questions about hunting with me new boy

[15yearold.archer]

hey guys ive decided my new pyramid bow will be the one i am going to hunt deer with this year , i recently was on the 3rivers archery website and ordered my broadheads that will be mounted on the port orford cedar arrows john is sending me, i should have asked you guys first if these broadheads would match my arrows and bow weight but i went ahead and ordered them .. they are the 145 grain stos 2-blade glue on broadhead .. the reviews on the product were great and i was told i should be shooting a 145 grain tip out of my 53 pound bow now im just checkin with you guys cause you seem to know alot more than everyone else does but will suit my arrows and bow and are they gunna get the job done on a deer (assuming i get a good placement and am under 25 yards) you think? also 145 g is kinda on the heavy side i find, so should i be shooting a closer range with them?
thanks

[walkabout]

im not sure what everyone else really does, but i use a program to get me a ballpark of the right arrow combos and then go from there. you put in the bow's specs, then arrow specs and mess with tip weights and shaft lengths until it gets close to matching, then do the fine tuning when you get em together and shoot. i dont however, use this program for self arrows that i build from wild rose or anything like that, because they really dont act much like a normal arrow shaft does, i just shoot em and tune them to whatever bow i use. using the program is the easy way i suppose, and far from primitive so i tend to keep its use only on the shafts i buy.if youre interested in it let me know and ill shoot you a pm with the information.

[4est Trekker]

I've built, hunted, and given away a number of pyramid bows.  I've found you really need to keep the arrow weight at 10-12 gpp (grains per pound) of draw weight to get a smooth, quiet, soft release.  That said, you also want your arrows to have a pretty good foc (front of center) mass to maintain good arrow flight.  Consider it like this:

If you look at a dart, the weight is nearly all up front.  The thing flies like...well, a dart.  The fletching has to do very little work because there's not a lot of weight draggin' along at the butt end of the arrow. Let's assume that dart weighs 500 grains.  Now, take the same size fletching and put it on a 10 penny nail that is the same length and weight as the dart.  Will is throw the same?  NOPE!  The fletching can't hope to stabilize it because there's too much weight on the butt end.  So, you want a good deal of your arrow weight situated up front.

Next, a heavy arrow may fly slower, but it will pack more punch out of the same bow than a lighter weight arrow.  It's the difference between hitting a car hood with a ball peen hammer and a 4 pound sledge hammer.  You're still swinging with the same arm...the sledge will travel slower...but the sledge will leave a bigger dent.  Keep your shots to 20 yards or under, release quiet and smooth, and you'll be fine. 

If you're bow is pulling 53# @28" and your points are 145 grains, that means you need an arrow shaft that weighs around 385-400 grains to be in the 10 gpp ballpark.  If you find that they're not penetrating enough, or that perhaps the shafts are spined a bit too heavy (i.e. they're too stiff), consider adding a small brass footing as such:



You can get this brass tubing at most hardware stores.  Add about 1" of 5/16 tubing will add about 80 grains to the arrow.  Plus, the more weight you have up front, the less the effective spine of the arrow is.  That is, it will come of the bow like a shaft with a lower spine weight.

It really all depends on your shafts, a lot of practice and tuning, and some patience.  Hope this helps, guy!

PS  Good choice on the 2-blade broadhead!  You're learning quick, youngin'!

PPS I sent you a PM...could you confirm you got it?  I've having trouble sending PM's for some reason.  Thanks!

[JW_Halverson]

Holy crap!  I knew I was forgetting something today, your arrows.  I'll get them out right away. 

The 145 grainers should be great.  Especially if your bow is pulling 53 lbs.  I have shot those arrows from my sinew backed osage bow (50# at 26') and they are just a hair stiff, so the extra weight should be about right.  I forgot what the grain weight of the arrows are right now, but at this time they have 125 grain field tips on them.  Port Orford Cedar, turkey fletching, blue/grey cap dip, self nocks, blahblahblah.

[15yearold.archer]

Thanks a lot guys and that does make sense.. and 4est trecker I did get your pm thanks a lot relly helps.  And don't worry about it jw lol  they do sound great though just give me a number an I'll send you the cash thanks a lot!

[snag]

http://www.heilakka.com/stumiller/

This calculator works well (if you put in the correct info.=junk in, junk out) as a starting point.