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16.5% FOC Arrow build

N

Newhunter1

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2018
Messages
1,791
I think I got bit by the heavy arrow tick. So I drank the koolaid...and got the Day Six 300 spine arrows. 100 grain outserts, cut to 27.5" and 4 fletch. After building it, the arrows come out to 530 grains and 16.5% FOC...wanted to get to 19% FOC, but this is better than what I had. Speed for the arrow is 218 fps. Comparing it to my old arrows...GT Kinetic platinum 400. 415grains and 254 fps. What's funny is that the new arrows hit with a resounding THUD.

This will be my arrow for the new year.
 
I bet you’d be at 18% foc or more with a 3 fletch or lighter fletchings in general depending on what your running. It only takes a few grains to bump foc up a percent or so.
 
I think I'll keep it there for a few weeks and shoot it. Make sure my iron wills are good with the setup.
 
Newhunter1 said:
I think I got bit by the heavy arrow tick. So I drank the koolaid...and got the Day Six 300 spine arrows. 100 grain outserts, cut to 27.5" and 4 fletch. After building it, the arrows come out to 530 grains and 16.5% FOC...wanted to get to 19% FOC, but this is better than what I had. Speed for the arrow is 218 fps. Comparing it to my old arrows...GT Kinetic platinum 400. 415grains and 254 fps. What's funny is that the new arrows hit with a resounding THUD.

This will be my arrow for the new year.
Click to expand...
They definitely will hit with a THUD! Mine rock the target back or move it with each shot. I have to weigh it down.
 
I texted Ranch Fairy and he stated that in order to get to 19% my tip weight needs to be 150-200 grains. I mean I'm already shooting 218fps...cannot imagine shooting 198 to 208 fps...but the victory website says my spine arrows for 150-200 grain tips are my 300 spine. Same website shows for 350 spine for 100 grain outserts and 100 grain broadheads. I'm thinking I'm going to stay with the 524-530 grain arrows that I have. I mean my heaviest arrows I've ever shot was 445 grains something like 18 years ago...now my arrows have always been 5 gpi for every bow I've shot. I love the way these things hit, the quietness of my bow and the way I can literally keep my hand open on the shot and the bow is almost still in my hand. I think that if I did go to a 150-200 grain head that would probably work...just got to wrap my mind around it.

Anyone got any 150-200 grain tips I can grab and see what works best? I'll send them back...
 
Do you have a chronograph?

The reason I ask is out of curiosity. I have tried to measure speed (by recording sound and calculating time in between shot and thud).

My napkin math says in shooting my 612 grain arrows about 230ish fps. I have a 60#/27" bow and have not been successful in stretching my arms yet.

For the record I'm not chasing speed. I am very happy with how quiet my bow is, how it feels in my hand, and the awesome thud sound downrange.

Overall I'm curious about how you are calculating your speed.
 
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Range chronograph at the archery shop.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Also mentally calculating by every 5 gpi you lose or gain about 1-2 FPS. Not necessarily chasing speed either...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Newhunter1 said:
Range chronograph at the archery shop.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Don't shoot it through the chronograph unless you want to figure out your momentum value. Too many guys get hung up on speed and how fast their arrow is. Just shoot it and enjoy the benifits. Quiet bow, less ducking the arrow,more efficiency, more penetration. 200 fps was a pipe dream when I started. We were killing them then, you will kill them now. We didn't even have range finders!
 
1simplemann said:
Don't shoot it through the chronograph unless you want to figure out your momentum value. Too many guys get hung up on speed and how fast their arrow is. Just shoot it and enjoy the benifits. Quiet bow, less ducking the arrow,more efficiency, more penetration. 200 fps was a pipe dream when I started. We were killing them then, you will kill them now. We didn't even have range finders!
Click to expand...

Truth...when i started 18 years ago (I think I was 33), I didn't have a range finder, my bow was the Parker Hunter Mag, I was shooting logs that at the time was 485 grains and something like 225 fps. Having a short draw length everyone was like you can lighten your arrows to 5 grains per pound. I got caught up in the silliness and am coming to full circle. I started playing with a 150 grain tip last night...I'll see how the arrows are shooting as soon as we get some dry weather.
 
Newhunter1 said:
Truth...when i started 18 years ago (I think I was 33), I didn't have a range finder, my bow was the Parker Hunter Mag, I was shooting logs that at the time was 485 grains and something like 225 fps. Having a short draw length everyone was like you can lighten your arrows to 5 grains per pound. I got caught up in the silliness and am coming to full circle. I started playing with a 150 grain tip last night...I'll see how the arrows are shooting as soon as we get some dry weather.
Click to expand...
We're the same age but I started 41 years ago. Back then, They handed you 2117's 2216's or 2219's and some Bear Razorheads or Zwickie's. Guess what? We zipped right thru em' If we missed, it was because we got the yardage wrong plus we were shooting fingers. Then I got caught up in the 5 gr per lb craze and flappers. I lost more deer in 3 to 5 yrs than the rest of my entire bowhunting career. I took a HARD look at what had changed and what I THOUGHT I knew about bowhunting. I did my research. Found the Ashby studies and followed the steps. Guess what? I started killing critters again but only more efficiantly AND bone is no longer a problem. I totally drank the Koolaid and my arrows are close to 675 gr. Turns out the old timers knew what worked!
 
