay attention to the little things to better your self JMO

So the answer is....? Yes? No? Maybe so?

[asav2013]

I dont go all out but I do pay attention to grains per inch, shooting 62 pounds 7.7 grains per inch,28 " arrow 400 spine I'm right around 299 fps, with a 360 grain arrow, I didn't mean to come off as confusing just personal preference how far ya wanna go with,it, ya can change insert weights to make them front heavy , back heavy blah blah blah, but basics is knowing what your arrow weighs shooting it through a chrono and I don't know the calculations for kinetic energy so I dont bother most bows with produce a pass through on the perfect shot and plenty of ass to break bones with,right heads but I base mine off penetration on a stiff target like my glendel, ya gotta tinker and its trial and error with arrows right off the shelf, I went from a 8.4,gpi arrow to a 7.7 and it made about a 8" difference in drop from what I had it zeroed at with the 8.4 arrows,

[asav2013]

With some research online ya can get more tips on arrow weights and calculations then I can,explain correctly through a message , find your insert type and weight , nocks, vanes , blazers are 6 grs a piece etc, look around for other guys on fourums shooting your same setup and see what,their shooting with,good results its a place to start, no 2 arrows are the same some are better some are worse, straigtness , accuracy to gpi, the more ya pay,the better ys get usually, eastons are real,great arrows, arrow spine is good to pat attention to, when,in doubt its better to be on the stiffer side then,the softer

[shawnhu]

Thanks. How far did it take to drop 8" from 8.4 to 7.7 gpi? 20 yards? 30 yards?

[Doc]

My focus is on accuracy. I am not interested in how fast my arrow is going when it kills the deer. Yes I do understand the importance of trajectory vs. yardage estimation, but my rangefinder pretty much handles that situation. I am not interested in spending a lot of money on a setup that produces the fastest and squirreliest arrow flight. I want my bow to be the most forgiving of inadvertent form flaws that can (and often do) occur in the heat of the battle, not arrangements that accentuate errors. The equipment that I am shooting is definitely not the fastest, but it does definitely kill deer. That slow, heavy arrow seems to find its way to the vitals even when form is stressed a bit because of hunting conditions.

[thphm]

50 pound bows, 29 '' carbon arrows , 4 -1/2" feathers, 400 grains with 125 grain steel force 2blade with bleeders broadheads I can take the same arrow shoot it in my compound, long bow , recurve and it flyes great.

They fly fast enough to heat up the foam in the tadgets and go almost up to the fletching.Morell six shooter targets.I use a arrow shaft lube that keeps them from sticking and they come out easy.

[nybuckboy]

To me, there are 3 factors when building a hunting arrow.

1 - Total arrow weight

2 - Front of Center (FOC)

3 - Spine

 

I have researched this til the cows come home and actually made a tutorial that can be viewed here on this forum at:

 

http://huntingny.com/forums/topic/5030-how-i-built-my-arrows/

 

Speed is great but Kinetic Energy is better. A heavier arrow, especially an arrow that is balanced with the correct FOC will out perform a fast and light arrow for hunting purposes. They are more forgiving if the shot is a bit off... they fly better in windy conditions (more like a dart)... they will penetrate bone better, etc.

[shawnhu]

My focus is on accuracy. I am not interested in how fast my arrow is going when it kills the deer. Yes I do understand the importance of trajectory vs. yardage estimation, but my rangefinder pretty much handles that situation. I am not interested in spending a lot of money on a setup that produces the fastest and squirreliest arrow flight. I want my bow to be the most forgiving of inadvertent form flaws that can (and often do) occur in the heat of the battle, not arrangements that accentuate errors. The equipment that I am shooting is definitely not the fastest, but it does definitely kill deer. That slow, heavy arrow seems to find its way to the vitals even when form is stressed a bit because of hunting conditions.

Doc, so faster bows are no better than slower ones, because all faster bows cause issues with form? We all know slower arrows kills deer. That's not the topic discussion though, just if you know what your speed is and arrow weight and do you feel it matters to a hunter.

[WNYBuckHunter]

I know exactly what I shoot, and how fast it goes through a chrono. Do I think it makes me a better hunter or shooter? Not really, I just like to know the details. Most guys I know have no idea how fast their arrows are going.

[ncountry]

I shoot a faster bow and medium weight (400gr) arrow for my 65#s. Faster bow helps make up some of the speed I lose with my t-rex arms(27.5 dl) and makes yardage judgement errors less consequential.

If I were to limit myself to 20 yds or less I would shoot a 500gr arrrow...lol

Edited August 26, 2013 by ncountry

[asav2013]

The faster the Ibo speed of a bow which increases Ibo of your heavier arrows equals more kinetic energy. So yes a faster bow does yield advantage, the faster something is going the harder its gonna hit when it comes to a stop depending on weight, same with ballistics on guns,each has its advantage and disadvantage some faster some slower, all up to you to find out which suits you best

[Doewhacker]

Speed? Who cares

 

Weight? Yes I pay close attention.

