Heavy arrow build

[g2outdoors]

Fast Forward 4 months...

I'm really liking my heavy arrow setup. The only change I've made since the OP is I'm using a lighter weight Zinger Fletching.

These heavy arrows are very quiet and shoot extremely well from a tuned bow. Can't wait for september to give it the flesh test.

Actually...I could go out and shoot a pig right now. Hmmmm.

 

[heretic]

Actually...I could go out and shoot a pig right now. Hmmmm.

 

[BackSpasm]

. I wanted a heavier arrow so I could shoot readily available Broadheads. I don't want to be locked into a 150 or 200 grain head that I have to order. What happens on a trip if something goes south? I want to be able to run to walmart in a pinch and buy new heads.


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I totally get this. I got some pretty heavy ethics inserts so I can run an overall standard fixed head with still high FOC and arrow weight. Im actually running the 200gr stainless inserts to save money on the generally more expensive and hard to find heavy heads. This also lets me choose if I ever decide to go back to expandable and pick heads for different species as I have an archery elk hunt this year

 

[ssramage]

I have tested a couple different setups this summer and just can't seem to get it right in my bow. My current setup shoots ok but it's not very heavy.

Current Setup: Elite Impulse 65#, 29" draw, 28.75" Gold Tip Hunter XT 340s with 100gr up front

Any recommendations to get me in the 500-550gr range?

 

[bowhuntinde]

I have tested a couple different setups this summer and just can't seem to get it right in my bow. My current setup shoots ok but it's not very heavy.

Current Setup: Elite Impulse 65#, 29" draw, 28.75" Gold Tip Hunter XT 340s with 100gr up front

Any recommendations to get me in the 500-550gr range?

All 3 of my Elites do very well with 275 up front. Shooting #60 Gt xt 300 cut 27" carbon to carbon, 3 feather/ 4" wrap and lighted nock.
Weights in at 560ish. I never could get 340s to fly right.

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[michigandrake]

I have tested a couple different setups this summer and just can't seem to get it right in my bow. My current setup shoots ok but it's not very heavy.

Current Setup: Elite Impulse 65#, 29" draw, 28.75" Gold Tip Hunter XT 340s with 100gr up front

Any recommendations to get me in the 500-550gr range?

I would think that shaft with 200 or 250 grains upfront would fly almost perfectly with your setup. Should be slightly stiff and put you right at target weight. FOC would be 2-3X your current setup. Cheap and easy to give it a go ..... simple as swapping tips.

 

[michigandrake]

I would think that shaft with 200 or 250 grains upfront would fly almost perfectly with your setup. Should be slightly stiff and put you right at target weight. FOC would be 2-3X your current setup. Cheap and easy to give it a go ..... simple as swapping tips.

Strike that my calculator was set wrong. Calling out 300 spine gets you to target weight.

 

[MathewsMan7]

I have tested a couple different setups this summer and just can't seem to get it right in my bow. My current setup shoots ok but it's not very heavy.

Current Setup: Elite Impulse 65#, 29" draw, 28.75" Gold Tip Hunter XT 340s with 100gr up front

Any recommendations to get me in the 500-550gr range?

Ethics archery 100 grain stainless steel inserts and 125 grain head...cut your shaft down to about 28 inches or so (pretty close to the rest) and let ‘er fly...just be careful if you’re shooting fixed COC heads with the shaft cut close to the rest...but shorter arrows will help boost your FOC, stiffen your spine to about 300-315, and should tune out better for you...Obviously you won’t know for sure until you shoot it...you could also turn your poundage down to about 60...people forget to play with poundage...that will aid in tuning more than people think...and 60 pounds is more than enough to get 2 holes in deer with a heavy arrow setup...

OR buy new 300 spine shafts and do everything I mentioned previously if you want to keep the arrow length you currently have.

 

[kyler1945]

I have tested a couple different setups this summer and just can't seem to get it right in my bow. My current setup shoots ok but it's not very heavy.

Current Setup: Elite Impulse 65#, 29" draw, 28.75" Gold Tip Hunter XT 340s with 100gr up front

Any recommendations to get me in the 500-550gr range?

