Who has snorted the Fairy Dust?

[Horn]

Looks like i forgot to mention the new arrows are 300 spine, others are 340. I know I skipped some steps, and I'll likey regret that one day sooner or later. I'm happy to be making the progress I am. I'm worried ( warranted or not) that the summer is going to zip by and I won't be prepared come Oct!

 

[slonstdy]

Hey worst case scenario, you run out of time just slap a mechanical on the front and call it good...

 

[Horn]

I can't believe how many people shoot/recommend mechs! On the other hand it's y'all here at SH that sold me on fixed heads!

Speaking of fixed heads anyone shooting helix broadheads?

 

[michigandrake]

I can't believe how many people shoot/recommend mechs! On the other hand it's y'all here at SH that sold me on fixed heads!

Speaking of fixed heads anyone shooting helix broadheads?

I have shot 3 deer and a yote with the 100 grain Helix. They fly great but are a pain to resharpen. All the deer were clean pass through shots but I pinned the yote to a log. He spun around the arrow a couple of times and broke the ferrule where the threads started. Tracked him down and finished him off but hit a rock on exit and bent the ferrule. Two Helix's down in 15 minutes. Still have one left but it sits in my retired collection now.

 

[Iron_llama]

Do you have a stockpile of Bone broadheads?
I thought Bone stopped making boadheads due to someone in the company getting very sick and unable to continue working?
I was very impressed with their Massai 200gr that I was able to try out when @Red Beard compilied a bunch of heads and passed them around for anyone wanting to test.

No, i saw on their website that they're in stock. Their FB page a year or two back had an announcement that they were suspending production until they had a more sophisticated and efficient industrial-capacity sharpening solution, better than hand-sharpening with a jig on a paper wheel. I like the shape, and the monolithic design, I'm wondering about the steel - 'high carbon' covers a lot of ground and I'd expect them to announce the formulation. The price is pretty decent though for what it is.

 

[Iron_llama]

I got a reply from Cutthroat and they are 11/32". The issue I have is if the broadhead is larger then the shaft they are hard to remove from a foam target. I have had inserts come loose in foam targets.
Any other solutions?

If your foam target is sized to let the BH pass through, while trapping the shaft, you can just unscrew it and pull the bare shaft out without issues. Once everything is how you like it you can sharpen them up, loctite them on the 3 best shafts, and set them aside for hunting.

 

[VaBruiser]

I'm going to try cutting them down some, see if that'll get me where I need to be

I just finished reading through this thread and decided to comment to this point. @woodsdog2 knows his stuff and has absolutely pointed you in the right direction. I also shoot a 27" DL at 60 pounds, so I can relate. As he said, that 30" arrow is almost certainly what's making your life more difficult. Cut that bad boy down on a 340 and paper tune. I'm willing to bet you'll also see an increase in speed that will warm your heart. Now for my subjective two cents... and I will preface this by saying I don't shoot $120 broadheads, and I'm sure they are great, BUT run a few Magnus Black Hornets instead of those G5's and see whatcha think.

 

[Hank175]

If your foam target is sized to let the BH pass through, while trapping the shaft, you can just unscrew it and pull the bare shaft out without issues. Once everything is how you like it you can sharpen them up, loctite them on the 3 best shafts, and set them aside for hunting.

BLOCK Classic 18 Target

• Featuring the original, high-contrast design, made of unglued, open layers of Compressed Friction Foam™ for arrow-stopping performance • Easy arrow removal • Practice with field points, expandables and fixed-blade broadheads • Lightweight and weatherproof • 18"x18"x14"

lancasterarchery.com

This guy right here seems to be perfect. My little group of saddle swinging single bevel slingers seem to all have one of these. And in all honesty I don't throw many broadheads through it, usually just fletched and unfletched arrows at a bag target.
Also want to note I've been shooting deer with the same cutthroat for three years now. Last year I had to bend it back and tune it, but I've already saved money by going with cutthroats. Just my $.02

 

[GeoFish]

If your foam target is sized to let the BH pass through, while trapping the shaft, you can just unscrew it and pull the bare shaft out without issues. Once everything is how you like it you can sharpen them up, loctite them on the 3 best shafts, and set them aside for hunting.

No, I have a Hickory Creek. The broadheads are Woodsman's glued on a adaptor, 167gr. The target is below. Going to get some hay bails and give it a try.

 

[Jimdude]

What does poor arrow flight look like? The arrow flexing in flight? Flying in a spiral path? I've made some headway but I'm not dialed in yet

When you shoot a bare shaft and a fletched arrow into a foam target and they both are impacting at the same angle. The bare shaft should be parallel to the fletched.

 

[Horn]

Well. Found out how ignorant I am today and there'll be no cutting my arrows down( much anyway) I had said 27 DL because that's what the sticker on the limb says.... Turns out the cam is 30 DL. So bonus for me not having T-Rex arms lol.

I'm checking on the at brace height cam orientation but let's not hold our breath, I don't think he knew what I was asking about and I'm not able to explain it yet myself. ( Asked Mathews directly and they sent me a link to thier dealer locator... It is at a mathews dealer now)

Also I'm going to try a little lighter arrow to get my speed bumped up and a flatter trajectory. The 550s do penetration great though! Pic is 60# 30dl @ 20 yards into a crossbow target. 125gr helix. Other 2 arrows are 125 field points in the same arrows

 

[Iron_llama]

Any tips for spin-tuning HIT inserts to eliminate runout? I'd rather not just assume that they're square. The halfouts and outserts seem to be less durable than a HIT insert with a footer or impact collar so I'm leaning that direction.