[Arrow Flinger]

A lot of guys I know think their bow is shooting its IBO rating! Then they shoot it through a Chrono and are shocked. I don't bend over backwards to know how fast my bow is shooting but if I get a chance to shoot it through a Chrono I will just to see.

[shawnhu]

A lot of guys I know think their bow is shooting its IBO rating! Then they shoot it through a Chrono and are shocked. I don't bend over backwards to know how fast my bow is shooting but if I get a chance to shoot it through a Chrono I will just to see.

You're welcome to use mine anytime.

[Arrow Flinger]

You're welcome to use mine anytime.

My brother has one, but we don't talk anymore. Plus you're a long ways away from me. Maybe if I go see a Yankee game I'll hit ya up!

[shawnhu]

My brother has one, but we don't talk anymore. Plus you're a long ways away from me. Maybe if I go see a Yankee game I'll hit ya up!

You never know where my hunting adventures will take me someday. Offer is good indefinitely, unless you piss me off. LOL.

[biggamefish]

My arrows are 12grns per pound, 630grn arrow.  Bow shoots nice and quite.   I have good foc.  

  I would definitely pay attention to weight and arrow selection.  I don't think it matters to much with the compounders because they can adjust there sights to where the arrow shoots and then just keep the same specs year to year.  Where as if you want correct sight pic and are shooting instinctively you have to match your arrows (weight spine etc,) to your bow.  In the end if you pay close attention to the details you will get a truer arrow flight and be more consistent.  Plus your shooting will be more forgiving if you don't get correct form on a shot. 

[Doc]

Doc, so faster bows are no better than slower ones, because all faster bows cause issues with form? We all know slower arrows kills deer. That's not the topic discussion though, just if you know what your speed is and arrow weight and do you feel it matters to a hunter.

A more stable and accurate bow kills deer the most reliably. That is a far more useful criteria that speed. I have never been concerned with how fast I can miss a deer. If you have a bow that is first robust and accurate and forgiving and secondarily has the speed too, that is great. But a long time ago, I found out what works adequately for me, and stopped the game of chasing after the latest and the greatest. And speed isn't even on the radar for me. However I will admit that I like my bowhunting up close and personal and am not involved in a lot of the trajectory issues that plague the long-distance shooters.

 

I also have an equally controversial attitude about energy. I think a lot of hot air is expended arguing about a foot pound or two without any evidence that miniscule advantages of energy make any difference whatsoever. Just like speed, nobody ever asks what is adequate, but spend thousands of dollars with the philosophy that more has to be better at any cost. The fact is that insignificantly more is not always better. We love to nit-pick the minutia, but never ask whether what we are arguing about really makes any difference. Just plain old years of experience have told me when enough is enough, and I have found out that for years I was mindlessly applying over-kill when selecting equipment and it has cost me a lot of dollars that could have been spent on more useful things.

 

As far as being on-topic, I am indeed explaining why I don't think that within reason, arrow speed and arrow weight "matters to a hunter". This hunter that is.

[Dinsdale]

Don't know, don't care.

 

Thats what I pay the local bow shop guy for.....I'm hunting xxxxx, sell me stuff and set the bow up to shoot it correct.

 

[shawnhu]

A more stable and accurate bow kills deer the most reliably. That is a far more useful criteria that speed. I have never been concerned with how fast I can miss a deer. If you have a bow that is first robust and accurate and forgiving and secondarily has the speed too, that is great. But a long time ago, I found out what works adequately for me, and stopped the game of chasing after the latest and the greatest. And speed isn't even on the radar for me. However I will admit that I like my bowhunting up close and personal and am not involved in a lot of the trajectory issues that plague the long-distance shooters.

I also have an equally controversial attitude about energy. I think a lot of hot air is expended arguing about a foot pound or two without any evidence that miniscule advantages of energy make any difference whatsoever. Just like speed, nobody ever asks what is adequate, but spend thousands of dollars with the philosophy that more has to be better at any cost. The fact is that insignificantly more is not always better. We love to nit-pick the minutia, but never ask whether what we are arguing about really makes any difference. Just plain old years of experience have told me when enough is enough, and I have found out that for years I was mindlessly applying over-kill when selecting equipment and it has cost me a lot of dollars that could have been spent on more useful things.

As far as being on-topic, I am indeed explaining why I don't think that within reason, arrow speed and arrow weight "matters to a hunter". This hunter that is.

Thanks for that explanation Doc, makes more sense now.

I think you are right about one thing; for an up close and personal hunter like yourself, I don't think you can overkill a deer with too much FPS or FPE. For some of us, we may be looking for a bit of a longer shot to expend some of that FPS and FPE.

[Geno C]

i think the more you know as a hunter the better you are... the more you know on ANYTHING the better... its that simple. picking any old arrow and old bow and killing a deer doesnt make you good. knowing what you shoot and learning from it is whats key. my info is in my sig, its good info to know. guys should know what they shoot, not just shoot something and say "well it works"

[ELMER J. FUDD]

All I know is my bow is awesome to me.