General Arrow questions

[Gwilson5]

Hey everyone I have a lot of general questions when it comes to picking out the right arrow setup, meaning length, arrow weight etc I’m 6’2 shooting 31.5 draw at 70lbs, I hunt primarily whitetails and have been shooting 340 spine arrows but have been hearing heavier may be the way to go I have yet to get my first deer with a bow and would appreciate all tips and guidance


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[roadrunner]

With a long arrow, it's more about spine than weight. Don't go heavy for whitetail because an elk hunter shoots 550 grains.

 

[Gwilson5]

With a long arrow, it's more about spine than weight. Don't go heavy for whitetail because an elk hunter shoots 550 grains.

For arrow length would you leave them uncut or shorten them some


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[coloyooper]

For arrow length would you leave them uncut or shorten them some


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Do you leave them uncut now?

Maybe cut a few down a bit and see if the flight is any different. But if the arrows you shoot now fly straight, I don’t see a reason to try and fix something that’s not broken.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

You'll likely get more engagement on this thread if you repost it in the Archery sub-forum, but I'll go ahead and throw out some thoughts anyway.

Spine charts/software will likely recommend 300 spine (quite possibly 250) depending on how long you cut your arrow and how much weight you put on the front end.

Your 340's are on the weak side, but that doesn't necessarily mean they won't shoot well. Most compound bows can handle a fairly wide range of spines. What length are your 340's and what weight broadhead are you currently shooting?

Lighter arrows fly flatter, heavier arrows have more penetration potential (but at your draw weight and draw length, penetration shouldn't be a concern). You'll have plenty of energy to spare and can shoot pretty much anything you want through a deer. If you're shooting a fixed blade broadhead, slowing the arrow down below 300 fps may be necessary to get the heads to fly well.

If you're looking at getting new arrows, my recommendation would be a standard diameter (.244-.246"/6.5mm) shaft of moderate density (9-10 gpi at 300 spine, 10-11 gpi at 250 spine) with whatever point/head and insert weight is necessary to get total arrow weight around 450 gr. Black Eagle Outlaw, Easton Acu-Carbon 6.5mm, Gold Tip Hunter, and Victory VForce would all fit the bill.

 

[Kilboars]

You'll likely get more engagement on this thread if you repost it in the Archery sub-forum, but I'll go ahead and throw out some thoughts anyway.

Spine charts/software will likely recommend 300 spine (quite possibly 250) depending on how long you cut your arrow and how much weight you put on the front end.

Your 340's are on the weak side, but that doesn't necessarily mean they won't shoot well. Most compound bows can handle a fairly wide range of spines. What length are your 340's and what weight broadhead are you currently shooting?

Lighter arrows fly flatter, heavier arrows have more penetration potential (but at your draw weight and draw length, penetration shouldn't be a concern). You'll have plenty of energy to spare and can shoot pretty much anything you want through a deer. If you're shooting a fixed blade broadhead, slowing the arrow down below 300 fps may be necessary to get the heads to fly well.

If you're looking at getting new arrows, my recommendation would be a standard diameter (.244-.246"/6.5mm) shaft of moderate density (9-10 gpi at 300 spine, 10-11 gpi at 250 spine) with whatever point/head and insert weight is necessary to get total arrow weight around 450 gr. Black Eagle Outlaw, Easton Acu-Carbon 6.5mm, Gold Tip Hunter, and Victory VForce would all fit the bill.

I was thinking the same. The first thing I noticed on your post was you’re probably under spine. For your draw weight and length I would say 300 or 250 spined arrows for sure.

I try to shoot for Arrow speed of 280 ft./s and lighten up or add weight to the arrow to get to that speed. More weight will make the shot much quieter as well.

What kind of bow are you shooting?


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[ResearchinStuff]

the free one week trial of pinwheel software will tell you everything you need to know about arrow spine, point weight and length relationships. after that it's all about brand preference and how much ranch fairy or bone collector you watch to pick your total arrow weight.

 

[roadrunner]

For arrow length would you leave them uncut or shorten them some


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Cut them to fit reasonably well. No point in having an arrow extending past the riser 4 or 5 inches. End of the arrow in line with the middle of the riser/grip is a good place to start.

Also, when you cut an arrow down, you effectively add stiffness to the arrow.

 

[Gwilson5]

I was thinking the same. The first thing I noticed on your post was you’re probably under spine. For your draw weight and length I would say 300 or 250 spined arrows for sure.

I try to shoot for Arrow speed of 280 ft./s and lighten up or add weight to the arrow to get to that speed. More weight will make the shot much quieter as well.

What kind of bow are you shooting?


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Awesome I’ll look into it, It’s a Hoyt rx3 ultra


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[dtrkyman]

31.5 inch draw and 70lbs I would definitely shoot a heavy arrow, it will still be fast and have a ton of energy! Whitetail are generally easy to penetrate, however hit the joint in the shoulder and the front leg and may have a problem!