The everyman's guide to killing a deer with a compound bow...

Will an expandable broadhead on a light arrow kill a deer? Yes. Can you kill a deer at 50 yards with a bow? Yes. Is a 7 pin sight useful? Sure. Is the Ranch Fairy annoying? Yes. Is Ashby god? Sometimes it seems that way. Can everyone just shut up? I've learned the answer is no. Ok...

saddlehunter.com

 

[IvanGrozny]

You will probably need to get into a 200-250 spine shaft.
This chart might help;
https://www.siriusarchery.com/pages/spine-chart

Bare shaft tune, nock tune. Tune by weight up front and/or shaft length.
Olympic recurve shooters will do a step back check of their bare shafts to see what natural spin their shafts/bow have and the fletch to match, if you wanna real OCD. But then they are shooting a 10 ring the size of a DVD at 70 and 100 meters.

I would start with what broadhead/insert/component combo you want and then work your way backwards to the nock.

John

 

[IvanGrozny]

I am also in the process of building my hunting arrows. Shooting an ILF recurve for which I have 45 and 50 lb limbs, 29 inch draw length. Have kind of settled on Zwickey No Mercy single bevels 130 grain, a steel broadhead adapter 75-125 grain, a stainless footed insert. For shafts I have ordered 300 and 350 spine 4.2 mm ID, 6.46 and 6.21 mm od respectivley, 31 inch shafts, 11.54 and 10.13 gpi. 2 inch feathers and 1.75 inch vanes. Will have to see which I like better, and if I can handle the tail weight a lighted nock would give. Also have some cheap zwickey chinese knockoffs that don't take the edge a zwickey would, but they aren't too bad either. Weight's pretty damn close so I figure I can practice with them and maybe try one on a doe or a turkey.

John

 

[MathewsMan7]

You will probably need to get into a 200-250 spine shaft.

The same 350 spine in two different arrow brands will react differently due to spine consistencies, wall thickness, etc. so we should take spine charts with a grain of salt...if you’re shooting Easton Axis arrows, their 340 spine may react slightly different than a 340 spine Gold Tip Hunter XT. You should always start with the arrow chart that corresponds to your specific arrow.

 

[IvanGrozny]

The same 350 spine in two different arrow brands will react differently due to spine consistencies, wall thickness, etc. so we should take spine charts with a grain of salt...if you’re shooting Easton Axis arrows, their 340 spine may react slightly different than a 340 spine Gold Tip Hunter XT. You should always start with the arrow chart that corresponds to your specific arrow.

I would agree with that 100%. But most charts don't cover really heavy heads and inserts. With the real heavy stuff you're kinda on your own. If you can buy single shafts or test packs to play with it helps.

 

[Bowmanmike]

I have tested a couple different setups this summer and just can't seem to get it right in my bow. My current setup shoots ok but it's not very heavy.

Current Setup: Elite Impulse 65#, 29" draw, 28.75" Gold Tip Hunter XT 340s with 100gr up front

Any recommendations to get me in the 500-550gr range?

I dont think you need 200 spine arrows unless you plan to put 400 gr up front. I shoot 300 spine at 60# with 29.5 DL with 100 gr insert and 125 grain head. The lighted nocks put me at 570 grains total arrow weight. These fly like darts out of my bow.
In my opinion you could make either 300 or 250 spine work.

 

[ssramage]

Did some testing tonight. I had to get a new rest put on my bow today and needed to shoot anyways. I decided to play with my current arrows and some 225gr field tips that I already had. Following the Ranch Fairy instructions, I stripped the vanes off two arrows and shot the heavy points at 15 and 20yds. The arrows impacted the target perfectly straight. I thought I could see a little kick in flight on one arrow but it always hit the target true. Is that normal? I switched to fletched and got solid groupings at 20/30/40/50yds with the 225gr up front.

I’m thinking this may be pretty close. I need to get some inserts to confirm with broadhead flight.

