I ran some numbers. My arrows weigh 390 gr . at 70# they are going about 282 fps. MO is at .48 and KE is 68 ft lbs. I f I bump up to a 425 gr arrow my MO goes to .50 and KE stays the same. what do you guys consider good MO for that set up? is there much difference in .48 and .50?
Personally, I think you are giving yourself undo stress about your arrow weight quandary. 2020 isn't providing enough for you? I just read in another thread where you said you really only shoot out to 25 yards when hunting. The main benefit to maintaining some speed, in most cases, is to help with yardage judging errors and keep the arrow within the vitals if you are off on your judgment. I bet you are pretty efficient at judging yardage out to only 25 yards with a single pin. Put yourself together a half dozen of heavier arrows and see how you like them. I don't think losing some speed is going to be a big deal to your way of hunting. I can guarantee you'll like the difference they make in the sound of your bow going off. Get some 300 spine arrows around 8.9 gpi, throw a 50 grain brass insert on them for a nice FOC, and see what you think. If you do something like a GT XL Hunter at 27" long, 50 grain insert and a 100 grain head you'll be around a 425 grain arrow and 12.5 FOC. Probably around 270 FPS, gives you 68.7 KE and .51 MO Bump to a 125 head (room to do so with a 300 spine), and it's now 450 grains, probably 260 fps, which is 14.5 FOC, 67.5 KE, and .52 MO. And much quieter shot than you have now for sure. Insert Nike phrase here...
yeh, I tend over think a lot of things.. I am just curious about the heavier arrow...not too heavy but just what all the hype is. I may not ever change a thing. It's just passing some time. I would only be interested in the noise factor really. But my bow is fairly quiet currently. The deeper I dig, the less answers I find...too many variables. and that is my thing...going up to a 425 gr arrow doesn't seem to really benefit me with KE or MO....even at 450 gr there isn't much to be gained..so i was looking at it from the noise aspect. losing 20+ fps just gain a little bit of KE/MO doesn't seem like a good trade off that's why I was asking. But I can certainly see how it would quiet the bow down
The only way you are going to do that with your short draw is get a faster bow ... I shot the 390gr range for many years, prolly close to 20 yrs(GT XT 75/95's now known as 340s) .. never lost a deer due to lack of penetration .... by going to lighted nocks, different bow Im now using Velocity 300s this season and to get the FOC I want, I added 20 gr wts to the front which put me at the 427-430gr mark, but slowed me down a bit but still in the 280s I have a full 30" draw and even at the 61 lbs I draw now due to a bad shoulder I get .534 mo/77ke Remember guys using traditional gear get much less speed and still are effective with penetration ... I also use a single pin most of the time, HHA 5519 and leave it at 25yds .. I have gone back to Sword fixed pin for crap and giggles right now ... Use what you have, use a good fixed BH and be sure the bow is tuned and dont sweat it
Btw, next season, Ill go back to GT Velocity 340's with a 50 gr insert/100gr head .. Ill still be at the 427-430gr range, but a tad better FOC, Im a little stiff on spine right now with the 300's .... Im also looking forward to using the GT Fusion 2.75 vanes with my fixed heads rather than Blazers ... the helical my AZ Mini Max puts on the Fusions is awesome !! Ill just have to retune .. no biggie ..
well My bow is IBO 343 so I think it's fast enough. But I will say that for years and years I have killed effectively for years with a lighter set and mech heads. I just would like to get above 6 gr per pound for hunting arrow...I will get it figure out
As I said, shorter draw length is what screws ya ... if i went back to a 390-395 wt. Id be back over 290 fps at my 61 lbs ... Im glad I have a full 30" draw .. buddy of mine is in the same boat you are, short draw, and even at a higher draw weight, he isnt close to my arrows performance at a lower draw weight .. I think hes a 26 " draw. ..
yes it is a curse! I shot 60# for a few years and was shooting these same arrows and just last week I decided to go back to 70 lbs. I just want more speed and power while I can still pull it...there will come a time when I won't be able to. with this set up currently, I am getting 280 fps. But I am soooo close to the minimum of 5 gr per pound...I think it's like 5,5 gr.. I know the manufacturer will warranty that, but I just don't like it..
Maybe I am. I am just trying to find the sweet spot..it's a hell of a lot harder for short draw guys to do it.. guys with 28+" draw lengths have unlimited options. You can shoot a 500+ gr arrow at 60 lbs and have great flight and decent speed and good KE/MO.. but you already know this... I am not looking to get much speed. In fact 265-270 fps would be great. and be able to shoot one pin to 25 yds is all I need. I will continue to tinker and I will figure it out.
260fps...LOL I ain't shot that fast with my arrow build in a long time.....still picking my arrows out of the dirt after shots. :D Stop overthinking the specs and such, build a few different builds and shoot! The bow, the flight and the impact performance will tell you what to do.
I think I will keep pondering this for a while until I either make a change to heavier arrows or just live with what I have. I like the current arrow weight for the ability to use one pin to about 26-27 yds if needed. But, I am only sitting at 5.5 gr per pound of draw weight, now I know from many years of killing that it is very lethal with good shot placement, heck I have shot much lighter than 385 -390 grs with 70+ lb for years before I started paying attention. But I am wanting my rig to be the most efficient I can get it. Quieter if need be, slower if need be, but most certainly the best it can be. I do know fellas that hunt with 70# and 350 ish gr arrows and they kill a lot of deer. I was a little proud of myself for bucking the trend by going to 390 gr.. but after many years I realize that the average guy has a 28"+ draw length and that really makes life easier when picking out arrows. short guys, the struggle is real
