So I have been shooting for a few years now and have always shot the arrows recommended by my local shop. They only carry Easton fully fletched arrows. The past 2 seasons I have shot the .400 Easton Bloodlines, and they shoot well. For next year I would like to try something different and fletch my own. So I have been doing some research, and I think I would like to try some Goldtip Arrows for a change. I hear good things about them, and they are a couple bucks cheaper than the Eastons. So here come the questions: Firstly the Eastons I currently shoot are 7.7gpi, and the Goldtips (Velocity)are 7.4gpi, will this make a noticeable difference in arrow speed/flight? Secondly Eastons straightness is currently +/- .003. The Goldtips have basically 2 different options, The Velocity XT is the same +/- .003 but the Velocity Hunter is +/- .006. Obviously the Hunters are cheaper than the XT's. How much of a difference could this make? Let me finish by saying I have tried a few setups and I prefer a faster arrow to a heavier arrow with more kinetic energy. My current setup: arrows weight about 345g and travel about 295ftps. 67 lbs of Kinetic energy is plenty for what we shoot down south, specially when I have the accuracy to place it exactly where I want it. Thanks for the info!
There really isn't any difference between 7.7 and 7.4. More than likely you won't need to adjust your sight. Secondly, what you get between the .003 and .006 is consistency. The tolerances on the .003 are tighter and therefore they cost more to manufacture, but are more consistent. Depending on your distance, again you may never know. It's all a matter of "good enough for me". Both will kill an animal dead. If you're going to be shooting long distances, I'd probably go with a tighter tolerance. I really like the bloodlines, those are good arrows. I've used the velocity arrows and those are as well.
a difference of 0.3 gpi isn't going to be much, BUT when I changed from a 9.8 gpi arrow to an 8.7 gpi, it definitely affected the shot consistency. Heavier arrow was consistently more accurate, lighter arrow was a larger grouping. I opted for tighter grouping over a few extra fps. Now, this observation is all relative. I'm currently shooting a 330 IBO bow (Bear Empire) when previously I was shooting a 298 IBO bow (PSE Nova). The Nova shot the lighter arrows on a single pin out to 30 yards. I really liked the grouping w/ the lighter arrow in the Nova. However with a hotter bow, there was an obvious difference and the heavier arrow shot better. I've since given away my light arrows to someone else w/ a slower bow.