Shafts are 5mm Axis, 250 and 300 spine. Waiting on my RF test kit from Ethics.

 

[Lowg08]

Any tips for spin-tuning HIT inserts to eliminate runout? I'd rather not just assume that they're square. The halfouts and outserts seem to be less durable than a HIT insert with a footer or impact collar so I'm leaning that direction.

Shafts are 5mm Axis, 250 and 300 spine. Waiting on my RF test kit from Ethics.

We are just starting with the boys arrows. We put the HIT in them. So far he is sitting at 444gr at 40# draw 24” DL so we will see. The arrows are spined and all so let see how it starts. I’ll report on the inserts

 

[WV Mountaineer]

I don’t know how many deer I’ve killed with a trad and compound bow. It’s been a bunch. I shoot trad bows from 55-62 pounds. And a 70 pound compound. 27 inches on the traditional bows. A 26.5” draw on the compound. I’ve shot pigs, elk, bears and deer. And, I’ve never had a problem with complete pass through on anything. And with sone of my setups, I’ll take a shot at any angle on any animal from the ground. And kill it every single time. With Total arrow weights in the 450-550 range.


I know what a heavier arrow will do. I know what a heavy duty broadhead does for penetration. But, to dismiss speed altogether for the sake of unneeded arrow weight and/or excessive foc, is as detrimental as shooting way to light of a setup.

Draw length is so Important in these discussions. Yet rarely gets mentioned. A guy drawing short, is already shot in the foot when it comes to producing energy. If you add to much weight to his setup, it will not penetrate like a more moderate, faster moving arrow. Period. There are diminishing returns. In everything. Arrow performance isn’t immune from that. Albeit you wouldn’t know it when you read these threads.

That’s been my experience. Not the gospel or meant to change anyones mind on the setup they want. Just a reminder that shooting animals proficiently requires more thought then building as heavy an arrow as possible.

 

[CooterBrown]

I haven't seen anyone recommend the heaviest arrow possible. because the heaviest arrow possible is almost limitless. Most people i have read on here recommend 550 to 650 TAW with as high a FOC as you can get.

 

[Allegheny Tom]

The term "possible" really needs to be put into context.
The heavy, high FOC concept revolves around building the heaviest arrow possible in which you can accept the trajectory of that arrow.
When you've reached the threshold of the trajectory that you can live with, then you have built the heaviest arrow possible...for your tolerance of trajectory limitations.

Is there really anything substantial to be gained by reducing weight by ~100 grains when we limit ourselves to 25-30 yard shots?
Speed doesn't kill, momentum does.

 

[Plebe]

The term "possible" really needs to be put into context.
The heavy, high FOC concept revolves around building the heaviest arrow possible in which you can accept the trajectory of that arrow.
When you've reached the threshold of the trajectory that you can live with, then you have built the heaviest arrow possible...for your tolerance of trajectory limitations.

Is there really anything substantial to be gained by reducing weight by ~100 grains when we limit ourselves to 25-30 yard shots?
Speed doesn't kill, momentum does.

Speed (velocity) is required for momentum (=mass x velocity). Without speed there would be no momentum.

Projectile momentum is just one part of what it takes to kill with archery gear, hence debate about all sorts of equipment choices.

As for speed, I'm looking at the problem of Time to Target and deer reaction. Depending on the bow, what I'm reading is 25-40fps lost per 100g change. Based on some of the deer reaction models (gravity drop, auditory response) for a deer responding to shot noise, not arrow noise, 25-40fps could be impactful to that.

It's theoretically substantial enough that I find it worth considering.

 

[Lowg08]

The term "possible" really needs to be put into context.
The heavy, high FOC concept revolves around building the heaviest arrow possible in which you can accept the trajectory of that arrow.
When you've reached the threshold of the trajectory that you can live with, then you have built the heaviest arrow possible...for your tolerance of trajectory limitations.

Is there really anything substantial to be gained by reducing weight by ~100 grains when we limit ourselves to 25-30 yard shots?
Speed doesn't kill, momentum does.

Has anyone ever determined how many slugs is needed for game types, elk, deer, bear and etc. I’m at .489 slugs with my set up and 69.48 on KE.

 

[Horn]

Has anyone ever determined how many slugs is needed for game types, elk, deer, bear and etc. I’m at .489 slugs with my set up and 69.48 on KE.

I'm very curious myself. Very! Seems like an arbitrary way to measure something if we don't have anyway to know what x amount of slugs gets us. Especially since I'm trying to decide is I should scrub a little weight to get to kylers 250 fps or stay put at 511gr and 230 fps

 

[kyler1945]

Has anyone ever determined how many slugs is needed for game types, elk, deer, bear and etc. I’m at .489 slugs with my set up and 69.48 on KE.

I'm very curious myself. Very! Seems like an arbitrary way to measure something if we don't have anyway to know what x amount of slugs gets us. Especially since I'm trying to decide is I should scrub a little weight to get to kylers 250 fps or stay put at 511gr and 230 fps

Speed doesn't kill, momentum does.

Hunting Arrows - A Boring In Depth Conversation (Hopefully) | saddlehunter.com