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Arrow Spine Question

JakeFromVirginia

Active Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2020
Messages
116
So I’m still learning all the different ways to build an arrow and have tried a number of combos.

I finally got my poundage to the max at 60# on my bowtech revolt x. I’m a 29.5” draw and shooting 29” arrows with 125 gr heads. Shoots under 300fps

When I went to the shop to get new 340 spine arrow the guy who built my bow told me to stick to 400 spines. The arrow manufacturing sites all say 340 for my setup but I notice if I had 28” arrows or was about a pound lighter in draw weight I’d need 400 spines. So I’m thinking I’m just barely at the 340 threshold. Any ideas if that makes sense to stay with 400?

and wondering if a bows 60lb rating isn’t alway exactly 60lbs (is it off by a pound or two)? I’ve tried a bow scale but it said I was pulling 56 pounds before and after I increased the poundage so thinking it was a bad scale.

the guy who built my bow seems to know his stuff and can bullet tune my bow easy. I just found it odd he said stay with 400 at 60 lbs.
 
If you are on the fence regarding spine, almost everyone will tell you to go to the next stiffer spine if shooting a compound with a release. You aren't worrying about bending around a rest or bow shelf here.

I shoot 60 pounds at 30 inch draw length with 100 grain points and shoot 340 spine gold tips and they are the bomb.

You can test it out by ordering 1 or 2 340s from Lancaster Archery and seeing how you like them.
 
If you are on the fence regarding spine, almost everyone will tell you to go to the next stiffer spine if shooting a compound with a release. You aren't worrying about bending around a rest or bow shelf here.

I shoot 60 pounds at 30 inch draw length with 100 grain points and shoot 340 spine gold tips and they are the bomb.

You can test it out by ordering 1 or 2 340s from Lancaster Archery and seeing how you like them.


I agree, when on the fence the majority of people will suggest a heavier spine. You can always decrease the bow weight or change out to 100 grain heads, but if you want to stick with how you dialed everything in, it might be good to purchase a couple heavier arrows, just to compare how they fly.
 
I'd go with the 340's. IMO on a compound, you want the stiffest spine you can get. That also allows you to play with the weight up front should you decide to in the future.
 
Thanks all! I did the EFOC stuff and hated it. I do like the 125 head as I use lighted nocks and the extra 25 grs gets me to 11% foc - at least on my current arrows. I’ll try to 340s. Lancaster is out of stock but black ovis has them, may have to commit to 12.
 
Thanks all! I did the EFOC stuff and hated it. I do like the 125 head as I use lighted nocks and the extra 25 grs gets me to 11% foc - at least on my current arrows. I’ll try to 340s. Lancaster is out of stock but black ovis has them, may have to commit to 12.

There's other places where you can get singles than just LAS. Might wanna look around a bit more.
 
Thanks all! I did the EFOC stuff and hated it. I do like the 125 head as I use lighted nocks and the extra 25 grs gets me to 11% foc - at least on my current arrows. I’ll try to 340s. Lancaster is out of stock but black ovis has them, may have to commit to 12.
Why did you hate it? Did it require a little more effort to achieve the goal? I struggled with it for a while but eventually everything came together.
Keep your eye on the prize...
Total penetration of a strong, sharp head kills game.
 
Why did you hate it? Did it require a little more effort to achieve the goal? I struggled with it for a while but eventually everything came together.
Keep your eye on the prize...
Total penetration of a strong, sharp head kills game.

I like to shoot long distance, hated the poor trajectory. Understand it’s a trade off but I’m confident with my shots since I practice regularly and I aim low on deer as I know they’ll drop. Not saying EFOC is bad or not correct, it’s clear how well it helps, but wasn’t for me and what I need.

thank
 
I like to shoot long distance, hated the poor trajectory. Understand it’s a trade off but I’m confident with my shots since I practice regularly and I aim low on deer as I know they’ll drop. Not saying EFOC is bad or not correct, it’s clear how well it helps, but wasn’t for me and what I need.

thank
You LIKE to shoot at long distances but do you shoot at game at long distances?
 
Im at 60lbs with 28" draw and am switching to 300 spine with 200gr up front. Around 17% foc and it is such an amazing difference from my 350 spine.
 
