how light is too light?

[stuckinthemud]

My cane arrows have come out very light in weight, so, how light is too light before I risk damage to the bow?

[Pat B]

What kind of cane? Was it mature when harvested? I ask because every cane arrow I've made have been no less that 450gr and generally between 500 and 600grs.

[stuckinthemud]

Not very mature, I think 3 years old.  It comes in at about 400 grains but my kitchen scales are not accurate enough to give you a proper figure.  Anyway, it did trigger the thought when is an arrow too light?

[Pat B]

The native canes like hill cane, switch cane and river cane all have a 3 year life cycle. The first year the shoot grows to it's ultimate height and has a papery wrap at each node for protection. The second year it matures and the paper sheath begins to deteriorate. The third year the paper sheath is almost gone and after that growing season that cane(culm) dies. The best time to harvest these is after the second growing season but early in the 3rd season before it dies is OK too.Once dead(tan standing) it's too late. I think Tonkin cane is the same.
Is the 400gr for the bare cane or finished arrow?

[stuckinthemud]

I think this is 2nd year then, the paper sheath was present but deteriorating, late Summer harvest.  The weight is for the finished arrow but I am using a horn washer with a small screw as a tip, which allows me to use very small feathers  - 2.5" goose flights.  Take the weight with a pinch of salt, the only way I will get an accurate weight is to make a few, weigh them together and find an average.

Just re-weighed it, it comes in at 440 grain, but remember I draw 24", so the arrow is only 25" long

[DC]

My Bamboo arrows are all in the 400-450 range and they haven't bothered my bows that I've noticed. I guess it's a progressive thing. The lighter the arrow, the harder it is on the bow but to stick a number on it would be tough. Depend on the bow I would think. Flight guys might have a better feel for this.

[bownarra]

You won't damage your bow before you start feeling handshock to warn you. 7 gpp is a s low as I'd go as a rule of thumb. 400grain finished arrows are normal.

[BowEd]

Over time shooting 5 gpp arrows will do damage.As Mike said hand shock is a good indicator.I've seen it happen on FG bows.May take all summer shooting a 1000 arrows per week but it'll show itself.Too close to dry fire.Since I like to hunt I shoot 12 gpp arrows most all of the time.I like watching the target wobble on impact and the penetration it gives me on game.

[Pat B]

If you are a hunting archer then 10gpp or more is an acceptable standard. This isn't to say that an 8gpp or 9gpp arrow shouldn't be hunted with. For target shooting 10ppg isn't necessary. Seven ppg or 8 ppg is probably OK as far as the safety of your bow goes.. I think most folks are thinking more about speed as the only way to get "good" trajectory where in fact if you are familiar with the trajectory of your set up you can hit your target , whether it's a hay bale or a 10 point buck. 
 Seems to me watching your arrow in flight and knowing where it will end up was the goal of most archers. Now it seems to be by many folks how fast it will get there. I got away from compounds and glass bows because I like to watch my arrow in flight, knowing the trajectory of my arrow and seeing it hit it's intended target.

[Del the cat]

I think it's almost impossible to make an arrow too light, as most of the weight is in the shaft, so even a shaft with fletchings and no point will be ok.
The reason is the huge acceleration. I did a back of the envelope calculation and the acceleration is about 300 times the acceleration due to gravity 
So that means the arrow that only weighs 1/2 and ounce (about 220grain) effectively has 300 times that as inertia e.g 150 ounces, that's about 9 pounds! So it's a long way short of being a dry loose!

I think the bigger risk to bows is broken strings or arrow nocks shearing off.
Del

[aznboi3644]

Speaking of shearing nocks and dry firing I had a nick blow on my 70lb crepe Myrtle bow and it immediately became a limp rubbery noodle.  Still drew 70lbs for some reason but lost all its spring.