Arrow WT. Speed Or Penetration?

[ElkNut1]

How about both!! Guys & Gals this is a subject that gets talked about quite a bit regardless of the Sites you venture on. Speed is great yet penetration is necessary on your elk hunts! If you hit a bull or any elk & your arrow lacks in penetration due to arrow wt you will not be happy! (aside from tuned arrow) Know when you release that arrow that your whole setup is going to "bat" for you, if an animal is lost you can at least look at yourself & equipment & know you had done everything in your power to give yourself the best opportunity for a quick clean kill. Arrow wt, sharp broadheads & tuned setups are your key to ultimate penetration on these big animals! Don't short change yourself!!

One thing you can do is not use arrows that are border line spined for your draw length & poundage drawn! Yes, they shoot good through paper but when met with resistance such as an elk the arrow can flex dramatically impeding ones penetration, go up to the next spined arrow & you can achieve much better performance when it counts! When in doubt go to the stiffer spined arrow, you will not regret it! You can tuned a stiff spined arrow to nearly any compound but you cannot tune an under spined arrow, period!

Each bow has a "Peak Performance" that it offers, the limbs load only so much energy as an arrow only can store so much energy, shooting a light arrow can be fast yes, but if too light it sheds penetration on impact! If too heavy an arrow then the energy in the limbs are not enough to cast the arrow fast enough to achieve its best performance! So choose arrow wts that are best balanced for your draw wt & draw length! In the many tests I've done I've found that 6.5 to 6.7 X 65# = 430grn (estimated draw wt example) This is a great arrow wt for 28" draw & poundage for best penetration & speed combined! Yours will vary but this can get you in the ballpark! If I chose a 400grn arrow or a 450grn arrow for that 65# my penetration would suffer a bit, doesn't mean you cannot kill an elk at the other wts but everything better be perfect!! Choose the right aprox arrow wt & you will have the best of both worlds, speed & penetration when it counts the most!!

Notice the two arrows at 30yds! The 430grn arrow out penetrates the lighter 406grn arrow, both are 340spine. It's because the lighter faster arrow is shedding energy quicker where the 430grn arrow stores more energy & is shown in its penetration.

Now look at 40 yds, the gap really widens here even though the 406grn arrow is traveling at a much higher speed that the 430grn arrow which is much better matched to the 65# draw wt. Now if I turned the bows poundage down to 60# the 406grn arrow would now be the better penetrator!!

I'm using a controlled substrate to impede the arrows going more that a couple inches into the block target, it must plow through 5-7 sheets of cement board, many wt arrows did not get through them!

ElkNut1

[Freebird134]

Now if I turned the bows poundage down to 60# the 406grn arrow would now be the better penetrator!!

You are saying the lighter arrow will penetrate deeper if you turn your bow down to 60#? That's hard for me to believe. I'd love to see pics of this!

[Bullnuts]

Speed is fine...accuracy is final. Tune your bow, judge your distance, get a good release, start packing meat.

[Goneelkn]

I read your posts on AT, didn't believe it at first, so i tried it myself. You are right on. Cement board is a very consistant material for testing.

[POk3s]

After 2010 hunting season I switched from a light Carbon Express Arrow (maxima hunters) to the Easton Axis's I see here! Slightly heavier and I went up to a 125 gr head. 28" arrows and my draw weight is right at 70 lbs. By my calculations my arrow weight is around 442 grains.

Last year I had a passthrough on my bull at 55 yards. I'm hoping that from that experience and reading this that I'm right in there since my draw weight is 70 lbs and not 65. Regardless.....I didn't change anything from last year .

Oh, and today I zipped through an antelope at 70 yards with a mechanical head (first animal ever taken with a mechanical head) . FEELING CONFIDENT!

Great info as always Paul. I see a lot of guys get far too caught up on one end of the spectrum. They either want the lightest arrow possible so it shoots fast or they're shooting 500 or more grain arrows. I like a perfect mix!

[ElkNut1]

Trent, thanks! The point is "balance" you have that in your setup! What broadhead were you shooting on the elk?

As I mentioned above we need to be in the "ballpark" with our arrow wt, not an exact grn wt!

Freebird, yes, anytime you get near the "peak power stroke" with a bows limbs at a certain poundage it can only offer that much in casting an arrow! The same would hold true if I shot a 470grn arrow out of a 65# bow at 28" draw, that wt would slow way down & not penetrate as good as the better matched 430grn arrow at 65#. Does this make sense? Thanks!

ElkNut1

[POk3s]

Shuttle T's Paul.

[tracker12]

There are so many variables in arrow selection. Here in the East I hunt mostly Whitetails and for years I used a light 340 total grain arrow using Rocket Wolverines. I average 7-8 deer a year with the bow (unlimited doe's in my area) and have no problem blowing thru them with a 60# draw bow. I shot a bunch of different arrows this summer trying to settle on a good set up for help. Got some great suggestions from Elknut1. Finally settled on an Easton FMJ and Fixed Blade BH total weight 430 grains. My speed is down but my groups are actually better. Definitely going to have to make sure there are no other deer behind my targeted deer.

[pointysticks]

When in doubt go to the stiffer spined arrow, you will not regret it! You can tuned a stiff spined arrow to nearly any compound but you cannot tune an under spined arrow, period!

ElkNut1

^^this!! i trusted my bowshop. they were so anxious to sell me a bow they said.."and this bow will shoot your old arrows beautifully!! you can save the $$!"

whaaaa? i couldnt hit the target at 40 yards with broadheads. i was so underspined..i went stiffer TWO steps, and now i am deadly.. you should have seen the centershot, it was so close to the riser, and the nocked arrow was nowhere parallel with the stabilizer..just to get it to papertune. funny.

[LNGBOWFLYER]

Now if I turned the bows poundage down to 60# the 406grn arrow would now be the better penetrator!!

You are saying the lighter arrow will penetrate deeper if you turn your bow down to 60#? That's hard for me to believe. I'd love to see pics of this!

No he is saying if he turned the bow down to 60# then the lighter arrow would penetrate deeper than the heavier arrow.