Need arrow advice

[Coupe de Gras]

I am gearing up for my first archery elk, but am brand new to archery. I bought a halon 32 and got easton gold tip velocity xt 300 arrows and have been shooting with 100 grain broadheads. I got Grizzlystik redline 100 gr. for my broadhead. Arrow length is 27 1/8. My question is that ok for elk or should I go heavier on my broadhead to 125 gr., do I need a heavier arrow, and is a two blade BH sufficient enough or should I go to 3 or 4? All archery shops say I am good, but my archery shops in Texas don’t deal with bigger animals like elk.

 

[KHNC]

I mean that WILL kill an elk if you dont hit any significant bones. I would weigh them and make sure you have at least 450gr total weight and good front of center for broadhead accuracy.

 

[KHNC]

I just did a quick google for gpi . you may be less than 400gr total weight. In that case, i would for sure get a heavier arrow setup.

 

[HSquared]

Even going to the 125 broadheads I'm sure youll be under 400 grains, I am shooting Gold Tip Pro Hunter 340 cut down to 29 3/4" and they weigh in at 300-302 grains between my whole dozen. I stick with my 100 grain broadheads and have 100 grain brass inserts glued in to put me at 500-502 grains for elk and boar hunting, just remember that adding weight to the tip will weaken the spine. There are some great software calculators out ther to help dial in your setup, I'd get with some of your local shops to see who has access and would hook you up.

 

[renagde]

I'm shooting a 70lb Halon 32 with 27" Goldtip Velocity Xt 320 arrows with a 50 grain insert and 100 grain broadhead. Somewhere around 420 grains total. If i'd be you, I would get heavier inserts installed. Go with 50 or 75 grain inserts. If you're shooting 70lbs, your spine should still be able to handle that. You might be able to move up to 125 grain broadhead as well. My 320 spine arrows are golden with my setup.

 

[Don Qui Puncher]

If you already have the inserts installed which it sounds like you do, instead of new arrows you can get 150-200 grain broadheads there’s plenty good manufacturers making heavy heads

 

[Don Qui Puncher]

VPA grizzly stick and iron will among others have those heavy heads

 

[Billy Goat]

If you are getting good accuracy I think your setup will work. Curious what your poundage is if you are using a 300 spine with it only being 27 and change long? I have seen plenty of elk killed with arrows under 400 grain. However more weight will help, I suspect you are a fair amount overspined. With gold tips you should be able to use their fact system and add weight to the inserts that you already have installed.
This way you can still use same broadheads you already have, or can go to a 125 grain head and still add additional weight.

2 blade broadhead is sufficient. I prefer 3 blades.

 

[Coupe de Gras]

I weighed the arrow with the broadhead and I am only at 395 gr. I felt like it was quite a bit under what I would need and wasn’t sure, but I guess I know now.

I am shooting at 70#. I wasn’t sure about the 2 blade BH or more. I keep thinking that more blades gives a better shot at more damage.

Thanks for the input guys! Keep it coming if you have more info!

 

[GregB]

You can also get GT FACT weights and tool to raise your weight.

 

[Felix40]

You are probably a little overspined so if you do go up in point weight your arrows will be fine. I cant see switching to 125s making any difference in penetration at all. 150s might be worth it but I think any benefit will be negligible. As long as you have very good arrow flight I wouldnt change anything. I see a lot of folks hunting with even lighter arrows and it seems to work ok.

 

[doverpack12]

Shoot them with Broadheads and see how they fly. If they are accurate and not planing going too fast then nothing wrong with a 400 grain arrow. Accuracy is most important. Now with plenty of time before the season I would add a 50 grain weight to the back of your insert which will slow the arrow down to a good speed range for fixed Broadhead accuracy, give you more total arrow weight and increase your front of center.

 

[Btaylor]

I weighed the arrow with the broadhead and I am only at 395 gr. I felt like it was quite a bit under what I would need and wasn’t sure, but I guess I know now.

I am shooting at 70#. I wasn’t sure about the 2 blade BH or more. I keep thinking that more blades gives a better shot at more damage.

Thanks for the input guys! Keep it coming if you have more info!

Accuracy trumps everything when it comes to killin stuff with a bow. If you put a broadhead in the vitals, 2,3 or 4 blade will all do plenty of damage to put that animal down quickly. Here are a few points to consider as you build out your system. Speed to a certain extent is not really relevant or guys wouldnt be killing stuff with selfbows shooting around 150fps. Number of blades and head design can either aid or reduce terminal performance depending on bow and arrow setup. That doesnt make any head a bad head it just may not be the best one for a particular setup, flathead when you need a phillips screwdriver. Lethal terminal performance is about accuracy and penetration. The things that aid penetration are head design, total arrow mass, FOC and speed. Bow and arrow setups have as many recipes for success as they do for failure in how the system is setup, very few blanket right/wrong, yes/no or good/bad answers. Internet forums and pro shops will tell you otherwise LOL.

For a compound setup I like to shoot the heaviest arrow weight I can and be somewhere in the 265-280 fps range in a well tuned bow. That setup will allow a person to pretty much shoot any head of their choosing and expect good broadhead tuning and good penetration performance. Again that does not make that the right or best setup, it's just one way to skin the cat. As a new bowhunter, my advice would be concentrate on a getting a good middle of the road setup and work on shooting and as you start filling tags then you can start to tweak setups. Your experiences will guide you to the right setup for you but that takes time and kills.

 

[Beendare]

You chose a light GPI arrow, personally I want a high GPI arrow for hunting. FYI, an elk arrow in that 450-550gr range is the sweet spot for most guys

Assuming you are shooting 70# or under, you should be able to put a 150gr BH on there and have one heck of a good setup for elk. If you want to max out penetration, stick with 2 or 3 blade Cut on Contact heads. Both Magnus and VPA make good heads in that weight range for a reasonable cost.

 

[nphunter]

You will be perfectly fine killing an elk with that setup. Like mentioned above accuracy is the most important factor, even if you had a 500gr arrow it wouldn't matter if you hit bone. Don't take stupid shots, rushed shots, shots without ranging unless super close, etc. Aim 3-5" behind the armpit on a broadside shot and you will be in good shape and have some room on either side to compensate for a pulled shot.

Bruce is right, you can easily put a 150gr BH on there and have a lot better arrow specifically for elk. I would do that if you want to keep it that way. I wouldn't want to resight for elk and then switch back to 100 or 125 for everything else.

If building an arrow specifically for elk only I would build something in the 440-500gr weight, My arrow is coming in right at 490 this season which is heavier than I have shot in the past. I mainly built my new arrows for durability and because I am switching to large cut expandables and want as much momentum as I can get without sacrificing too much trajectory. For a good COC fixed head like a Magnus, Kudu, Solid, Iron Will it doesn't take a lot of energy to push one through the rib cage.

I never have killed an elk with an arrow heavier than 415gr and have never had an issue killing them. I have killed them with arrows as light as 315gr out of a 60lb bow with a 27" draw. Last year I lost my arrow it zipped through my bull so fast, that was with a 406gr arrow going 315fps.

 

[Coupe de Gras]

Thanks for the advice, I ended up going to another bow shop that helped out a lot.
I first learned my old arrows are too short (should have been 29) and of course like many said too light. I ended up getting heavier arrows with weighted inserts ( carbon express pile driver extreme small diameter 350 with 50 gr inserts) and stuck to the 100 gr broadheads I have. I am at 500 now. Just have to sight in again but I feel more confident now with these arrows. Once again thanks for your input!

 

[Crambo]

I'm guessing you will experience better penetration with the heavier arrow. Good move. Now go kill an elk!