GT Platinum Pierce arrow build

[Yotekiller]

I have a dozen 300 spine arrows and trying to decide how I want to put them together. I'm planning on using them for elk. I've been crunching some numbers on archers advantage and this is what I'm coming up with.
70lb bow with 340 IBO

26.5" shaft, 100 grain head, 19.5 grain insert with 24 grain collar, 50 grains added with the fact weights, 7.9 grains nock/collar, 4 vanetec swift 2.25" at 18 grains.
281.56 fps
482 grains
19.9% foc
84.8 ft lbs kinetic energy
spine rated as slightly stiff

I have read as foc gets higher you don't need as much vane to stabilize the arrow. I'm planning on trying these to see if they work. If I use 4 vanetec 1.75 fletchings I am coming up with.
283.52 fps
474 grains
21% foc
84.5 ft lbs kinetic energy
spine rated as slightly stiff

Looking for opinions. What do you think of this set up? Is there anything you would change? Is there any disadvantage to having foc this high? (I will add the weight to other areas if there is) I would like to use NAP Killzone 2" trophy tip heads. Is this a hard enough penetrating set up to use them? Would the 1.75" blades be interchangeable with the 2" blades?

 

[svivian]

I have the exact arrow setup as your first choice except mine are cut at 27" and they fly great out of my nitrum turbo.

 

[Yotekiller]

Have you shot anything with them? I'm trying to figure out what kind of penetration I would get hitting elk rib bones with a head that large.

 

[svivian]

Depends on the broad head more than the arrow from my personal experience. This year I used rage hyperdermics 100grain and made a very poor shot on a bull high and back. I busted the first big back rib and then bounced off the ribs on the other side leaving my arrow flopping while hanging out by the broad head.

 

[Capra]

You might look at the AAE Pro Max vane, They work well as a 4 fletch for me.

Otherwise, that arrow sounds pretty good.

 

[Yotekiller]

svivian. Were you satisfied with the performance of that head/arrow setup or will you be changing to something else for next season? My experience with whitetails has been that I have a much higher recovery rate using big heads but I have no experience with elk and archery equipment. My gut is telling me this is the most lethal setup I can try, but until I shoot one with it I just don't know.

 

[svivian]

I will be going back to slick tricks for my broadhead. The arrows fly perfect so I wouldn't change anything in terms of the arrow. If I had made a better shot placement the rage would have done the job better. I'm sure as well. As long as your bow is tuned and your arrows spined properly most setups are gunna be just fine for elk hunting. I've seen guys kill elk with 395 grain arrows and guys with 600 grains. If you like them and they shoot straight and you are confident shooting them then they will be great.

 

[Yotekiller]

Did you recover your bull? Do you feel a small head like the slick trick would have made recovery easier or harder from the bad shot? I have never hit a deer with a big head that was not recovered. I can't say the same for small heads like the slick trick.

 

[elkguide]

I would use a 3 fletch set up over the 4 fletch. I am also a fixed blade fan over mechanicals.
(some western states do not allow mechanicals either)


The main question is.... does your set up hit where you point?
If yes. Go hunt and put an arrow in the boiler room and you'll be eating elk next winter.

 

[svivian]

I did eventually find the bull after it ran over a mile into private land. I did not get permission to get the bull through the land owner... I'm not an expert on this but I believe that the fixed ballade would have busted the second set of ribs and left better blood. Also the rage being two blade sealed up the hole when the arrow never came out so I had very little blood to follow (sometimes none for hundreds of yards). I cannot blame the broadhead due to my poor shot but I do think any fixed blade would have been more forgiving.

In regards to fletching, I did a low profile four fletch with the rage because I wanted more range during wind and other factors. But in the 5 years I have been archery hunting I have have never been at full draw with an elk or deer over 40 yards. So in hindsight I'm not really sure why I was concerned about range.

 

[Yotekiller]

Wow, I just ordered 50 grains of weight for each of the 12 arrows. I thought the arrows were expensive. Total for 24 - 20 grain, and 12 - 10 grain with the cheapest shipping $71.95 and I didn't even get the rod to change them out.

 

[svivian]

Make sure you use some thread loc on those weights because if they rattle lose you have to have the tool to put them back in.

 

[jmez]

Can also put a little bit of gorilla glue on the threads before putting them in. The caveat being you'll never rattle them loose even if you want too.

 

[Muley15]

Ive played around a lot with FOC and I believe its the opposite. The more FOC the better arrow stabilization you will have. Ive never had any issues with 3 vane setups even at FOC numbers above 20. Your overall build looks great for what you want to use it for. Only comment I would have is to stay away from mechanicals and stick with a good fixed blade. I prefer Magnus Stingers for Elk but Slick Trick, Wac'em, Exodus to name a few would be better options in my opinion.

 

[Yotekiller]

The main reason I am trying 4 vanes is to use a lower profile which will hopefully make less noise and drift less in the wind.

 

[jmez]

Darin Cooper wrote a good article in Elk Hunter magazine about vanes. The vanes provide drag on the arrow, too much drag is just as detrimental and not enough. In most situations 4 vanes is going to provide too much drag.

 

[Yotekiller]

I highly doubt there is going to be too much drag with 4 low profile vanetech 1.75s. They might not provide enough. That is the point - to get away from the high profile vanes.