Picking the right arrow?

[HighHandicap]

I have been reading through a lot of the tuning and arrow threads here and on AT and I started to wonder, what are the criteria for picking the right arrow?

For example, I have one bow and I want it to be my Texas hunting bow (rodents, hogs, and deer) and my 3D bow. It is a Bowtech Assassin, 60lb and 28.5" draw length. Currently, I'm shooting Cablea's arrows that weigh in at 335gr (including 85gr field tip). and measure at 270fps @ 20 yards.

I was thinking about going heavier but started to wonder if throwing a 100gr or 125gr tip would make the arrow too front heavy. So what is the rule of thumb for finished arrow weight? I've heard 5gr - 6gr per pound of draw length. Is there a ratio of where the weight should be distributed? For example, do you want the tip to be a max of some percentage of the total arrow weight?

What about balancing speed/momentum/kinetic energy?

Any thoughts or recommendations on these questions? I'll keep reading in the meantime, but the Green Screen is a smart crowd.

[Mojo]

Let the arrow pick you...

[HighHandicap]

lol... I tried that once, shot a whole bunch of them straight up. Not one of them picked me!

[ram6256]

need to know the spine you have currently. A med heavy arrow is listed between 7 and 9 grains per pund of draw weight. If you are on the borderline of spine a heavier point will weaken the spine and impair the arrow flight and make it less accurate.
Roy

[bowhuntntxn]

You have stepped into a few different things. First arrow weight. It is recommended to shoot at least 5gr. per pound of DRAW WEIGHT, not draw length. That is a manufacturer recommendation for safety reasons. You say you are hitting 270 @20 yards. Does that mean you are shooting through the chrony right before your arrow hits the target? Or is it 270 right in front of you? You can make a much better selection for arrows, but you will also need to spend a little more $$ to get there.

If you will be shooting hunter class 3D, a nd dont want to have to change anything for hunting purposes, then you need a good all around fairly tough arrow. Easton Epic, or Beman ICS hunter in the 400 spine with a 100 gr tip, probably cut to about 27 3/4 inches should work well. Changing BHs to add weight could have some very negative effects if your are at either edge of your arrow's spine set up. But, custom cutting and building arrows can allow for that.

Speed increases always come at a cost. Mostly noise at the shot. So if you are shooting an average of 270 in both situations, I think you are doing fine. Google FOC(Front of Center) calculator, and they usually have a KE calculator with it. Plug in your current numbers, and see what it shows you. You want to be in the 11 to 15% FOC, and that will generate more than enough KE and MOMENTUM for killing what you want with it. You should go to Archery Country or one of the other local shops you have in the Austin area and tell them what you are trying to get to, and see what they recommend. You can achieve your goals fairly easy!

Lookie here what I found!!

http://www.stickemarchery.com/stickemcart/archery-calculators.aspx

[Mudslinger]

More FOC will definitley not hurt, but it can affect your spine so if you go the route of more weight up front via a heavier point, make sure the change does not make your arrow a little on the weak side of the spine. I ent with 150 grains added to the front of mine, spine was not a problem, and it helped the forgivess, accuracy and quietness of my set up.

[HighHandicap]

So I found a great write up at Hunters Friend called Carbon Arrow University and I did a bit of messing around configuring different arrows and then hi up http://utopiaprogramming.com/ke/KineticEnergy.html# to estimate kinetic energy and velocity. Here's what I found.



All of these combinations have about the same kinetic energy. Even the Momentum calculation is about the same across all of them.

What are the reasons that you would trade between velocity and FOC? Which of these combinations would be best for my stated use of Texas hunting and 3D? One note is that these were all modeled with lumenocks which is why the FOC is lower.

[rocky]

Don't get caught up with too much mumbo jumbo.
Guys like Mudslinger and some of the others have been shooting a very long time, and are able to see the difference a slight FOC or total weight change makes, but even then, it takes a ton of shots in a target and on game for them to see a benefit of that change.
Get you a dozen GT 5575, put Blazers on them and shoot a 100 grain tip, and you'll kill everything you hit properly.
Others that weigh in on "the best arrow", usually are quoting some article they've read, or a buddy, but in any event, "best" is usually a perceived value.

[HighHandicap]

Don't get caught up with too much mumbo jumbo.
Guys like Mudslinger and some of the others have been shooting a very long time, and are able to see the difference a slight FOC or total weight change makes, but even then, it takes a ton of shots in a target and on game for them to see a benefit of that change.
Get you a dozen GT 5575, put Blazers on them and shoot a 100 grain tip, and you'll kill everything you hit properly.
Others that weigh in on "the best arrow", usually are quoting some article they've read, or a buddy, but in any event, "best" is usually a perceived value.

Thanks rocky. I'm definitely no speed junkie and am just looking for a good choice for my uses. I know all this stuff about FOC, KE, velocity, etc. is important, but it's hard to know where the real differentiation comes into play in real world applications.

You have stepped into a few different things. First arrow weight. It is recommended to shoot at least 5gr. per pound of DRAW WEIGHT, not draw length. That is a manufacturer recommendation for safety reasons. You say you are hitting 270 @20 yards. Does that mean you are shooting through the chrony right before your arrow hits the target? Or is it 270 right in front of you? You can make a much better selection for arrows, but you will also need to spend a little more $$ to get there.

If you will be shooting hunter class 3D, a nd dont want to have to change anything for hunting purposes, then you need a good all around fairly tough arrow. Easton Epic, or Beman ICS hunter in the 400 spine with a 100 gr tip, probably cut to about 27 3/4 inches should work well. Changing BHs to add weight could have some very negative effects if your are at either edge of your arrow's spine set up. But, custom cutting and building arrows can allow for that.

Speed increases always come at a cost. Mostly noise at the shot. So if you are shooting an average of 270 in both situations, I think you are doing fine. Google FOC(Front of Center) calculator, and they usually have a KE calculator with it. Plug in your current numbers, and see what it shows you. You want to be in the 11 to 15% FOC, and that will generate more than enough KE and MOMENTUM for killing what you want with it. You should go to Archery Country or one of the other local shops you have in the Austin area and tell them what you are trying to get to, and see what they recommend. You can achieve your goals fairly easy!

Lookie here what I found!!
http://www.stickemarchery.com/sticke...lculators.aspx

Thanks for the feedback. Another question I have is if two arrows have the same velocity and KE, but one has a higher FOC, does that mean the one with the higher FOC has more potential for penetration?

[HighHandicap]

I found a store South Shore Archery Supply that lets you buy one-off custom arrows. So I ordered an Easton flatline and a Gold Tip Expedition to see how they compare. I figure I'll be doing pretty well at 260fps, 62ftlbs, and 11% FOC. I may try those with a 100gr tip which gets me up into the 270fps but drops FOC into the 8%-9% range. This will help me start to understand the difference.

Now I just need to get a broadhead target so I can broadhead tune and test with those... because that is where the real performance needs to be seen.

[Destry]

x2 on what rocky said, the gold tips are the toughest arrows i have ever shot, and are priced right

[dangerous dan]

Good info

[Mojo]

yep, Ive shot them for a while, tried some another brand (typically available at Cademy) and have come to the conslusion that the Gold Tips are easily one of the least expensive and **** well worth the money for an arrow just because of their "toughness"... they'll last a long time fo sho...

[johnyeatts]

This is where a great hands on Bowshop comein handy. Let them walk you through it. If you are close to DFW talk with Ken Whitt at Cinnamone Creek Ranch. They have everything you need to get the perfect set up and educate you along the way.