 

[JBDaddy]

The kick-out is probably really happening, and then the heavy front-end of your arrow is pulling the rest of the shaft into line in time to impact straight. My new DIY heavy arrows do/did this too when I bareshaft tested. I was at my local shop today and asked about it... and got a heap of warning over it. I may not shoot them again (I'll re-use their components in better arrows though).

My local guy shoots competitively and knows his stuff. After he asked about my arrow set up (I got Wal-Mart MossyOak arrows which are actually Victory VForce Gamers, 340-ish spine, and ethics 200gr inserts and 100gr broadheads) he warned me I was "playing with fire". An under-spined arrow flexes so much at release (heavy force trying to get heavy front end to move, carbon in-between flexing as a result) that he's had them break after several rounds while nock-tuning (showed me his splintered 340 spine arrow). Now he forcefully flexes every arrow after every shot to catch problems before they splinter and hit his hand while tuning hundreds of arrows a year for customers, and uses 250 spine arrows instead.

I really had to move my rest and sight a lot to follow impact and group shots after finding a weight that consistently pointed back correctly, and I'm sure that is compensation for the heavy front-end/flexing, and wrenching my bow out of whack in the process. My lighter arrows were spot-on before I tried heavier ones.

So even after I got heavy arrows to group very nicely (I stacked 4 touching at 20yds), they were relatively cheap at $6/arrow + parts, because I wanted to experiment but not break the bank - and I was pretty happy... just concerned over the rest/sight moves, etc.

I took his offer to go over the bow to make sure it's in good shape and tuned (it was bought ... dang, 12 years ago now... at a sporting-goods store, "tuned" at purchase in store, and it needs new cables & strings anyway)... and I'm open to buying new arrows he sets up for my own bow, draw weight, etc. He said the overall weight and FOC would end up close to what I had anyway, just safer.

Plus he said he'd have me shoot several rounds with it after his work and he'd tweak anything I wasn't completely happy with, and could bring it back later for a free update if needed. He's a good guy, the setup charge won't be $50 more than I'd pay to have him re-string it anyway, plus maybe another $50 for arrows... and I'll sleep better at night for it - my hands are my living.

Just be careful you've got adequately/safely spined arrows if you choose to upgrade, is all. Ranch Fairy doesn't cover the consequences of not, very much.

 

[Bowmanmike]

This is exactly why you should err on the side of caution and rather shoot a spine that is on the stiffer side than one that ends up underspined.

 

[IkemanTX]

Fast Forward 4 months...

I'm really liking my heavy arrow setup. The only change I've made since the OP is I'm using a lighter weight Zinger Fletching.

These heavy arrows are very quiet and shoot extremely well from a tuned bow. Can't wait for september to give it the flesh test.

Actually...I could go out and shoot a pig right now. Hmmmm.

I ended up around 660 grains, and the arrow hitting the target is probably 3 times louder than the shot itself. It is crazy how quiet these bows can get when the grains go up.

Edit: one issue I have found is that the friction of passing completely through a “the block” target on 105° days with an insert/tip combo pushing 415 grains..... low temp hot melt is not sufficient for keep inserts in.... I will be switching to a shock proof CVA glue shortly.


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[g2outdoors]

I ended up around 660 grains, and the arrow hitting the target is probably 3 times louder than the shot itself. It is crazy how quiet these bows can get when the grains go up.

Edit: one issue I have found is that the friction of passing completely through a “the block” target on 105° days with an insert/tip combo pushing 415 grains..... low temp hot melt is not sufficient for keep inserts in.... I will be switching to a shock proof CVA glue shortly.


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Yeah these arrows hit HARD. Can't wait to put one through a deer.

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[Gator]

I have tested a couple different setups this summer and just can't seem to get it right in my bow. My current setup shoots ok but it's not very heavy.

Current Setup: Elite Impulse 65#, 29" draw, 28.75" Gold Tip Hunter XT 340s with 100gr up front

Any recommendations to get me in the 500-550gr range?

Swap to a 300 spine and put 100 grain inserts. Mine are very close to your length and come in at 508 grains


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