A heavy arrow helps in heavier bone impacts, of course that is not the intended target but chit happens, and it really goes side ways when a moving object hits another moving object!

And a 340 spine at that weight and arrow length is not enough!

 

[Gwilson5]

Thank you all this has been great, would you guys go straight to the 250 spine or is 300 good, from what I’ve been reading the common theme seems to be when In doubt go stiffer


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[Kilboars]

Awesome I’ll look into it, It’s a Hoyt rx3 ultra


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Ok. I own an RX5 ultra and their not not super aggressive cams


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[Mighty Mouse]

Thank you all this has been great, would you guys go straight to the 250 spine or is 300 good, from what I’ve been reading the common theme seems to be when In doubt go stiffer

Either one will likely work just fine. Whether 250 or 300 will be closer to the "optimum" recommended by a spine chart/calculator depends on how long you cut the arrow and how much weight you put on the front. Choose a target total arrow weight (or arrow speed) and work from there to determine the best spine choice.

Below is output from a spine calculator app called OT2Go (aka, qSpine) for a hypothetical 29" carbon-to-carbon arrow with 150 gr total on the front (point/head + insert) and 30 gr on the back (nock + vanes) at your stated bow specs. The app says this arrow would be slightly weak of "optimal" at 300 spine, but it would quite likely fly just fine for you. If you cut the shaft longer than 29" or put more than 150 gr on the front, the dynamic spine of the arrow would get weaker, and you might want to go with a 250 spine shaft instead of 300.

Bow specs: 334 fps IBO speed, 70# draw weight, 31.5" draw length, 34" axle-to-axle length, 6.75" brace height, 85% let-off

 

[def90]

Thank you all this has been great, would you guys go straight to the 250 spine or is 300 good, from what I’ve been reading the common theme seems to be when In doubt go stiffer


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Arrow manufacturers put charts on their boxes of arrows that tell you what spine to use based on your arrow length, pull weight and everything else. I would suggest going to your local pro shop (aka not Cabelas) and talk to them directly about it.

 

[Dennis]

I think you are on the right track. Check out the "Hunting Public" YouTube channel for some insight on their journey into heavier setups. I think it really does make a difference.

Good luck on your first deer!

 

[def90]

I think you are on the right track. Check out the "Hunting Public" YouTube channel for some insight on their journey into heavier setups. I think it really does make a difference.

Good luck on your first deer!

Or you can skip them and just go straight to the guy that did all of the experimentation and wrote the book on the subject.

Ashby Bowhunting Foundation

The Ashby Bowhunting Foundation’s goal is to provide the bowhunter with the information and ongoing research to achieve highest possible success rate and reduce the wound/non-recovery rate of big game to the lowest level possible.

www.ashbybowhunting.org

 

[Btaylor]

Either one will likely work just fine. Whether 250 or 300 will be closer to the "optimum" recommended by a spine chart/calculator depends on how long you cut the arrow and how much weight you put on the front. Choose a target total arrow weight (or arrow speed) and work from there to determine the best spine choice.

Below is output from a spine calculator app called OT2Go (aka, qSpine) for a hypothetical 29" carbon-to-carbon arrow with 150 gr total on the front (point/head + insert) and 30 gr on the back (nock + vanes) at your stated bow specs. The app says this arrow would be slightly weak of "optimal" at 300 spine, but it would quite likely fly just fine for you. If you cut the shaft longer than 29" or put more than 150 gr on the front, the dynamic spine of the arrow would get weaker, and you might want to go with a 250 spine shaft instead of 300.

Bow specs: 334 fps IBO speed, 70# draw weight, 31.5" draw length, 34" axle-to-axle length, 6.75" brace height, 85% let-off
View attachment 411743

Can you bump it up to 500 grain TAW and see if that doesnt put him right around 280fps?

 

[Mighty Mouse]

Can you bump it up to 500 grain TAW and see if that doesnt put him right around 280fps?

qSpine predicts 288 fps at 500 gr TAW.

 

[Btaylor]

qSpine predicts 288 fps at 500 gr TAW.

I was expecting 280-285. I would build out in the 525-550 range and have an easily tunable rig with pretty much any head you want to shoot.

 

[Brunson84]

Thank you all this has been great, would you guys go straight to the 250 spine or is 300 good, from what I’ve been reading the common theme seems to be when In doubt go stiffer


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I always go heavier than the spine chart on the box, if you shoot a lot it is possible to weaken the spine on your arrows, you will notice your BH groups spreading apart after a while when spine starts to weaken. Used to happen a lot for me when I shot gold tips and bemans before I started buying heavier spine than required. Also swapped to victory v sport, best arrow out of the box my opinion, cock vane comes spine aligned.


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