Had to get the computer out instead of trying to type this on my phone. I'm a long ways from an expert, and this is my own opinion. I spent about 6 months after deer season of 2022 into spring of 2023 working on what you are working on to get ready for a hunt in Africa that I wanted to do with my bow.
Through deer season of 2022 I subscribed to the heavy hard hitting arrow group. Was shooting close to 700 grains of total weight. Most of my deer hunting was in close quarter kill plots so most shots were under 30 yards and if patient would get under 20 pretty easy.
However, I wanted to be ready for anything in Africa and went to work. I shoot a Hoyt RX-7 with a 28.5 inch draw maxed out at 71#. Lancaster Archery sells single arrows and I went through almost 6 brands trying to find what best worked. I settled on 300 spine Victory RIP TKOs cut at 28.5 inches. I picked these for 2 reasons. First, they were already spine aligned, and in my shooting their markings were pretty well spot on. That spine alignment also saved me time by cutting knock tuning completely out of the process. 2nd they are one of the lightest GPI for a 300 spine on the market. I was chasing FOC while trying to keep between 475 and 500 grains of total weight.
Once I had the arrow and knew it was spined correctly for my setup I just started shooting every head I had. With the stock 50grain outsert on the arrow, 150 grain points flew like money in my bare shaft tuning. also noted that my bow naturally rotated arrows left. So I fletched everything with a left helical (3 blazer vanes, no wrap).
I had been wanting to try the Iron Wills as well and figured Africa was the perfect reason to make the investment. I went with the Left Helical SB150s. I killed 7 animals in 5 days. Only one went more than 60 yards. Vitals on these critters are farther forward so the shoulder is always in the way. Dieker, warthog, baboon, and impala were no match, full pass throughs with arrows going well beyond the target. First big animal was a Kudu bull. Shot him broadside at 45 yards. Completely broke his front leg, caught the top of the heart and fractured the opposite side leg. He went 20 yards and piled up. Next Animal was a golden wildebeest bull. Shot him broadside at 30 yards. Blew all the way through him and stuck the arrow in a tree right behind him. he piled up in 40 yards leaving a beautiful blood trail through the brush. Last big animal was a gemsbok bull. When he showed up I had so much confidence in my setup nothing really scared me other than a full frontal shot. I killed the gemsbok quartering to me at 25 yards. Arrow went all the way through him and loaded in the joint of the opposite side back leg. he went 70 yards and piled up.
I will now shoot where I want, F that shoulder.
Build
300 Spine Victory RIP TKO with stock 50 gr outsert
28.5 inches
3 blazer vanes in left helical
Iron Will SB150's LH
485 grains total weight doing 285 FPS
reading through your setup, it seems like you might be over spined. even though that is better than under spined, it could still cause tuning problems. I would start with a total weight you want and go from there. break that weight down into components and use that to calculate your spine. Buy 2 of that spine and a set of field point and bare shaft tune it. this will get your rest and everything inline. the arrows will tell you what they like for weight up front. once you know that its just filling in blanks.
I try to do as much of my own work as possible. most of my circle of family and friends are the same size as me (draw length and poundage) so I keep a few arrows un fletched from different spines so if anyone changes bows, its easy to get them backup and running.
I might of said a lot about nothing, but I know what you are going through. took me 3 months to settle on what I wanted, and another 3 shooting the heck out of it.
Good luck!