1simplemann said:
We're the same age but I started 41 years ago. Back then, They handed you 2117's 2216's or 2219's and some Bear Razorheads or Zwickie's. Guess what? We zipped right thru em' If we missed, it was because we got the yardage wrong plus we were shooting fingers. Then I got caught up in the 5 gr per lb craze and flappers. I lost more deer in 3 to 5 yrs than the rest of my entire bowhunting career. I took a HARD look at what had changed and what I THOUGHT I knew about bowhunting. I did my research. Found the Ashby studies and followed the steps. Guess what? I started killing critters again but only more efficiantly AND bone is no longer a problem. I totally drank the Koolaid and my arrows are close to 675 gr. Turns out the old timers knew what worked!
Click to expand...

Ok...here my quandry. I am getting great flight out of my arrows now. They are 525-530 grains including a 100 grain outsert and 100 grain tip. My sights are set for the arrow and my FOC is 16.5%. However in order to get 19% FOC I need a 150-200 grain tip. My question is that a 530 grain arrow will really put a hurting on any deer I shoot. I do have one arrow that has a 150 grain tip and weighs in at 579 grains. I did put a lumenock on all the arrows in order to get them to those weight. I don't think a 14 grain nock will drop my FOC from 16.5% or at least I hope not. I am thinking about removing the luminocks until I get the weight and FOC where I want...

Sometimes I overthink everything.
 
You can use the gold tip foc calculator and figure out what you need to do. Play with fletching, tip weight, inserts, wrap length, all of it. You’ll find the formula.
Oh, if using an outsert, add the weight to the tip in the formula. Then check with real measurements. Since it is away from the arrow shaft there is a greater effect on foc. Starting with such a heavy shaft takes a little work.
 
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Newhunter1 said:
Ok...here my quandry. I am getting great flight out of my arrows now. They are 525-530 grains including a 100 grain outsert and 100 grain tip. My sights are set for the arrow and my FOC is 16.5%. However in order to get 19% FOC I need a 150-200 grain tip. My question is that a 530 grain arrow will really put a hurting on any deer I shoot. I do have one arrow that has a 150 grain tip and weighs in at 579 grains. I did put a lumenock on all the arrows in order to get them to those weight. I don't think a 14 grain nock will drop my FOC from 16.5% or at least I hope not. I am thinking about removing the luminocks until I get the weight and FOC where I want...

Sometimes I overthink everything.
Click to expand...
Your over thinking it. One of the steps to great penetration is great flight. Don't give that up. Bad flight kills penetration. My old timer mentor called it slapping the deer. At the time, I thought it didn't matter how well the arrow was flying as long as it hit where I was aiming. I now know that good arrow flight is essential. If you insist on going down the FOC rabbit hole then try this. You don't have to add weight up front to increase FOC. You can have a bigger effect by taking weight off the back. You didn't say what fletch you have or how long. You can reduce the length, shoot 3 fletch, or even switch to feathers. Obviously you can also get rid of the luminok. All 4 will reduce the weight in the back of the arrow an improve FOC more than adding weight up front. I personally shoot 3" 4 fletch feathers w/ a helical. I get great flight.
 
Newhunter1 said:
Ok...here my quandry. I am getting great flight out of my arrows now. They are 525-530 grains including a 100 grain outsert and 100 grain tip. My sights are set for the arrow and my FOC is 16.5%. However in order to get 19% FOC I need a 150-200 grain tip. My question is that a 530 grain arrow will really put a hurting on any deer I shoot. I do have one arrow that has a 150 grain tip and weighs in at 579 grains. I did put a lumenock on all the arrows in order to get them to those weight. I don't think a 14 grain nock will drop my FOC from 16.5% or at least I hope not. I am thinking about removing the luminocks until I get the weight and FOC where I want...

Sometimes I overthink everything.
Click to expand...
That 14 grains will drop FOC substantially. Ashby does a demonstration with paperclips where he hangs them off each end of the shaft. It shows how even a little weight on the nock end effects FOC. The video of that can be found on the Ashby bowhunting foundation.org site
Also, adding weight to the nock end will make the dynamic spine more stiff so you may have to tune accordingly.
It's less of an issue with compounds because you can move the rest in to make the spine less stiff.
 
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Allegheny Tom said:
That 14 grains will drop FOC substantially. Ashby does a demonstration with paperclips where he hangs them off each end of the shaft. It shows how even a little weight on the nock end effects FOC. The video of that can be found on the Ashby bowhunting foundation.org site
Also, adding weight to the nock end will make the dynamic spine more stiff so you may have to tune accordingly.
It's less of an issue with compounds because you can move the rest in to make the spine less stiff.
Click to expand...
 
Newhunter1 said:
Ok...here my quandry. I am getting great flight out of my arrows now. They are 525-530 grains including a 100 grain outsert and 100 grain tip. My sights are set for the arrow and my FOC is 16.5%. However in order to get 19% FOC I need a 150-200 grain tip. My question is that a 530 grain arrow will really put a hurting on any deer I shoot. I do have one arrow that has a 150 grain tip and weighs in at 579 grains. I did put a lumenock on all the arrows in order to get them to those weight. I don't think a 14 grain nock will drop my FOC from 16.5% or at least I hope not. I am thinking about removing the luminocks until I get the weight and FOC where I want...

Sometimes I overthink everything.
Click to expand...
16.5% is not bad at all as far as foc goes but if you just go up to a 125 gr. bh and dump the lighted nock for a stock one you will see a higher foc. Just be sure your still getting the best arrow flight you can as that is #2 in importance behind arrow integrity.
 
All good info, i'll throw a bit of different wisdom in there. Be careful where you shoot, with the extra momentum you'll be zipping right through your targets now. First arrow I shot thought I was prepared, I blew right through my bulldog, two sheets of plywood and buried a half inch in the pallet behind. Oops. Good thing I wasn't shooting in the basement like I usually do. That surely woulda impressed the spousal unit.
 
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