I've been bowhunting for several years, and recently upgraded to a Halon 6, with a 60lb pull, shooting 400 grain arrows. For shots 40 yards and longer, should I stick with 400 grain, or try and go with lighter arrow for better speed? Any thoughts/advice on speed v penetration, thanks.
I’m no expert but I wouldn’t go lighter for sure. Does 400 grain include your broadheads? What type of broadheads are you shooting?
Rage Hypodermic, 100 grain. So total arrow weight 500 grains. My thought was to go to a 350 grain arrow. With broadhead weight, should have plenty of penetration.
Personally if I were shooting 60lbs I’d be looking for a heavier set up rather than lighter. Your 60lb halon shoots PLENTY fast enough.
I’m not trying to belittle you in the least but are you sure it’s 400 grain arrow and it’s not 400 spine arrow? Only reason I ask is because I know a lot of people make that mistake and awfully exact numbers so just thought I’d ask man. Mathews Halon Black Eagle outlaws Magnus Buzzcut 4 blades Nasty combo
Whatever the case though I would agree with Jason and keep the heavier arrow. Mathews Halon Black Eagle outlaws Magnus Buzzcut 4 blades Nasty combo
I have opted to choose weight over speed in the last couple of years and won't change back. I'm at about 470 total weight. Fits me just about perfect for both deer and turkey out here.
Appreciate the feedback. Arrows are Gold Tip Velocity XT 400. Not sure about spine arrow. Im trying to get my set up tuned in the best possible, and wanted to get opinions from more experienced archers than me.
So there ya go man. The spine is 400. So those arrows are 7.4 grains per inch. So you’re looking at like 222grain shaft @30”. Your arrow is pretty light already man. I’m not sure what spine you need but at 60# that may be right on. Mathews Halon Black Eagle outlaws Magnus Buzzcut 4 blades Nasty combo
"should" and "will" are not always the same. Pop a deer in the shoulder with a 450gr TAW and a 2" mech and you will very likely be forced to reconsider what "plenty of penetration" means to you. Most people shooting 55-70# draw, out of the box arrows, stock inserts and nocks, at a 26-30" DL and 100gr heads are shooting around 450gr TAW set ups. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with that. It will kill any deer on a well placed shot, and literally thousands of bigger game including elk and even probably moose are killed with similar set ups every year. I feel like the arrow weight conversation has on general principle and physics kind of aligned with the debate of whether or not a 30-30 is an effective rifle cartridge for medium/big game. The old saying is that more deer have been killed with a 30-30 than all other rifles combined - and the follow up retort is that more deer have been maimed by 30-30s than all other cartridges combined. (I think that if the first half of that maxim were ever actually true it has probably been eclipsed by the 30-06 but for arguments' sake we'll stay with the 30-30.) The 450-ish grain TAW is the archer's equivalent to the 30-30 - completely adequate for whitetail hunting and maybe in the right circumstances even bigger game; assuming you put the arrow where you wanted it to go. For most shooters it features a tolerable mix of +speed, +range, and so-so KE. But if you tend to hug the shoulder, have interest in or likelihood to hunt bigger game, or keep your range at 50 or less then you may want to reconsider dropping down much below 500gr TAW. (Those of us who shoot heavy pound draws can get away with 500gr out to 80+ but that doesn't apply to you.) You aren't gaining much of anything by it; and are certainly losing KE - kind of a lot of KE. What good is another 10-15fps if you fail to penetrate the front shoulder? I've zipped right through a couple of bucks at close range @65# with Rage 100gr Hypos @ 460gr TAW. Perfect 10-ring ribcage double lungs. But I've also had a couple of 2" mechs either fail to penetrate the front shoulder or fail to exit the offside shoulder and not produce any blood trails. Barring old age/injury/significant drop in draw poundage; there is a reason that when most experienced bowhunters decide a change in arrow set up is needed they move toward heavier set ups with more KE; vs. lighter set ups with less KE- that reason is experience. Will a 30-30 kill a big whitetail buck? Sure, if conditions are right and I do my job. But will a 30-06 kill a deer much more efficiently? More often than not yes; and will also extend my effective killing range by another 200+ yards. Will a 450gr TAW do the job? Sure, most of the time if I do things right. But will 500gr TAW help me out with KE if I hug the shoulder a bit too much or at longer range? Yes. and Yes.
