Speed or weight .

Just wanted to see who is going for arrow speed using a lighter arrow or who shoots a heavier arrow and sacrifices speed for hunting.

I personally went to a much heavier arrow this year. I think of it like bowling. Those kids who get a light ball and huck it as fast as they can hits the pins but doesn't have the same effect as a 16 pound ball moving slower. I took into consideration kinetic energy and momentum when choosing my arrows this year. Hope it pays off sacrificing speed.
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sneekeepete
Arrows are just like bullets and their ballistics. You want to pack as much energy behind them as you can without sacrificing range and accuracy. I haven't been able to shoot my bow since last year but I focus more on trying to attain a happy medium between speed and weight. I want it fast enough that I don't have to adjust my aim too much but heavy enought to pack alot of energy. Of course I have yet to ever sling an arrow at any big game animal so this is just my personal opinion.
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I like to find the medium too, but I lean more towards speed. My arrows are around 370-380 grains and I'm shooting arond 255-260 fps with a 60lbs draw. Last buck I shot was at 54yrds and I got a complete pass through, so I feel pretty good about the setup.
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BOHNTR
I lean more towards heavier arrow weights.......I'm currently shooting 415 grain arrows at 270fps........they're quieter coming out of the bow than a light-weight shaft, IMO. Combine that with a cut-on-contact style head and there's not much that can stop them.

Speed is highly over-rated, IMO, and with the introduction of rangefinders, it's really not a neccessity. Heck, I can remember when 215 fps was considered VERY fast! lol
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proutdoors
I like a 420-430 grain arrow traveling around 270 fps. I remember when I got a new bow back in 1992 that hit 225 fps, I thought it was the flattest shooting bow possible. Once an arrow gets over 300 fps it is difficult to get great arrow flight with a broadhead on. I have had complete pass-thru's on every animal that I have hit in the boiler room. I'll take a quiet heavy arrow over a noisy light arrow every day of the week.
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'Ike'
I'm another one for weight...I like the KE behind it and the quietness it gives, as Roy pointed out. I shoot in the 260's and have never had a problem from deer to elk.
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MuleyMadness
I wish I would have seen this thread before I just bought some new light weight arrows. :)

Thanks for the education guys, great info to know.
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if you shoot the animal where u are suppose to the weight don't matter. iv shot elk and deer in the shoulder blade and only went so deep, just put the arrow behind the shoulder and let the blades do the rest. more the speed the less time the animal has to respond to the shot
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BOHNTR
more the speed the less time the animal has to respond to the shot
 Actually there's NO arrow that travels fast enough to combat an animals reflexes.........unless your shooting something faster than the speed of sound. lol
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'Ike'
"hunter g" wrote: more the speed the less time the animal has to respond to the shot
 Amazing how many guys believe this... :-k Wrong!
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I would have to say that with the technology advancing every year with the bows the need for speed is not needed. The new bows for 2009 like the Admiral and Alphamax just to name a few are really quite. So I would have to say that the animals won't jump the string like they used to.
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CodeRED
+1 for Weight, when I crank up my bow to speed up the arrows it messes with my accuracy too. I agree with Sneekeepete too (and everyone in this thread it seems) in packing more more energy behind the arrow too. If speed it your concern too, consider the amount of noise your bow is making when it flings that arrow forward.... No arrow will ever be traveling faster than that noise.
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CodeRED
"BowtechAdmiral" wrote:The new bows for 2009 like the Admiral and Alphamax just to name a few are really quite. So I would have to say that the animals won't jump the string like they used to.
 Yeah, that Hoyt is one of the quietest compounds ive ever heard when it comes to sound.
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BIG R
Im all for weight.I want as much ke I can get on impact.There isnt a bow made that can counteract a deers reaction to noise so why not sloww it down a little and get more ke in your arrow :thumb
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dreaming big
weight for me too.
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iliveinthewoods
I like a arrow that falls in the middle. I love speed for the fact that there is less arrow falls less as it goes down range. That leads for tighter groups and better shots, for me atleast... I get a little of it all though, my arrow weighs in at 435 with broadheads i believe. But my draw is 30.5 so and pull 70#'s so with my hunting arrows i am shooting 288 out of my Katera XL...
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This is a good post, to ask another question. Probably to you BOHNTR or PROUTDOORS, what weight would you consider light or heavy? I shoot 300 grain arrows with 100 grain broadheads. Only because when I was set up originally that's what the pro shop recommended for my bow. I shot my first buck last year with this set up and had pass through at 45 yards. So 400 grains total, is that light or heavy? Maybe a tweener?
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I think 400 gr is a good weight for a hunting arrow. It could even be considered heavy (not too heavy) for whitetail size game but a good weight for elk. Arrow weight/speed opinions can vary widely. Just go with a well tuned, happy medium weight/speed combo (380-400 gr./260-275 fps) or thereabouts and the arrow will do its part. The most important thing is that you have to do your part.
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The Ox
i personally dont think it matters much! i think a a good proven sharp broadhead like wacem or whichever, is more important by far!!!(except mechaniicals!!)...imo . arrows kill due to the sharp blades cutting thru major arteries and organs! ..not impact from a arrow i dont think a heavier arrow will do anything but slow your arrow down and make it lose trajectory.!.. where as with a bullet i believe the impact is the true killer..i think eithey you look at it it will work just fine ---BUT THIS IS JUST MY OPINION! btw i shoot 400's whuich i think is a happy medium
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Yeah - 400 seems about right. Thanks for the feedback.
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