I've been doing a lot of testing in my new job with arrows on our targets, which are holding everything I can throw at them and in my testing I can say I have learned a lot about heavy vs light. I've normally shot relatively light arrows. Usually ranging from 340's-390's range. Today I started testing side by side Easton FMJ 340's which weigh in at 471 grains. These are the heaviest I have shot out of my bow. Sound level was the first thing I noticed of course and a huge difference it was. I don't have a db meter handy so I really can't give a measured sound. All I know is I could tell a difference the first shot. I even had a guy say "That bow sure is quiet". That's the first time I have had that happen with this bow. It's usually the opposite. Penetration is a good 30% higher with the FMJ's over the lighter Flatlines. The Flatlines are 376 grains. This may be partially due to the smaller diameter of the FMJ's but, I feel it has more to due with the weight than anything. The FMJ's have nearly 45% more penetration than my 342 grain .315 OD Deer Crossing Target arrows. Its more likely a double combination of diameter and weight in this comparison though. Either way, its still significantly higher with the FMJ's. I have KE and momentum calculations also that show similar results to the comparison of the penetration. Of course with benefit comes sacrifice. Speed is the only one I see so far for a hunting application. My bow is shooting the 471 grain arrow at 276fps @ 63lb. that's really not bad considering the gains of momentum and KE. At 63lb I am getting just over 300fps with the 342 grain target arrows. My bow is much more quiet and has less vibration so it will be less likely that a deer "jumps the string". I'm not sure I would take the FMJ's and shoot an open class tournament though. 20fps could have some real advers affects if a shooter misjudges a target by a couple of yards. I'll take the speed of my 342 grains on a 3D course any day over the FMJ's but, that's two completely different playing fields. I don't think it would be much of an issue in say a 30yd hunter class but, anything beyond that may pose some serious challenges to some. Although I have only had one bad experience with a light arrow (and that was just plain bad shot placement) I will be hitting the woods this season with a quiver full of Rage tipped Easton FMJ 340's instead of my go to Easton Flatline 340's. I'll be keeping the light arrows in my hip quiver this year for those stubborn foam 12 rings. In closing I guess my point to this post is to help newer archers and bowhnters understand that for a hunting set up, the higher weight seems to be more beneficial than hurtful. So you loose some speed. If you practice with your rig, no matter how many pins you have or if its a fixed sight or adjustable, you shouldn't have any issues hitting the kill zone. When you do and its a heavier arrow, it will be more beneficial to be shooting that heavy, slower piece of carbon than a lighter one. My advise is to keep the speed for foam and the momentum for the stand. To the new archers, don't get caught up in the "speed game" when it comes to your hunting set up. Set your self up to pack a punch and take home your trophy. Remember, you don't want your arrow to just leave a mark, you want it to punch a hole!
So how many deer did you shoot with the light setup vs the heavy setup? And how many deer where pass thru on both arrows.
4 with light arrows and 2 were complete pass through. One put the arrow about 4" out the other side and one was a bad shot. Had i been using a heavy arrow it would have been much more likely to have blown through which more likely would have resulted in more blood loss and a recovered deer rather than a coyote dinner over night. If you look back at the post you will see I have penetration percentages in comparison. I am assuming you know that if an arrow penetrates a solid dense foam block 30-45% more it will do the same on a deer or any other material. This coming season I'll update this post with deer kill results from the deer I harvest. I'm not saying that a lighter arrow with enough speed won't get the job done. What I am saying I from measured results the penetration is a significant difference. Let me add that the targets we build are unlike any other on the market. They are made from a very consistent dense bonded type foam and not from an epoxy type molded foam. They aren't automotive and textile scraps that are inconsistently compacted into a polypropylene bag either. My penetration results have been extremely consistent arrow after arrow. I have testing records to provide to anyone who may be interested. Therefor these targets make for great penetration comparison and testing platforms.
I think your info is fine for shooting a target and stopping arrows with friction from the shaft so it makes since a smaller dia. Will penetrate further and adding arrow weight can only help even more you could even get more with spraying the shaft of the arrow with dry graphite or silicone spray on a friction based target for even more penetration.
Ive been shooting the 340 FMJ's with the total weight of the arrow being around 480 grains and ive had good success but i have noticed with shooting 2in expendables 2 blades i have way fewer pass throughs than when i was shooting 1.5in expandables with 2 blades with the same arrow, I even had better results with 1.5in three blades although everyone thinks that there is more restriction on three blades rather than 2 blades, (<---- Maybe in ballistic gel) . I think the three 1.5 blades have less contact with the rib cage and slide in a little easier . And thats coming out of a Mathews monster set at 70 lbs. I thought with the heavier setup i would be blowing though pretty much anything i shot. I believe it has something to do with the increased blade contact with the rib cage and tissues and slowing the momentum.
The quietness factor is enough for me. Penetration is likely going to be better with more weight but just how much is probably pretty speculative. Some may argue about how much weight is enough. I do doubt you will ever regret going heavier in hunting scenarios.
I agree totally, and have said this for years! lol Too many new archers or even some of the advanced archers I see come to my tune shop want one thing, MORE SPEED! After explaining to them there is a limit to what they will get, but if the allow me to show them the benefits of a slightly heavier arrow they may just convert. I have had a dozen or so archers shoot one of my Axis FMJ 400's that run right around 400 grains total arrow weight from their 60-65# bows and they were puzzled by the feel, then I have them stand to the side and listen as I shoot one of their current arrows and then a FMJ, they are usually blown away. Speed is great for 3-D, but I have even walked the courses with my FMJ's and had just as much success and sometimes even higher scores. It's all about feel, confidence, and the end result.
I switched from a 400gr arrow to a 480gr arrow. Speed lose was noticeable, but not to the degree that I'd ever switch back. The benefits of a heavier arrow far outweigh the speed lose, IMO!! SCFox
If you have a smart phone their are lotsa free apps to measure sound, both loudness in db, and a frequency analyzer. Kinda fun to compare bows. I sprayed my arrows, especially the vanes, with silicon and they penetrate The Block targets about 2-3" more. I consider this significant. They are also quieter at the higher frequency due to lower wind friction (hence the spraying the vanes). When I tested my arrows I got a 5-6 dB decrease in sound going from 340 gr arrows to 445 gr. arrows.
I shot a 3d course last year with my 500 gr hunting arrows and 57#. This rig was shooting a whopping 230 fps and I shot 5 up. (This was a at the hunter stake with center 11's)The speed stuff gets blown out of proportion even in the 3d game. Fact is, if you're not judging yardage you're not winning. Not to say it isn't an advantage, just not the advantage some think. I see people fight for 6-7 fps and I just have to laugh. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk
If you take a look at the below YouTube vid (which is a broadhead test) one of the guys here in Australia did a few years ago you'll see he got far better penetration using a heavier arrow than a lighter one. The test was conducted by shooting 2 different broadheads and arrow shafts through a beef shoulder. I've now switched from Easton Powerflight 340's (9.1gns per inch) to the Widowmaker Smash 300's (12.1gn's per inch) and also get the added benefit of a micro diameter shaft and a much quieter bow (Bear Motive 6) shooting a heavier arrow.
