I mostly hunt elk here in Colorado and I also am thinking about going to a 500 grain arrow setup this year.
I shoot beman340s that's what my pro shop told me I needed to shoot I was going to shoot 400s but he said that would slow my bow down. I shoot 100 grain G5 T3s this year instead of my 100 grain blood runners
Where are you losing 75 grains? Changing spine from 340 to 400 won't give you that. Do you have inserts? If you are changing spine and Thats it I can see 40 grains depending on the GPI of your arrows.
70# with a 584 gr arrow I just bought a 60# bow and am thinking 410-440 gr arrow once I figure out which one.
Just curious I am thinking of stepping down to around 60 pounds.I shoot a 2 blade fixed broadhead and don't want to have any problems with passthroughs.
No problems at all. As long as the bow isn't 30 years old I don't see any issues if it's properly tuned.
I hunt with five different bows and each has its place. For large/heavy dangerous game I use a PSE X-Force set at 84 pounds and shoot a 960 grain arrow. When I hunt medium size game, all day long and under spot and stalk conditions, I use a PSE X-Force Super Short set at 74 pounds. I launch 475 grain arrows from this bow. When I travel overseas, I take my PSE Stingray (this bow is easy to tune and nearly indestructible). This bow is set at 78 pounds and I use the same 475 grain arrows. When I'm hunting smaller game (like turkeys) I use my PSE Axe 7 set at 62 pounds. I fling 420 grain arrows from this set up. I also use this bow for 3-D shoots-since it's a 12 ring getter.. When I want the added challenge of traditional hunting, I use my take down Kanga Custom longbow with two different sets of limbs (55lbs and 68lbs). The arrows I use in this bow are about 525 grains.
It all depends what your are using it for. I wouldn't want somebody in elk camp with me with a 30 or 40 year old bow and a 330 grain arrow.
I'm far from an Elk expert, but I did kill a couple Bulls. One a smaller 4 X 4 and the other a Mature 6 x 6. I used a 380 grain arrow on both and got complete passthroughs on both. I hunted very open terrain and both shots were over 40 yards. I also got a complete passthrough on a 450# bear with only a 330 grain arrow. Adequate penetration is a result of several factors and only one is weight. We are talking compound shooters here, trad guys have to play by a different set of rules. IMO some people get tunnel vision and worry about only one of those factors and think it's a cure all. Nothing could be further from the truth 30 to 40 year old bows are not near as effecient as modern day bows. I can barely remember what a compound looked like 40 years ago. I was still shooting Trad Dan
Just because it HAS been done doesn't mean that's how it should be done. Let's just say my imaginary friend took a deer with a Walther P22 pistol. Obviously it worked, but that doesn't mean I would recommend everyone go out and get a pistol for deer hunting. I know that is an extreme example and I don't disagree with using a 380 grain arrow with the right setup. Just making the point that the setup DOES depend on what you are hunting. Could you take your light weight deer setup to go on safari? Sure, but I wouldn't recommend it. (In actuallity I think they have minimum bow # and arrow weight for most sarari hunts, but again just trying to make a point.)
I didn't mention African Game. As far as NA Game with an arrow under 400 grains I have done it consistently for the 30 years I have shot compounds, but I do understand all the factors that go into getting adequate penetration. I build, and tune my arrows accordingly and have never had a problem. The lightest arrows I have hunted with were 330 grains and currently use arrows weighing 360 grains. I think 6 grains per pound with a properly built arrow out of a well tuned compound is pretty much ideal for what I hunt, not that more or less won't work. I've seen guys that had penetration problems with light arrows and then they decide to go to a heavier setup and Surprise, surprise they still have trouble. Adding weight on an arrow alone will not automatically increase penetration. My wife shot a doe at 30 yards with a 40# bow and less than a 300 grain arrow. She got a complete passthrough and we never could find her arrow. I built her arrows and tuned her bow. I'm sure if I had just wanted to build a 400 grain arrow for her but not built them correctly or tuned them correctly they could easily have had lousy penetration. I really do not care what weight arrow anyone shoots and if it works for you then I wouldn't change a thing. I know for me and dozens of guys I have helped that had problems with penetration what the cure was and it wasn't just sticking some extra weight on the arrow. Remember use the weight arrows you are comfortable with, but get the arrow components installed correctly, make sure you have Adequate FOC (at or above 12% IMO) and Tune them to the bow. If you do all that you won't experience any penetration issues. Dan
