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how much should my arrow weigh?

Discussion in 'Bowhunting Talk' started by michael_pearce, Jun 20, 2011.

  1. michael_pearce

    michael_pearce Grizzled Veteran

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    what do you think the best weight to have for your hunting arrow?
    right now my arrows weigh about 410 grains total.
    is there an optimal weight that anyone recommends?
    Im am shooting a switch back xt at 28.5" dl @ 70#'s
     
  2. stuntriders

    stuntriders Weekend Warrior

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    I would worry more about your spine then the weight (within reason). IMO, your arrows are heavy enough. Some people go for super light and fast while others will tell you to go heavier. You seem to be right in the middle of those right now, but depending on what arrow you are using, your spine may be off and then you wouldn't be at optimal efficiency.
     
  3. Ben/PA

    Ben/PA Grizzled Veteran

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    I like mine about 440-430 grains moving at 295ish. This past year I went to a smoother bow and lost 15 fps, but the deer still died.:) I'm really happy with my current setup.
     
  4. brucelanthier

    brucelanthier Grizzled Veteran

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    I like to recommend 6 grains per pound DW. Persoanlly I go for quite a bit more than that but, IMO, 6 gpp DW is good.
     
  5. michael_pearce

    michael_pearce Grizzled Veteran

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    Im shooting a maxima hunter 350 at 28" with a 100gr tip. So my spine should be good.
     
  6. MichiganYoungBlood

    MichiganYoungBlood Weekend Warrior

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    mine weigh around 405 to 410
     
  7. Justin

    Justin Administrator

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    I'm in agreement with Bruce on this. 6 grains of finished arrow weight per pound of draw weight seems to be a good starting point. A lot of guys like to go heavier, but 6 GPP is a great starting point and a good compromise between speed, kinetic energy, and keeping your bow quiet.

    In the case you're shooting 70 lbs you're looking at somewhere around 420 grains.
     
  8. indynotch50

    indynotch50 Grizzled Veteran

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    I opted for a slightly lighter arrow, but not by much. My finished arrow weight is 377 grains. It's all a trade-off but you seem to be in a great spot.
    Practice up and let'em fly!
     
  9. michael_pearce

    michael_pearce Grizzled Veteran

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    Thanks guys i appreciate the info
     
  10. bowhuntjoe

    bowhuntjoe Weekend Warrior

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    I'm shooting Carbon Express March 5 arrows. dont know what they weigh exactly but would be around 370g I would imagin... they go deep & fly freeking fast !! I dont think I would ever go as fare as 400g personaly. have yet to nail a stag with thes arrows but they hit HARD AND FAST !!
     
  11. michael_pearce

    michael_pearce Grizzled Veteran

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    Ok so I went to buck stop archery today and had pete weigh my arrows I am at 412gr.
    So I think I am going to switch to the beman ics hunter 340 with the brass inserts now.
    I was misstaken and my arrows are only 26 5/8" long.
     
  12. indynotch50

    indynotch50 Grizzled Veteran

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    What is the gpi of each of the 2 arrows. I would definitely go with 340 spine, and I personally like an 8.3 to 8.6 gpi. It's a little lighter than most people on here's setups, but I would trade off a little speed for a little weight.
    Also, if you are around the 370 grain area, you can always put a 125 grain head on and be at 395 grains...
     
  13. michael_pearce

    michael_pearce Grizzled Veteran

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    ics hunter elite is 9.3 gpi
    the maxima hunter i usually use is only 8.9 gpi
     
  14. Indiana Hunter

    Indiana Hunter Die Hard Bowhunter

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    Hey Mike, I'm shooting the maxima 350 also and my total arrow weight with a 100 grain tip is right around 392 grains. Last year I was shooting the spitfire maxx and I blew through all three deer that I shot. With the 265lb buck I went in directly through the shoulder and exited right below the opposite shoulder. I was impressed all the way around and that put my mind to ease on whether or not to increase arrow weight this year. I'm sticking with what I got and I think you should be fine too. Hope this helps a little.
     
  15. michael_pearce

    michael_pearce Grizzled Veteran

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    Thanks indian
    Im like most and torn between speed or energy.
    I grew up shooting a recurve until 2 years ago. And energy is what i mainly focused on with them. So i think at 412 gr. Im pretty good
     
  16. tfarah22

    tfarah22 Weekend Warrior

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    I love this sight. Googled this question, this popped up and answered my question perfectly. Great answer guys thanks for the hlep
     
  17. copperhead

    copperhead Grizzled Veteran

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    It really depends on what you are hunting. For whitetails 400 grains is fine and you can probably get away with less. For something like bison or buffalo 600 grains+ is what you want.
     
  18. Zedd

    Zedd Weekend Warrior

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    Just dreamin'...but if you go after cape or asiatic buffalo the advantage does give an 800 grain arrow vs. a 500 gr. arrow give in momentum (about 10%), but a loss of ~26% in ke. By my calculations you would get an 800 gr going about 185 fps/61 fpe/momentum-65 slug f/s; vs. 500 gr. going about 274 fps/ 83 fpe/ 60 momentum- slug f/s (actually, the momentum calculations comes from here). Anyone have real world penetration experience of animals shot with such a wide variance of weight? The above was from a 340 ibo bow @ 28"/70#, approx..
     
  19. trial153

    trial153 Grizzled Veteran

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    Necroposting here....I scrolled though and seen a name I haven't seen in a long time...so only then I checked the date.
     
  20. RugerRedbone

    RugerRedbone Die Hard Bowhunter

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    Me too I thought maybe PT could finally change his sig line.
     

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