Heavy weight Shafts

[agd68]

I was fooling around this weekend with a couple of garden stakes in my potential shaft bin. They were fairly large diametre bamboo, about 3/8" at the big end. A freind had given me some screw in feild point and adapters so I drilled out the centre and glued in the adapter. The points are 100gr and the adapters are125gr. With 225gr up front it put the FOC at about 60/40 point. I did'nt weigh the shaft or spine it before hand as I was'nt expecting more than a heavy stump arrow.Total arrow weight after assembly averaged 700gr.When I shot them at the club last night I made some suprising discoveries.
 First, my bow a 55# BBI R/D longbow loved them. This bow never was noisy or had a lot of hand shock but these heavy arrows smoothed it out even more.
Secondly, at 25yrds there was no difference in drop between them and my regular arrows, avg 550grn spruce and rivers cane shafts, 125grn points. According to a friend who watched both sets fly repeatedly, said the heavy arrows flew straighter. While the lighter faster shafts flew straight they had a flutter to them as they went down range that the heavy weights did not . The heavy arrows were also silent in flight and penetrated deeper'
I've always used the 8 to 10 grn per pound of draw weight, will the heavy weight be harmful to the bow ? Has anyone else found that heavy arrows work better ?

[aznboi3644]

I generally only make light arrows for lighter weight bows.  My regular arrows for my 45# hickory are 600-900 grain and they make a deadly silent combo. 

[beetlebailey1977]

I can agree that the heavier arrows do fly better and perform better in most bows.  Especially with the heavier weight up front.

[Holten101]

Heavy arrows are way underrated, as is EFOC. I do feel considderable drop in the trajectory at my pratice distance of 27 yds...heavy shafts starts to drop fast between 20-30 yds, but this in no way out weights the advantages of heavy arrows imo:-)

Cheers

[Pappy]

Its a give and take for me ,I like heavy arrows but over 650 or so,I just loose to much
trajectory,I mostly just hunt but do shoot some 3 d and a lot of stump shooting,I try and get mine between 600/650,that seems to hit hard with out excessive drop if I decide for longer shooting. Most of my bows are between 48/53 @26. I have tried some 700/800 Hickory and they shoot great and very quite,just to much drop over 20 yards for me. I try and shoot about the same weight arrows all year long.   With my style of shooting that is very important to me.
    Pappy

[crooketarrow]

   Dead is dead no matter how fast your arrow gets there.

  No it won't hurt your bow. Your bow buts more of it's stored engery into heavy arrows. Making it much more stabale in flight. AT 20 yards and under IT'S MUCH BETTER ARROW.

[PeteC]

agd,this is JMHO,but heavy arrows are all I shoot.I try to keep every arrow at least 12 gr/# ,or more,in my huntin' quiver. In my experience,any thing lighter just does'nt get the penetration I like.I sure don't have to have a pass-through every time,but I do like the point or tip of the point to punch through,just to help with blood trails. God Bless

[Holten101]

I belive, that in a hunting situation penetration is everything, secondary only to precision (this goes for rifles too)...and only heavy, FOC/EFOC arrows with properly selected broadheads will give you that (something compound shooters have a hard time grasping). Sure light arrows can kill, but when shot placement is less than perfect, then penetration, and lots of it, is what you want;-).

Cheers