I like to shoot long distance, hated the poor trajectory. Understand it’s a trade off but I’m confident with my shots since I practice regularly and I aim low on deer as I know they’ll drop. Not saying EFOC is bad or not correct, it’s clear how well it helps, but wasn’t for me and what I need.

thank
Then you better prepare yourself to deal with stuff going wrong in the future.
Bowhunting is a close range pursuit. Shooting long range on critters that move is inviting problems.
You can practice and plan for trajectory, but you can't practice for an animal that moves while your arrow is in flight during a long range shot.
Get closer or don't hunt with a bow.
 
Then you better prepare yourself to deal with stuff going wrong in the future.
Bowhunting is a close range pursuit. Shooting long range on critters that move is inviting problems.
You can practice and plan for trajectory, but you can't practice for an animal that moves while your arrow is in flight during a long range shot.
Get closer or don't hunt with a bow.

concur it’s a close range pursuit, but our definition of close range can differ. I’ve taken deer at 40 yards Clean kills. So I’m a 40 yards is close range. 20 yards is a breeze.

I don’t have a lot of <20 yard situations. I hunt big mountain national forest. Speed helps makes up for the deer movement. I disagree with you on the practice part; you can practice aiming low, there are plenty of videos that help understand the deers drop reaction so you can anticipate and aim accordingly.

Again not saying EFOC ain’t right it’s clear it works but just not for me as I shoot farther than most. I practice year round and know when to not take a shot. I’ve shot three deer and only one was a bad shot but still a kill. The one that was a bad shot was right under my stand and I couldn’t get the right angle shooting down. I learned from then I needed to practice shooting under me after that as I had only practiced for the longer shots.

I’ve personally have hunted with someone who dropped a deer at 60 yards (No wind perfect broadside). I don’t think I’ll ever be as good as them as they were shooting for years and I consider them a pro, but proves it can be done if you have the skill set. So far, mine takes me to 40 yards. And again, I know when to let down and not take a shot.

When I did EFOC I shot worse is all I’m saying.
 
......... I disagree with you on the practice part; you can practice aiming low, there are plenty of videos that help understand the deers drop reaction so you can anticipate and aim accordingly......
I don't think you understood my point.
You can't predict what the deer will do when your arrow has left the bow so you can't practice for a deer that may have changed it's location during the flight of the arrow. The longer the arrow is in route (the farther away the deer is) then you may experience your target not being in the same precise location as when you released what may otherwise have been a perfect shot. Your shot selection, your point of aim, your form and follow-through may have all been flawless, but if the deer moves the arrow is not going to hit where you intended. I'm not necessarily talking about the deer moving in reaction to the shot, sometimes it's just a natural turn or even a reaction to the behavior of a nearby deer. And even if movement is a reaction to the shot, they don't always move in a predictable way. It could be a drastic, straight-down drop or it could be a spin with a minimal drop. But once again, I'm more referring to incidental movement more so than evasive movement. It's just a fact that the longer an arrow is in the air (long shots) the more likely eventually your target will have moved, often to the point that you hit heavy bone which is when higher FOC, heavier TAW, strong broadhead, and a quieter shooting bow all come into play.

I'm not criticizing your shooting ability in any way. I have no idea how well you shoot.
There are videos of deer ducking crossbow bolts so a higher arrow speed is not always the cure. For whatever the reason, eventually an arrow will hit where you did not intend. Sometimes stuff happens during the flight of an arrow. The shorter the flight, the better.
 
So youve shot a total of 3 deer w a bow? Thats not very many. Lots to learn. A bit higher FOC(not radical) will hold speed down range alot better & hit w authority. It quiets the bow as well. I have known alot of guys who shot deer at distance w light weight set ups & they all had one thing in common. It catches up to you in the end with a much higher percentage of lost deer. Lots of guys are good shots on the range, hunting is not the same, keep it close & have success more often.
 
With the same specs as you ( draw length, arrow length and bow weight) I can tune my bow to shoot .400 shafts with 100 gr points or .340 shafts with 125 points.

The stiffer spine and heavier points give me a slight edge on accuracy, and I've come to prefer that arrow setup.
 
I'd wager that you can shoot a 300 spine with 350 or so upfront and it would bare shaft. If you have any interest in trying it. I had to learn my own way as well. just giving you a starting point should you decide to make another attempt.
 
Again not saying EFOC ain’t right it’s clear it works but just not for me as I shoot farther than most.
No sh*t. Lol I’m new to bow hunting dude.
If you're new to bowhunting, why are you so set in your ways, and dismissing advice with "ahh, that's not for me, I'm a long range sniper who never loses a deer"?

From what you mention, you've made 2 clean kills. That's just not enough experience to come to any conclusions.
 
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