Arrow weight VS bow poundage

[woodsman1031]

I have some cedar shaft arrows that I am about to order broadheads for. I have always heard that my arrow weight should be 10 grans per bow pound. My bow is about 47-50 lbs, and my arrows without broadheads weigh about 400 grains each. The broadheads I am wanting start out at 135grain I believe. This will put me at 535 grains which is more than 10 for pound. What can I do? I was wanting to get the 165 grain.


Thanks

[hawkbow]

Heavy arrows penetrate better usually,  However I have had great success with lighter arrows.. I like the new carbon arrows for large game.. (Not primitive I can hear the slack already)... but they are slick, better consistent,and smaller diameter.I tried a penetration test in sheets of sheetrock. my 500 grain wood arrows penetrated seven inches through two... half inch sheets with two blade zwickeys 125gr from a 60 pound bow, the carbons weighing far less penetrated a full eighteen inches. still not sure why, I figure it is the slick surface and the smaller diameter... I have shot lots of deer with primitive shafting and several elk,bear, antelope etc... penetration is a factor to consider for big game like elk, bears . So I would suggest heavy arrows for your bow or lighter modern shafting, razor sharp heads are a must (always) I have heard that cane arrows are great but didn't have much luck with penetration with them.. they would be OK for deer but not consistent enough for ME for elk.. Heavy arrows tend to drop alot so close shots are a must and they are slow from lighter bows, whitetails can and will turn a good shot into a bad hit if the arrow is slower than their reaction time. I am no expert but had to chime in on this one, I would suggest you try several different arrow types until you find the setup that works for you, we are all different hunters, and our approach to a harvest is not the same. We do owe it to our prey to do everything in our power to make clean humane kills no matter what arrows or bow you choose, remember we are all brothers of the bow and our shots will not be heard, but if we lose, wound or maim our prey everyone will say" those damned bowhunters".. hope you can make an honorable harvest..  aim small miss small.. Hawk  a/ho

[Kegan]

Diameter is such an evil little thing. You wouldn't suspect it, but it's true. My brother's 11/32" 500 gr cedars from a crummy 65# short bow I made (that stacked by the way) penetrated farther than my 800+ gr birch arrows (slightly over 3/8") from an 80# bow.

But heavy arrows are less frisky, and are more forgiving- especially at close range hunting situations.

[JW_Halverson]

Sounds like you already have the shafts in hand.  If you are lucky, your draw length will be shorter than 28 inches.  The reason I say this is that your shafts usually are spined for a 28 inch length and if you take another inch off below 28 you "add" about 5 lbs of spine weight.  With the "added" spine weight, you can go to a higher weight broadhead. 

One thing you can do is order some field points that match the grain weight of the broadheads and see how the arrows fly.  Try trimming half an inch of shaft off at a time, shooting the arrow, and watching the flight.  When the arrow comes straight off the string, then you have your combination of spine, shaft length, and arrowhead weight dialed in.  I do this with all my arrows before fletching them.  When they fly straight with bare shaft, just a little bit of fletch is all you need to make 'em spin. 

[Hillbilly]

I have shot 600 grain arrows from a 45# bow when hunting with it. Heavy=good to me when it comes to hunting. For target shooting, lighter arrows will shoot flatter, but I like as much weight as I can get (within reason) for my hunting arrows.

[zeNBowyer]

It  saves  a  lot  of hassle if  you  rig  up  a  test  arrow(s)  with  a threaded tip with  an  assorted  set  of field  points ranging  from 100-250 grs, allowing you  to  experiment to  find that peak  performance  weight  for your  tip:)

[mullet]

 Tonkin Boo arrows are heavy and very narrow. I would say the closest comparison to carbon for natural material. They are also naturally tapered which helps penetration tremendously. You can also sand down the nodes till they are so smooth that there is no hump at the nodes.

[PeteC]

Tommy,If you want the heavier point  ,go with it.That will be a very good hunting weight arrow for the bow you described,if the arrow spine is sufficient.The 10 grain/# rule is a minimum for me.I commonly hunt with outfits with a 12gr./# arrow.JMO  God Bless

[zeNBowyer]

Actually a tapered arrow may fly better but penetrate less efficiently (though neglibly), otherwise needles would have a larger point

[NTD]

Zen,  I thought the tapered penetrate better because of FOC weight?  I  get your needle ref though and it makes sense but I thought the heavier FOC mitigated the lack of needle shape penetration wise. 

[NOMADIC PIRATE]

Get the TBM's from the past 2 years and do some reading on Ashby penetration extensive studys and reserch.

I think your arrow weight is gonna be good, I like to go up 12-14 gr per #


...as for tapered arrows penetrate better,...they do because once the broadhead cut an opening the following shaft being smaller creates less drag.

[zeNBowyer]

FOC stabilizes the flight of the arrow, but the larger diameter produces more friction going into the target, whereas a small diameter going in passes through more easily although the diff is prob miniscule if you have a broadhead attached

[woodsman1031]

Thanks for all of the input guys. The field points that were on these arrows are 115 grain. The length was already cut on them when I got them. They are just right except for me needing to add the broadheads. Should I try to stay with a 115grain broadhead (if I can find the glue on's), or do yall the think heavier ones will throw off my point of impact? Right now with the 115 grain field points these arrows shoot right where I am looking. 

Tommy

[Kegan]

There are alot of good hunting points that weigh 125 gr. You won't notice a 10 gr jump, and you'll have a nice big selection.

[Stoker]

I shoot cedars out of 50# longbow and they way out at 535grains 125 zwickey
They work for me I don't like to go under ten grains per pound I feel your asking for trouble
Thanks Leroy