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Heavy arrow build thread

Good article. That’s more consistent with the average “heavy arrow shooter” before the Ashby resurgence. Extreme FOC aside, heavier arrows are better for penetration.


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ericabbott said:
I don’t have a test case on a live animal (yet) but shot some single bevels (Maasai 200 & Cutthroat 250) through the front elbow joint from a deer leg, the arrow split the bone and still drove almost fully through the block target behind it, with little deflection. And I was using my old setup of a 340 FMJ with the HITT (or SH*TT insert as RF likes to call it). I’m planning a retest with my new setup, a 250 spine arrow with the 180 grain Ethics insert/footer and expect equal or better performance. A block target obviously isn’t tissue, but it does give me confidence that a single bevel will drive through any bone in the front end of a whitetail and still get good penetration afterward.

Edit: I’m shooting 73 lb Hoyt Defiant
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Do you know what your FOC is?
 
My current setup is ~28%, Sirius Apollo 250 cut to 29” with the Ethics insert/footer and either a Cutthroat 250 or a Meathead 265. Don’t remember what the FMJ was that I tested with, probably lower since the FMJ is heavier and the insert was lighter by about 100 grains.
 
ericabbott said:
My current setup is ~28%, Sirius Apollo 250 cut to 29” with the Ethics insert/footer and either a Cutthroat 250 or a Meathead 265. Don’t remember what the FMJ was that I tested with, probably lower since the FMJ is heavier and the insert was lighter by about 100 grains.
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I called Sirius about recommendation with a 28” arrow out of a 70# bow running 300gr total upfront. They said 250 would be to weak and go 200 spine. Just FYI.
 
Squirrels said:
I called Sirius about recommendation with a 28” arrow out of a 70# bow running 300gr total upfront. They said 250 would be to weak and go 200 spine. Just FYI.
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Thanks for the info. I’m shooting bulletholes through paper with 225-275 on that arrow along with the 180 insert/footer. But what the hell I’ll try the 200 also. Have you shot it yet?
 
Jeremy_D said:
Crazy to think about all the science and technology we use yet back in the day they killed them with a branch and a carved rock...carved with a rock
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I mean, they didn’t kill too much. Thats why Buffalo runs and dying at thirty were so prevalent


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ericabbott said:
Thanks for the info. I’m shooting bulletholes through paper with 225-275 on that arrow along with the 180 insert/footer. But what the hell I’ll try the 200 also. Have you shot it yet?
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I’m getting bullet holes with a 250 rampage and 357gr up front. He wasn’t concerned about tuning but blowing up an arrow with that kind of weight up front.
 
Anyone mess around with the various online programs for finding spine and whatnot? During the whole pandemic, I got kinda bored, so I purchased a subscription to Archer's Advantage...

How accurate are these programs supposed to be? So I did the whole "find the ideal point weight for your shaft" exercise, and ended up with the build I mentioned a while back (Easton Hexx 330 27", 75gr insert, 145gr head, 484 gr total). So I put my bow and draw length into the program, along with my chrono results for the that arrow (228 FPS), and it said overspined. No matter how much weight I added up front.

I then retried the exercise, by resetting my bow back to what I had, and instead of putting in my chrono results, I took their stock estimated speed (288FPS) and chopped off 8 FPS from it (to account for the fact that I have my bow in the slower "comfort" configuration). Boom, said optimum spine.
 
TooBigToFit said:
Anyone mess around with the various online programs for finding spine and whatnot? During the whole pandemic, I got kinda bored, so I purchased a subscription to Archer's Advantage...

How accurate are these programs supposed to be? So I did the whole "find the ideal point weight for your shaft" exercise, and ended up with the build I mentioned a while back (Easton Hexx 330 27", 75gr insert, 145gr head, 484 gr total). So I put my bow and draw length into the program, along with my chrono results for the that arrow (228 FPS), and it said overspined. No matter how much weight I added up front.

I then retried the exercise, by resetting my bow back to what I had, and instead of putting in my chrono results, I took their stock estimated speed (288FPS) and chopped off 8 FPS from it (to account for the fact that I have my bow in the slower "comfort" configuration). Boom, said optimum spine.
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I use archers advantage. It can be finicky until you learn how the data needs to be entered. I wouldn’t worry about “too stiff” if you’re shooting a compound. You can tune a stiff arrow easily. “Too weak” is another story. It can be really hard to tune and/or dangerous to shoot.

Edit: also helps if you can enter actual arrow velocity.

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TooBigToFit said:
Anyone mess around with the various online programs for finding spine and whatnot? During the whole pandemic, I got kinda bored, so I purchased a subscription to Archer's Advantage...

How accurate are these programs supposed to be? So I did the whole "find the ideal point weight for your shaft" exercise, and ended up with the build I mentioned a while back (Easton Hexx 330 27", 75gr insert, 145gr head, 484 gr total). So I put my bow and draw length into the program, along with my chrono results for the that arrow (228 FPS), and it said overspined. No matter how much weight I added up front.

I then retried the exercise, by resetting my bow back to what I had, and instead of putting in my chrono results, I took their stock estimated speed (288FPS) and chopped off 8 FPS from it (to account for the fact that I have my bow in the slower "comfort" configuration). Boom, said optimum spine.
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What’s your DW and DL?
 
qSpine app for iPhone is what I use, seems legit.


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I think I am ready to start playing with different fletchings. I ended up with 55# DW and 26.5” DL. Arrows are 28.5” GT Hunter XT 340 spine with 200gn ethics inserts and 125gn field points after handloading through the RF test pack. With nock, wrap and target fletchings I’m coming in right around 608gn total and 22% FOC according to the GT FOC calculator.

Haven’t set on broadheads yet but like the flexibility that using 125gn heads will provide since they are readily available over the counter pretty much anywhere in a pinch.
 
Squirrels said:
I’m getting bullet holes with a 250 rampage and 357gr up front. He wasn’t concerned about tuning but blowing up an arrow with that kind of weight up front.
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Ok that makes sense. Bought a few Apollo 200s to try out. I did test out the 250s on a high fence hog ~200lbs, blew through the shoulder plate on both sides with no damage to the arrow. But assuming the 200s shoot good out of my bow no reason not to go with the stiffer spine. Thanks for the info.
 
ericabbott said:
Ok that makes sense. Bought a few Apollo 200s to try out. I did test out the 250s on a high fence hog ~200lbs, blew through the shoulder plate on both sides with no damage to the arrow. But assuming the 200s shoot good out of my bow no reason not to go with the stiffer spine. Thanks for the info.
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No problem, just passing along info. 200 seems awful stiff, even with 300+ up front but I will get a 3 pack of Apollo 200s and see how they tune. If they do I will be able to take my current broad heads and build 735gr arrow, with 21.2% FOC, that would be maxed out specs if it tunes with the full insert weights from Ethics.

I'm not trying to say you most definitely need a 200 spine, just relaying what I was told. Anyone else care to chime in on the 200 spine thing?
 
Squirrels said:
No problem, just passing along info. 200 seems awful stiff, even with 300+ up front but I will get a 3 pack of Apollo 200s and see how they tune. If they do I will be able to take my current broad heads and build 735gr arrow, with 21.2% FOC, that would be maxed out specs if it tunes with the full insert weights from Ethics.

I'm not trying to say you most definitely need a 200 spine, just relaying what I was told. Anyone else care to chime in on the 200 spine thing?
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Yeah I hear what you’re saying, I think the spine charts are a good guide but the ultimate judge is how they shoot out of your bow. The Apollo 200s are almost 1.5 grains per inch heavier, which will put me over 800 total weight with my current setup. We’ll see how they shoot.
 
ericabbott said:
Yeah I hear what you’re saying, I think the spine charts are a good guide but the ultimate judge is how they shoot out of your bow. The Apollo 200s are almost 1.5 grains per inch heavier, which will put me over 800 total weight with my current setup. We’ll see how they shoot.
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Please let me know what you find out. I was hoping to hit 650+ with a 250 Apollo but according to their spine chart I'd be underspined at 28" arrow and 70#. That's also what he told me when I spoke to him a couple weeks ago. Not saying I don't trust/believe that, I'm just having a hard time wrapping my brain aroud a 250 being to weak on a 28" arrow, even with all that weight up front
 
Squirrels said:
Please let me know what you find out. I was hoping to hit 650+ with a 250 Apollo but according to their spine chart I'd be underspined at 28" arrow and 70#. That's also what he told me when I spoke to him a couple weeks ago. Not saying I don't trust/believe that, I'm just having a hard time wrapping my brain aroud a 250 being to weak on a 28" arrow, even with all that weight up front
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I shoot the cheap sportsman's guide trophy hunter made by victory. They only offer 350 and 400 spine. I'm up to 660gr with the 350. Obviously arrow spine will differ between manufactures. I don't think I could go much heavier with these arrows. I will be ordering the Sirius 200-250 test kit to try. 29inch arrow and 60pd draw.
 
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